#RussellWong

[adamwatchesmovies]

Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021)

While Clifford the Big Red Dog is missing some essential ingredients, it’s good-natured, with a nice message for the young children it aims to entertain. There’s not much here for adults but you could do much worse.

Lonely middle schooler Emily Elizabeth Howard (Darby Camp) is being babysat by her down-on-his-luck uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) when they run into Mr. Bridwell (John Cleese), an eccentric animal-lover who gives Emily a red puppy. After “Clifford” suddenly grows to gigantic size, he catches the attention of Lifegro, a genetics company that wants to experiment on the oversized pooch.

There’s something clumsy about the screenplay, which first has Clifford separated from his mother, then rescued by Bridwell, then handed over to Emily. What’s weird is that Clifford is his unusual red color BEFORE he grows big, which makes you wonder if Bridwell had anything to do with the canine’s strange size… despite his magical abilities being explicitly shown. Also strange is the casting. Emily speaks with an American accent. Her uncle Casey does too but his sister/Emily’s mom (played by Sienna Guillory) is British. It means the film has to cram in a line about how he moved away when they were kids but she moved to the States to raise her daughter. It’s a puzzling choice but a trivial issue. The real problem concerns Emily and Clifford’s relationship.

This film’s story is not revolutionary. It’s E.T., The Iron Giant, and Bumblebee: a lonely child gets a strange, wonderful/magical friend that some official/corporate guy wants to take away. That’s fine as long as the humor is effective (which it mostly is) and the love between the girl and her pet is felt. That's what's lacking. There are few scenes of Emily and Clifford playing, helping each other out of various comedic jams, or bonding. In their place, we get several (some might say too many) of Emily’s quirky neighbors. To be fair, they effectively get the film’s message front and center: Like Clifford, many of them could be called weird but in this wild adventure, their unique skills/attributes are exactly what is needed to rescue the big red dog from the nasty owner of Lifegro, Mr. Peter Tieran (Tony Hale).

A long hard look at Clifford the Big Red Dog does the film no favors but something about it somehow manages to wriggle its way into your heart. The scenes of puppy chaos are funny. Emily’s only friend at school is Owen (Izaac Wang) and the two young actors play well with each other. Acting-wise, they do pretty well considering they were acting against a green ball on-set. Thankfully, the references to TikTok and other similar social media are reduced to a minimum and the focus is primarily on Emily, Clifford, and their friends.

Although adults will have seen pretty much all of Clifford the Big Red Dog in some other form, the children they're accompanying to the theater won't. For them, I will call it a good movie. Overall, it's gentle, moves along quickly, and has a fair number of laughs. That's enough. (Theatrical version on the big screen, November 6, 2021)

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : New Jack City (1991)

As the 1990s came closer and closer to being, something interesting was happening in pop culture.  Hip-hop, once shunned by the masses and deemed a passing fad, was not only showing signs that it was around to stay, but that it could quite possibly become the dominating aspect of pop culture in due time.  Hip-hop was breaking new ground in terms of record sells and charting hits, but more importantly, its influence was being felt in literature, TV and film as well.  One of the early indicators of this shifting dynamic was the gritty tale of how drugs can destroy entire cities... a tale known as New Jack City. 

It’s 1986, Harlem is the spot, and the streets are all connected to the latest fix : crack.  The Cash Money Brothers (CMB), led by notorious kingpin Nino Brown (Wes Snipley) and his right hand man Gee Money (Allen Payne), have organized themselves into a dominant force on the streets due to their connections and ability to mass produce the drug, and after taking over the Carter apartment complex and turning it into a crack dealing den, they seem unstoppable.  Detective Stone (director Mario Van Peebles) has a different plan, however, enlisting the help of undercover Detective Scotty Appleton (Ice T) and rogue cop Nick Peretti (Judd Nelson) in hopes of shutting down CMB and serving justice.  With CMB posing a new kind of threat, the detectives are forced to try riskier tactics, including employing former crackhead Pookie (Chris Rock) as a mole, but in the end, the battle for righteousness becomes a struggle against a battle for street justice.

Thanks to artists like NWA and Ice-T, gangster/reality rap was already well established, and by proxy, so were the tales of drug dealing, gun violence and doing whatever it takes to survive and thrive in the heartless streets.  New Jack City was one of the first films to put a visual element to those tales.  Imagination was no longer needed... here was a clear cut guide to how drug dealers could take the heart, soul and resources out of a community, use it to fuel their greed for power and material wealth, while simultaneously terrorizing the communities they forcefully occupy.  In terms of the policing side of things, viewers were given insights not only into the lengths that some cops/detectives are willing to go for justice, but at how the system can sometimes hold them back and undo every effort made in the fight for said justice, leaving the entire system at an illogical and inoperable impasse.

The tales of addiction that are interwoven throughout New Jack City are wildly effective, especially the way that they play off of one another.  Pookie’s struggle with drug addiction and redemption seems tragic, but quickly is given powerful credence as Gee Money also falls victim to addiction.  Nino Brown’s addiction to money, and the fame/notoriety that comes with it, quickly leads to the downfall of all relationships around him that matter, eventually leading to his own downfall.  The police and CMB both find themselves addicted to power and control of the streets, eventually resulting to a game of who blinks first in terms of the lengths they will go to in order to exert said power and control.

The groundbreaking soundtrack also served as a sign of the changing times, with many of the chart topping hip-hop and R&B acts taking part all being proponents of the new jack swing movement that was dominating urban music (a movement created by Teddy Riley, who performs the title song in the film).  The album stayed on the top of the charts for 8 weeks and produced several chart topping singles, including I’m Dreamin’ by Christopher Williams (who acts in the film) and the smash hit I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Badd (also known as CMB, coincidentally).  The film and the soundtrack became clear signal points for the powers that be that it was either time to get hip or get left behind, and hindsight shows that get hip was the choice.

Seeing Ice T as a cop now is quite commonplace, but at the time this was a shocking casting decision... somehow, however, he managed to pull it off via a tenacity and driven nature that was wholly convincing.  Chris Rock was known as a comedian with bit parts in films at the time, but he showed deep dramatic chops in his portrayal of Pookie, leaving behind an iconic character that still shadows him to this day, over 30 years later.  Wesley Snipes plays an antihero of sorts, taking an early chance to show his villainous range and run with it.  Allen Payne did it for the culture before that was a thing, not only emulating street lingo, but helping to establish a bit of new slang in the process.  Judd Nelson plays the tough guy with a heart to an effective degree, with his over the top bad attitude resulting in a satisfying yield of information later on.  Noteworthy appearances by Mario Van Peebles, Bill Nunn, Christopher Williams, Fab Five Freddy, Flavor Flav, and integrated musical performances by Troop and Guy round out the proceedings.

It was clear from initial release that New Jack City was a sign of the changing times, but I don’t know if even the biggest fans and supporters of hip-hop knew what was truly in store.  

[oohlaniece]

Does anyone know what breed Clifford the Big Red Dog is? I searched the internet and there are mixed answers. Wiki stated originally he was considered a bloodhound❔❕ I would guess a golden retriever but big or small he is so cauute🤗❤️ 🍿 #CliffordtheBigRedDog 🍿 Available in theaters and on Paramount+ 11/10/21 🤩Starring🤩 #JackWhitehall #DarbyCamp #TonyHale #SiennaGuillory #DavidAlanGrier #RussellWong #JohnCleese ▶️When middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away for business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an adventure that will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat as our heroes take a bite out of the Big Apple. Based on the beloved Scholastic book character, Clifford will teach the world how to love big! #newmovie #bigreddog #pressvideographer #pressphotographer #intheaters #movietrailer #avideditor #filmeditor #storyteller #atlanta #videoeditor #digitalmediamarketing #newyork #premiereeditor #postproduction #filmcrew #losageles #photographer #socialmediamanager #oohlaniece #fcpxeditor #videoediting https://www.instagram.com/p/CVVX4Zyr1cV/?utm_medium=tumblr

[fanboysmarketplace]

#fanboys happy for @christine_ko @Regrann from @christine_ko - Amazing news from Cannes ❤ Excited to share this lil baby we shot in Utah in 2015 with everyone 🙌🏼✨!!! Congrats to the team @godfreygao @tzima8 #RussellWong #TsaiChin✨ #TheJadePendant - #regrann (at Fm Vista West, Fort Worth, Texas)

[tokka]

#tbt @erniereyesjr ; mid-90s I recall,particularly #Universal's TV films "#VanishingSon" series (#194)..paralleling your guest starring in "#KungFuTheLEGENDContinues". These shows aired on the same #FOX affiliate locally I think. The 4 movies were well noted and the show to follow didn't last but a season. This was the time of popular syndicated action shows like #HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys & @reallucylawless 's #XenaWarriorPrincess programs. #RussellWong & #ChiMuoiLo @chimuoilo as a musical artist & his young brother who escape China after their involvement in #TiananmenSquare. Fellow #TMNT classic movie alumni #VivianWu starred as a friend & love interest in at least the films,which I recall more. I hadn't realized the series was particularly important as it cast Russell as leading attractive Asian-male role.

[mydodel]

#dvd #tvseries #csilasvegas #season5 #episode10 #nohumansinvolved #williampetersen #marghelgenberger #garydourdan #georgeeads #paulguilfoyle #ericszmanda #jorjafox #louiselombard #russellwong #wallacelangham (hier: Solothurn, Switzerland)

[shumvera]

russellwong88: #escapeplan3 #harryshumjr #RussellWong

[harryshumjr-news]

russellwong88: #escapeplan3 #harryshumjr #RussellWong

[geekclubhouse]

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a new BEHIND-THE-SCENES CLIP, featuring a FIGHT SCENE from the home release (4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD) of ESCAPE PLAN: THE EXTRACTORS! The BEHIND-THE-SCENES CLIP has an intro from Sylvester Stallone and John Herzfeld, talking about the fight scenes in the movie. #BehindTheScenes #BluRay #Clip #Curtis50CentJackson #DanielBernhardt #DanniWant #DaveBautista #DevonSawa #DevotaFreeman #DigitalHD #DVD #EscapePlan #EscapePlanTheExtractors #FightScene #JaimeKing #JeffChase #JimZhang #LionsgateHomeEntertainment #Melise #RussellWong #SylvesterStallone #TylerJonOlson #NothingButGeek #NBGeek #NBG https://ift.tt/2RQa9Qz https://ift.tt/2KTV3si

[therealmrpositive]

True Crime: Streets of LA (2003)

In today's review, I go undercover as I attempt a #positive review of the 2003 crime sandbox True Crime Streets of LA #RussellWong #GaryOldman #ChristopherWalken #MichelleRodriguez #MichaelMadsen #CCHPounder #RonPerlman #Mako #JamesHong #KeoneYoung #RyunYu

Like Doom just before it, the impact that Grand Theft Auto has had on gaming is astounding, from causing moral panics to shaping gameplay in competitors. Inspiring an open world sandbox gold rush of copy-cat competitors each providing their style to the winning formula. Many of these “clones” looked to the big screen for inspiration, borrowing from the likes of Scorsese, and other classics in the…

[adamwatchesmovies]

Romeo Must Die (2000)

I just finished Romeo Must Die and I’m pretty miffed. After sitting through this poorly acted, clumsily executed, and appallingly written movie the title’s got it right. Someone's got to die, someone's got to pay.

In this watered-down, very loose adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the feuding families are two gangs in Oakland, California; one Black-American, the other Chinese-American. When Po Sing (Jon Kit Lee) is murdered, his father, Ch’u (Henry O), the leader of the Chinese-American gang suspects their rivals are responsible. When Po’s brother Han (Jet Li) breaks out of prison and makes his way to America to avenge his brother’s death/figure out who did it to prevent a war, he falls for a woman from the Black gang, the prime suspect behind the murder, Trish O’Day (Aaliyah).

If this film was titled anything other than Romeo Must Die you would never guess, nor would you associate it in any way with Romeo and Juliet. This is a martial arts action movie/detective story with the thinnest, flimsiest excuse of a romance thrown in. A love story made even weaker by Jet Li, who barely has any dialogue. If he and Aaliyah fought side-by-side you could "show" their chemistry through physicality, but she's got no fighting skills, so that doesn't happen. You feel no sparks between them. Even if you rub two sticks together fast enough you’ll get a bit of heat. These two? Nothing. To compensate, some comedy is thrown in. There are a slew of would-be laugh-inducing pratfalls with Anthony Anderson as a buffoonish thug working for Trish’s father but he’s never very funny and feels out of place. Take those elements out and all you have left is a boring action with a mystery that’s easily pieced together. Not sure if that's better, or worse.

Back in 2000 when this picture was released, this was going to be Jet Li’s American movie premiere in a lead role. As such, the film manages to crow-bar as many hand-to-hand combat scenes in its running time as it can. It's what the audience wants to see, but in a world where people have guns, it doesn't make much sense. The best scene in the film does involve a killing blow so intense we have to see it in X-Ray vision though, so it's almost worth it just for that. You might also pick a certain football scene as the highlight, but only if you embrace this film as bad, which you should. Aaliyah might have had some box-office draw too, and to her credit she’s much better at delivering her lines as Li.

Romeo Must Die can be enjoyable, but not for the reasons intended. I say go in knowing this is a bad movie, grab some friends and make fun of it as it plays. There's no shortage of material for you to ridicule, from the performances to the love plot, the tenuous relation to Shakespeare, the contrived scenarios that lead to martial arts fights, and more. (On DVD, January 22, 2016)

[geekclubhouse]

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a new RED BAND TRAILER for the home release (4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD) of ESCAPE PLAN: THE EXTRACTORS! Sylvester Stallone (Rambo, The Expendables franchise) returns to the screen as Ray Breslin. #4KUltraHD #BluRay #Curtis50CentJackson #DanielBernhardt #DanniWant #DaveBautista #DevonSawa #DevotaFreeman #DigitalHD #DVD #EscapePlanTheExtractors #JaimeKing #JeffChase #JimZhang #LionsgateHomeEntertainment #Melise #RussellWong #SylvesterStallone #TylerJonOlson #NothingButGeek #NBGeek #NBG http://bit.ly/2Wxz8J7 http://bit.ly/2WDm5L6

[geekclubhouse]

Lionsgate has announced the home release information (4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD) for ESCAPE PLAN: THE EXTRACTORS! Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Jaime King, Devon Sawa, Daniel Bernhardt, Melise, Russell Wong, Jim Zhang, Jeff Chase, Tyler Jon Olson, Danni Want, Devota Freeman Synopsis: Screen legend Sylvester Stallone kicks this explosive action tale #Curtis"50Cent"Jackson #DanielBernhardt #DanniWant #DaveBautista #DevonSawa #DevotaFreeman #EscapePlan #JaimeKing #JeffChase #JimZhang #Lionsgate #Melise #RussellWong #SylvesterStallone #TylerJonOlson #NothingButGeek NBGeek #NBG http://bit.ly/2WTdIqO http://bit.ly/2EiRSph