Streaming Standard: Masters of the Universe- Retaliation (Part 1)

 After giving it plenty of time to settle with me, I'm going to talk about one of the more controversial Shows from last year.

This was split into two parts- each 5 Episodes- with a long gap separating them.
I won't make you wait months to find out how I feel about Part 2.

So what is...

In a follow-up to the original Series (which I guess involves He-Man returning home after the events of The New Adventures of He-Man), Skeletor attacks Castle Grayskull quite successfully.

Seriously, he hasn't failed so far!

An Epic Battle ensues and many big things happen...

Moss Man is killed!
The Sword of Power is split.

Skeletor...dies?
He-Man...dies?!?

Yep, from Episode 2 on out, we get *Flashbacks* with He-Man, but he's otherwise dead.

Our remaining Heroes regroup after some time to re-forge the Sword to save Eternia. 

Can they journey through dangerous Realms- like what is basically Hell down below- and save the land?

Will something shocking happen to set up Part 2?

Watch it to find out.

I both get and don't get the hate for this.  It messes with everything (just about) that you hold dear from the original Show- granted.  Reboots have done that before to far less of a degree.  The fact that this is billed as a Sequel Series is clearly the key here.

Like the Star Trek 'Reboot' (that still affected the main Continuity), it gives an 'unhappy ending' to many Characters you like and remember.

Of course, the Show is only half-over, so maybe wait for EVERYTHING to happen to find out if things are 'ruined' for good, maybe?  Just saying.

Outside of that, the 'bait and switch' claim is silly when you remember that 'He-Man' is not in the Title.  Also he's in every Episode!

Honestly, if you're a fan of the original Show, give it a look past the first 2 Episodes and give it a chance.  Just know that if you still disagree, I'm not the guy to blame here...

A good Show that surely shocks the 'I'm here for Nostalgia' Crowd for all of the right and wrong reasons.  Once that happens, it actually has some good Stories to tell, so give it a chance.

New Streaming: Creepshow- 'Within the Walls of Madness'

 After a short delay, let's wrap up the Episode with the second story.  Let's see what lies...

A man is in Prison for some murders that happened at a Government Research Facility.

How did this happen?

Let him tell you...

It involves some strange experiments, some even stranger results and Denise Crosby up to no good.

What secret did she uncover to put this all into motion?

Can it be stopped?

Does he want to stop it?

To find out, stream the Show now.

Another fun Segment on the Show.  The Lovecraftian influence is always nice to see.  Stuart Gordon isn't around to do them right, so keep it up!

The Story is pretty simple, so the structure is made more complex to make things more interesting.  It all flows together, so no complaints there.

It all comes to a nice, chaotic conclusion.  The continued use of the 'Creepshow Palettes' here is a fun thing as well.  It's not necessary, but I like it.  All in all, this thing is fun, freaky and full of what you expect in a Creepshow Segment.

As a bonus, they named Crosby's Character 'Trollenberg' after this Film...

B

Lost in Translation: Return of the Living Dead- Part II

 I love Japan for many reasons.

For one thing, they used to make these crazy Posters full of bright colors and random images.

So what happens when the Film is also crazy?

You get this Poster for the Sequel to Return of the Living Dead...

Yowza.

Just look at this.

It's every color you can think, lots of shapes and it's very, very busy.

Fun, but busy.

Here's the original...

Brighter is better with stuff like this, no?  

Forgotten Sequels: The Karate Kid Part III

 As Cobra Kai attempts to redeem Terry Silver, I thought I'd look at why they needed to do that.  This is The Karate Kid Part III, the final Film in the Series...not counting the one with Hillary Swank.  Where's her Cobra Kai Cameo, guys?!?

In this Chapter, our Heroes return from Japan in the longest flight in Film History (beating Rush Hour II's 3-year trip to Hong Kong) and many things have changed.  In their absence, a new, silly threat emerges to give them trouble.

Will a corrupt Industrialist succeed where a Karate Teacher failed?  Will Miyagi become a Small Business Owner?  Will this Franchise go out on a high note until its revival Decades later?  To find out, read on...

Following his failed attempt to punish his failing (in his eyes) Student (William Zabka), John Kreese lost his Students and was made bankrupt.

Thankfully, he had a never-before-mentioned connection to an Industrialist named Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith) whom he saved in the Vietnam War.

Bear in mind that Griffith was 25 when this 1989 Film was made, so he would have been a damn young Soldier, no?

He concocts a very elaborate plan to get revenge for Kreese (who is mostly-absent due to his Shooting Schedule for a 1 Season Show).

This includes...

* Hiring a new Student.
* Marketing him as 'the Bad Boy of Karate'

* Breaking into Miyagi's House to get info on him.

* Pretending to be a good guy from Cobra Kai's Korean Branch that felt bad.

* Telling that that Kreese was dead.

But wait...there's alot more.

Daniel uses his College Fund to buy a Building for Miyagi to run a Bonsai Tree Store.

Across the street, he meets a pretty young Potter (Robyn Lively) who was originally meant to be his love interest.

That changed when they realized that Ralph Macchio was 27 and she was 16.

To cleanse your palette, please enjoy this flimsy excuse to share the 'Top That' Clip from Teen Witch.

The next phase of the plan- which borders on Operation Overlord levels- involves the Bad Boy and Snake (played by the Director's Son) bullying Macchio into signing up to defend his Title.

Miyagi says 'no.'  He says 'no.'

The Bullies keep pushing into they literally have him in a life-or-death situation and get him to sign up.

Terry Silver reappears to beat up Daniel's new Rival in a staged fight.  When Miyagi won't train him, Silver steps up...to train him in ways that make him hurt himself.

He pushes him to press his rage, leading to a Nightclub fight that shakes Daniel's beliefs.

Lively- who told him from the get-go that she was leaving soon- gives him a nice pep talk before she goes home and he reunites with Miyagi.

But first, he needs to 'break up' with Silver.

Silver goes full cartoon villain now, revealing everything to Daniel.

Kreese even gives him a Scare Tactics moment by popping out alive and well.

Before the final Match can happen at the Tournament, however...

Miyagi shows up and defeats all 3 of them with ease (alongside his Stunt Double).

Good thing HE'S not in the Tournament- there'd be no tension at all.

Kreese and Silver's plan is for the match to go the full 3 minutes, in order to make Daniel suffer.

You'd think the latter would be too busy with his MULTIPLE COMPANIES, but he makes time for this.

Unsurprisingly, he wins this match with a final flip and punch.

Good luck on your future family and Used Car Dealership, Daniel-san.

A fun Film, but boy does it feel silly at times.  It is sort of endearing, really.
The basic formula- Daniel is bullied, Daniel rebels and Daniel gets back with Miyagi to win- holds strong here.  Having a shared Crew amongst all 3 Films sure helps things out.

One bit of confusion here is how this timeline makes sense and why.  The first Film was in 1984 and the second one was in 1985, complete with a 6-month time jump built in.  This Film takes place right after the 2nd one, but was made 4 years later.  That means that Daniel is competing in the 1985 Tournament as the '80s is about to end.  Weird, no?

The addition of Terry Silver is the best and worst thing here.  On one hand, he's quite memorable, as shown by his return in Season 4 of Cobra Kai.  On the other hand, he's memorable for being a bizarre, cartoon Character plugged into this seemingly-real world with working class people and stakes.  Here he is talking about dumping Nuclear Waste and attending a party at the House on Haunted Hill (no joke).  He's a bizarre addition that makes the Film all the more entertaining, at the cost of logic and the other Films' serious tone.

I'll leave you with a quick look at how they quickly wrote out Daniel's Mom, his old home and his love interest from Part II in like 5 minutes tops.

Next up, I go back to my pile of leftover Films.  Will it be Horror, more Horror or Sci-Fi?  Stay tuned...

Tubi Thursday: Dark Waters (1994)

 Is this the most common name for a Film ever?  You wouldn't think so, but just go on IMDB to see how many Films are called 'Dark Water' or 'Dark Waters.'  Now go back and read about this one...

Somewhere far away on an Island, a strange series of occurrences happen.

Flooding.  Crashing.  Death.

It all seems to relate to this stone orb...so this Nun jumps to the death with it.

Jumping ahead some time later, the Mother Superior is now blind and nearly dead.

Also the Nuns are flagellating themselves and other weird shit is going down.

Vrbo Review- 0 Stars.

A young woman named Elizabeth is going back for the first time in years.

She has to pass through a Lovecraftian Town to get there.

Before she gets there, her friend- who invited her- is killed by the Nuns.

Is this the worst guy to ride on a Boat with?  Possibly.

Lots of freaky and weird stuff happens along the way as our Heroine learns that the Nuns are into some really freaky stuff.

That's mostly it for the next 46 minutes or so.

Do Elizabeth's visions hint at what really happened all those years ago?
Why did her Dad keep financing this Church?
What secrets will be unearthed?

Oh and why does this Film feel very Italian, but actually made by Russians?

Will Elizabeth be the Heroine of this tale and save the day...or unleash evil upon the Earth?

To find out, stream the odd Film.

Is Dark Waters bad?  No.  It has a unique (if Italian-inspired) look and feel.
Is Dark Waters really good?  No.  It's odd, dream-like feel makes it hard to latch on the supposed reality, making it very disconnected tonally.

I want to like Films like this, in case you didn't know.  I like- to a certain extent- Lucio Fulci's freaky Films like his infamous Trilogy, Demonia or the rest.  I like Dario Argento's 3 Mothers Trilogy quite alot.

This one has the feel- especially Fulci-esque- but doesn't every really make a strong Story.  It tries near the end, but it's just a big, pretty mess of freaky visuals until then.  If you can stick with it, it might be worth the journey.

Just don't confuse this sacrilegious Horror Film with, oh, a Political Thriller about Corruption in Business...

It is worth a look for fans of the freaky, as it is fairly-obscure.  That said, just expect to go 'ooh' and 'ah' more than 'Oh, that's neat.'

'90s Trash(y Fun): Street Fighter (1994)

 Is it the worst Video Game Film?  Is it the best?  Is it one of them?

1994's Street Fighter is an odd duck, as it is a real creation of the '90s.  This goes both ways.
 * On one hand, the Film is full of dumb explosions, cheesy dialog, lots of fighting and dated attire.
 * On the other hand, it is such a trainwreck that you can't help but look at it.

It comes to us from Steven E De Souza, a man with so many big credits to his name.  As a Writer, he was the man (partly) behind Die Hard, 48 Hours and Commando.  He also has lots of *infamous* Films to his name like Hudson Hawk, Judge Dredd, Jumping Jack Flash, The Spirit (TV Movie) and Knock-Off.  I guess this Film too.

There are lots of Behind the Scenes aspects to this Film to learn too, like how the Script was being rewritten every day, Van Damme's $10,000 a week cocaine use and Raul Julia working through Cancer that would kill him before the Film's release.

With all of that said, is it an enjoyable ride?  Let's see...

A madman named M. Bison (Golden Globe Winner Raul Julia) is in control of a Country, a small army and lots of crazy technology.

He also has the biggest of big screen TVs to watch News Reports about himself, only it shows up behind bars like a bad iMPACT Wrestling Match.

On the other side, Colonel Guile (totally-American Jean Claude Van Damme) is trying to take him down!

He has machismo, a small army and a lovely hat on his side.

At the same time, a pair of low-level criminals (Ken and Ryu) run afoul of an Arms Dealer named Sagat (who seems to be Thai in his backstory, but is played by Wes Studi).

They try to trick him, but end up caught with him (and his men) by Guile.

Random Trivia: they hired the real 'Good Morning, Vietnam' guy to do the PA Announcements (that most people miss amongst the fighting and explosions.

Crafty Guile sets up a long con involving the criminals working with Sagat to get to Bison.

In the long run, it causes more harm than good, since...

A Reporter (Ming-Na Wen) is actually a Spy trying to take out Bison due to a person vendetta (and the fact that he's a War Criminal).

This is so awkward that even Bison chides them for their foolishness.

When that guy is talking shit to you, you've messed up!

Guile is told to not attack Bison, who is getting his massive ransom for like 10 Aid Workers.  Mind you, he's probably spent billions on manpower and his tech in the meantime.

Of course, Guile still attacks, setting up our Third Act.

Oh and he briefly-pretended to be dead...not that it made much of an impact on the Plot.

During the battle inside of the compound, all of the Sub-Plots (like Chun-Li's revenge plan and the redemption arc of Ken and Ryu) come to a head.

Everyone gets an enemy to fight like a Comic Book as well.

Somewhere during all of that, Blanka is created.
It's really not that important until the Sequel...oh, right.

The big fight is Guile against Bison, which goes poorly for the latter at first.

Since this Film is not using magic or super powers, he can't do his usual stuff...until he uses the power of Bullet Train Technology (why not?) to let himself fly around and shoot lightning.

Bullet Trains- they shoot lightning.

Our Heroes beat their rivals and the day is saved, our Heroes getting in their Video Game poses in with a totally-logical demeanor.

Cheer like a Teenager, Chun-Li (the bad-ass Spy).  The End.

A strange, but enjoyable mess of a Film.  Given all of the chaos and the rushed time-table, it's kind of amazing that a Film even got made here, to be fair.  That's certainly not a full excuse for De Souza literally ripping pages out of the Script when they ran over schedule though.

As a Video Game Film, it is closer than you might think.  Like Mortal Kombat (which nearly starred Van Damme instead), they give you all of the Characters in a good-to-passable state without overdoing it (like Mortal Kombat: Annihilation).

That said, there was almost no point in using Dhalsim, Blanka, Cammy or T-Hawk here.  Just saying.

The Film is a bizarre mish-mash of bad humor, surprisingly-good humor (mostly from Zangief) and stuff that just feels really out of place.  It's enjoyable if you don't expect genuine quality and embrace the insanity.  Speaking of insane (for more than one reason), enjoy this out-of-place John Wayne Gacy reference...

Next time, I try to clear out my excess Film overflow some more.  I've got...lots of randomness to share.  Stay tuned...

Tubi Thursday: Beyond Atlantis (1973)

 Is a famous Poster hiding a good Film?  Is there more comedic gold to be mined from The Phillipines?
Let's find out...

A strange woman pays a man- aka The Guy Who's In Every One of These- in pearls, which turn out to be worth lots of money.

This gets the attention of a man- Sid Haig- who sets about a trip to get lots more of the pearls.

Dragged along for the ride, you get a Criminal (John Ashley, who's also in all of these), a woman interested in studying the Natives, a Diver and his Companion.

Is the 'Heist' Crew all together now?

They go to the Island and learn that the Natives are all sorts of weird, having bug eyes and swimming without needing air.

What else are they hiding?

Well, they need her to mate with a foreigner to save their race from extinction.

No pressure, eh?

The group continues to go just for the pearls- running into trouble with the people there- and a love triangle breaks out as the Diver and the Archaeologist fall in love.

That's going to get in the way of the Island Girl mating with him, no?

They inevitably fight, which leads to our Heroine winning and surviving.

Well, that Race is doomed.  Oh well.

Stay tuned for the random humor at the end to make up for this downer Ending.

A pretty run of the mill Film for such a great Poster.  It is what is advertised though, so I guess I can't complain.

Does it feature bug-eyed Natives?  Yes.  Does it feature a Blond Queen?  Yes.

Does it also feature prolonged Scuba Diving Scenes that go on forever?  Yes.  Does it feature so-so Acting?  Yes.  Does it feature mild bits of Action to (barely) spice things up?  Yes.
Does it feature zero footage of Atlantis?  Also yes.

Beyond Atlantis is an Eddie Romero Film, so you should know what to expect.  It was produced by John Ashley- behind the Blood Island Films- so you also know what to expect.  It's nothing special, unlike this other bonkers Film that it was marketed with...

A pretty fun Film that is definitely for a certain kind of audience.  If you like this Films from the Philippines and know what to expect from them, enjoy.