Armed Response

ARMED RESPONSE-1986-In this crazed sometimes funny Fred Olen Ray action drama, David Carradine plays Jim Roth, a veteran tortured by memories of Viet-Nam who now runs a bar. His war vet father Burt is played by Lee Van Cleef! A Yakusa gang leader named Tanaka (Mako) is after a stolen statue. He dispatches two underlings, Thorton (Ross Hagen acting weird as usual) and one of Jim's brothers (David Goss) to deliver a million dollars to buy the statue from the comic duo of Laurene Landon and Dick Miller. Thorton betrays his partner and a bloody shoot out ensues. He beats it out with the money and the statue. Later Tanaka has another brother (Brent Huff) tortured with some kind of acupuncture. After he dies Jim and Burt go for revenge. Fights, shootings and explosions abound. Some of the dialogue is terrible but Tanaka's main henchmen are played by Michael Berryman and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

Also with Lois Hamilton, Burr DeBenning, Conan Lee and Bobbie Bresee (in one quick scene). This was one of Lee Van Cleef's last roles. He died in 1989 of a heart attack at age 63.

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Ya Ya Yakuza

THE YAKUZA PAPERS (1973-1974) is a five part movie series directed by Kinji Fukusaku. It follows the rise and fall of different crime families mostly through the eyes of one character named Hirono played by Bunta Suguwara, who stars in all five. Most of the time rival gangs are arguing, killing or double-crossing each other. It hardly seems they have time for actual criminal activities! It’s very bloody and fast paced with some crazy camera angles and unintentional laughs but seems to carve out a pretty bleak future for crime fighting.

Sonny Chiba co-stars in the second one (DEADLY FIGHT IN HIROSHIMA) as a sleazy hood. Part 3 is called PROXY WAR, followed by POLICE TACTICS and FINAL EPISODE. Director Fukusaku (who died in 2003) made many other Yakuza related dramas but took time out in to make two wacky Sci-Fi movies THE GREEN SLIME and MESSAGE FROM SPACE.

“Regret for things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for things we did not do that is inconsolable”. …Sidney J. Harris

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Quickies

CELLO-2005-After a car accident a cello teacher has weird visions which seem to be connected to her autistic daughter and her new cello. A very strange and silent housekeeper hangs around and a former student stalks her. This very derivative Korean made horror film has some creepy moments but goes on too long.



CINDERELLA-2006-Korean made horror nonsense about plastic surgery, a young woman and her kind of psycho mom/surgeon. I found the whole thing rather confusing and drawn out and there’s really no pay off. But maybe it’s me…



DARKON-2006-This is a serious documentary about a live action role playing game called “Darkon”. A bunch of people dress in armor and fight wars. Some dress like elves. They all seem very into it and explain why they do it and how it makes them feel. Folks who like role playing games will probably get a kick out of it but I fell asleep.




SYMPATHY FOR THE UNDERDOG-1971-Violent gang war drama by “The King of Yakuza Films” Kinji Fukusaku. When a huge Tokyo Yakuza drives a gang in Yokohama out of its territory the gang reorganizes in Okinawa. Things don’t go that well however and by the end of the story literally everyone is dead!



ARK-2004-This is a computer generated sci-fi fantasy is much like the better known FINAL FANTASY. Two races The Storians and The Sevians wage an eternal battle on the planet Elseon. It was a Korean/USA co-production and has some great scenes. James Woods was the only voice actor I recognized.

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. That is the principal difference between dog and man"—Mark Twain

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