Media Notes: Roundup for January 2022

              

This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during January 2022.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available):

• The Suicide Squad (2021. Action Adventure. Comedy. Comic book adaptation). Plot description: "Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese." Notice the "The" in front of the title to distinguish it from the previous film (link to review). To be honest, given they pretty much changed up most of the cast, and that I saw some mixed to negative reviews, I am coming to this with low expectations. Still, when I saw my local public library had the DVD, I got curious and checked it out. In terms of music, starting with a Johnny Cash song is a nice touch. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller are back reprising their roles. Idris Elba plays Bloodsport, John Cena (the wrestler) is Peacemaker, and Sylvester Stallone provides the acting voice for King Shark. The movie has some decent action, when it gets to it. The problem is that overall it is way too long, and seriously slow at times. Also, the points where it tries to be humorous just do not always work, and to be honest, drag the movie's pacing down. Add to it the ending got somewhat ridiculous, and I cannot say this film improves any on the previous one. Some good actors, but I think their potential was wasted on a somewhat mediocre story. This comic series could make good movie material, if DC and Hollywood ever figure out how to do it justice. Until such a day, we are better off reading the comics. As for the music, the overall quality varies but OK mostly. I am tossing the film 2 out of 5 stars, barely. Watched 1/2.
• Return of the Street Fighter (1974. Martial Arts. Action. Crime.). The sequel to Shin'ichi "Sonny" Chiba's The Street Fighter (link to my review). Plot description: "Mercenary karate master Tsurugi gets mixed up in a plot by the American mafia to take over the karate dojos in Asia, aided by a corrupt dojo master." This movie also classifies as a grindhouse and exploitation movie (listed in Grindhouse Cinema Database). Film starts with some mobster hiring Tsurugi to kill off a guy that embezzled money from the mobster and another accountant in jail they are worried will testify. Tsurugi takes the job. Once the film starts, the action pretty much kicks in right away. Soon Tsurugi disposes of the accountant in jail, by allowing himself to be caught by the police after a chase, then breaks out of jail himself. This however earns him the enmity of the police, so now he has them on his back. Meanwhile, a police officer who lost custody of Tsurugi seeks redemption and wants to capture him; he is also a student in the dojo. The dojo master is concerned the mobster may be using the dojo's good name for nefarious purposes. When Tsurugi refuses a third mission, the mobster decides he has to be killed. All these plots soon come together as the film moves along. Granted, the plots are thin, but let's be honest, we are watching this more for the martial arts sequences and to see Sonny Chiba kick some ass, which he does rather well. You even get one or two semi-humorous special effects along the way (like the one guy's bulging eyes). As this is a sequel, you also get an enemy from the past reappearing. As I said, thin plots, but fun to watch. Film has a pretty fast pace from beginning to end. It does have a bit of filler scenes here or there. Film is dubbed into English. As before, I am willing to give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 1/2.
• The Street Fighter's Last Revenge (1974. Martial Arts. Action. Crime). Plot description: "Mercenary karate master Tsurugi is hired to retrieve a cassette tape which holds a very sensitive recording of governmental corruption. A back and forth game of who got the tape ensues." Film is a grindhouse/exploitation film as well (listed in Grindhouse Cinema Database). As often happens in this series of movies, Tsurugi gets hired to do a job, does it, and then the employers double cross him or refuse to pay. Being a guy who does not suffer fools, he goes on a revenge spree to get even. The movie does have some very good martial arts sequences, which, let's be honest, is a big reason to watch this movie. By the way, it is two tapes, and you need to have both tapes together in order to reveal a certain formula, a nice twist. And as if this movie was not entertaining enough, they got a Mexican strong man, in full mariachi regalia, who breaks chains, and we all know will be facing Tsurugi (except the guy is more flash than anything). For some reason, Tsurugi now identifies himself as "the street fighter" (something not seen in the previous two film, where he is more like a man with no name kind of figure), and has a secret chamber in his home (like a spy or superhero). I am not sure why they went in that direction, but the character is not as dark as before. The plot is seriously paper thin, and the more you watch, the sillier it gets, yet the movie does have some entertaining moments. Overall, it was OK, but the previous two were better overall.  Still you mainly watch it to see Sonny Chiba do his thing. This one is the last in the series. As before, this is the dubbed version. I'd say 2.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 1/16.

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• C.O.P.S. (1988-1989. Animated series. Police. Action. Humor. Children and Young Adult).  See my comment on this in the May 2019 roundup. I've been watching this in and out. I start this month on episode 47 (out of 65) as I continue catching up on watching the series this month. 
• Iron Chef (1993-1999). I continue watching this full run via TubiTv. I continue from last month with the second season, which I finished watching this month. 
• Robocop: The Series (1994. Action. Cyberpunk. Science Fiction. Canadian television). The series includes a pilot and 21 episodes for its first and only season. It was canceled in large part due to production costs. 
• Pilot episode, "The Future of Law Enforcement." Right away as Robocop solves a hostage situation we see the tone of the series will not be as violent as the films. Robocop resorts to more less lethal options to neutralize the hostage takers, and there is a small touch of humor as well. This first episode is one hour and 29 minutes. They did keep the advertising segments, similar to the movies, though the satire is not as edgy as in the films. Overall, the series maintains the look but it is seriously toned down to make it more family and television friendly. Still, it does have entertaining moments.   
• Rest of the episodes are about 44 minutes in length. 
• Episode 2, "Prime Suspect." Robocop gets framed for the death of televangelist. The episode is a bit interesting as it has Robocop confront spirituality a little bit; he even briefly enters an abandoned church, turns out it is the church he attended when he was still alive as Officer Murphy with his family. This series overall looks to focus more on Robocop, Murphy, and his humanity that strives even as he is a cyborg. Naturally, the "good reverend" is your usual variety televangelist con man.    
• Episode 4. You get a bit of the social commentary about U.S. health care, or lack of it, when a child's lungs for a transplant are stolen, and there is a very healthy black market for organs. It is up to Robocop to get the organs back in time to save the child. On a side note, it seems Tubi has some episodes out of order, or they are at least mislabeled; their descriptions do not match the episode. Episode 5 seems to actually be the episode before episode 4. On another side note, turns out not all episodes in this collection were close captioned or had captioning available. Some episodes lack cc. 
• Episode 6, "Ghosts of War." On a small satire note, the U.S. sells Puerto Rico to a group of Taiwanese investors. In the news segment of the episode, they quote the U.S. sellers as saying about the sale, "they [the Taiwanese] have plans for it. We don't." That was an amusing touch. 
• Speaking of little details, in Episode 7, "Zone 5," again via the news break, we find out the U.S. now has 52 states as they ask if Newfoundland is ready to be the 53rd. As for the episode, OCP again does something not so bright by deputizing a bunch of crooks from a gang to patrol the Zone 5 of the city, vigilantes basically. (And this seems loosely based on the CAP program they had in the third original film). The reason? In part because they can save 12% or so on the police budget. OCP never learns. 
• The show's story ideas range from serious to somewhat silly to, well, interesting. Episode 12, "Inside Crime," features a reality show that actually follows criminals committing crimes, and the show makers are perfectly legal to go along and film. This creates opportunity for Pudface Morgan, but makes things harder for Robocop. The idea seems silly, and yet, to be honest, it is the kind of thing that would not surprise me if they starting it doing it today in the U.S. Do keep in mind, this show was back in the 1990s.
• In Episode 13, "Robocop vs. Commander Cash," we get a guest appearance by wrestler and actor Roddy Piper. Piper portrays a man who believes himself to be OCP's superhero Commander Cash. Piper delivers a sweet performance in this one, rising to be a real hero.
• In Episode 15, "Tin Man," the Media Break reports the success of the "Ronnie," the Ronald Reagan dollar coin that has practically replaced use of traditional paper money dollars. A touch of humor, but let's be honest, I think if they made it real, it just might work given how much people like Reagan in the U.S. 
• The show overall is entertaining, but they did make a serious effort to tone down any violence to make it mostly non-lethal. The series is very much a family friendly fare with some elements to appeal to younger crowds. It is very much a 1990s series. The satire in the news was kept, but while amusing at times, not as edgy as the films. In the end, I liked it, and I did watch all of it. 
• Rome (2005. Historical drama.). The famed HBO series that lasted two seasons, ended up canceled mainly because it became too expensive to keep producing (and according to some also was somewhat decaying in the second season). TubiTv brought in the complete series (2 seasons, 22 episodes), so I figured I'd take a chance. Keep in mind, it is historical drama, based on real history, but drama, so they take plenty of liberties with the actual history. In fact, they do take a lot of liberties with the history, but they still made a good drama. Story here starts with the rise of Caesar as he is conquering Gaul. Up front I can say the series does look great. Good scenery and cinematography. They did pay good attention to many of the small details to maintain the historical perspective. Even down to the slaves talking amongst themselves, moments that enhance the interest in the series. Heck, they even showed a bit of Caesar's epilepsy, not something seen often in histories about him other than in passing. However, as you watch closely it is interesting to see that in the history of Rome there may be parallels to our history today. Additionally, a detail I often enjoy in series like this is spotting famous actors doing little roles, like Ian McNeice performing as the news reader (town crier). To be honest, those small moments with the news reader were a favorite for me. That detail is one of those liberties the series takes, but it is a nice touch for the dramatic narrative. As others have pointed out, the first season is a bit better than the second, but the series overall is still pretty good. Given the imminent cancelation, the events in the second season do move a bit faster.  A small warning note to future viewers: this is a series that contains violence, often graphic, some sexual scenes (that could qualify as "soft porn" for some), and nudity, so if those things are issues to you, this may be one to skip. Otherwise, it is well worth watching. It could have been interesting if they had continued it, but oh well, it was good overall.  I know I liked it, and I can see the appeal.