V.H.S; sorta scary...sorta meh

   Falling again for those trailers that have quotes stating that they have what could be "the SCARIEST movie of all time", threats of ladies walking out or of you soiling your trousers because of the new findings in the scaring-shit-out-of-you sciences...that is how I first got an interest in this sort of good movie.
   V/H/S is a movie compiled of half-dozen short films that are all shot in the first person perspective, ala Blair Witch Project. None of the films are related, save an overlapping story of a couple of ruffians ram-sacking a creepy house in search of some video tapes to make a quick buck. Amid the creepy ambiance and horrible lighting, they find time to browse a dead man's VHS collection. The movies have that distinct headache inspiring camera work, but if the objective was going for realism...then this was done very well, mimicking that drunk dad at the Barbecue  camera technique. The stories all seem to be ripped off of other movies or at least spin off the idea of most. Not to say that most all horror movies are influenced by prior genre staples but in the V/H/S shorts it is very obvious.
    Individually, each story is much different from the next, themes range from slasher in the woods to the haunted house scenario. Using various genre tropes like pointless nudity, breaking the fourth wall and more than a hand full of gory scenes filled with rubber and red corn oil  made V/H/S enjoyable during certain scenes, however, this over exaggeration of  moments in the film made the build up scenes seem very mundane and drawn out.This heavy handed style of give and take works out for full lenght films but in a short film narrative had me bored between flashes of tit and neck stabbings.
                  This movie would be better enjoyed in parts, maybe catching shorts individually on youtube or wacthing scene by scene with your DVD. Each short was good on its own merit, be it creepy vampire ladies, crazed lesbian lovers, or a slasher victim taking sweet revenge on a supernatural killer are bythemselves very satisfying gore filled and suspensefull little treats, better enjoyed everyonce in awhile not in copious amounts, afterall...you might get a tummy ache. You won't see anything groundbreaking in this movie and while some parts are scary and not just surprise jumps ....VHS is far from the latest and greatest in the scare medium. I do recommend
the short films individually but not all in one sitting...it does get loooooong and drawn out.

Mad Monkey Kung Fu; Goin ape-shit the feature film

          I have it pretty much set in my mind that almost by definition a Kung Fu movie can't be bad...just different grades of how good it is. Sort of like blowjobs and beer, one can not (in good conscience) turn down a cold one, that goes double for felatio.  I mean, they all will do but you come off as stuck up and snobby once you start talking about the differences of IPA and the proper usage of teeth...what was I talking about? Ahh yes.... martial arts movies are all good in my book. Even through layers of bad dialogue (if you prefer dub to sub), illogical plot twist, and the bad quality of movies when translated to DVD or Blu-ray or what have you. Having said that, let us get into just how good Mad Monkey Kung Fu is...
    Mad Monkey Kung Fu starts off with a obligatory style showcasing that Shaw Bros are famous for. Monkey Fist style is one of the more fluid and comical styles of fighting, Chen and his sister perform this style at the local theatre... naturally it draws the attention of the local hood leader, Boss Tuan. Tuan then tricks the monkey master and his sister into having dinner with him, through his trickery...and booze, he manages to frame Chen for seducing his lady. Punishment is crippling of his precious hands and the enslavement of Chen's s sister as Boss Taun's concubine. Chen forgets about his Monkey Style and takes to the streets as a street performer. On the streets, he takes a young pickpocket named Monkey under his wing. I know what you're saying now...surely Monkey will have no interest in learning the masters forgotten MONKEY style. Well you would be wrong and stupid...frankly I am surprised you can read this article.
     Not exactly a new formula, Mad Monkey Kung Fu isn't too heavy on the story, it is carried by  the awesome fights choreographed by Director Chia-Liang Liu(Lau Kar Leung), famous for The Legend of Drunken Master, and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. The Monkey Fist style is shown in single hand to hand, two vs one, one against many and in training sequences. Kar Leung and his pupil Hsiao Ho(Monkey) show a true mastery of the style, shining on screen while performing their hard hitting and acrobatic ballet, mixing in more rigid and static stanced fighting styles(not including snake style) to better illustrate the fluid movements of Monkey fist. Choices like this and a true knowledge of various styles makes Lau Kar Leung my favorite choreographer and director of the martial art genre. 
   The story does pick up mid-movie, making a smooth transition from comical to dramatic, a move seldom made seamlessly as this. Killing of innocent monkeys can to that plot line. The revenge aspect takes center stage but the gags that were there from the get remain all the way through, adding small notes of rose to a very dark story.
  My only gripe with the flick, mind you it's not a big one, is that the other styles take back seat to monkey fist style...I would like to at least see one style that acted as it's direct opposite, guess there wasn't enough room for just one more tired Kung Fu tired trope.
  In spite of its lack of variety, Mad Monkey Kung Fu comes recommended to all because of the choreography and comedy stylings of Lau Kar Leung...Mad Monkey Kung Fu is heavy on the fighting, light on the fighting styles.