The title does not refer to the protagonist, or to an item from a Chinese take-out menu. Rather its a place whose proprietors and their hired gumbas come under a lot of grief for stealing a baby elephant.

Tony Jaa and his director Prachya Pinkaew, return after their first picnic together that was the international smash hit actioner ONG BAK: The Thai Warrior. Tony who? For those of you who are hearing this name for the first time - he is the upcoming Asian action star on the rise, garnering attention for his gravity defying super leaps, and bone-crunching martial arts expertise that is all done the old fashioned way - namely, no CGI, no stunt-doubles and no wires. He is neither from Honk Kong nor of Chinese descent - he is Thai (will make little difference to the lot of you)…. and he’s terrific!

Plot for the sake of one is as follows - Kham (Jaa) is a carpenter’s son who dances with the elephants - a mama ellie, a papa ellie and a baby ellie. One fine day their happiness is shattered when poachers come a knocking. Mama ellie bites dust, and much sobbing follows. Long story short - the same poachers later on kidnap the baby and the father elephant, shoot Kham’s pop in the guts, and make off to Down Under. And in Sydney lies Tom Yum Goong. A revenge and rescue mission is undertaken by the indomitable Tony Jaa much to the displeasure and discomfort of all involved (a big and powerful mafia and several corrupt OZ cops bear the brunt of Jaa’s anger). But he does make friends with an honest cop and a whore with a heart of gold (- sigh -).

Although far from the refreshing piece of action history that was Ong Bak, Tom Yum Goong has enough leaps, stunts & bewildering piece of action sets to sate even the hardcore action junkies. But it all takes a bit of time to get there - for a while you have to make do with a silly plot and dead-serious moments that may evoke uncontrollable titters. Not kidding - if they dub this film in Hindi, it will be a box office smash in India, owing to its sappy and melodramatic storyline.

But I do admit to the following: I wouldn’t want to be in a Tony Jaa film as an extra, unless I was on his side. The pint sized fighter means serious business with his kicks and raw knuckle punches. Film is packed with sequences that may induce numbness after a while, but still manages to make you go WOW! at the critical points. The climax seems to go on for ever - with one sub-climax that has Tony do a kill bill with multitudes of extras, and going about it in a how-to-break-bones-in-101-ways. Another sub-climax has him go one-on-one with men from different schools of martial arts (an Indian martial artist was sorely missing - maybe next time). That is only two of several action set pieces.

Word of advice - DO NOT TAKE, I REPEAT, DO NOT TAKE any of your dates or member of the opposite sex unless you want to turn them off you altogether. Otherswise, get ready for a major fix of adrenaline with your buddies.

MPAA RATING:R for pervasive strong violence and some sexual content.
RUNTIME: 110 mins.
CAST:Tony Jaa, Phettkai Wongkamlao,Nathan Jones
DIRECTOR: Prachya Pinkaew

Sean Boswell is your typical badass badboy, and especially dangerous when he gets behind the wheels of a car. After his latest reckless behaviour almost gets him and his rival killed, Sean is packed off to Japan to live with his military dad in order to avoid getting sentenced in States. On his very first day, he chums up with Twinkie, makes eyes at a class-mate Neela, and gets introduced in a humiliating manner to the Tokyo racing culture called “drifting” where he is bested by the local gangster and Neela’s jealous boyfriend DK.

Soon, Sean is friends with and hanging around with the DK’s right hand Han (as he owes him money for totalling his car), and learning from him the art of “drifting” (using hand brakes at high speeds to get the car to slide at curves). Things start to boil up as Sean and Neela get closer to each other, and Han is discovered to be stealing from the DK’s illegal cookie jar. DK’s angry response yields tragedy, and leads to an inevitable showdown on a frightening mountain stretch between him and Sean.

The thrills are quite exhilirating and the absence of a sensible plot does not bother the viewer in the least. Film borrows heavily from Andy Lau’s cult-flick INITIAL D, but also possesses some original touches - special nod to the chase scene through downtown Tokyo in heavy traffic is quite a heady experience, and a flirting ritual by way of drifting is pretty cool.

Though the climactic duel climaxes satisfactorily, the build-up to the finale lacks sufficient juice. Director Justin Lin could’ve used some of Rob Cohen’s stylistic flourishes to get the blood pumping.

Lucas Black (Sling Blade) as Sean, fit’s Paul Walker’s wooden shoes very nicely as his acting prowess and range of expressions are an eerie match to Walker’s. Of the whole lot, only Sung Kang as Han impresses with his understated, and finely nuanced performance. He brings more depth than there is to his role. Nathalie Kelley and Brian Tee are irritiating as Sean’s love interest Neela and local gangster DK respectively. Ditto for Bow Wow as Twinkie. Cult actor JJ Sonny Chiba - last seen in KILL BILL - VOL. 1, cameos in nicely as DK’s Yakuza uncle.

Director Justin Lin acquits himself quite well overall, and shows a natural flair for dumbass pop-corn entertaintment. Although, I’m guessing he could be more in the league of Lee Tamahori, than God forbid, Rob Cohen.

Production designs, editing, music and camera-work are top-notch. Tokyo night life seems quite similar to their American counterpart, with badass boys, their metallic toys and their sexy hanger-ons.

MPAA RATING:PG-13 for reckless and illegal behavior involving teens, violence, language and sexual content. RUNTIME: 98 Mins.
CAST: Lucas Black, Brian Tee, Sung Kang
DIRECTOR: Justin Lin

 

Adam Sandler does a IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE/MR. DESTINY with a bit of warmth and good ‘ole Sandlerisque humour. Directed by Happy Madison camper Frank Coraci (Waterboy & The Wedding Singer) and scripted by the same team behind BRUCE ALMIGHTY, it’s another go by Sandler to court the adult demographics, and could fare well with the crowd that embraced 50 FIRST DATES and SPANGLISH.

Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) is your typical workaholic father rewarded with two cutesy kids and a hottie wife (Kate Beckinsale), but with very little time on his hands for any of them. His sly and demanding boss (David Hassellhoff) keeps flooding him with work while dangling the I-will-make-thee-partner carrot. Work pressure, junk food, multitudes of remotes (none of which he can control) and the neighbour’s annoying kid have made life hell for our relatively soft-spoken architect. A dog that vigorously humps a stuffed duck doesn’t help matters either.

On a particularly beat-up night, Newman ends up with a unique universal remote control courtesy of a wacky inventor Morty (Christopher Walken), and gradually learns that he can control his universe by fast forwarding, pausing or entirely skipping through chapters of his life. Of course as with all good things concerned, there is a downside to the boon, which our protagonist learns in heart-breaking ways.

Film suffers on account of a weak climax and poor disclosure of a character’s actual role. In a need to keep the flick family-friendly, it compromises on a ending that would’ve ideally suited the dark build-up.

Sandler displays great maturity in the latter portions, and the make-up effects are excellently rendered to highlight the aging process. He also indulges in his juvenile schtick like toilet humour, screaming his lungs out etc. Kate Beckinsale, in a change from UNDERWORLD and black leather, has little to offer except look gorgeous (and by Jove, she does!). David Hassellhoff, looks great, and essays his part without much fuss (and provides some great laughs at his own expense). Happy Madison regular Rob Schneider, provides signature cameo as an Arabian royalty - Prince Habeebo. Henry Winkler as the elderly Newman is a treat to watch, and Christopher Walken is simply irresistible as the crazy inventor Morty.

Overall, it’s a totally enjoyable movie that will make for a great holiday viewing.

MPAA RATING: PG-13
RUNTIME: 98 mins.
CAST: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken
DIRECTOR: Frank Coraci