Mulan II

"It seems like only last month, you and me were fightin' off the Huns and saving China!"

"It WAS last month."

One month after saving China, Mulan (Na) and General Shang (Wong) are engaged, to the delight of her family.  Her ancestors are also pleased, since it means that Mushu (Moseley) will be demoted to "gong ringer."  Mulan and Shang are called by the Emperor (Pat Morita) for a special mission: transport his three daughters to Qui Gong to marry the princes and form an alliance.  Mulan is repulsed by the idea of an arranged marriage, but agrees to serve the Emperor.  They are joined by Yao (Fierstein), Ling (Watanabe), and Chien Po (Tondo).  Mushu tags along to break up Mulan and Shang and keep his pedestal.

During the trip, the princesses fall in love with their escorts: Princess Mei (Liu) falls for Yao's tough exterior and tender heart, Princess Su (Tom) shares Chien-Po's love for cooking / food, and Princess Ting-Ting (Oh) and Ling bond over their sense of humor.  Meanwhile, Mulan and Shang notice all of their differences, with a little help from Mushu.  With danger lurking around every bend and a tight schedule, can they complete the mission without losing their hearts?


After the success of Mulan, Disney green lit a sequel.  Portions of the storyline were originally proposed for the 1998 film, but did not make it to the actual film.  The story is weak, especially Mushu's plot... but it is a direct-to-video film, so you shouldn't expect too much.

The entire cast returned for the sequel, with the exception of Eddie Murphy who was working on Shrek 2 and his contract forbade working on the film.  Murphy was replaced with voice actor Mark Moseley.  Moseley has provided the voice of Mushu ever since, including video games and Disney attractions.  The Princesses are voiced by well-known actresses: Lucy Liu, Sandra Oh from Grey's Anatomy, and Lauren Tom who is best known for her voice work on Futurama and King of the Hill.  They also get the best song from the film, "Like Other Girls"

 

Ting-Ting's singing voice is provided by Judy Kuhn, who is best known for providing the singing voice for Disney's Pocahontas.  The Princess characters are interesting enough, but their romances with the guys is predictable, although it is cute overall.

Not Disney's best sequel, but is watchable and has a decent message... if you can get past the re-casting of Mushu and making Mushu and Shang unlikeable.

 

Mulan II (2004) 79 minutes
Director: Darrell Rooney & Lynne Southerland
Starring: Ming Na as Mulan
BD Wong as General Shang
Mark Moseley as Mushu
Lucy Liu as Princess Mei
Harvey Fierstein as Yao
Sandra Oh as Princess Ting-Ting
Gedde Watanabe as Ling
Lauren Tom as Princess Su
Jerry Tondo as Chien-Po

Mulan

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."

"Sir?"

"You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty."

Fa Mulan (Na) does not know how to fit in with her family and society.  She is rejected by the matchmaker and continually brings dishonor on her family.  When the Hun army, led by Shan Yu (Ferrer), attacks, all families in China are ordered to send one man to join the army.  The only man in the Fa family is Mulan's injured and aged father, Zhou (Oh), who plans to do his duty and fight for honor.  Mulan is unwilling to lose her father; cuts her hair, dons her father's armor and joins the army as "Ping".

The Fa family ancestors fear that she will be discovered and killed.  They worry that this will lead to financial ruin and dishonor.  They want Mushu (Murphy), a disgraced guardian, to wale a guardian to bring Mulan home.  After Mushu accidentally destroys the stone guardian, he decides to make Mulan a war hero to get his job back.  With Mushu and a lucky cricket, they join the other recruits.  They are trained by General Li's son, Shang (Wong) and the Emperor's assistant Chi Fu (Hong) who believes they will never be real soldiers.  Can they survive training and go up against the Hun army?


For their first Asian centric film, Disney turned to an ancient Chinese poem "The Ballad of Mulan."  The poem tells the story of Hua Mulan.  Disney adapted the story, with a few minor tweaks, songs, and comedic co-stars. Despite adapting the poem, there are a few anachronistic issues with the story: the pronunciation of her name (Mandarin pronunciation of her first name, Cantonese pronunciation of her family name), etc.

The characters are entertaining, with excellent voice talents.  Ming Na brings Mulan to life, with Broadway star Lea Salonga providing her singing voice.  BD Wong, from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, is a great Shang, with Donny Osmond performing his solo on "I'll Make A Man Out of You."  Eddie Murphy steals the show as Mushu, hilarious without veering into annoying.  He is better known for voicing Donkey from the Shrek films, but he is better here.  Mulan's friends also provide comic relief: Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein is perpetually angry Yao, Gedde Watanabe is the overly confident Ling, and Jerry Tondo is the zen Chien-Po.  James Hong, who also lends his voice to the Kung Fu Panda series, is funny as Chi-Fu.  Miguel Ferrer is a fascinating and menacing villain, not the best, but still creepy.

In addition to the great cast, the film also boasts a memorable soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith.  The film was successful enough for Disney to green light a direct-to-video sequel Mulan II.

Mulan (1998) 88 minutes
Director: Tony Bancroft & Barry Cook
Starring: Ming Na as Fa Mulan (voice)
Lea Salonga as Fa Mulan (singing voice)
Eddie Murphy as Mushu
BD Wong as Li Shang
Miguel Ferrer as Shan Yu
Harvey Fierstein as Yao
Gedde Watanabe as Ling
Jerry Tondo as Chien-Po
James Hong as Chi-Fu
Soon-Tek Oh as Fa Zhou
June Foray as Grandmother Fa
Pat Morita as Emperor of China

Thor: The Dark World

"I had things under control!"

"Is that why everything's on fire?"

After the Chitauri attack on Earth, Loki (Hiddleston) is sentenced to life imprisonment in his father's dungeon.  Meanwhile, the warriors of Asguard, led by Thor (Hemsworth), have been settling skirmishes in the Nine realms.  Thor and his friends, Sif (Alexander), Fandral (Levi), Volstagg (Stevenson), and Hogun (Asano) are successful, but Thor's heart is on earth.

On earth, Jane Foster (Portman) and her team have uncovered a scientific anomaly.  The anomaly sucks Jane into another world and infects her with an ancient substance called the Aether.  The Aether is a dangerous weapon that could be used to destroy all Nine realms, so Jane is taken to Asguard for protection. Malekith (Eccleston) and his Dark Elves want to use the Aether to plunge the world into darkness and have a grudge against Asguard.  Can Thor protect the ones he holds dear and save the world from darkness?


Marvel Studios proved it could make quality sequels with Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3, but could they do it with Thor?  Thor director Kenneth Branagh did not return for the sequel and was replaced with Alan Taylor, who is best known for his work on Game of Thrones and Mad Men.  They also chose to focus more on Asguard, with a few scenes back on Earth.  The focus on Asguard allowed the writers the ability to delve more into Thor's world and the people that are important to him.  They also showed the repercussions for the events of Thor and The Avengers.

Once again Chris Hemsworth delivers as Thor.  But once again Tom Hiddleston steals the show as Loki.  The film is best when they are on screen together, especially the scene in the hallway (which features a funny cameo).  Christopher Eccleston is a fascinating villain.  He is creepy in appearance and has a menacing voice, which is a major difference from his time as the Doctor on Doctor Who.  I wish he had a little more screen time, but he makes the most of what he has.  Idris Elba is great, love everything about his character.  Zachary Levi replaced Josh Dallas as Fandral and is a great addition to both the cast and the Warriors Three.  Ray Stevenson and Tadanobu Asano returned to their roles as Thor's friends.  I was expecting more screen time for Jaimie Alexander, and was disappointed that she didn't get to do more.  Natalie Portman is phoning in her performance and hopefully will not return for future films... she is a fine actress, but is just boring here.

This film is the second in Marvel's Phase 2: Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers: Age of Ultron and finally Ant-Man.  The film had a trailer for Captain America and the scene after the credits sets up Guardians of the Galaxy, which should both be interesting films.

Another hit for Marvel, an interesting story with a strong cast (and the potential to tie-in with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

Thor: The Dark World (2013) 112 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive content
Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Anthony Hopkins as Odin
Christopher Eccleston as Malekith
Jaimie Alexander as Sif
Zachary Levi as Fandral
Ray Stevenson as Volstagg
Tadanobu Asano as Hogun
Idris Elba as Heimdall
Rene Russo as Frigga
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Algrim / Kurse
Kat Denning as Darcy
Stellan Skarsgard as Eric Selvig

TV: Wonderfalls

"Standing up there I realized something."
"You're a bitch."
"Oh, sure that."

Jaye Tyler (Dhavernas) is a loner working a dead-end job at Niagara Falls souvenir shop Wonder Falls.  She is content with her underachieving life, until the animal souvenirs begin talking to her.  They give her vague instructions to help people in need.  When she refuses to listen to their instructions, they go to drastic measures to get her attention, like keeping her up all night.  She reluctantly goes along with it, while trying to appear normal.

Jaye has a supportive and successful family.  Her father Darrin (Sadler) is a respected surgeon and her mother Karen (Scarwid) is a bestselling author of travel books and is overly involved in her children's lives.  Her sister Sharon (Finneran) is an immigration lawyer and is overly ambitious and competitive.  Her brother Aaron (Pace) is a Ph.D. of comparative religion and still lives with their parents.  Jaye's best friend, Mahandra (Thoms) is a waitress at their favorite bar, The Barrel, where the new bartender, Eric (Leitso) is intrigued by Jaye.


When I was researching Pushing Daisies, I discovered creator Bryan Fuller's other TV shows.  First I tried Dead Like Me (because it was available for instant streaming on Netflix)... but I hated the show.  My favorite character was replaced with a character I couldn't stand, and the main character wasn't that interesting.  In 2012 I watched the pilot for his reimagining of The Musters called Mockingbird Lane, which I loved, but the show was not picked up.  Based on these experiences, I was hesitant to try another Fuller show that I knew only lasted a season, but ultimately decided to give it a try.

The show did not disappoint.  It was quirky and colorful and filled with interesting characters.  Caroline Dhavernas is  great as Jaye.  She is sarcastic and funny, while still showing a wide range of emotions as the show progressed.  It was easy to root for her.  It helped that she had a great cast of supporting actors / characters.  Katie Finneran makes Sharon sympathetic, while still making you cheer against her.  Lee Pace, who went on to star in Pushing Daisies, is hilarious as Aaron.  You want to be Tracie Thoms best friend because her relationship with Jaye is so entertaining.  William Sadler and Diana Scarwid are funny as the parents and Tyron Leitso is a heart throb and very funny.  The minor characters are extremely colorful and the muses have a lot of personality (you look forward to their return).

On paper the show doesn't sound like it would work... in fact, in interviews on the DVD, the creators / producers knew the show probably wouldn't last beyond a season, but what a perfect first season.  They had many ideas for future seasons (which sounded epic), but part of the shows charm is that it only lasted 13 episodes... yes, they don't solve every mystery of the show, but that is what makes it such a popular show.

Wonderfalls (2004)
Creator: Bryan Fuller
Starring: Caroline Dhavernas as Jaye Tyler
Katie Finneran as Sharon Tyler
Tyron Leitso as Eric Gotts
William Sadler as Darrin Tyler
Diana Scarwid as Karen Tyler
Lee Pace as Aaron Tyler
Tracie Thoms as Mahandra McGinty
Neil Grayston as Alec

Ping Pong Playa

Slacker Christopher "C-Dub" Wang (Tsai) dreams of playing basketball in the NBA, but settles for living with his parents and playing videogames when he isn't playing basketball with 4th graders.  His older brother, Michael (Fan), is a ping pong champion and doctor.  Their parents (Lau and Sung) own a ping pong store, and Mrs. Wang teaches ping pong lessons to kids.  When Michael and Mrs. Wang get hurt in a car accident, the family turns to C-Dub to teach the ping pong class.

C-Dub has no interest in ping pong, but starts to bond with the boys in his class.  He gives the students nicknames and Felix (Vo) and William (Chung) become part of his posse.  He also becomes the mentor to child prodigy Prabakar (Reid).  When two white, "English heritage" ping pong players, Gerald (Paige) and Tom (Lowell), start stealing their students, can C-Dub step up and save the family?

I discovered this film months ago on Netflix.  The film poster (above) and premise had me intrigued, but then I forgot it was in my queue until recently.  The film received mostly positive reviews, so I gave it a try.  The film is funny, following the basic outline of an inspiring sports film, with some interesting additions.

Star Jimmy Tsai (who co-wrote the film with director Jessica Yu) is funny, committing fully to indifference and ghetto trash talking.  He is a fascinating lead and has great support.  The kids bring out the best in his character, whether they are forcing him to do something he doesn't want to do or encouraging his shenanigans, they are funny and adorable.  One of the funniest scenes is the game they play after Mr. Wang leaves their training (it escalates perfectly).  C-Dub is interviewed throughout the film, for a local sports show, with a perplexed interviewer.  And the writers chose to replace all cursing (with one exception) with the sound of a basketball bouncing, which is funny throughout.

The film good, but juvenile.  A mindless, sports-centric flick, that will keep you laughing.

Ping Pong Playa (2007) 96 minutes
Director: Jessica Yu
Starring: Jimmy Tsai as Christopher "C-Dub" Wang
Andrew Vo as Felix
Khary Payton as JP Money
Jim Lau as Mr. Wang
Roger Fan as Michael Wang
Elizabeth Sung as Mrs. Wang
Javin Reid as Prabakar
Kevin Chung as William Lin
Peter Paige as Gerald Harcourt
Smith Cho as Jennifer
Scott Lowell as Tom
Stephnie Weir as Cheryl Davis

Star Trek: Into Darkness

"When were you going to tell me that?"

"When it became relevant, as it just did."

While on a Starfleet mission, Captain James Kirk (Pine) disobeys an order to rescue Commander Spock (Quinto).  Spock reports the incident and Kirk is demoted to 2nd officer, under his mentor Admiral Pike (Greenwood).  They are immediately called to a meeting of all the Starfleet leaders to locate a rogue officer, John Harrison (Cumberbatch), who destroyed a Starfleet archive.  Harrison attacks the meeting, killing many of the leaders, including Pike.

Fleet Admiral Marcus (Weller) reinstates Kirk's command, with orders to find and destroy Harrison.  The mission causes divisions in the team, especially when the USS Enterprise is equipped with prototype photon torpedoes.  They also are assigned a new member, Dr. Carol Marcus (Eve), a weapons expert.  Can the team stay together and save the world?


In 2009, J.J. Abrams re-imagined / rebooted the Star Trek franchise.  They effectively reset the stories and characters from the original TV show.  It was a risky move, would fans accept it and could the producers / new cast do justice to the show while making it feel fresh and new.  The risk paid off and the producers and cast were asked to return for a sequel.

This film is actually the reason I watched Abrams 2009 Star Trek film.  My boss is a Star Trek fan and raved about Abrams films.  He suggested I watch the 2009 film, and then watch Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan to prepare... and it was good advice.

The story is strong, a nice mix of action and storytelling that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.  While it isn't necessary to come into the film with any previous knowledge (although watching the 2009 film probably helps so you understand the relationships in the film), it did help to watch The Wrath of Khan moments before launching into this... because the story plays on some of the dialogue and story from that film.  They even preserved the scream "Khan!", although a different character gets to yell it this time.  In addition, the film features nods to the TV show and films for the diehard fans.

Once again the cast is good and works well as an ensemble.  While the story still focuses on Captain Kirk and Spock, other characters had the opportunity to shine.  They also introduced compelling new characters with Alice Eve and Benedict Cumberbatch.  Eve's character sparked controversy with the scene of her in her underwear... and Cumberbatch is engrossing (as always) in his role.

I look forward to seeing if they make more films (I think they could easily make more) and what other aspects of the show / films they take on next.

Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) 132 minutes
Director: J.J. Abrams
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence
Starring: Chris Pine as Captain James Kirk
Zachary Quinto as Commander Spock
Zoe Saldana as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura
Karl Urban as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
Simon Pegg as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
John Cho as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu
Benedict Cumberbatch as Commander John Harrison
Anton Yelchin as Ensign Pavel Chekov
Bruce Greenwood as Admiral Christopher Pike
Peter Weller as Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus
Alice Eve as  Dr. Carol Marcus

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

"Humor. It is a difficult concept. It is not logical."

"We learn by doing."

Admiral James Kirk (Shatner) is bored and feeling old.  He, and his former crew, Dr. Leonard McCoy (Kelley), Hikaru Sulu (Takei), Lieutenant Uhura (Nichols), and Scotty (Doohan), reluctantly board the USS Enterprise for cadet training.  Spock (Nimoy) is now the Captain of the Enterprise.

Meanwhile, Captain Terrell (Winfield) and Pavel Chekov (Koenig), from the USS Reliant, are seeking a lifeless planet to test a new device.  However, the find Khan Noonien Singh (Montalban), who is bent on destroying Kirk.  Khan is a genetically engineered tyrant with superior intellect and company of loyal followers.

The Enterprise answers a distress call and are pulled into Khan's plan.  Can Kirk and the crew of inexperienced cadets defeat Khan?


As I mentioned in my post about J.J. Abrams Star Trek reboot, I don't know much about the Star Trek franchise.  I respect the original series, and the legacy it left behind (and it's impact on technology and popular culture), but I don't have any desire to watch more episodes of the show (or the other films that followed).

This is the only Star Trek film I had any knowledge of... mostly because of parodies of yelling "Khan!"  Apparently the original cast made 6 films together: Star Trek the Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.  This film is considered the best of the bunch, and is the reason there were subsequent Trek films.

My boss, who is a Star Trek fan, suggested watching this film prior to see Star Trek: Into Darkness, since the films features some of the same characters / situations... which is the main (only) reason I watched this film.  As an outsider to the Trek franchise, I can say that I enjoyed the film.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) 113 minutes
Director: Nicholas Meyer
Starring: William Shatner as Admiral James Kirk
Leonard Nimoy as Captain Spock
Ricardo Montalban as Khan
DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy
James Doohan as Montgomery Scott
George Takei as Hikaru Sulu
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov
Paul Winfield as Captain Terrell
Kirstie Alley as Saavik
Bibi Besch as Carol Marcus
Merritt Butrick as David Marcus