JOY RIDE : Tuesday 18th July 2023.

'JOY RIDE' (Rated MA15+), which I saw earlier this week, is an American comedy film based on a story jointly conceived by Adele Lim and Co-Produced and Directed by Adele Lim in her Directorial debut. The film saw its World Premiere screening at SXSW in mid-March this year, was released Stateside and here in Australia last week, has generated largely positive critical reviews, and has so far grossed US$12.5M.

The film opens up in the mid-1990's in the suburb of White Hills, Seattle, where Joe and Mary Sullivan (David Denman and Annie Mumolo respectively) sidle up in a kids playground to Wey and Jenny Chen (Kenneth Liu and Debbie Fan respectively) and ask if their daughter can play with their daughter. The Chinese parents looks somewhat bewilderingly at the all white American couple, until it is revealed that the Sullivan's have an adopted Chinese child, and they are looking for a young girl from the same cultural background to play with their daughter. And so begins a beautiful life long best friendship between Audrey Sullivan and Lolo Chen. 

We then fast track twenty-plus years to the present day and Audrey (Ashley Park) and Lolo (Sherry Cola) are living together still in Seattle. Audrey is a go getter over achieving type who works as a lawyer at a prestigious legal firm, while Lolo makes sex-positive art, which she has on display in her parents Chinese restaurant. Audrey is all but guaranteed a promotion to partner and a relocation to Los Angeles if she can seal a deal with a Chinese businessman. Audrey and Lolo take a trip to China, and at the airport are joined by Lolo's cousin Vanessa, nicknamed 'Deadeye' (Sabrina Wu), who is awkward in social situations, has met all her 'friends' online and is obsessed with K-pop. Once there, Audrey meets her former college roommate and close friend Kat (Stephanie Hsu), who is an Actress on a popular daytime show, and despite being sexually promiscuous in college, is engaged to her co-star and seemingly devout Christian fiance Clarence (Desmond Chiam), who is saving himself for marriage. 

The group of four meet with Chao (Ronny Chieng), the Chinese businessman at a nightclub where they play party games, drink copious quantities of alcohol which ultimately leads Audrey to vomit all over his nice clean white shirt. Chao is the forgiving kind it seems and states that in order for him to do business with Audrey, he must meet her birth family, whom she has never met. Afterall, how can he do future business with her, if he doesn't understand her past! Lolo lies to Chao that Audrey is close to her birth mother but that her father has passed away. Prior to the trip, Lolo called Audrey's adoption agency and tracked them down. Audrey reluctantly agrees to meet her birth mother and take her to a birthday party that Chao's is hosting for his 70 year old mother the following Friday. 

The four women board a train to get them to Audrey's adoption agency, where they are seated next to an American woman who has lived in China for the past five years, and as it turns out is a drug dealer. When there is an inspection of every carriage and compartment, they are forced to consume various amounts of cocaine and hide the various stashes both on, and inside their bodies. The drug dealer steals their luggage and passports and has them ejected from the train. Stranded in the middle of nowhere in rural China, Lolo contacts former NBA star Baron Davis, whose team is currently playing in China and who just happen to pick them up in their tour bus. Audrey, Lolo and Kat injure some of the players in sex-related accidents while Deadeye injures a player while dancing to K-pop later that night, causing the team to refuse to drive them to their destination the next morning. 

The group eventually makes it to their destination. There, Audrey learns that her mother had passed away and that she is in fact not Chinese but instead of Korean origin. In a final effort to secure the deal, one of Deadeye's online 'friends' secures them a private jet to get them to Seoul, but without their passports, the customs officer won't let them pass through. And so the women pretend to be a new K-pop teen idol group to pass the border, but the customs officer remains unconvinced and asks for a demonstration of their act. Lolo livestreams their performance on Instagram Live, only for Kat's skirt to inadvertently fall off, revealing a large tattoo of a devil's head and horns on her shaved vagina. They are forced instead to take a boat into mainland Korea. 

Lolo's livestream quickly goes viral, with hundreds of millions of people seeing Kat's tattooed vagina. Chao calls Audrey to inform her that the deal is off, and then Audrey is fired from her job, while Kat is now at risk of losing her television deal with her acting career practically now dead and buried. The women have a fight and split the scene. Audrey visits her grave, but meets her birth mother's husband there (Daniel Dae Kim). Her husband shows Audrey a video recorded by her birth mother before her passing and tells her that her friends had told him he might find Audrey at her birth mother's grave. Audrey returns to Seattle and reconciles her differences with Lolo and Deadeye, both now working at Lolo's parents restaurant, while Audrey confirms that she was fired from her legal firm.

Fast track one year on and Audrey, Lolo, Kat, and Deadeye are in Paris for a best-friends anniversary trip. Audrey has by now set up in business on her own with her own legal practice, Lolo is still waiting tables but has begun selling her art, Deadeye has accepted themself as nonbinary, and Kat is still engaged to Clarence, having come clean to him about her past sexual exploits with the complete A-Z of men she has slept with. 

'Joy Ride' sees four American Asian women further strengthening their relationship through a road trip that is meant to be sentimental, emotional, business-like and professional but fairly quickly turns into a foul-mouthed, oftentimes crass, sexual (mis)adventure and definitely for adults only offering that will likely turn some viewers off while it will have others rolling about the aisles with laughter. These four women on tour turn the tables on the men they all encounter from the very get go and give as good as they get if not better, which is a refreshing showcase of Asian people and women in particular in a comedy film the like of which is all to rare these days. And in first time feature Director, Adele Lim here she has crafted a film that aside from the physical sight gags and the one-liners that all come thick and fast she has also made a film about learning where you belong in the world, and the strength to be derived from family and enduring friendships. All of that said, the comedy didn't really land with me and it's only occasionally funny, but it is elevated by the obvious chemistry on display here between the four female leads and the lean 95 minute run time which is a little over half of some of the other movie epics released of late.

'Joy Ride' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

HELLBOY : Tuesday 16th April 2019.

'HELLBOY' which I saw this week is a reboot of a franchise that first launched back in 2004 when Writer and Director Guillermo del Toro first brought us his rendition of the Dark Horse Comics Graphic Novel 'Hellboy' starring Ron Perlman in the title role as an immensely powerful Demon who works for the governmental organisation, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence (B.P.R.D.). That initial instalment was generally well received by Critics and took US$100M at the Box Office off the back of a US$66M production budget. Then four years later in 2008 Guillermo del Toro returned to the Directors chair with 'Hellboy II : The Golden Army' with Ron Perlman once again portraying our titular hero. That film was equally well received by Critics and scored US$161M off the back of a US$85 budget. Then in 2009 a third instalment was in development with del Toro returning once more to helm a film titled 'Hellboy III : Dark Worlds'. However, due to funding challenges that film was subsequently scrapped, in favour of this reboot which was released last week. Directed this time around by Neil Marshall whose previous film making credits include 'Dog Soldiers', 'The Descent', 'Centurion' and two episodes of 'Game of Thrones', this film stars David Harbour in the title role, after Ron Perlman refused to return to the franchise without del Toro's involvement. So far this film has recouped US$26M of its US$50M production budget and has received generally negative Reviews.

During World War II, Hellboy as an infant child was summoned from Hell by Nazis looking for an edge in the latter days of the war. He was instead adopted by the US, and raised under the auspices of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence (an agency founded by Hellboy's adoptive father Trevor Bruttenholm, played by Ian McShane) to help fend off paranormal threats. One such threat comes in the form of an ancient medieval sorceress named Nimue, the Queen of Blood (Milla Jovovich) who was betrayed by her coven, beheaded by King Arthur and dismembered by both Merlin and his King in fifth century England. King Arthur then ordered that the various parts of Nimue's body - her head, her arms, her legs and torso be secured in separate iron crates and taken to various far reaching parts of England never to be unearthed again.

We then fast forward to England via Tijuana where the now adult Hellboy (David Harbour) gets into a wrestling match with a former colleague that has turned Vampire. Hellboy reluctantly kills the Vampire in the ring by impaling him on a post, and in his last dying moments turns back into his human form warning that the apocalypse is coming.

A few weeks later, Hellboy returns to the B.P.R.D HQ in America whereupon he is dispatched to England by his father, and in particular the Osiris Club (an ancient English outfit dedicated to uncovering supernatural mysteries) to hunt down and dispense with three giants who have been running amok across the English countryside. Hellboy joins the giant hunters but is ultimately betrayed by them in an ambush. However, the giants arrive and slaughter the hunters leaving Hellboy to fend off the giants and overthrow each of them, which he does of course using his particular set of skills.

In the meantime, Gruagach (Stephen Graham and Douglas Tait), a hog like beast who has a score to settle with Hellboy seeks advice from Baba Yaga (Emma Tate and Troy James), a one eyed ancient witch who lives in a house propped up by chicken legs, who suggests restoring Nimue to her all powerful former self by reconnecting each of her body parts. Baba Yaga knows of the secret location  of where her head is housed, and once secured the awoken Nimue will reveal after 1500 years where her other body parts are located.

After falling unconscious following his battle with the three giants Hellboy comes around in the apartment of Alice Monaghan (Sasha Lane), whom he shares a connection with since her childhood, when she was kidnapped by fairies and subsequently acquired powerful skills as a medium. Bruttenholm descends upon the apartment with a SWAT Team and reveals that someone has located Nimue's remains and will more than likely find her last piece housed at the Osiris Club. Heading up the SWAT Team is M11 Agent Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim), whom Hellboy now joins forces with, aided by Alice with her very own particular set of skills.

Upon arriving at the Osiris Club, the three find everyone well and truly slaughtered. Alice connects with the lifeless body of the clubs resident seer Lady Hatton (Sophie Okonedo), whose spirit is still present. Her spirit manifested through Alice reveals that Nimue has plans to find a King so that they can together raise the apocalypse. In the corridors of the building Hellboy runs into Gruagach holding onto Nimue's dismembered lower arm. Gruagach escapes however, after Hellboy is distracted by a vision of Nimue appealing to the powerful force that they could be together.

Daimio takes them to M11's headquarters, located deep underground in an old WWII bunker once used by Winston Churchill, and secretly hidden under a fish and chip shop. While Daimio secretly acquires a special bullet to kill Hellboy when the opportunity presents itself, Hellboy has a heated exchange of words with Bruttonholm over his 'adoption' and upbringing. Dissatisfied with the answer, Hellboy leaves but is magically transported to Baba Yaga's house - the one that walks on chicken legs. In exchange for an eye, the ancient witch reveals the location where Nimue plans to restore herself - the site of an ancient oak tree high up on craggy outcrop at Pendle Hill - the very place where she was slain by King Arthur and Merlin centuries ago. Hellboy reneges on the agreement to give up an eye, and Baba Yaga curses him.

At Pendle Hill Nimue has assembled with Gruagach and her coven of witches which she kills all but one. Hellboy, Alice and Daimio make haste for Pendle Hill only to be confronted by an army of the dead rising up to thwart them. Leaving Alice and Daimio to fend off their undead attackers, Hellboy makes haste to the old oak tree, where he is subdued by Nimue. In making her escape after Alice and Daimio arrive, Nimue poisons Alice with a thorn taken from her crown. 

The surviving witch directs the team to Merlin, believing that only he can save her. Finding Merlin hidden deep within a remote coastal cave system, the old wizard is woken from centuries of slumber and cures Alice. He then tells Hellboy that his mother was human and a direct descendant of King Arthur. As such, Merlin (Brian Gleeson) offers him Excalibur, but Hellboy refuses it after seeing a vision of himself using the sword to raise the apocalypse. Nimue meanwhile attacks London with her plague-like powers, and later unleashes all manner of demons to wreak havoc and mayhem across the capital city violently killing many in the process.

The three return to M11 headquarters, where they find everyone dead and Bruttenholm missing. They reach St Paul's Cathedral, where Nimue is in hiding, and to be confronted by Gruagach. Daimio, who earlier revealed to Alice that when he was a soldier deep in some dense jungle territory tracking down a man hunting animal that he was the sole survivor of a were-jaguar attack which left him permanently scarred to his face. Seeing Hellboy and Graugach go head to head, Daimio transforms into his jaguar form and jumps to support Hellboy in the fight. Nimue kills Graugach and then pleads with Hellboy to side with her. 

After he refuses, she sends him crashing down into a hidden crypt, revealing King Arthur's tomb and Excalibur, partially encased in stone. After Nimue kills Bruttenholm, Hellboy pulls Excalibur, causing him to assume his true form. Nimue further appeals to Hellboy, but Alice channels Bruttenholm's spirit, who manifests itself and appeals to Hellboy's inner sense of humanity. Hellboy then decapitates Nimue, sending all the demons and Nimue's head back to the very depths of hell. Hellboy and Bruttenholm exchange their final farewells, and Daimio tosses away the bullet he had manufactured to kill Hellboy. 

Lobster Johnson (Thomas Haden Church) is a vigilante who has a reputation for violence, such as killing mobsters and burning his trademark lobster claw symbol into their foreheads with the palm of his gloved hand. Lobster was there when the Nazi's summonsed the young Hellboy in the closing days of WWII, and helped thwart, together with Trevor Bruttonholm, the Nazi's plan. The ghost of Lobster also appears to Hellboy in a mid credits sequence as he mourns his late father by his graveside comforted by a bottle of his favourite whisky. Watch out too for an end credits scene involving Baba Yaga. 

I have to say that I was underwhelmed by this version of 'Hellboy'. Once you get past the extreme violence, the viscera, the entrails, the blood, guts and gore, the hacked limbs, the gouged eyes and the almost relentless carnage which I guess is all delivered in the context of a mightily pissed off demonic centuries old queen, the storyline here is disjointed, most of the humour fails to land, and ultimately it's all (CGI rendered) style over substance. The film moves along at a frenetic pace from one action set piece to the next giving the viewer hardly time to catch up on the plot with its gaping holes and impossible time lines. David Harbour puts in a convincing performance as does Milla Jovovich and Daniel Dae Kim, but I am left wondering what Ian McShane was thinking, and the CGI and creature effects are mostly delivered well, but those are the only redeeming features in this sub-par offering when compared to del Toro's earlier offerings.

'Hellboy' merits two claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-