All the cool kids at Sundance are excited because The Raid 2 (aka The Raid 2: Berandal) screened there last night. I was in a tiny minority in not finding the first film, The Raid: Redemption, to be the second coming of chocolate ice cream, and I expect things will be much the same with this sequel.
I mean, look: the trailer thinks it’s vital that you understand that in this movie, you will get to see a man get beat about the head and torso with a baseball bat. If that gets you off, you scare me.
Chocolate Ice Cream *wishes* it was The Raid: Redemption.
While I wouldn’t say it “gets me off”, I do enjoy a good martial arts flick with well-photographed fights and stunts, which is what The Raid was. That’s not for everyone, obviously… but I’m not sure why you’d be frightened of someone who enjoys seeing badass dudes beat each other up for pretend. The action choreography was brilliant.
Since when is beating someone with a baseball bat “martial arts”?
Depends on how you swing the bat. >.>
Hmm… I guess it depends how you accomplish the beating? Would you say the swordfights in Crouching Tiger are martial arts? Seems like it’s what you do with the weapon that defines the beatdown’s genre.
I dunno… seems pretty clear-cut to me. But yes, this particular baseball bat beating does look pretty well choreographed compared to, say, a similar scene in Goodfellas? Or is it Casino? Which one has the baseball bat?
Maybe this is semantics though? I’d hate to argue over what is and isn’t “martial arts” so perhaps we can agree on “long-form, detailed action choreography” instead?
Just last night in taekwondo, we were working with escrima sticks (2 foot lengths of rattan, for those who don’t know) and discussing how many things can be substituted for the bamboo if need be. A baseball bat would be an OK choice, though it’s much heavier at one end than the other. We also considered broom handles, at which point I, nerd that I am, suggested swinging the brush end of an industrial push broom like a dwarven maul.
When a movie is nothing more than “long-form, detailed action choreography,” I am not interested.
well, madam.. that baseball swing is based on Pencak Silat swing technique. A little too choreographed maybe but the technique is there.. IT IS martial art.
Well, I’ll say this: that trailer is pretty fuckin’ pretentious.
Can’t argue that… but I guess most movie trailers are pretentious.
I’m probably the only person who found the first film neither Best Thing Evar nor utterly tedious. It was OK as a modern martial-arts actioner, though rather lacking in the humour that can make them fun (and for example means Point Blank still has a place in my memory). Not Actual Gameplay Footage.
It’s worth bearing in mind, for people who seem to think that MaryAnn simply doesn’t enjoy action films, that she also liked Point Blank: “smart French action thriller with an unlikely hero; I can’t believe Hollywood hasn’t snapped this one up yet”.