Rating: Summary: Pass the cheddar! Review: I freely admit to being a big cheese fan. I mean, even the very best movies have cheesy elements--Star Wars, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the Matrix . . . But I really enjoy a good honest-to-god cheese _fest_ from time to time. Kung Pow is that, ladies and gentlemen. How cheesy can a spoof of a cheesy genre (70s kung fu movies made in Hong Kong) get? Check out Kung Pow and find out. It has a place of honor in my collection, between Austin Powers and the gorgonzola. The DVD itself is even more of a treat. There are two 'alternate soundtracks' that cover several scenes, one of what they're really saying before it was dubbed, and one of a cultivated British voice actor reading the dialog in a books-on-tape style that is just hysterical, especially when he reads the love interest's "we-oo-we-oo-we-oo's." There are also several before-and-after scenes with the original characters from Savage Killers, and then with Steve Oedekerk, that help you appreciate how well done the blue screen work was in the movie. Some of the cut scenes were really funny, and I thought the outtakes were a blast. Well worth getting. I recommend it.
Rating: Summary: Rented the video--- it was so bad, I bought the CD !! Review: I saw a part of this movie when I took my 7 and 9 year olds to see it and dropped in to see 30 seconds of it. They were laughing their heads off. I thought it was too stupid to watch and I went back to another movie . I rented the video from Blockbuster and my kids said they would tell me when to come watch the funny part- after a few seconds, they said--'' Here somes the funny part''-- It was actually funny. Before I could get up they said- 'Wait Dad- here's another funny part'' and it was. Every time I tried to get up, they told me to wait and the 'funny part' came a few seconds later. After 15 minutes, I was hooked and laughed my way through the whole thing--a few times uncontrollably !! Then I got on Amazon.com and bought the CD. It reminds me of a good Mystery Science Theatre 2000 parody with wierdly wachy dubbed voiceovers like Crow and Bot used to do on MST 3K. My wife came in the middle of it and, like me before, she couldn't see what was so funny. It's one you need to sit down and enjoy. Maybe you need a couple of kids to watch it with. I'll have to see how I react solo. I can't wait !!
Rating: Summary: 99% not funny Review: Dont' buy or rent this movie. I can't think of a stupider movie which I've seen than Kung Pow. I would rather watch an hour and a half of the Golden Girls. I rented it after reading the good reviews on Amazon.com; these reviews were misleading. The voice-overs were occasionally funny, but they got stale and begged to be stopped. This movie is not funny to sensible adults, It wasn't even cheesey; Kung Pow was pitiful. Be warned.
Rating: Summary: Steve does it again! Review: This movie was stupid but still very funny. It includes, a woman with only one boob, a tounge with a face, numchucks made from gophers, an evil dude named Betty, a karate cow, french aliens, and a girl that sounds like a whale. They used footage from a 1970 Hong Kong flick called Tiger & Crane Fists but put Steve in it. It's a laugh-out loud karate flick! And if you like this one go see Kung Pow 2: Tounge of Fury!
Rating: Summary: The Best Spoof of Kung Fu Flicks Ever Review: The murderous Master Pain (aka: Betty) executes an entire family. The only witness is a baby - the only son. Steve Oedekerk portrays the man known as "The Chosen One", a man who has trained all of his life toward one goal - to avenge the death of his family at the hands of Master Pain. What follows is a hysterical journey into kung fu parody! Digital technology is used to place Steve Oedekerk within a classic Kung fu flick from the 1970's. Nothing is sacred in this film! From the horrible voice dubs of the classic karate flicks to the impossible fight scenes! This film parodies all movies that contain karate fights, from the classics of the '70s to the newer films like Mortal Kombat and The Matrix. Fans of karate flicks will love this film! It's so silly at some points that you can't help but laugh! I laughed so hard my stomach still hurts! You definitely have to check this movie out!
Rating: Summary: Spoofy goodness. Review: I love parodies and spoofs of all persuasions. I've always been a huge Mystery Science Theater fan, etc. Kung Pow is one of the best parodies I've seen. Perhaps second only to Thumb Wars, the Star Wars spoof also by Oedekerk. The only thing more fun than sitting around and ripping on the old cheesy kung fu shows is watching him inside of one. I recommend this to anyone to who likes a good laugh from a movie.
Rating: Summary: You Need To See This! Review: O.K. i'll be the first one to say that . Kung Pow, looked pretty stupid. In fact I didn't even want to go see it, but my friends did. i went to see it with my friends, and I loved it! It was one of the funniest movies i had ever seen. I waited, and waited for it to come out on dvd, and months later it finally did. I now own it, and the dvd features are really good. if you had doubts about seeing this movie, put them a side and see it. You Will Most Likely Love It! I KNOW I DID, ONCE I GAVE IT A CHANCE! SEE IT!
Rating: Summary: It was a good movie!! Review: Kung Pow was a REALLY funny movie. Some parts got boring but most of it was good. I think that they did a good job on this movie.
Rating: Summary: Wasting Technology Review: Steve Oedekerk's (he was responsible for the Ace Ventura movies) name will never be associated with subtlety or wit but still the idea of this goofy guy in the middle of an old Hong Kong action film sounded promising. I was thinking that something wonderfully goofy like Young Frankenstein or The Life of Brian or maybe like What's up, Tiger Lilly (which is the film this oddity most resembles) would result. Unfortunately, despite some amazing technical work that is worth seeing, the viewer is left seeing a promising comic idea whither and die an excruciating death.There is some good here. Steve Oedekerk obviously spent a lot of time getting fit and learning to move well. He sometimes has something close to grace in some of his comic pratfalls. It's also obvious, from the director's commentary, that he has a lot of affection for and knowledge about this genre. This shows in the amazing way that Mr. Oedekerk is inserted into the old scenes and the way he matches them with new footage almost seamlessly. The old film footage looks wonderful and must have required a monstrous effort to restore to this level. Unfortunately all this good work is also undone by Oedekerk who sabotages it relentlessly. One of his first errors is being the voice for almost every single character on screen. This is funny for the old master of the temple but works horribly for the female romantic lead (he often has her squealing in a high pitched pig voice). It also becomes monotonous because the voices often sound like the same person with a limited vocal range trying (and failing) for different effects. Oedekerk also keeps on with his few good routines well after the laughter has died out on everyone's lips. Witness the rushing camera zooms in his second big fight of the film. Funny at first and then it becomes old and stale. Also Oedekerk has to underline every funny act as if we couldn't get it without a repeated double take or a camera pressed relentlessly right into the joke. And then there is the humor which is, as expected, juvenile and sophmoric but shows not even the cleverness of Adam Sandler and it doesn't go anywhere. For example, the story. It begins with a legend of The Chosen One (who bears the mark of a talking tongue) who must avenge his family's death at the hands of a dictatorial bully who is working for a mysterious council that fears him. In the middle of this with no relation to anything in the genre Oedekerk inserts a fight with a lactating cow. Probably because his comic imagination was so limited he couldn't think of anymore funny stuff to do with the film without inserting a complete non sequitur that contributes nothing but a bizarre sight gag (although maybe the milk shooting is the best parody of The Matrix I have yet seen but aren't these Matrix references getting a bit stale??) and then disappears almost completely without a trace. My recommendation would be to see the film only if you are a big fan of Steve Oedekerk or love Martial Arts parodies. People who enjoy good comedy would be wise to steer clear. The DVD is a pretty nice package. There is an okay director's commentary featuring Oedekerk and the film's producer and film editor(!) and an alternate soundtrack where you can hear the actual actor's voices and what they were saying before Oedekerk overdubbed them. All this stuff was actually scripted by Oedekerk and doesn't really make much sense (all the original martial arts film sequences are in Mandarin) but it is funny and it is a relief to get away from his voice. There is a brief promotional featurette and some nice brief features on the special effects of the film. The transfer looks great. I'm sure getting the two films to match well was a challenge at every point in the process and the colors look full and natural and the grain is appropriate to this film genre and actually enhances the viewing experience. In conclusion, good DVD package, good technical work, bad film.
Rating: Summary: So dumb it's actually funny! Review: Steve Oedekerk, the warped mind that gave us Thumb Wars (parody of Star Wars), Thumbtanic (parody of Titanic) and the infamous Blair Thumb, now inflicts upon us his bizarre humor in Kung Pow. This is not a movie that will stretch your cerebral cortex, and is probably best enjoyed while on thorazine. It is a dumb movie, nearly tragically so, but despite my personal cynicism, I found myself laughing right out loud. Perhaps the reason this movie seems funny is that Kung Pow is almost as stupid as most of the martial arts movies themselves. Stupid begets stupid, but at least Oedekerk employed creative and entertaining stupidity. Do not mistake my meaning here, as I was entirely entertained watching this movie. If the viewer can appreciate "ludirous as art", they will find this an entertaining movie. With wild abandon, Oedekerk unleashes his wit on everything in sight, particularly other movies, such as the Matrix. Personally, I do not see this movie being any more, nor less ludicrious, than many Jett Li movies or those of Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. Lets be ruthlessly honest. Some of the traditional martial art flicks are really insipid, and Oedekerk lampoons them with ruthless satire and deadly accurate humor. I suspect those who are fans of foreign karate pictures may be highly upset with Oedekerk and regard this movie with a hypercritically jaundiced eye. For others who regard most martial arts flicks as absurd, if not ridiculous, they will be thoroughly entertained as Oedekerk renders his parody with black belt humor. It isn't a movie that is going to appeal to everybody. It isn't a movie that will enhance your baseline I.Q. It is a dumb movie. Dumb, funny, silly, and even ridiculous. But I enjoyed this film, and if you accept it for what it is, then you are likely to find it entertaining as well.
|