After helping him get out of his previous contract (and some messy business with some Triads) Jackie Chan owed martial arts superstar Jimmy Wang Yu some big favors, and he started paying up by appearing briefly in the truly bizarre 1983 action/comedy FANTASY MISSION FORCE. Despite a plot structure that (loosely) copies The Dirty Dozen, FANTASY MISSION FORCE throws in amazons, Nazis, vampires, ghosts, Brigitte Lin, musical numbers, Mad Max-style cars and lots and lots of explosions. There’s even a few kung fu fights for good measure, It’s far from boring, but is it any good? Let’s find out!
On this episode of BARTEL ME SOMETHING GOOD (the world’s finest Paul Bartel-themed podcast) we’re tackling Paul Bartel’s final directorial feature, the sadly abused (and semi-unavailable) bunker comedy SHELF LIFE from 1993! Born out of a stage-play by stars O-Lan Jones, Andrea Stein, and Jim Turner, Bartel turns it into a wildly visual phantasmagoria of rituals, re-enactments and hormonally confusing games, with a typically wicked sense of humor. Check it out!
Retired pro-wrestler Gail Kim, Pat Morita and Eric Roberts (and Eric Roberts’ hair!) star in the bizarre 2009 action fantasy ROYAL KILL, which features a totally bonkers twist and.. not a lot else! Alexander Wraith plays Adam Arthavan, a royal guard sent to protect a young girl – unknowingly the daughter of his king – from Gail Kim’s silent assassin. It’s kind of like The Terminator, except infinitely worse! Talking with us about Royal Kill (aka Ninja’s Creed) is restaurateur, chef and Nova Scotian Allan McPherson, who also gets to hear all the latest Eric Roberts news and tweets. Lucky! Join us, jerks!