Return of the Street Fighter

aka Blood of the Dragon

Released a few months (!) after the original Street Fighter, Return of the Street Fighter finds Terry Tsurugi once again going up against the Mafia and the Yakuza. And I kind of wish there was more to it than that. Despite being only 83 minutes long, Return of the Street Fighter is padded out with training montages, weapons demonstrations and three flashbacks to the first film. Sonny Chiba’s action sequences are all good but whenever he’s not on screen, which is a little too often, the movie really drags. The violence has been toned down this time around which seems like an… interesting choice. Fans of the first film will still find plenty to enjoy here, but Return of the Street Fighter pales in comparison to the original film.

Rating: 63%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Enlightenment

After a cryptic warning from the White Guardian, the TARDIS materializes inside the cargo hold of an Edwardian racing yacht. Below decks, the crew seem normal enough but the officers running the ship turn out to be from a race of eternal beings. And, did I mention, the yacht is in outer space. Enlightenment, the third and final part of the quote unquote Black Guardian trilogy, is a decent serial overall. Technically, it feels underlit. It makes sense thematically, everything is happening on centuries-old ships in outer space, but it doesn’t make the story any easier to watch. At the end of Enlightenment, Turlough breaks his pact with the Black Guardian and essentially becomes a full-fledged companion of the Doctor, though Tegan, as ever, remains skeptical.

Rating: Don't be an idiot%

That Thing You Do!

After winning a talent show, a young band from Erie, PA find themselves on a whirlwind tour through the music industry that takes them all the way to Hollywood and the top of the charts. Tom Hanks’ directorial debut, That Thing You Do!, is an endlessly charming look at the rock and roll dream circa 1964. Impeccably well cast from the leads all the way down to the minor characters, That Thing You Do! oozes charisma. The key, of course, is the titular song, “That Thing You Do.” It’s fun and catchy and never gets grating over time, which is important because it gets played a dozen times over the course of the film. The fast pacing propels the movie, which is especially noticeable if you watch the extended cut. Nearly forty minutes longer, the extended cut is not necessary viewing but makes for a fun companion to the original theatrical cut.

Theatrical Cut
Rating: 80%

Extended Cut
Rating: 75%

(Image from Wikipedia)