‘Shanghai Knights’ more insulting than funny

As alluring and absolutely magnetic as the acrobatics and charm of

Jackie Chan may be, viewers should have misgivings about doling out

cash for “Shanghai Knights,” which falsely characterizes an entire

nation, Great Britain, as sinister, villainous, inept, incompetent

and unapologetically unhygienic.

Chan reprises his role as Chon Wang, pronounced “John Wayne” in an

attempt at script writing repartee, and Owen Wilson returns as Roy

O’Bannon, the prurient, vice gunslinger with few thoughts but teeming

with character. Together they embark on an excursion into the heart

of the British Empire.

Overlooking the glaring anachronisms, incongruities and abject

lack of historical accuracy, the film does have its moments of

levity. These moments, though, are utterly fraught with imprudent

comments and ample doses of farcical impossibilities; while we have

grown accustomed to this from Chan and Wilson alike, this film

taunts, then teeters and plunges over the line that separates humor

from insult.

Not even Chan’s jubilant grin in the outtakes can redeem the

inexcusable and unwarranted barrage of epithets within this grossly

miscalculated release. I recommend this movie to anyone that has no

respect for alliances to nations and no concept of loyalty to our

nation’s ally.

‘Final Destination 2’ picks off darkly

Feeling skeptical, and more than slightly indifferent about a

sequel that was neither expected nor welcomed, I feared that the most

gripping encounter would be surrendering a portion of my finite

resources for this film. Fortunately, “Final Destination” was totally

arresting, fascinating and exceptionally inventive for its genre.

With all this said, a disclaimer is due. Buyer beware, it is

advisable to be acquainted with the premise from the first film and

to have a strong stomach. If you are faint of heart or squeamish,

this film is far from congenial. It is likely that anyone will wince

in response to the gratuitous gore and unparalleled sequences of

copious forms of death, dismemberment, impalement, evisceration, and

decapitation. Sounds bad, eh? Well, expect much worse.

“Final Destination 2” seamlessly weaves itself into the story of

its predecessor. Rather than just presenting itself exclusively as a

lurid carnage fest, “Final Destination 2” introduces concepts of the

space time continuum and the interrelatedness of human life and, more

importantly, death. The combination of science fiction and flinch

inducing gore is captivating and quite enjoyable. If you heed my

warnings, then you should appreciate the uniqueness of this flick.

* EVAN MARMOL graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in

Psychology and Social Behavior.