August DVD Releases — Vampires & Kung Fu
Posted on July 31, 2015 by bob in DVD
What We Do in the Shadows (Unrated)
If you’ve had your fill of vampires being romanticized and glamorized from the Twilight movies to HBO’s True Blood and their ilk, here’s the antidote. How about some laughs at the expense of a few contemporary undead slackers sharing a flat in New Zealand? Jermaine Clement, who garnered cult popularity here with countryman Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, co-wrote, co-directed and co-stars in this Shaun of the Dead meets Black Sheep (not the one with Chris Farley; the newer one about zombie livestock terrorizing the locals from Clement’s homeland). In mockumentary format, three vamps of varying ages show us their lives in today’s Wellington. These guys have some of the powers we associate with their kind from existing lore, but remain quite clueless in many respects. They’re supposedly flying under the radar so no one will know they exist, while consenting to be filmed by a regular human crew. Dumb and dumber even in death.
Their (un)life is like a house-sharing TV reality show, with the neatnik being annoyed by the slob; the Lothario lording his dubious success over the others; dissent over who to turn and who to feed on; and so it goes. Along the way, werewolves and other beasties add to the proceedings, with reliable Rhys Darby as the alpha of the former. The script delivers a handful of truly solid yuks with the yecchhs, though the premise wears a bit thin before the credits roll. Not for all tastes, but sure to be appreciated by its target demo.
Kung Fu Killer (R) 
Hong Kong action fare at its most reliable. That means long on intricately choreographed fights, and short on plot, dialog and character development. Donnie Yen stars as a former police martial arts instructor, serving hard time for murder in a momentary loss of restraint during one fatal encounter with a bad guy. Hope for redemption arises when a highly-skilled psycho starts killing some of the nation’s former kung fu champions. The threat is heightened by his ability to beat each via their respective areas of strength (fist, feet, swords, etc.). The cops let Yen out on a short leash to assist, since he might be able to discover the wacko’s identity, and anticipate his next target(s).
The premise does its job, supporting a batch of fights and chases, each unique in style, setting up the inevitable climactic showdown. Yen is spot on as the laconic hero; Baoqiang Wang shines as an exceptionally deranged villain. Some of the wire work seems out of place in this gritty contemporary setting, but the final face-off between the two foes rewards viewers with its complexity and originality. If you’re looking for classically humorless escapism, this one delivers the goods.
Mark Glass
Mark Glass is an officer and director of the St. Louis Film Critics Association.
