Review Silent Assassins (1988): Fun little action flick!

genre: action, martial arts

This poster does an injustice to the people involved. I mean, Sam J. Jones is the lead. But Linda Blair certainly isn't as featured as much as the poster suggests. Phillip Rhee and Jun Chong definitely have bigger roles. Phillip Rhee is most famous for the Best of the Best franchise. Jun Chong is the lead in L.A. Streetfighters a.k.a. Ninja Turf, and more importantly, he is a martial arts master (taekwondo, hapkido, judo, aikido, and boxing). Phillip Rhee, Simon Rhee (brother of Phillip Rhee), Lorenzo Lamas, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Ian Griffith, Heather Graham, and Sam J. Jones were his students.

Phillip Rhee was also involved as a producer. This is important to note, since you can be assured that, martial arts-wise, the film is going to rock. Not going to lie, I was expecting far more action than I got. Still, the action that is present is of high quality and certainly enjoyable. Everything else should be taken with a grain of salt. The story is nothing to write home about. The characterization is as minimal as it gets. But most actors gave their roles more than enough to get you invested. Especially, Bill Erwin as Dr. London and Mako as Oyama elevated the viewing experience tenfold.

And then there is Rebecca Ferratti as Miss Ami. One of the main thugs. I have never seen her before. But I can't deny that she is extremely beautiful. She also makes it worth your while. Do I really need to explain why? And no offence to Linda Blair, but for me, Rebecca was far more compelling. 

Unfortunately, you can't get this film on Blu-ray. The only version I got hold of was a German DVD (audio: German and English). It was serviceable enough for me. Only later, I found out there is an upscaled version available on YouTube. But to be honest, I don't think that version is better. 

Overall, I had fun. Maybe slightly disappointed. But younger me would have loved this wholeheartedly. Older me is a little more critical. Still, I am glad I finally got to watch it.

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Filmography Philip Rhee

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Listed here are all the titles Phillip Rhee was involved in as an actor/writer/director/producer.

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1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie Klahn's Guard (segment "A Fistful of Yen")

1983 Firefight (short)

1984 Furious

1985 Crime Killer

1985 L.A. Streetfighters

1985 Hell Squad

1988 Silent Assassins

1989 Best of the Best — also producer and storywriter

1993 Best of the Best 2 — also producer

1995 Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back — also director and producer

1998 Best of the Best 4: Without Warning — also director, producer and screenwriter

2015 Underdog Kids — also director, producer and screenwriter

2017 Two Bellmen Three (short)

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Review Dead of Winter (2025): Fargo Lite?

genre: crime, action, thriller

The only reason we checked this out was that Emma Thompson was playing a role she had never done before. Emma Thompson doing action at her age? That is very unusual. We had faith in her because we really like her. Surely, she will make this worth your while?

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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Review Undertone (2025): Very effective horror!

genre: horror, mystery

Undertone, a.k.a. The Undertone, is a return to atmospheric horror, where you basically are watching a woman listening to a bunch of MP3 files. It doesn't sound that exciting, does it?

But it is surprisingly compelling once you realize what the main focus is. Find out what we thought of it. Apparently, we didn't feel the same; perhaps that is because I am more passionate about horror films than Mrs. P.

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Review Timur (2025): OKish directorial debut from Iko Uwais!

genre: action, drama, history

Iko Uwais is an excellent martial artist. And it makes sense for him to be ambitious when it comes to his films and filmmaking in general. But not going to sugarcoat it. He still has a lot to learn.

Timur, which is based on a real incident, the 1996 Mapenduma hostage rescue in Papua, does a poor job of giving some necessary background on the terrorists and the hostages. Why are they there? What are the motives? What are their demands? I mean, I can guess, but sometimes you need to make it clear, since now they appear as a group of disorganized hoodlums and thugs. I don't mind the simplification, but it would have enhanced the subplot concerning Timur, Apolo, and Sila. It would have given some insight into the struggle Apolo is going through.  The pacing is awful. It took a while for the film to really get going, and even when it did, it would stop the momentum too many times. As if it were waiting for something grand to happen, which it didn't.

The highlights of the film are the action sequences, but unfortunately, I need to be critical of those as well. The choreography is good. But for whatever reason, Iko opted for a camera operator suffering from high anxiety. It was too jittery for my taste. Towards the end, it looked like Iko had found his rhythm. It's here where he also hits us hard emotionally speaking. Sadly, he undercut himself by giving us a generic climax I didn't care for.

Overall, the viewing experience was disappointing and didn't deliver on the high-octane action you would expect from Iko Uwais. Hopefully, he will learn from his mistakes and give us something better in the future!

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Review Black Blood a.k.a. Getih Ireng (2025): Entertaining!

genre: horror, mystery

At first glance, this might seem like your typical Indonesian horror film. But the fact that Mrs. P. actually likes this one does point out it's a little different. I think it has to do with the ambition of the lead actress, who was also involved as a producer. At times, this film feels more like a drama. 

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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i5-10400 CPU - GTX 1660 SUPER │Can it run Samson (2026)? │My thoughts on the game!

genre: crime, action, brawler, racing

A while ago, I wanted to see if my PC could run Styx: Blades of Greed. The CAN I RUN website told me I couldn't. Today, I wanted to check out Samson. Since this is an AA title, I was expecting it to have low system requirements. Apparently, it's the opposite. I was like, come on. So I tried it anyway. As it turns out, it plays just fine (in 1440P) thanks to FSR. Never used it, but this game automatically enabled it. I didn't have to tweak anything. It looks quite good. Doesn't play that smoothly due to the clunky controls. Although I am sure I will get used to it.

My thoughts on the game:

The game looks good. The combat, while very repetitive, can be fun. I wished they had added more mechanics to make it more fun. Like environmental kills, being able to use guns, etc. I didn't like the fetch quests. It's one thing if the locations are logical, but who would leave their gear and tools in almost unreachable places? On my second fetch quest, I kept looking and exploring, but couldn't find the last item. Then I tried to reach a place that I hadn't been before and got stuck. I was floating, couldn't wiggle out of it, and then the game decided to fail the mission. I was on this mission for over an hour. That did make me a little mad. If you are insisting to do missions like these, at least give the option to point out the items. Wasting time on these is simply not fun.

But don't get me started on the driving. It doesn't matter which car you use. Driving is a pain in the tuchus. In the video, I mentioned that I probably had to get used to it. But there is no getting used to cluncky driving mechanics. Most driving missions ended up with me and the targets driving in circles until I managed to get close to them. While avoiding getting hit. That required a lot of patience. 

I don't quite understand how this game ended up like this. You would expect that developers who were part of projects like Mad Max and Just Cause would deliver a game with better and smoother mechanics. I must admit that the visuals had me psyched. And it carried me through for a bit. The only reason people don't express rage about the game is the low price. But let me tell you, this game is not even worth 5 euros. Real shame! 

So no, don't buy this game, it's not worth it!

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Quick Review Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (2026): It's Fun!

genre: comedy. crime, action, science fiction

While the title is unusual and impractical, it does give you an idea of what the film is about. Keith David also has a small role, and as usual, he is great. But he isn't in the film for that long. In our original cut, we did briefly mention the action. But in our second cut, I removed that bit. I mean, the action is stylish and well-choreographed. It's not the main focus.

Please watch/listen to our thoughts on this film.

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Review Young Sherlock (TV Series Season 1): The dynamics between the characters are awesome!

genre: mystery, crime, detective, action, adventure

At first, I thought that this was the prequel to the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films. But this is not the case. This is simply an origin story done by Guy Ritchie, Matthew Parkhill, and Peter Harness (Constellation). Very clearly a fresh take on the iconic consulting detective.

And let me be frank. I wasn't the biggest fan of the films. In my opinion, they were everything but what I love about Sherlock Holmes. Thankfully, this origin story, while playing around with established lore, remains true to the spirit of Sherlock Holmes. In this day and age, that really matters. The show manages to introduce you to characters you know about, somehow have them stay true to what they represent, yet change up the dynamics that make events compelling and exciting. One of them is Sherlock being friends with Moriarty. In the original stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle, he was never a friend of Sherlock Holmes. He was his archenemy, somebody who challenged him like nobody else could. In this show, Moriarty is a good friend, but who does have different ideas about ethics and morality in general. In certain moments, you can sense the evil that is going to be. Can't wait for that to happen. But for the most part, James Moriarty is a good friend, one could argue, the only friend he has.

Almost every episode is fast-paced and full of intrigue. Some predictable, some genuine surprises. But the best thing about Young Sherlock is how the characters interact with each other. Those moments were the most fun, especially when some characters would act differently than they normally would.

The mystery itself might not be that interesting, but the way it is presented to you is. I was invested throughout. Except maybe towards the end, I felt that events had slowed down because they ran out of plot. A shame, but something I can overlook. Overall, this is a fun show that I can recommend!

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Quick Review Peacemaker Season 2: We liked it but...

genre: comic book adaptation, superhero, action, adventure

It took us a while before we watched the first season of Peacemaker, but when we did, we binged it in one sitting. It's safe to say we loved it. So, it was a no-brainer to watch the second season. And while there were many things we liked. There are some things we didn't.

Please watch/listen to our quick thoughts on this second season of Peacemaker.

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