[Weekly Updates] May 16, 2021

Hope you all enjoy our last video on obscure Hong Kong movies! That one was fun to make and a trip down memory lane for me. I get to track down a lot of movies no one has mentioned to me in over a decade.

Evidently I had a little bit too much fun, because that video contains double the average amount of films shown. Tracking them down was not easy, but it's worth it just to relive the nostalgic fun time.

Also, you have no idea how many breasts I have to scrub through just to show you footage of fake Bruce Lee...

ABOUT THE CHANNEL

• YouTube algorithme has not been kind to our channel lately, and our channel growth has came to a halt. But every obstacle is a chance for self-improvement. So over the course of the next couple of days, we'll be posting polls on our YouTube community page to gather feedbacks!
• The first poll has been posted, and you can check it out right now.
• Our next video will be a similar video to our Hong Kong B-movie video, but about South Korean cinema. Today, we know South Korea as an innovative country with prosperous film culture. But not that long ago, South Korea makes a lot of shameless knock-offs!
• Afterward, we have a Korean film about school bullies (with a twist), and a video about Kung Fu Panda scheduled. But none of these are concrete, yet. And it depends on if I can find something I want to say about them. Stay tuned!

ABOUT MEDIA

• You know how I said I want to bring in more humor into our videos? Well, most people say I have a very dry and deadpan sense of humor. So, I decided to learn from the master.
• Yes, I watched the Naked Gun trilogy over the past week, and throughly enjoyed it. It's a nice, relaxing, and easy watch. It also contains one of the classiest sex scene joke I've ever seen.
• Overall, I'd say the release order is also the order of their quality. That said, I find the jokes in the 2nd film to be more of my taste, a bit more understated. The third film is the weakest, partly because side characters now reacts to Leslie Neilson's antic like a normal human being. They aren't in the joke, and that takes you out of the experience. It's a small detail that doesn't ruin the movie, but does make it less consistent. But overall, they are all good comedies.
• And here I thought the reason I didn't enjoy Hot Shots was because my depression.
• But that does bring up a question I discussed on a previous weekly update: Why didn't I like Hot Shots?
• After some contemplation and some feedback from you on discord, here are some guesses.
• Reason 1: I just like Leslie Neilson more. There is this aura of cheekiness to him, that when he does his usual shenanigans, you can see behind his straight-face that he's a kid having a lot of fun.
• This does not translate to Charlie Sheen in Hot Shots. While I do think Sheen is a great comedy actor, him in a straight-face is nowhere near as charming as him with a big smile.
• Furthermore, Leslie Neilson is a classic actor with experience in straight drama. Him doing straight-face is both a joke, and plays to his straight. We know Charlie Sheen as a comedy actor, him in a straight-face is playing to his weakness.
• Reason 2: Naked Gun is more than just a series of funny gags. In moments of emotion/tension, you'll find the series constantly stops being funny, and give Leslie Neilson moments to monologue. HIs confession of love in the first film is genuinely a good rom-com moment.
• Hot Shots has a bit more modern cynicism to it, and aren't as willing to commit to these emotions. As such, I find myself unable to get into the actual plot, and just waiting for the joke to happen.
• But without engaging characters, the humor is cut in half. It's the difference between seeing funny things happening to friends in a socializing setting, versus seeing funny things happening to strangers. If I don't love the character, I don't care about the jokes.
• Reason 3: Maybe Hot Shots is just in that awkward zone of not old enough to be a classic, but not new enough to be a modern classic. I have memories of the 90s. It's not quite foreign enough for me to be total escapism. But much of it's commentary about contemporary politics are so dated, now. I find it hard to resonate.
• That means, maybe with some time, I'll look back at Hot Shots with a much warmer reception. And that, makes me kinda excited to rewatch it in the future.

But that is all we have for this week. Work on the next video will start tomorrow. Remember to check our community tab for viewer feedback polls,. And I'll see you next time!