July 25, 2008
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You have entertained my family.Genuinely engaging and overwhelmingly hilarious, Better Luck Tomorrow director Justin Lin's snappy 2007 comedy Finishing the Game is easily the talented filmmaker's best picture to-date. And while he's still milking the Asian thing for all it's worth, Lin's deft direction and sharp sense of humor allows you to forgive what few cinematic trespasses make their way on-screen. The film chronicles the hijinks surrounding a fictional casting call for a cheap Bruce Lee lookalike to complete his unfinished opus, the 1978 patchwork classic Game of Death. Shot in the same grossly overused mockumentary style as Waiting for Guffman, this tangy scenario -- which incorporates a plethora of cheesy footage from several fake 70's movies and television programs -- gives Lin and co-writer Josh Diamond the opportunity to poke fun at such a ridiculous endeavor, though both men are clever enough not to rely on the same joke over and over again to power their production. What's more, every single performance is whip-smart and spot-on, including a great turn by Dustin Nguyen as a washed-up actor struggling to cope with his floundering career. Were it not for In Bruges, Finshing the Game would be the best movie I've seen this year. Highly recommended.
Recipe For Success: Lin & Diamond's Great Script + Sung Kang + I'll Do My Own Laundry, Okay?
Don't Hurt 'Em Hammer: It's good to see the man's getting back in the game.
Even if he looks ridiculous pretending to smoke a cigar.
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