RSS
Home
A Joker's Card
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The review today is on Johnny K. Wu's "A Joker's Card", circa 2005. Check out his main website, www.mdifilm.com/ . By the title alone one could think of either a movie based on a card game or something to do with comics. Let's face it, most of us would prefer comics and that's what it's about. Actually, this short film is a parody of D.C. Comics, www.dccomics.com for those who are unfamiliar to catch up on things, and does a very decent job, but with a seriously large twist for such a comedic style. Before I get to the nitty gritty, here are some promotional images to look at.
Okay, the twist I mentioned is this. What if the Joker, you know...batman's nemesis, and gave him a kid? What would he be like? Well, this Napier kid, played by Kyle Znamenak, is a sore loser type who gets picked on and wants revenge by ruling the world and gets help from that crazy hospital always mentioned in comics and movies. Basically, Joker Jr. is lead to believe he has to wipe out all the superhero kids in order to clear the path to world domination. He also gets help from Mr. Big, an ex-henchman who worked for his father, the Joker. It would seem that even Mr. Big doesn't like the kid much, but helps him out by lending his lackies.
Gerry Keating plays Mr. Big, my favorite in this short film, as his presence and voice impresses me as a director to no end. Props go out to Johnny Wu for perfect casting on this character. Andy Schofield (Nightwing) versus Johnny Wu (Ekin Tzu) fight is a lot of fun, as this is supposedly the first time wire fight scenes were ever done locally in Cleveland. The fighting and costumes of this scene, which there is a backstory that we don't fully know, are pretty gosh darned good for independent, if not excellent, actually! There's a dominatrix style character Donna Isley, played by Dana Aritonovich, whom I've starred in my debut film, "Blood Donors". Her character gets around the crazy house and tries to get into Nick Grayson character's favor, played by David Milam, who actually seems to be gay, from the opening scene, but plays along with her needs in order to survive.
Other characters, like Wonder Woman's daughter make a fun appearance and use of visual effects. Plenty of liberties with D.C. Comic material in the form of parody are a plenty in this short. I like it more each time I see it, which is good. The Ekin Tzu character can disappear and reappear like the ninja type he is. I have no idea where his character comes from, but I don't keep up on comic characters as much as I should. Again, the wire work is cool and the Tzu character should have been given one or two more fancy things to do, but it's a short film! Yes, there is extreme violence in this parody!
Aryavarta Kumar, http://www.aryavartakumar.com/ , does a campy cool rendition of comic movie music that is sure to please even the most discerning listener. I only use campy as part description due to the parody it's being composed for and that the music relies on keyboards and synthesizers, which are my instruments of choice, as well. There's definitely talent here!
As in any review I do, there has to be something negative with an indie film. In this case, it's the same issue I have with almost all indie films, including my own. Directors want to give a lot of time onscreen to pull every ounce of talent from their actors and actresses. Perhaps it's to honor our cast's moments. The problem with this is that there is usually only one camera being used, making it hard to switch up angles and shots. This forces the shot to be from one vantage point and leaves the director and editor dwelling on the emotional emphasis the talent gives. When editing, the tendency is to stay too long on a shot and deliver that emotion longer than necessary for story and flow. Otherwise, that's it, really!
On the flipside of indie film, I think the short is very funny and enlightening in many places. I think the work William Johns does on camera is quite good and there are plenty of unique shots. Alan Tuskes does cool digital effects...Then again, he does work on Hollywood level projects. Everyone did their part well, though this review can't shed light on everybody involved. It's a fun parody that shows us how families feud, even in the comics. While Johnny K. Wu has gone on to many other projects since this one, I'm sure this one will remain close to his heart for many years to come. It's sure to be for many others.
Go with a smile, Kenny
Related Articles:
Comments
