LA CAGE AUX FOLLES II (1980)

The charming Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and the lovely Albin (Michel Serrault) are back. This time around, Albin goes to an outdoor café to enjoy a mint cordial with water when suddenly a fleeing spy hides a capsule (with microfilm inside it) in Albin’s pocket right before he’s assassinated. I hate when that happens, it ruins your entire day. Anyway, problems arise and Albin and Renato must go on the run from the killers who want the information on the microfilm...that Albin doesn’t even know she has.

As far as sequels go, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES II is perfectly fine and a welcome addition to the adventures of Albin and Renato. At first I was kinda thrown off by the spy adventure stuff, since it’s such a wide departure from the first film, but then when I realized it was all just an excuse to get Albin out in public, I was onboard. Unfortunately, there are not as many laugh out loud scenes in this film as there was in the first installment, but there are a few genuine moments that had me laughing hard. The hardest was when Albin was dressing up as a rugged manly window washer. Fuck, I watched that scene like 20 times! The other part I really enjoyed is when they go to the old country in Italy to hide and Albin must dress up as a man as to not arouse suspicion. Hahaha. Classic.

I did miss the sweetness of the first film, but, hey, I just happy there’s a sequel at all. I’d watch a two-hour movie of Renato and Albin grocery shopping if that’s all there was. Recommended for fans of the first film.

[This might be a stretch, but, in my handsome brain, that iconic slow-motion walking scene in 1992's RESERVOIR DOGS looks a lot like the walking scene in LA CAGE AUX FOLLES II. I'm sure there are many people who say that scene is a play on A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, but...there was only four people walking in ACO. There are six characters in suits in RD and there are six men dressed up in LCAFII. Just an observation.]

[Not part of the review, but I don’t have a copy of Part 3. So, if y’all wanna review, then send me a disc of it. Thanks.]

Part 1 - La Cage aux Folles (1978)
Part 3 - La Cage aux Folles 3: The Wedding (1985)

Some lucky motherfuckers back in 1982 got to see a La Cage aux Folles double-feature!

A FORCE OF ONE (1979)

Two cops illegally break into a sporting goods store, where they are ruthlessly murdered by a “karate weirdo”. The police respond by enlisting the help of local karate champion Chuck Norris to train them in the fine art of kicking and punching things. He’s reluctant to help them though, since he’s busy training for an upcoming championship bout against the only other martial artist in the area capable of giving Chuck a run for his money. Hum, that’s interesting…people keep getting beat to death in karate ways and there’s only two people in town capable of that level of karate violence. Wonder who the killer could be?

As far as Chuck Norris’ early period films go, A FORCE OF ONE is about as lame and anti-exciting as the others. (Although I am somewhat fond of SILENT RAGE since it’s kinda like a slasher movies.) Slow pace, zero awesome fight scenes, weird editing, lots of overacting extras in the background, mid-level acting. Then add onto that: zero nudity, zero blood, zero gore, zero cussing and A FORCE OF ONE might as well had been a made-for-TV movie! The only thing that might be interesting for modern day movie nerds is the few, random vintage street scenes (I would love to know the name of that movie theater playing LASERBLAST, MESSAGE FROM SPACE and HIGH VELOCITY!) and the supporting cast, which features various familiar faces like Clu Gulager, James Whitmore Jr., Ron O’Neal, Jennifer O’Neill and G.W. Bailey.

Also, I don't understand the movie tagline that's featured on the poster and newspaper ads: "He hears the silence. He sees the darkness. He's the only one who can stop the killing." He must also be the only one who knows what the fuck that even means. Cuz there's nothing supernatural or overly special about Chuck's character, he's just a dude who runs a karate school. So why, on the poster, is he all naked in a glowing outer space triangle while giving double, below the waist "circle game" gang signs?

Worth a watch if you're curious and bored to death.

Oh yeah, what was the story with the woman who worked at Chuck's mojo dojo karate dojo? I didn't understand their relationship at all.

[This has nothing to do with the review, just a bonus SILENT RAGE newspaper ad featuring the art for A FORCE OF ONE.]