The Chinese Martial Arts Film class at NYU
April 30th, 2013 by Mr. C
Now this is a class that I would love to take if money was not an issue! Take the Fu back to the classroom. Enroll now! — THE CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS FILM at New York University —
Class description:
The Chinese Martial Arts Film
H72.0324 4 Credits
Instructor(s): Z. Zhen
H72.0324.001
Wednesday 12:30 – 4:30PM
Instructor: Zhang Zhen
4 Points.
Where and when did the martial arts film emerge? What are the cultural resources this hybrid genre draws from? What kinds of spectatorship has it fostered over the course of eighty years and across national borders? This course addresses these and other related questions through a historical survey of the genre’s origins and transformations in the broad landscape of transnational Chinese-language cinema. Screenings include works by key figures such as Zhang Che, King Hu, Bruce Lee, and Tsui Hark, as well as neglected experiments and films associated with their female stars.
THIS COURSE WILL SATISFY THE CINEMA STUDIES MINOR REQUIREMENT FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CINEMA.
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Montclair Film Festival : April 29-May 5
April 29th, 2013 by Mr. C
The 2nd annual Montclair Film Festival is upon us starting today April 29 – May 5, 2013! I’m proud to say that I went to College at Montclair and even worked at one of the movie theaters that is participating in the festival. Though, I must admit that I’ve been out of touch with the daily ongoings of Montclair since graduating from her ranks in the mid 1990s – the Montclair Film Festival is a great reason to come back home! Much has changed in Montclair/Upper Montclair since the 1990’s most notably the storefronts and electric vehicle charging stations but a lot has remained the same. This town has always been progressive and was always a community that nourished the development of arts be it film, theater, or fine arts. What I love about this film festival is that the whole community is taking pride in showcasing this event. From the local businesses decorating their storefronts with film themes to the students from the local schools providing artwork to promote the festival to the town providing free shuttle services to festival goers to the different venues. You truly get a feel that the Montclair Film Festival is playing host to new & relevant movies along with showing appreciation to some of the classics as well as welcoming special guests like Harry Belafonte, Lake Bell, Ice-T, Jim Mcgreevey, Michael Moore, and more.
We will be attending a few screenings including – The Kings of Summer, American Masters: Mel Brooks, Computer Chess, The Attack, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete, Wasteland, Violet and Daisy, and probably more depending on how our schedule shakes out. Go to the 2013 Montclair Film Festival website HERE to checkout the latest schedule, offerings, guests, and free panels! We hope to see you at the movies in Montclair!
(At the Montclair Film Festival Office at 494 Bloomfield Ave – where you can get tickets & merchandise)
(And also where you can see a really cool Mondo movie print collection!)
(Inner City vs Outer Space!)
Tags: 2013 montcair film festival
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Record Store Day 2013
April 27th, 2013 by chocko
The big day for vinyl happened last weekend and I started the search for records at Tunes in Hoboken, New Jersey. The place was packed and Record Store Day Exclusives were displayed throughout the store. I found the Rob Zombie “Dead City Radio” 10″ which was made with a reverse groove. It’s really cool-you have to drop the needle in the center of the record and it plays backwards. I also picked up The Shangri-Las “Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)” single and couldn’t resist the Girl In A Coma vinyl release of their album “Both Before I’m Gone” on blue vinyl.
Generation Records
Next, I crossed the Hudson River, found some killer parking by Washington Square Park and made my way to Thompson Street to get in on the madness at Generation Records. They had a couple freebies on their counter on the way in…a CD sampler of a bunch of Sub Pop bands and a Kanine Records cassette celebrating 10 years of indie rock. Lots of great bands on that tape including Chairlift, Grizzly Bear, Surfer Blood and Bleeding Rainbow. Generation Records had a whole schedule of bands and DJs playing throughout the day. I was lucky to catch Livids play, but really disappointed in myself for forgetting my earplugs. Livids played LOUD garage punk rock and my ears screamed for mercy. Lead singer, Eric Davidson knows how to get the party started and spent lots of time off the stage messing with audience as he did on stage with the rest of the band. Check out a video from the instore below of Livids performing “(Some Of Us Have) Adrenalized Hearts.” It was also cool to see Tom Scharpling (The Best Show on WFMU) in the store ready to rock the turntables. Tom gave me a Best Show sticker just for saying hello!
Livids
Eric Davidson shopping for vinyl
Tom Scharpling
I took a short break from all the madness and walked over to the F Train Brooklyn bound platform on 14th St to watch the one and only Kaki King busk in a subway station. The super talented guitarist played her debut album, Everybody Loves You, in its entirety to a small crowd in preparation for her Mercury Lounge show to celebrate the album’s 10th anniversary. Kaki ended her performance with a bonus track titled “The Government” which had the audience meowing along like kittens. You don’t believe me? Pump up the volume and check out the video below.
Kaki King
I made a cameo appearance at Discorama on 8th Street to see what exclusives they had displayed in their glass cases. I picked up the “Because The Night” 10″ by Garbage and Screaming Females and the Roky Erickson “mine mine mind” limited edition 7″. I made my last stop at Other Music where there was a line out the door. There wasn’t a long wait in the line but when I got in around 5pm it looked like the RSD section had been ransacked. I did find a copy of the Tegan And Sara “Closer” single which features 8 remixes of the first single off their newest album Heartthrob. I also picked up the Now Now Neighbors: Deluxe release and also the DVD titled “Just Like Being There” which is a documentary about gig posters and art. Highly recommended! It was fun to shop while NYC-based producer FaltyDL provided the tunes. I hope everybody out there found all the records you were looking for on the high holy day of vinyl worship. A belated Happy Record Store Day and a quick mention to Brooklyn’s Sound Fix, a great Williamsburg record store which closed its doors during RSD weekend. I always enjoyed shopping there and checking out all the in-store performances (Amanda Palmer, Mates of State, Oh Land, Ra Ra Riot). Thanks for all the fun times.
FaltyDL on the wheels of steel
(photos and video by chocko)
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Tags: 2013, busking, generation records, kaki king, other music, record store day, records, vinyl
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Richie Havens
April 26th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Richie Havens @ the Barre Opera House in Vermont/2009 -photo by mr c)
I just wanted to throw some mentions to a folk musician that had passed away earlier in the week who created plenty of great music that healed the soul – the one and only – Richie Havens. Havens also reinterpreted pop & folk songs that often sound better than the original in my opinion. He had an amazing raggamuffin, soulful voice and a frenetic way of strumming the guitar with distinctive soulful rhythms that came to life with each action! He even had an unusual way of using his thumb to play the chords. We’ve seen Richie play live a handful of times at venues including The Bottom Line, The Williams Center in Rutherford, Governor’s Island, Madison Square Garden at Pete Seeger’s birthday celebration, outdoor concerts in Paramus, NJ and Battery Park as well at the Barre Opera House in Vermont amongst other outdoor folk festivals. Richie’s music was always there to comfort me during tough times like when my father & sister passed away or just when I needed an extra lift of inspiration to carry on. Richie sported a dashiki and a gentle soul that manifested through his voice and guitar play. He also possessed a mean ass jump kick that he would always include in his performances to close out his set onstage! And that’s the way I want to remember this man! Carry on my brother and show us the path to this heavenly glory with your music!
(Richie performing “You are so Beautiful” at the Barre Opera House – vid by mr c)
(Richie Havens + I)
(Richie Havens performing at Woodstock – a 2 hour set!)
(Havens performing his famous “Freedom” at Woodstock)
Tags: folk, richie havens
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Bending Steel screening at the Tribeca Film Festival
April 25th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Photo by Chocko)
(Chris ‘Wonder’ Schoeck otherwise known as the man behind Bending Steel outside the Clearview Cinemas before the screening. Notice the relic of a case in tow filled w/ his weapons of choice – steel! /Photo by Chocko/)
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Director: Dave Carroll
Genre: Documentary feature film on the Strongman
Have you ever had a feeling that you didn’t quite fit in with society or that you felt like an extraterrestrial roaming about one of the most famous cities in the world while everyone is running amuck trying to make a fast buck and finding ways to spend it the very next minute? Such is the case with our subject in this uplifting documentary film BENDING STEEL. Chris ‘Wonder’ Schoeck is a loner, an introvert that feels out of place in this urban mecca known as NYC despite growing up in her arms. Chris seems to be making a honest living working as a therapist/personal trainer but otherwise wants nothing to do with relationships in any form whatsoever. He feels disengaged from society and chooses to not take part in public or personal affairs for that matter. A major part of this is due to his insecurities with himself and later on in the movie we would find out that he had demons in his past that would help contribute to these traits. Chris, however would find solitude in twisting, contorting, and bending steel! He feels a certain high and instant gratification in that very moment when that piece of metal would give way to his body! This manipulation of steel made him feel in control of the situation as opposed to interactions with human beings. Chris kept to himself so much so that his parents did not even know about his passions of this unusual art form. Of course bending metal of different sizes and shapes presents obstacles, challenges, and subsequent failures which can also stand to symbolize the nuts and bolts of human relationships as well.
In the second half of the film, Chris would step outside of his box to reach out to other people that shared these same passions. This would introduce us to the yesteryear art of the Olde time Strongman performer, the kind of performance that you would find at Sideshows in Coney Island and other circus acts across the United States of real, unbelievable human feat! We would learn a lot about the subculture of the strongman performer and their strong bond (pun intended)!
(Wonder Schoeck at the post screening of Bending Steel at Clearview Cinemas accompanied by a strip of steel he will bend in a few minutes!)
With the help of this outlaw community (Steel Nuts Club), Chris Wonder Schoeck would learn a lot about himself and a lot about performing in front of live audiences with his rather unique skill. The eventual goal was to perform at Coney Island’s famous sideshows in an Olde Time Strongman Spectacular! Characters such as Chris ‘Hairculese’ Rider, Stanless Steel, Slim ‘The Hammerman’ Farman, Sonny ‘Man of Steel’ Barry, & John ‘Hammerhead’ Ferraro will help bring this lost art back to life at Coney Island!
As a side note, Chris Wonder Schoeck seemed very well spoken for and appeared to be pretty comfortable in front of the camera. I guess there are various degrees of feeling isolated from society and maybe Chris’ degree of separation was more internal and self-inflicted than it showed on the surface. Either way, BENDING STEEL was an inspirational and uplifiting cyclone like rollercoaster journey that Wonder Schoeck took us on. It seemed like a very familiar path and one that many of us go through at various stages in our life whether we realize our calling in life though, is another story. Besides having the Richie Cunningham (Happy Days) and boy next door appeal as an Olde Time Strongman, we actually think Chris Schoeck might serve as a wonderful outlet as an inspirational speaker to our young future leaders of America or perhaps to adults in need of some motivation to get back on their feet. We are positive that his story will resonate with a lot of folks in dire needs of a kick in the butt or a 2nd chance in life.
There was a brief Q&A with the Director and ‘Wonder’ Schoeck himself after the screening along with a live demonstration of Chris bending a strip of steel into a coil like form! Chocko took some video of the Q&A below!
(Q&A w/ Chris Schoeck + Director after screening)
(Q&A w/ Chris Schoeck + Director after screening in Audio format)
(Chris Wonder bending the steel after the screening at Chelsea Cinemas!)
(The results of the steel after the Wonder twist! Tight little coil pack indeed! Nice job! Chocko is holding the finished product and is trying to finish the bends to no avail!)
You can catch Bending Steel at the Tribeca Film Festival this Saturday at Clearview Cinemas on 23rd Street at 10.30pm. Otherwise watch out for a screening near you! We don’t think this film will have any problems for distribution in one form or another!
Tags: 2013 tribeca film festival, coney island, documentary
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Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany
April 23rd, 2013 by chocko
Free Fall
Director: Stephen Lacant
Free Fall opened the 35th Annual Kino! Festival at MoMA with an enthusiastic crowd along with the director Stephen Lacant in attendance. The movie is not your typical buddy cop movie. This contemporary bromance centers around two male police officers in training who just can’t get their hands off each other. Marc has a pregnant wife at home and the affair gets steamier when Kay gets transferred to Marc’s unit. The two young, chiseled protagonists wrestle under the sheets, romp around gay clubs at night and go for “morning jogs” while keeping things undercover unbeknownst to Mark’s unsuspecting wife and homophobic police department. The movie is loaded with drama, cheesy dialogue and unfortunately nearly void of humor. I definitely recommend you check out this rollercoaster of a movie to find out if the love affair between Marc and Kay last, despite all the lies and betrayal. According to the director of the film Stephen Lacant, the film will be released next month in Germany, Switzerland and France. Free Fall will also be released in the United States soon, so check it out at a theatre near you.
Oh Boy
Director: Jan Ole Gerster
This black and white film was fun to watch. It instantly reminded me of vintage Woody Allen complete with old-timey jazz music playing in the background. Jan Ole Gerster’s debut feature Oh Boy follows the likeable Niko Fischer (Tom Schilling) as he shuffles around the picturesque city of Berlin. He is a down on his luck loser…got no job, lost his girl, dropped out of law school and can’t even find a decent cup of coffee. Many characters populate Niko’s world including his friend Matze, an out of work actor and Niko’s wealthy father who cuts financial ties with his son after discovering he hasn’t been showing up to his college classes. The movie is really funny and chock full of awkward moments. The character of Julike, a former high school classmate invites Niko and Matze to her performance in a bizarre avant-garde play. The night spirals out of control, more shenanigans occur but unfortunately the movie changes gears toward the end. It’s a great movie, not perfect but deserves recognition and hopefully it finds a huge audience outside of Germany.
Silvi – Maybe Love
Director: Nico Sommer
Another German feature screening at during Kino! is titled Silvi – Maybe Love which features the character of Silvi (wonderfully acted by Lina Wendel) whose husband decides to walk away from his wife and family, leaving Silvi in her late forties, single and and not quite ready to mingle. After becoming “stranded unexpectedly” Silvi places a personal ad to see what is out there beyond her lonely life working in a bookstore. The movie is an honest look at the complexities of adult relationships and searching for happiness. I will spoil some of the movie now by saying that the men she meets are freaky-one guy is a busdriver who only wants to get busy with Silvi in a hotel room. She deserves better than that! She then meets a successful businessman. They really hit it off well…snort cocaine, have romantic rooftop dinners, but lookout! He’s also into fantasy roleplay and bondage. Will Silvi recover from all her emotional misfortunes? Will she find Mr. Right? Keep your fingers crossed.
Check out these feature films and more new German cinema at the 35th Annual Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany series hosted at MoMA in NYC from April 18–24, 2013. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is located at 11 West 53rd St. in New York City.
Tags: festival, film, free fall, german, kino!, moma, movie, movies, oh boy, silvi
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Old School Kung Fu Fest: the aftermath
April 22nd, 2013 by Mr. C
(Our friend Earl at the Old School Kung Fu Fest ready to trade fisticuffs w/ anyone named Twister!)
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The Old School Kung Fu movie fest courtesy of Subway Cinema & Anthology Film Archives came and went like Wong Fei Hong’s famous shadowless kick! It was a weekend worth of condensed old school injected kung fu flavor totaling to a modest 7 films including the secret screening on Saturday night which ended up to be Bloody Parrot from Shaw Brother Studios. In effect all the movies were of the midnight variety edition ranging from the classic Shaolin, Wutang, Tibetan Lama Pai, & Ching Dynasty conflicts to the more esoteric black magic, sexploitation, & exploitation variety to the other end of classic balls to the wall modern HK action! We caught 6 out of the 7 screenings and had to tap out of Sammo’s/Lau Kar Wing’s – Odd Couple due to brain malfunction because of 2 days worth of mind melting HK madness! This compact festival dedicated to all things kung fu, boobs, black magic, & femme fatales was much fun indeed! From the background music of the Wu Tang Clan playing between screenings to the enthusiasm of Subway Cinema when introducing the films being screened, I hope they continue the Old School Kung Fu movie tradition! Below is a lightweight capsule mention of the screenings that we attended.
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Shaolin and Wutang (1983)
It was nice to stroll down memory lane with this classic movie as Shaw Brother fame – Lau Kar Fai represented Shaolin, the great Adam Cheng represented Wu-Tang, & last but not least the evil Ching Lord was played by everyone’s favorite bad-guy in Shaw Brother period piece movies – Johnny Wang Lung Wei! The Ching lord and his goons add more fuel to the fire in the already intense conflict between Shaolin and Wutang. The Excellency has a one track mind to learn the famous Chin Kang fist form from Shaolin and the Bagua Wutang Sword routine in order to reign supreme in the Martial Art World! Evil! The 35mm print of this screening was immaculate and it was very nice to see this movie in all its Cantonese glory though I’m pretty sure the voices were dubbed over again in cantonese because it didn’t sound like Adam Cheng or Lau Kar Fai. If that was the case, that would seem weird because the cast and director/star were all cantonese. This film was filled with comedy, full of revenge, & excellent display of chinese kung fu! Adam Cheng techniques flow like the wind while being graceful and Lau Kar Fai has that look of intent to kill which is native to his Hung ga 5 animal style! I had forgotten how good this movie really is! Recommended!
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Shaolin Temple against Lama (1980)
This was a Taiwanese martial art treasure as Alexander Lo Rei who played a Prince that is trained in the Tibetan Lama Pai fighting art is fooled by the Black Faction sect into fighting against the Shaolin Temple in order for this deceitful clan to gain a stronghold into overthrowing the Chinese Han. The Black Faction attempts to turn Lo’s Lama Pai sect against the Shaolin so they can eradicate each other! How rude! The Black Sect gets nasty when they hire the Persian Killers to wipe out Shaolin and the Prince’s clan! The production value of this film was low, the martial art execution was high, and the plot was well..not much to it. The costume and dress of some of the villains reminded me of rejects from KISS with the shoulder pads minus the makeup! The action was slightly sped up but the execution of fight was amazing combining the traditional arts with the acrobatic! Alexander Lo Rei is definitely not a joke and the final fight sequence against the man with the “Iron Skin” was something else. It’s a clobber-fest and we recommend it! The print at the screening was in 16mm format on two reels and rather faded. Since Anthology only had one 16mm projector, they had to stop for a few minutes to thread & queue up the 2nd reel. It was great to hear the film in it’s native tongue instead of dubbed in my opinion!
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Bloody Parrot (1981)
This was one wild Shaw Brother film as I am still scratching my head trying to understand what was going on. The Bloody Parrot that wasn’t a parrot tinted with a hue of sexploitation and a lot of horror. Vomiting and some insane autopsy’s with exploding fluids from organs seemed to dominate the screen. There was this common goal of finding the missing treasure and pearls but I wasn’t totally clear on the intentions as demons, witchcraft, revenge, & a bloody parrot entered the scene. Oh yeah and I can’t forget to mention the use of a human face shaped as a frisbee weapon! I think I just gave up in trying to understand the film half way through and just enjoyed the weirded out visuals of darkness as a whole! I enjoyed it as working canvas of exploitation art as they would say! Also of note the director: Hua Shan also had a hand in making Super Inframan so that should give you some hints on the mindset and insanity we’re dealing with. If you can find the movie in any form, go see it! The screening we went to was a faded 35mm print but still enjoyable. It added more camp to the film!
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The Dragon Lives Again (1977)
Wow, what can I say about this film! It’s a Bruce Lee exploitation film (Brucesploitation) packed to the gills with insanity! The accompanying english dub adds even more silliness and fun into the equation! The opening film caption “Dedicated to the millions who love Bruce Lee” starts us off with this reboot or reincarnation of the Little Dragon. Bruce Leung Siu Lung plays Bruce in the afterlife in some alternate universe run by some Hollywood minions who despise Bruce Lee – the man, the myth, the Legend. The ladies on the other hand want a piece of Bruce in every which way they can often disrobing and trying to sex the Dragon up! The Exorcist leads the charge to eradicate Bruce in their bizarro world with the help of the Godfather, Zatoichi, Dracula, Emmanuele, Clint Eastwood, James Bond, and a band of zombies & mummies for backup. The dialogue, interaction, and background extras in the film were truly off the wall to the infinite degree. On Bruce’s side would be his right hand men of Popeye, Caine from Kung Fu, and the one armed swordsman! Bruce’s ultimate goal is to get transported back to earth and be far far away from this underworld of Hollywood stars! Bruce Leung Siu Lung’s martial art skills is worthy to play an offbeat clone of Bruce Lee but his onscreen acting I’m not so sure. Find this film, see this film, and get drunk watching this film!
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Red Spell Spells Red (1983)
This horror-exploitation film did not disappoint! A Hong Kong film crew goes to Malaysia to uncover a coffin of the wicked Red Dwarf in order to get video footage for their story. What they didn’t know is that they also unearthed a demon that would haunt them. Part of the film crew stays in Malaysia to visit the Borneo Long house for more video footage and this is where they all come face to face with the evil forces! A sorcerer, plenty of scorpions, sacrificial animals, and witchcraft are a plenty to move the story along. A human torture device on a spinning wheel also was a visual I could not get out of my mind. The indigenous location of the film and the tribal element of the setting added to the mystic of this evil legend! Tibet was also part of the story but I think Thailand was used as the film location to depict some of the temples & buddhist ceremonies that were portrayed in the movie. An amazing scene with a flood of scorpions crawling on a sorcerer with fire in the background along with the perspective of the camera spinning around to evoke a dizzying spell to the viewers was intense! HK filmmakers seem to love to go to Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam) for inspiration when blackmagic is in the mix. I was keeping my ears and eyes open for the Phillipines as a possible setting for this film shoot like in the case with the movie Boxer Rebellion which seemed to use the Phillipines (cost) and filipino actors to portray the indigenous sorcerers and demons. Watch this film and be plenty creeped out afterwards! A nice thorough shower is needed after such viewing!
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Angel Terminators (1992)
In the shadows of Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock in YES MADAM, Sharon Yeung and Kara Hui Ying Hung provided an updated tag team duo in Angel Terminators. Sharon and Kara played renegade HK cops in search of a Triad kingpin. Non-stop balls to the wall action led by the female Jackie Chan – Sharon Yeung would be the highlight of this film as stunts like scaling walls, jumping from buildings, negotiating a mountain, and plenty of high flying kung fu action will dominate this one. Femme Fatale Michiko provide the muscle as the hench lady and other HK heavies like Dick Wei, Mark Houghton, & Bruce Fontaine display their martial prowess against the dynamic duo! The final fight is not to be missed as things go out in a normal HK bang! This film is serious throughout with no comedic elements to it. There is no bobbing and weaving with Angel Terminators just straight up power punches originating from the hip and waist! According to Subway Cinema there were no english subtitled versions of this film so they had the translations done. Grady Hendrix was on hand at the screening to manually run the subtitles on Powerpoint! Go see this if you can! Bodies are flying everywhere!
Tags: old school kung fu festival
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THE REVENANTS and KALIFORNIA – Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany
April 18th, 2013 by chocko
Die Wiedergänger (The Revenants)
Director: Andreas Bolm
This film clocks in at about an hour and halfway through I was searching for a narrative or a hint of reason to be watching this movie. The opening shots features breezy, lush forests with the gentle sounds of birds chirping and traffic in the distance. There is a scene where a boy is walking through a cornfield and through the woods. Two other characters: a chain smoking older woman and her pony-tailed husband chopping wood are introduced along with a sloppy two-piece band playing rock songs in the forest. Through the voice-over narration and radio transmissions we learn that the population is living in a danger zone and must evacuate. The boy appears again building what appears to be a shelter. The couple spend some time driving in the dark. There is little to no dialogue in this movie to explain what is going on. The voice-over narrates a story that sounds interesting…why is the movie not about that? Instead what you get are bunch of slow-paced scenes, shot beautifully and perhaps would work better as a series of photographs.
Kalifornia
Director: Laura Mahlberg
Kalifornia is a charming short film about an old Russian man named Pavel who lives in a mobile home out in the quiet German countryside. He calls his friend about his decision to pack and head out for California. Nothing much happens in this film, but Pavel runs into characters along the way: a man with a broken scooter, a burly truck driver and a taxi driver who pokes fun at the film’s protagonist. The film also looks great, wished it was longer! This movie will be shown with the film mentioned above, The Revenants. Check out the trailer to Laura Mahlberg’s Kalifornia HERE.
Die Wiedergänger (The Revenants) and Kalifornia are part of the Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany series hosted at MoMA in NYC from April 18–24, 2013. The short films screen on Saturday – April 20, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. and Wednesday – April 24, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is located at 11 West 53rd St. in New York City.
Tags: Die Wiedergänger, german film, Kalifornia, kino!, moma, the revenants
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FORGET ME NOT : Kino! 2013 – New Films from Germany
April 17th, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: David Sieveking
Genre: German documentary
I was a bit weary when I read a brief synopsis of this film about a son documenting his mother Gretel’s advancing stages of Alzheimer’s. We all have dealt with this disease first hand or know of someone who has and we know it’s not easy seeing a loved one slowly lose their grip with reality. The documentary honestly sounded like a depressing film and a subject matter that has been taken to the hoop one too many times. Instead, Forget Me Not was a nice homage to the Director’s mother in living life to the fullest while being dealt with a card that attempted to create distance between Greta & her family from her soul. Yes, it was a stone-cold look at the reality of growing old with alzheimer’s but Greta and her family do it with dignity, love, and much filial pride. Along with the honesty, came a shocking unveiling of family history between the director’s mother and father (Greta and Malte). This element in itself is what separated other growing old films with Forget Me Not. We will learn that Greta and Malte will use the term liberal as a common denominator and essence in their lifestyle whether personal, socially, or politically. David (Director/Son) documents his mom’s day to day living with this illness and basically discovers another life that his parents have been living. This discovery strengthens the family ties even further though it might have put a burden, guilt, and heavy heart to some. This documentary is no doubt a bit more complex than what meets and reads the eye. Forget Me Not takes a personal look at celebrating life no-matter what skeletons may shake your existence. The story is a reflection of illness, love, & responsibilty while staring death in the face.
Forget Me Not is part of the Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany series hosted at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC from April 18–24, 2013. It screens on Saturday – April 20, 2013 at 1:30pm and Wednesday – April 24, 2013 at 7:00pm
Tags: documentary, german films, kino!, moma
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Cherry Blossom Festival at Branch Brook Park/Newark/NJ
April 15th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Cobu Taiko Drum and Dance Troupe)
It’s always a treat when we stay put on the Jersey side of things instead of venturing out to NYC and such was the case last Sunday with the 37th annual Cherry Blossom Festival held at Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ! This annual Bloomfest is a special day to celebrate the arrival of spring under the beautiful manicured awning of Cherry trees that are blossoming in their pink petal glory thoughtfully sprinkled throughout the Park. In conjunction with enjoying the beauty of sakura, the festival also embraces Japanese culture with live demonstrations & performances such as Taiko drumming, Traditional Japanese dance, Traditional Tea Ceremony, poetry readings, Samurai arts, Aikido, & Japanese modern/traditional fusion dance. Bloomfest also keeps the children busy by providing the kids with fun activities such as face painting, arts & crafts, kite flying, rock climbing, & bungee cord assisted jumping! Best of all – the Cherry Blossom Festival is FREE!
(10tecomai: Yosakoi Dance project Team)
Graffiti heads and street art aficionados can get their eye candy fix for the art form at the nearby Keystone building, a paperboard box company in the Northeast section of Branch Brook Park. The back of the building of Keystone is where you will find the canvas for the other kind of urban blooming known as aerosol art.
Cherry Blossom Festival or not, Branch Brook Park has to be experienced in order to be appreciated. Did you know that the same conglomerate that designed Central Park & Prospect Park – The Olmsted Firm was commissioned to design Branch Brook Park as well? Go and discover this park in NJ. It’s waiting for you!
(Traditional Japanese Dance)
(Mary Kao teaching the art of origami)
(Bocce being played by the locals at Branch Brook Park)
(Japanese Tea Ceremony)
(the future of Taiko drummers in the making while practicing on the trees!)
(Young ladies promoting Kyoto travel)
(10tecomai: Yosakoi Dance project Team)
(Glass bead blowing)
(Winner of the poster/cherry blossom theme competition)
(Graffiti behind the Keystone Box Company adjacent to the park)
(Ikebana Flower Arrangements)
(Cobu Taiko Drum & Dance Troupe)
(Richard Reiter on the percussions)
Tags: bloomfest, branch brook park, cherry blossom festival
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They’re baaack! — OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST — I love Kung Fuuuu!
April 2nd, 2013 by Mr. C
(all images courtesy of Subway Cinema)
(all images courtesy of Subway Cinema)
To all my Fu heads in the NJ/NYC area and those willing to travel from afar for this excellent event, it’s time to block out the weekend dates of April 19-21! Subway Cinema is throwing down some old skool is TOO COOL fists of fury movie screenings at the OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST at Anthology Film Archives! The 35mm film selections are not an end all – be all – list but rather it’s an eclectic, modest, and fun pickings from the kung fu basket! A total of 8 films which includes Odd Couple, Shaolin and Wutang, Shaolin Temple Against Lama, The Dragon Lives Again, Angel Terminators, Red Spell Spells Red, and a ‘secret’ selection only known by the asian movie gods at Subway Cinema. We are planning to attend all the screenings but we are really looking forward to catching Sammo Hung & Lau Kar Wing in the hokey – Odd Couple. Sammo and Lau Kar Wing puts on a great display of excellence with the traditional weapons of chinese kung fu in the broadsword and the spear. Another fun and wacky film on our hit list to watch on the big screen is the Bruce Lee exploitation (Brucesploitation) film starring Bruce Leung in The Dragon Lives Again. Where else can you find the ghost of Bruce Lee go to battle with the likes of James Bond, Clint Eastwood, The Godfather, the Priest from the Exorcist, Dracula and even Emanuele! Angel Terminators is also another fun femme-fatale piece with classic non-stop HK action in the form of some very badass ladies! One of my favorite HK films ‘Lady is the Boss’ starring leading lady Kara Hui Ying Hung teams up with Sharon Yeung as they play renegade cops in search of a triad boss who is aided by another kick ass chick – Michiko Nishiwaki supported by none other than everyone’s favorite bad guy – Dick Wei! So yeah, we’re really looking forward to catching up with Angel Terminators!
Check out the schedule below or go directly to their website for the latest info at Subway Cinema. See y’all at the Fu Fest at one of our favorite grassroots/alternative/retro movie theatres in the NYC – Anthology Film Archives! POW-BAM-BOOM!!!
The Old School Kung Fu Fest is organized by the same guys running the New York Asian Film Festival (www.subwaycinema.com) in memory of one of Subway Cinema’s own – Daniel Craft.
OLD SCHOOL KUNG FU FEST
April 19 – April 21
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the movie theater…the Old School Kung Fu Fest is back! The New York Asian Film Festival’s wildly popular celebration of kung fu movies from the 70s and 80s that pop your lock, rattle your chops, and put the pain inside your brain has returned after a 10-year absence to send your kung fu knowledge back to school. This time the spotlight shines on some of the biggest stars in some of their rarest movies. We’ve got Gordon Liu (36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN), Sammo Hung (Jackie Chan’s “big brother”), Kara Hui (Lau Kar-leung’s female star of choice), Bruce Leung (KUNG FU HUSTLE), and even Bruce Lee (after a fashion). With prints loaned from the vaults of the American Genre Film Archive and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office New York, prepare to earn your Master’s Degree in Kick Ass-ology!
Organized by the New York Asian Film Festival (www.subwaycinema.com), featuring old school curatorial skillz by Grady Hendrix and Goran Topalovic. In memory of our friend Daniel Anderson Craft. Special thanks to Jerry Ma of Epic Proportions (www.epicprops.com) for another kick-ass poster design. Daniel would’ve approved!
Unless otherwise noted, the 35mm prints were provided by the American Genre Film Archive (www.americangenrefilm.com).
THE ODD COUPLE
April 19 at 6:15 PM
April 21 at 9:15 PM
SHAOLIN AND WU-TANG
April 19 at 8:30 PM
April 20 at 2:00 PM
THE DRAGON LIVES AGAIN
April 19 at 10:30 PM
April 21 at 1:00 PM
SHAOLIN TEMPLE AGAINST LAMA
April 20 at 4:00 PM
April 21 at 7:15 PM
ANGEL TERMINATORS
April 20 at 6:00 PM
April 21 at 5:15 PM
SECRET SCREENING – ONE SHOW ONLY!!!!
April 20 at 8:00 PM
RED SPELL SPELLS RED
April 20 at 10:00 PM
April 21 at 3:15 PM
Tags: film festival, kung fu films, old school kung fu festival, subway cinema
Posted in community, movies, mr. c | Comments (2)
All Hail BRUTE FORCE!
March 30th, 2013 by chocko
“Brute Force” (2012), trailer
Director: Ben Steinbauer
We first met Brute Force a.k.a. Stephen Friedland after a short documentary about him a couple months ago at Maysles Cinema in Harlem, NYC. The short doc focused on the artist who came to the brink of stardom in the late 60’s with his Apple Records song “King Of Fuh” which got him admirers such as George Harrison and John Lennon of The Beatles. Apple Records put the “Fuh King” song on the shelf due to it’s obscene lyrics and Brute Force left the music business and worked as a paralegal in NYC. Bar None Records rereleased hs 1967 Columbia debut, “I, Brute Force – Confections of Love,” in 2010 and Apple Records released “King Of Fuh” on a 2010 “best of” compilation. The audience at Maysles Cinema were treated to a set of funny songs by Brute Force and and his daughter Lilah, aka Daughter of Force. The man definitely is an entertainer…he started off his show with some yoga poses including the “doggie surrender pose” and played some hilarious, catchy songs including “Tapeworm Of Love”- a melodic punk song, “To Sit On A Sandwich,” the mighty and majestic “King of Fuh” and the eco-friendly “Pamela Sweet Dreamer” which features some crystal clear falsetto vocals. The man writes awesome, witty songs!
The Planet Chocko Crew got a chance to meet with Brute Force a couple of weeks later at Veselka in NYC where we chomped on stuffed cabbage and pierogies and talked a bit about the usual topics: the environment, heavy metal music and sitting on sandwiches. Our conversation went all over the place. One moment we’re asking him about his place of birth, Jersey City and then he starts talking about Area 51 – home of captured space ships and aliens. It is hard to keep up with him and I suspect he is from another planet too. We initially talked about his performance at Maysles and he seemed a bit apologetic for picking on members of the audience that got up to leave in the middle of his set. “If you let anger creep in, it really turns off everybody. People are not there to feel anger, but be entertained. If you’re going to make anger or arrogance part of it, it best be funny.”
Brute talked about his famous doggie surrender yoga pose which he does at shows. It’s an unflattering pose which has Brute on the floor with an exposed belly with arms and legs raised. He then discussed the animal world and egolessness. “Giving up your ego, you’re communicating on the most primitive level with the immediate goal to raise consciousness.” He cites his song “Pamela Sweet Dreamer” which is about ecology and a lady who collects aluminum cans.
He then gets distracted by the quote on his teabag, “The great and glorious masterpiece of man is to live with purpose” a quote from the French Renaissance writer Michel Eyquem de Montaigne. This must have sparked up a memory of getting married in 1969 and moving to Ojai, California in the valley. “I used to grow great marijuana when I lived in California. Those were the days, my friend.” He got really into it, describing drying plants and using cow dung as fertilizers. He began to talk about water and felt it has a consciousness of its own. Brute Force then schooled us on The Gaia Theory and the idea that our planet is an organism.
We tried to get him to talk about music and asked about his song “To Sit On A Sandwich” which was inspired by a picture of a beautiful model sitting on a hamburger. “That song was heavy funny – absurdist lyrics, funny, satirical, mocking civilization yet funny and melodic.”
The question about the origin of his name came about. Brute Force recalled joining the doo-wop group The Tokens (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) in 1964 playing keyboards. The time came to record his own stuff. “We were recording in the city and we were recording a song called ‘The Fall’ which is a dance song (he then starts singing at the table). I’ve been searching for a pseudonym for myself which will lead to the topic of identity. The name Stephen Friedland did not satisfy the description of a rock artist. I came up with Crude Brute. The Tokens were there and Jay Siegel blurted out ‘Brute Force’ and that was it.”
The anger and rage inside of Brute Force starts to reveal itself. “If I had chosen to stay with the name Stephen Friedland, I would have been shown more respect by the public relations people at Columbia (Records) who wrote complete bullshit about me in their press reports.” When “The King Of Fuh” record became censored, and after noticing it wasn’t in the market and nobody was playing it, Brute stepped away from music from the 70’s to the mid 90’s and only listened to classical and country music. Nowadays he still enjoys Bob Dylan, Carole King and Randy Travis. He also really digs heavy metal bands like Metallica.
Mr. Force also recalled his father who came from Russia in 1910, became an attorney and was in New Jersey legislature in 1930. His father built a home in Deal, NJ-right on the sea. He then tells us of the time a younger Brute Force and a friend, Ben Schlossberg participated in an expedition to swim across the Bering Strait from Alaska to Siberia. The concept behind the expedition was “to create a ‘Swim-cident’ to draw attention to the closeness of hemispheres, thereby the closeness of the people.” This was during the time of The Cold War and the Vietnam War.
Brute Force then schooled us on the the fantasy of nationality and his idea of one borderline, the edge of Earth. He also shared one of his favorite ideas, “the endlessness of your mind and that your mind is connected to the universe and the universe is in my estimation, an endless system.”
We ended the conversation with talking about the short documentary “Brute Force” by Ben Steinbauer (Winnebago Man). Brute said the production is still in effect, there’s so much more footage and they need to gain distribution. Definitely see the documentary if you get the chance. It is a charming portrait of a misunderstood, creative and funny musician who almost got really famous. His music is worth checking out. Buy his albums immediately. You will not be disappointed. Be on the lookout for Brute Force shows in the NYC area. Go to his shows and be prepared to laugh and have a good time. Thank you Brute Force!
CHECK OUT SOME VIDEOS BELOW:
Brute Force performing “Hello” and “The World is Filled With So Much Bullshit” at Maysles Cinema (Thanks pcimprezzive!)
Brute Force performing “King Of Fuh” at Maysles Cinema
Brute Force performing “Pamela Sweet Dreamer” at Maysles Cinema
Brute Force on Zacherle’s “Disc-O-Teen” show (1967)
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Tags: brute force, king of fuh, stephen friedland
Posted in interviews, movies, music | Comments (0)
