TRIGGER REACTION – cynthia rothrock, bolo, richard norton, oleg taktarov – coming soon!
July 26th, 2012 by Mr. C
Talk about an all star collection of raggamuffin martial artist/movie stars from the past – move over EXPENDABLES! Trigger Reaction is currently in production. Hopefully, it will be ready for consumption by the new year. The cast includes: BOLO YEUNG, RICHARD NORTON, CYNTHIA ROTHROCK, MATTHIAS HUES, TONY DE LEON, OLEG TAKTAROV, ANDREW FANELLI, & more.
Thanks to the Kung Fu Cinema community and Kiai-Kick! for the updates.
Director: Art Camacho
Synopsis from http://www.triggerreactionmovie.com/ :
Trigger Reaction is the story of two detectives from Cicero, Illinois, who think they are going to break up a drug smuggling ring, but soon find it is something far more insidious — organ trafficking. Caught off guard, they are shot and left for dead, but one of them lives, for awhile in a coma. He has partial amnesia when he comes out of the coma, but the criminal conspiracy of organ trafficking isn’t going to wait and see if he recovers enough memory to be a threat, so he is “marked” for death by the head of the organization. As he recovers his memory and takes the fight to the traffickers, he is assisted from the inside by an undercover agent who has worked his way into the criminal network. Along the way, he has to deal with an investigation into what procedures he and his deceased partner did or didn’t follow by the State Attorney’s Office, and a reporter who is chasing the story to its end.
Tags: action, martial arts movie
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CHINA HEAVYWEIGHT – a documentary by Yung Chang
July 25th, 2012 by Mr. C
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Director: Yung Chang
Stars: Qi Moxiang, He Zongli, Miao Yunfei, Zhao Zhong, Ye Xinchun
Genre: Documentary on boxing
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-Mao Tse Tung banned western style boxing in 1959.
-30 years later, the ban is lifted.
-From the makers of UP THE YANGTZE and LAST TRAIN HOME-
China Heavyweight is a documentary that chronicles a boxing program in Huili, a rural village in the Sichuan province of China. A once Olympic hopeful — boxing coach Qi Moxiang nurtures and diligently trains a few chosen young pugilists. From the onset of the movie, I was expecting the story to be the stereotypical big bad China setting up training camp to clone and pump out Olympic boxing champion hopefuls but on the contrary. The story was more of a quiet and human one at that with a coach and his master both who seemed to be genuine and very passionate with their craft. Their main goal seemed to be aimed at providing the young students with another outlet to better themselves, instill discipline, and to learn a new skill with potential to gain fame and fortune for themselves and their families. The motives and decisions to train from all parties never seemed to be forced, manipulated, or glorified in any form which was real refreshing to see.
The focus of the documentary turns to the attention of two of the coach’s best students, Miao Yunfei and He Zongli. The two have been molded from clay to a recognizable boxing form in Huili and now it was time for them to move on to the next stage of training to get sculpted into a boxing machine at another program in the city. Scenes outside of the boxing camp would also help in providing more insight with their personalities and wants as they approach the first stage of adulthood.
Besides the boxing, the documentary gives us access to the subjects family and friends enabling us to see the lifeline and realties of their decisions in focusing in on western boxing training instead of working in the tobacco fields of Huili or just working in general to provide a more stable and predictable lifestyle. Decisions to try their hand in the professional boxing circuit or to remain 4 more years at the amateur training camp will eat at their hearts.
A nagging poke & reality check is also jostled at the Coach – Qi Moxiang by his family and friends on why he is not married yet in his late 30’s. Qi seems to be hinting of unfinished business with past goals and dreams not realized which still clouds his mind. He had sacrificed 5 years of his energy, soul, and time to help train the kids. Now, it was time to live for himself.
The stunning visuals with the landscape and open fields of Sichuan Province certainly painted a romantic image of peacefulness and utopia but the day to day survival of life in china is certainly anything but. China Heavyweight to me was less about the boxing and more about the nurturing of relationships with others while still being honest and true to yourself. The ability to move-on in life after witnessing the hands of success or failure will ultimately determine your fate in an otherwise vain world.
The camerawork in the boxing ring was also done with artisan love as the documentary feel with the 2 fighters clashing fists seemingly transformed into a very smooth HBO boxing after dark production! There were some instances of shaky camera work and too close a zooms to boot but overall, I was pretty impressed with the output.
China Heavyweight is most definitely the antithesis of The ROCKY story. Instead it relies heavily on the open face sandwich model in which your weighted decision to live life for yourself or for others will shed the need for layers of contrast.
If you are looking for a raging, gritty, school of hard knocks boxing tale then this documentary might not be for you. China Heavyweight delivers a quiet and honest story of the influences of western boxing in a rural village in Timbuktoo, China. The documentary provided no conclusions or cliffhangers although there were a few scenes in which they were recruiting girls into the boxing program. The filmmaker never expanded on the story with the girl boxers. Do I smell a China Heavyweight 2? Mao Tse-Tung must be rolling in his grave.
Tags: boxing, china, docuumentary, mr c
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Where Brooklyn At: Williamsburg Street Art and Graffiti
July 24th, 2012 by chocko
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, while experiencing gentrification at the speed of light, still has some of the most interesting streets to explore for some street art and graffiti. Here are some pics taken while Chocko and Mr. C had some time to kill before the China Heavyweight screening at Indie Screen. It’s a documentary about rural kids in China training to be boxing champions under the tutelage of former pro boxer, Moxiang Qi. Loved it. Check out that movie most definitely. Oh yeah, must focus…here are some chocko photos taken while dodging dog poop and hipster zombies.
Tags: brooklyn, graffiti, new york city, nyc, street art, williamsburg
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An Interview with Ray Sumser
July 21st, 2012 by chocko
Ryan Sumser and Characternity (photos by chocko)
I was doing my San Diego Comic Con shuffle and was walking across the pedestrian bridge connecting PETCO Park and the Convention Center when I randomly stumbled upon an artist at work. The piece he was working on blew me away…it was huge, ambitious and featured nearly 3000 cartoon and comic book characters. He volunteered to point out any character I could think of and sure enough, he pointed Stimpy out of the crazy lineup. I thought I stumped him with The Herculoids…nope! Here is an interview I did with Ray Sumser…cartoonist and fan-boy extraordinaire! His stuff rocks and check out the links below if you’re interested in purchasing anything. Thanks to Ray for taking the time out for doing this Q+A and good luck on your move to New York City!
Tell us about the cartoon piece involving all those characters. What inspired such madness?
That’s the Characternity. It’s a 3′ by 6′ line drawing in which I attempt to capture the entire cartoon universe. It is a follow up to my pieces the Comicosm (2009) and the Cartoonuum (2011). I have always drawn characters and from very early on, I wanted to see adventures where characters from different stories interacted (think of Sonic racing the Roadrunner!) I aim to create an imaginary space where all characters from all narratives coexist. What a strange and interesting room that would be to walk in to.
What has the feedback been on that particular project?
People like it. I was talking to a Neurologist the other day who said that every bit of information exists in your brain at a specific location, connected to every other bit by the neurons. To cause the viewer, then, to leap through their synapses to different memories and experiences is a fun thing to watch. I get to see a lot of faces light up when I show these pieces. Lots of people are deeply invested in specific pop narratives and it’s an absolute joy to witness their discovery of a cherished, detested or long-lost character.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in art.
I was born in Maryland, grew up in Northern California, went to the Rhode Island School of Design for Film and Paint, spent three years at the Tannery Arts Center in Santa Cruz and the past year in San Francisco. Now I am moving to the Lower East Side of New York City, this week. I have drawn my whole life and have been pursuing an increasing number of media in the past few years.
To what extent are you involved in comics and cartoons?
I think of myself as an outsider, mostly because I totally am. I don’t even go inside at Comic-Con. So ultimately I’m a fan-boy. But it’s a longterm goal and dream to spend time working in the Comics industry, and surely the world of Animation. I’ll die an elated death if they ever let me contribute even a line to issue #1000 of the Amazing Spider-Man.
So, all that being said, at age six I was drawing comic book covers for a series I made up called “Mars 200,” and I drew and published my first full comic in eighth grade (a run of 20 at Kinkos with help from my Mom). I am still always drawing and I do freelance animation along with my Video work. I’m developing a couple of comic strips for an online marketing company right now.
What was the weirdest thing you experienced at Comic Con?
Everything is weird at Comic-Con. I had a pretty unreal moment though. I just so happened to stumble on to the Hyrule Symphony playing a concert behind the convention center on Thursday night. A Link to the Past is my favorite game of all time so that flet pretty lucky. Then, during intermission I took a walk through the Marriot lobby and randomly bumped in to and met Stan Lee. What a moment. I was walking on air.
Who do you consider your heroes and inspiration when it comes to art?
My Mom and Dad, first. Without their help I wouldn’t get to be me and their support and encouragement is a so central foundation for my art. Heroes, broadly: Picasso and Disney. Pollock, Haring, Warhol, Van Gogh. Kurt Vonnegut. I love Stan Lee. Kevin Smith. Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab. Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos.
Do you like listening to music when creating your art and if so, what bands get the most play?
Yes, music is crucial to my process. Sometimes I really need to turn off the voice in my head and get my hands and body moving. High pitch and fast paced. Favorites are the Punch Brothers, the Eels, the Doves, the Strokes, the Talking Heads – I guess anything with ‘the’ in front of it. The Velvet Underground. The Fugees.
What do you enjoy doing outside of drawing, painting and photography?
Anything creative… I’ve been playing Ukulele for about three years now. I love to write, shoot movies, sing, act, sculpt, organize, bike, climb hills and meet girls.
Tell us about your future projects.
I’m actually at a bit of a jumping off point right now. I had my last big Solo Show in San Francisco last month and Comic-Con was my sort of last stop before going back East. I am going to New York City and I’ll just have to see what happens to me there…. I know I’ve got to do a color version of the Characternity pretty soon and I’m beginning to see a film project on the Horizon.
I’m always posting updates on my facebook accounts
facebook.com/raysumser
facebook.com/raysumserart
(photos below courtesy of Ray Sumser)
Tags: art, artist, cartoonist, cartoons, Characternity, interview, ray sumser
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San Diego Comic Con 2012
July 20th, 2012 by chocko
The San Diego Comic Con (July 12-15, 2012) at the San Diego Convention Center is THE pop culture event of the year. Lots to write about, but first here are some images of the Cosplay at The Comic Con. You have to admire the creativity and the time spent on the amazing costumes. Keep it up fanboys and fangirls…get your geek on!
(PHOTOS BY CHOCKO)
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Tags: 2012, cosplay, photographs, photos, san diego comic con, sdcc
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2012 CBGB Festival Day 3
July 19th, 2012 by chocko
CBGB Festival invaded Times Square on Saturday (July 7) with 2 stages featuring bands such as Duff McKagan’s Loaded and Superchunk. I might have caught those bands if the set times were posted on the internet, but no dice. A member of Superchunk sent out a cryptic tweet about when they would hit the stage and that was about it. I rolled in late and randomly caught The Holdsteady (pictured above) at the stage across from the Winter Garden Theatre on 51st and Broadway. I heard their signature classic rock sound blocks away as I huffed and puffed to the front of the stage…musty and sweaty. I saw them play a couple songs and after they kicked out the jams, Matt Pinfield introduced the next band, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, who were playing a couple blocks away.
While walking to the stage, there was a mini street fair set up which included food trucks (Marky Ramone’s Meatball Food Truck was in attendance!) and vendor tents where you could buy band merchandise. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah played on the stage at the bottom of the red steps, a popular tourist spot in Times Square. Music fans and camera-strapped tourists mixed and marinated in the sweltering heat while the band played mostly upbeat songs. Prior to the performance, keyboardist and guitarist Robbie Guertin and bassist Tyler Sargent announced that they were leaving the band. A lot of fans showed up to dance, sing along and see the band one more time before Robbie and Tyler fly the coop. They also played a “secret” show at Cake Shop later that night.
I also went to the festival screening of Dig! at The Magno Screening Room in Times Square. The 2004 documentary chronicles two American retro-psychedelic bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols during a seven year period where friendship unfortunately turns into bitter rivalry. The Brian Jonestown Massacre play cool, catchy retro music but founder Anton Newcombe’s violent and unpredictable behavior sabotages the band’s promising career, while their buddies Courtney Taylor and The Dandy Warhols seem to have it good while they rocket to fame. Music takes a backseat to this surreal pop music soap opera, as the camera documents band squabbles, fist fights, the effects of alcohol and drug addiction and the perils of the music industry. This is a fascinating rockumentary that I can’t wait to see again. Highly recommended!
The Dandy Warhols are playing festivals in Europe and Australia in the upcoming months. The Brian Jonestown Massacre have been playing Australian and European shows for the most part of the summer but come back to the East Coast for a bunch of dates in August. If you live in the NYC area, The BJM are scheduled to play Webster Hall on August 25.
Tags: 2012, cbgb festival, clap your hands say yeah, dig!, movie, review, the holdsteady, times square
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Follow The Leader + Reality Check Interactive – Kickstarter fundraising campaign
July 19th, 2012 by Mr. C
“POLITICS ISN’T JUST CHILD’S PLAY”
Here’s your chance to get involved with the ranks of social change by collaborating with a refreshing new documentary (actually 7 years in the making) called FOLLOW THE LEADER and the social media project associated with it – REALITY CHECK INTERACTIVE! The filmmaker – Jonathan Goodman Levitt is almost ready to share his vision with the world but needs a little bit of help getting the film finished and released before the 2012 Presidential Elections. His kickstarter campaign can be found here. Back this project! It’s for a good cause and will serve as a vehicle of inspiration for the future leaders of America.
FOLLOW THE LEADER is a real-life coming-of-age story about three 16 year old Class Presidents with a dream…a dream about making change in our country by getting involved in politics with the aspirations of being President of the United States someday. Through their 3 year journey in High School, they would branch off into Republican, Democratic, & Independent camps as we follow along with their experiences like a fly on the wall.
REALITY CHECK INTERACTIVE is a cross media project that uses the film FOLLOW THE LEADER to provoke more meaningful political dialogue during the 2012 election season. REALITY CHECK will first be implemented as a live event but then be translated for simultaneous online participation and will eventually become an on-demand experience for participants on their computers. The ultimate goal is to open up conversation with like minded individuals to make social change!
The technical specification of REALITY CHECK is described from the press release below:
The basic format for the 2-hour experience breaks the feature documentary into five episodes (Right From the Start; Standing Out; Choosing Sides; Shifting Dreams; and Living History) that alternate with collective interactive experiences of roughly 10 minutes each. Answering questions via provided interactive keypads (or via computer or mobile devices), participants’ collective responses – about the film’s characters, politics, and other topics chosen by participants themselves – are displayed for everyone, anonymously in real-time. Split along various demographic lines, the reality of what people think can then be grappled with by participants through facilitated discussion.
So in short, show support for the FOLLOW THE LEADER & REALITY CHECK INTERACTIVE kickstarter campaign – the future for our nation will benefit from the resources and projects just like this.
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You can visit FOLLOW THE LEADER at: http://www.followtheleaderfilm.com/
Kickstarter Campaign link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/followtheleader/follow-the-leader-and-reality-check-interactive
“Like Them” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followtheleaderfilm
You can watch the film’s trailer below-
Tags: documentary, follow the leader, politics, reality check interactive
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DOIN’ IT IN THE PARK screening at Rucker Park Basketball Courts in Harlem
July 17th, 2012 by Mr. C
Last Saturday, I stopped by the Rucker Park Basketball courts in Harlem – the mecca for street ball fanatics – for the outdoor screening of Bobbito Garcia’s aka Kool Bob Love & Kevin Couliau’s new documentary on pick-up basketball in NYC called DOIN’ IT IN THE PARK. It was fitting that they would hold a screening like this at one of the most sacrilegious B-Ball courts in the NYC to celebrate pick up ball where the game is not just a sport but a way of life to some. To be honest, the movie setup was not conducive for optimal viewing using one of those inflatable screens set further back from the bleacher sets at the park, however the energy of the crowd with Bobbito in the house and some basketball legends like Pee Wee Kirkland & West 4th St. baller legends – Sherman & Black Jack Ryan roaming around the paint, meeting and greeting everyone – it definitely made for an exciting event! DJ Jaz was also on the cut to let the rhythm hit’em before showtime!
(BOBBITO GARCIA – Co-director of film/DJ-Hip Hop legend/basketball fiend)
(Basketball legend PEE WEE KIRKLAND droppin’ some knowledge to the young’uns)
DOIN’ IT IN THE PARK basically takes a no frills look at the playgrounds of NYC where pickup basketball games are being had and NEXT is being called by a brave opponent willing to put their skills out to the test with a serious risk of being humiliated and ridiculed from the opposition. Bobbito would narrate the film as he and co-director Kevin Couliau bicycle around all 5 boroughs of NYC to as many basketball courts as possible, I believe he said they went to 150+ courts to survey the situation and also pound the pavement with some pickup games! The objective of the documentary was to celebrate the history, culture, social impact, and international influences of New York’s street b-ball scene. Of course, this would also include cameos from well known individuals that grew up and developed their skills by playing ball in the parks. Dr. J, Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson, Earl The Goat, Pee Wee Kirkland, Fly Williams, Black Jack, Sherman, Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams, & Tim ‘Headache’ Gittens are just a few new york legends in the mix. Even NBA players are known to show up at some of these games to play. It must of been wild to see the likes of Kevin Durant, Vince Carter, Lebron James, Skip to My Lou, Chris Mullin, and others NBA stars take flight at the Rucker! Crazy Legs Colon – a well known b-boy from the Rock Steady Crew mentions that all kinds of events would be happening alongside the pickup games at the park like breakdancing on cardboard boxes. I think we have a lot to be thankful for to the game of basketball for providing a constructive outlet and by keeping our kids off the streets. Thanks to the City of New York for maintaining and updating the b-ball courts in the N-Y and of course a big mention to all the common basketball players that have the balls to call “next” at the cage!
(Black Jack Ryan – a legendary player from the West 4th street courts in the village)
(DJ JAZ blowing up the bigs with a blend of rock and hip hop.)
The next DOIN’ IT AT THE PARK free outdoor screening is slated for August 12 in Harlem at Marcus Garvey Park at 7pm. Music performances by YERBABUENA and DJ Bobbito Garcia are scheduled before showtime!
(All Photos and text by mr c)
Tags: movies, new york city, street ball
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LUNCH HOUR NYC exhibit – New York Public Library
July 17th, 2012 by Mr. C
While enroute to catch some movie screenings at the NY Asian Film Festival playing at the Japan Society, I dived into the New York Public Library for a quick cool-off before my circuits started to overheat. I ran into this free & neat exhibit called LUNCH HOUR – NYC. The exhibition was basically a collection of artifacts that celebrated more than a century of New York lunches from the prestigious power lunch to street foods from push carts to home lunches, school lunches, and the Automat – a coin operated compartment that dispensed sandwiches, desserts , & hot meals!
No matter where you worked in the city, the first thing that inhabits your mind as the workday commences is — what am I having for lunch? With the variety of food and culture in NY on the low/high end and NYCs built for the need for speed – you can bet that you will be served lunch in no time before you jump back into the rat race to produce.
Some of my favorite artifacts from the exhibit include the Horn & Hardart’s Automats, the Heinz dispenser, and the various menus on display from a chinese restaurant in chinatown called Hang Far Low (no-it’s not a joke) from the 1920s to a Japanese restaurant serving sushi and sukiyaki called Yoshino-ya from 1932. The NY Public library supposedly has a collection of 45,000 plus menus from the city dating back from 1842 to the present! I’ve got to flip through the old collection of menus when I have more time on a slow and rainy day.
There were also some really cool postcard recipes from Horn & Hardart’s Automat when you opened up some of the automat compartments on display! Check out some H&H Automat recipes for Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Burgundy Sauce With Beef and Noodles, and Pumpkin Pie below!
The LUNCH HOUR – NYC Exhibit runs through February 17, 2013. (FREE)
The New York Public Library
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018-2788
(Hang Far Low menu in Chinatown from the 1920s)
Tags: exhibit, new york public library
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REEWIND: PLANET CHOCKO
July 12th, 2012 by Mr. C
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To get everyone in the mood for the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival which runs from July 9-14 , we went back to the Planet Chocko labs to dig out an interview we had with The Rhyme Inspector – PERCEE P! The Rhyme Inspector was known to shatter the concrete pavement outside of FAT BEATS record store with his persistent shuffling while hustling his dope sounds!
We also dug out some photos we took of some influential hip hop fiends at the legendary FAT BEATS including DJ Premier, Blaq Poet, El Da Sensei, DJ Muggs, GZA, Madlib, O.C., ROC-C, & more!
On a separate jam at Crotona Park in the Bronx at one of the Tools of War gatherings, we caught some serious Master level hip hop legends doing their thing on the wheels of steel including DJ Red Alert, Grandmaster Caz from the Cold Crush Brothers, and Pop Master Fabel!
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Tags: archives, planet chocko zine archives
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Donnie Yen — Award Tour + Wu Xia + Q&A — NYAFF 2012
July 11th, 2012 by Mr. C
Donnie Yen was presented with the Star Asia Award by the folks at the New York Asian Film Festival on Day 11 of the fest for his excellency and contributions to the film industry. A screening of Wu Xia aka Dragon would follow the award ceremony and a Q&A afterwards with Donnie Yen. I reported about the festivities on day 11 here at Unseen Films. Checkout some photos and a video from the Q&A that we took from the night’s celebrations! And yes, Donnie wanted to take a photo with us to bring back to Hong Kong!
(Donnie turning his back on his fans…..in order to take a photo with the audience!)
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— Original post on Unseen Films Blog by me —
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Day 11 of the New York Asian Film Festival was a night for honoring special guest Donnie Yen with the Star Asia Award for his kickass contributions to the film industry. Before I proceed to give you an un-report of the night, I want to throw a big dirty Chinatown shoutout to the BULLETS OVER CHINATOWN blog! This Long Island gwailo – a true HK film junky with a deadly venom specialty in the CAT III realm was gracious enough to give me his ticket for the award ceremony event + the screening of WU XIA. If you like fun, no-nonsense, punk rock like reporting on HK films and his chinatown excursions, you know where to go!
Back to Donnie – when I first saw Yen in Drunken Tai Chi and then again in his breakdance-fu comedy – Mismatched Couples in 1985, I was an instant fan. His charm, his style, his moves were all something to strive for. Donnie’s mother – Master Bow Sim Mark would always be featured in a magazine that I used to troll called INSIDE KUNG FU. Mentions and then full out articles of Donnie Yen and his sister Christine Yen would surface about their martial art prowess in tournaments. That would be the grassroots of Donnie Yen’s career! Fast forward to last night and countless films since 1984, NYAFF presented him with a Star Asia Award for excellence in the film industry! Well deserved and long overdue! The Award Ceremony was pretty uneventful as Yen waltzed on the stage to loud clapping but no standing ovation. This event seemed to house less of a fans fan crowd for Donnie Yen with more of a vibe of it’s the Star Asia Award Ceremony and we must go. Either way, the show was sold out and everyone was happy to be there! Congratulations and a big Wong Kei Ying fist bump to Yen Chi-Don for entertaining us with his films & martial art skills for many more years to come!
The screening of Wu Xia was a mixed bag for me. As an action fan, I was a bit disappointed. Now, the fight scenes that were in the film were amazing and took my breath away especially when Kara Hui Ying Hong took the stage with that evil femme fatale look as she had the eye of the tiger to make minced meat out of Liu Jinxi (Donnie Yen). Another great fight scene involved the twisted-maniacal Master played by HK Shaw Brother veteran actor Jimmy Wang Yu vs Liu Jinxi (Donnie), a former student of his. Yen directed the action and the sequences were no doubt explosive but the fight scenes seemed few and far in-between. With the name of the film labeled as WU XIA, I was definitely expecting a wall to wall blowout of traditional wu-shu on the screen.
Just as a background and skinny on the film without spoilers, Liu Jinxi (Donnie Yen) is a paper maker who lives with his wife and two kids in a quiet village in the Yunnan province of China. One day this quiet village would get turned upside down as two stone cold killers would attempt to rob/extort money from a local store. Somehow, the innocent and supposed martial art-less Liu Jinxi ends up killing the two robbers by luck. Xu Baiju (Takeshi Kaneshiro) is a crime investigator who bit by bit – step by step in CSI style would try to prove otherwise as the story does not seem to add up. Xu Baiju seems overly obsessive with this assignment but as he digs deeper and deeper, he will unearth the truth that will unleash the demons!
Now to take the action disappointment or lack of through most of the movie aside, the dramatic performance by Donnie Yen who has to act in a certain persona throughout one half of the movie and the CSI skills and crime playbacks in his mind with Takeshi Kaneshiro’s character as he assembles the pieces of the puzzle together was on-point! Now for Donnie to pretend he doesn’t know martial arts and to act as a commoner is pretty dramatic in my mind. On hindsight, this film is worth exploring with an open mind as the word drama should appear before action when describing this film. Forget that you are watching a typical Donnie Yen movie and forget about the Wu Xia movie title.
The brief Q&A session with Donnie Yen after the screening was very revealing as well. We learned that the One Armed Swordsman movie starring Wang Yu had no direct influences with the story in this movie. Peter Chan – the director of Wu Xia does not have an action background so Donnie believes that brought a fresh outlook on the dramatic element of the film. When asked who was his favorite collaborator in films he cited he loves the different flavors that other actors bring to the table. He mentioned that Jet Li, Jackie Chan, & Sammo were some of his favorite on-screen collaborators. As far as turning down the EXPENDABLES 2 role, Donnie mentioned that he didn’t feel the role was intriguing enough. He was flattered that he was approached by the producers but did not see a fit. Donnie said that working on a movie is a stressful thing. You spend months working on a project and he wants to make sure he does something that he really likes and feels passionate about. Other fun questions for the audience included what is your favorite martial art style? Donnie’s answer – he doesn’t have a favorite style. He likes them all. Another question was what was your favorite birthday gift? Answer – when my wife – Cecilia Wang surprised me with a birthday party at a poolhall that I partially own in HK. The surprise guests were about 1/3 of the Hong Kong film industry including Sandra Ng and Leon Lai! They were all holding up glowsticks and signs – WE LOVE DONNIE just like those signs that Justin Bieber has at his concerts!
I guess we can refer to Donnie Yen as just THE DONNIE now!
Tags: 2012 nyaff, donnie yen, nyaff 2012
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2012 CBGB Festival Day 2
July 11th, 2012 by chocko
On Day Two of the festival, Chocko only had time to check out some movies. Joey Teacups and Chocko went to Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Ave) and we ran into Tommy Ramone (the original Ramones drummer!) and The Ramones’ Tour Manager, Monte Melnick. They were hanging out in the lobby before their appearance for the screening of End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. Monte handed me an autographed card promoting his book On The Road With The Ramones which chronicles his twenty-two-year career with the legendary punk band. It’s definitely a must-have for any Ramones fan! Gabba Gabba Hey!
The screening of SuicideGirls Must Die! started off with some lovely tattooed ladies getting on the microphone for a brief introduction. That was probably one of the best parts of the experience because the movie wasn’t so hot. The plot of the movie is a bunch of pretty girls with tattoos go to a remote cabin for a calendar photo shoot…or so they think! One by one, the models start mysteriously disappearing. It’s part reality show, part horror movie…kinda like The Blair Witch Project. If you ever make it to the final scenes of the movie, there is a surprise twist! I did enjoy watching the photo shoots with the scantily clad models writhing about and posing for the camera. After all, who isn’t a fan of boobs? The most laughs came from the scenes with the two stoner chicks of the bunch in the confessional booth (a staple in every reality show) with their apple bong. An apple a day, keeps the doctor away!
After the movie, the lights were kept dark as some of the Suicide Girls tried to make it to the front for what was expected to be a brief Q+A. Denied! After getting on the microphone, the girls were interrupted by the second screening starting up. Who was running this train wreck? The second movie was SuicideGirls UK, A World Premiere Screening of delicious girls with lovely ink moving in slow motion during photo shoots in a loft somewhere in the UK. I enjoyed this very much…hot chicks, boobs, panties coming off. Yowza! I gave this screening a Chocko standing ovation! Just when you thought it was over, a series of best of SuicideGirls clips started playing. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay until the end of this because we had another movie to see, Dead Bite which was screening at the New York Asian Film Festival in Lincoln Center.
Watch the SuicideGirls face danger in a horror film with no script or actors!
Tags: cbgb, fest, festival, monte melnick, ramones, suicidegirls
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