MERANTAU: Film screening at NYAFF 2010
July 20th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
The screening of Merantau at the 2010 New York Asian Film Festival was much anticipated by…me! For one, it was the last day of the festival and secondly, I was yearning for a good old thrashing & bashing of a martial arts movie after watching a few dramatic films like Golden Slumber & Castaway on the Moon! This would of counter balanced or perhaps teetered me towards the scale of action packed goodness that I usually crave for. However, I was severely let down at first glance, but the movie slowly warmed up to to the task at hand when the fists started to fly! I think I was expecting way too much from this film as flashes of Tony Jaa & “Ong Bak”, the Thai warrior crossed my mind. The story was much in the line of Ong Bak, a young country boy who goes out in the big bad city to experience life, but unfortunately learns that a cruel & harsh world in the urban jungle would exist. Merantau was an Indonesian poormans version of Ong Bak & a homeless mans version of “Kiss of the Dragon” from Jet li. The story & plot was purely one dimensional and the acting was suspect in my opinion. The story & cast however, did have an innocent charm & appeal to them, though. Merantau was about a teenage boy played by Iko Uwais from the rural area of Indonesia who takes a journey or Merantau into the city life of Jakarta to teach his martial art style of Silat ,but runs into misfortunes with local pimps, eurotrash, slaves destined for prostitution, & being homeless. The most refreshing part of this film lies in the raw action & fighting choreography! Some of the stunts & fight sequences displayed in this movie ranged from being downright furious to outright amazing! The stunts & raw footage of Merantau got me real excited which reminded me of some of the early works of Hong Kong action when actors & stuntmen/women would perform amazing acts of physical glory to make the scenes look realistic! The fight scene in the elevator, action sequences with the gang in the club, the sequence on the pedestrian bridge, & the fight with the Harry Potter lookalikes at the end where pretty enthralling! The cinematography was also something to behold! It was also a privilege for me to see the Indonesian fighting art of Pencak Silat onscreen for the 1st time! That alone was worth the price of admission in my mind! Silat movements seemed to involve low center of gravity stances & movements often involving claw like strikes, grabs, elbows, & throws! Moving side to side to parry & deflect blows seem to be a trademark of their art. Handling & defending against knives looks to be another specialialty in Silat as well! Overall, I wasn’t too thrilled with the vanilla story & acting in the film, but the stunts, fight sequences, & the display of Pencak Silat was refreshing. This was only the 2nd martial art movie from Indonesia in quite a number of years so this is promising start! The main actor of the film didn’t look too convincing as an academy award winner, but his unique fighting skills onscreen were something to behold! Acting can be learned right? From the looks of the conclusion of the film, Merantau 2 wouldn’t be too far fetched!
–Mr. C
Tags: Edwel Datuk Rajo Gampo Alam, Iko Uwais, indonesian film, Mads Koudal, merantau, new york asian film festival, Pencak Silat, silat, Sisca Jessica
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Murder City Devils, Obits, JEFF The Brotherhood and Silverghost at the Pool Party in Brooklyn
July 19th, 2010 by planetchocko
Another summer in Brooklyn can’t be complete without the FREE Jelly Pool Parties which happen every Sunday for the next couple of weeks at the Williamsburg Waterfront. All the bands that played the second of seven freebie shows were excellent. Silverghost (a duo from Detroit on keyboards and guitar) started the day followed by an evidently subdued JEFF The Brotherhood, with Jake being sick and all. They canceled a show the night before in Philly, so it was good to see the boys come through with the NYC show. They still rocked. I’m sure we’ll see them again in our neck of the woods soon. Obits played next, but it was Murder City Devils that owned. The crowd came alive with the fists pumping, hands clapping and the crowd surfing. I hear a lot of people complaining about this year’s Pool lineup…but what’s to complain about? It’s free and if you don’t like the lineup don’t show up. But if you don’t show up…you’ll miss out on all the free energy drinks, free silk screened shirts from Vans, dodgeball (who doesn’t like that?), the best people watching spot in all of hipster land and a beautiful view of Manhattan. Enjoy it while you can, because it feels like summer is flying by. So, grab your sunblock and see you next week at the Pool Party.
-chocko
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NAOMI SHELTON & the GOSPEL QUEENS
July 17th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
Naomi Shelton, a sixties something Alabama native now Brooklyn nubian Queen lit up the platform with her funky soul & raspy vocals on the Stuytown stage in the Peter Cooper Village complexes of lower Manhattan in NYC! Miss Shelton’s mouth was glowing like the “Lopan” character from ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ when she sang! Also,her gold hat & her gold shoes blinged like an angel from heaven! Miss Naomi’s movements on stage were docile but her voice was volatile like an aggressive tigress waiting to prance on the movements of spreading the gospel. This martian had never cracked open the holy bible, but every word that Naomi put forth on the microphone reverberated spirit, hope, love thyself, & your fellow brothers & sisters! Her performance was truly inspirational & uplifting!
Her album, “What have you done, my Brother?” from Indie label, Dap Tone Records is a nitty-gritty, gospel piece of art that pulls no punches & then, slaps you in the face to make you take a cold hard look in the mirror at yourself & your soul! I’m not a man or martian of the church but I’m starting to believe…when I blare Miss Shelton’s music on my boombox hoisted on my shoulder! In all seriousness & before I get struck down with lightning, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens make some furious soulful music that lingers in your heart & heals many wounds. Her 1st official album, “What have you done, My Brother” with the help of her accomplices, the Gospel Queens is worth an investigation ,interrogation, & investment for yourself! Miss Shelton’s music started to make my hips & legs shift from side to side, my neck started to break out into the snake, my hands started to clap, & then rhythmically I started to add a stomp to that shift! My favorite songs in her album include ‘What have you done’, ‘Lift my burdens’ & Sam Cooke’s ‘A change is gonna come’. Check it, check it out, y’all! By the way, Daptone Records houses two other martian favorites on their label, Sharon Jones & the Dapkings and The Budos Band! Planet Chocko is adding fever to your flavor in your ear, ya heard?
–Mr. C (pics & video courtesy of C from Planetchocko)
Tags: daptone records, gospel, gospel queens, naomi shelton, r&b, soul, what have you done, what have you done my brother
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Zola Jesus played Other Music
July 14th, 2010 by planetchocko
The first impression I got when coming across Nika Danilova from Madison, Wisconsin a.k.a. Zola Jesus was…wow, this blonde goth girl is so young and tiny. All that gets thrown aside once I heard her powerful voice which sounds beautiful, confident and haunting all at the same time. The girl is no joke. At her recent performance at Other Music (15 E. 4th St. in New York City) Zola Jesus was accompanied by a guitarist and sometimes stood on a milk crate to perhaps get a better look at the crowd that came to see her. She belted out about half a dozen of her doom and gloom songs which showcased her visceral voice amidst a wave of synthesizers, fuzzed out guitars and loud beats. There was little stage banter, if any…she was down to business. During her last song she walked into the crowd and eventually ended up on top of the counter by the cash register and ended her set with a loud shriek. I shouldn’t have been standing so close to the speakers. After her performance, she stuck around…happily chatting with friends and fans.
Her recent EP titled “Stidulum” on Sacred Bones Records is a decent serving of dark, lo-fi songs about love and heartbreak. At first listen, it was a little hard to differentiate between the tracks. They’re all similar sounding, but that isn’t a bad thing…all the songs blend well together as a whole. My favorite track is “trust me” and there is no doubt Zola Jesus has a lot more to offer and I look forward to what she does next.
-chocko
Tags: in-store, live performance, nika danilova, other music, sacred bones records, stridulum ep, zola jesus
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GALLANTS
July 12th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
The screening of Gallants at the New York Asian Film festival on 7/8, the 2nd to last film of the event brought me tremendous happiness & sadness at the same time because we all knew it was near the end of the festival. The attendance of Bruce Leung & MC Jin at the Gallants showing was fun,fun,fun! Bruce Leung signed my program & I got a photo taken with him as well! I also spoke briefly with MC Jin to congratulate him on a job well done acting in his 1st HK movie & to give him props for his new mix tape called “Say Something”! MC Jin played in a role in “2 Fast 2 Furious” some years ago as well.
After reading a brief synopsis of the movie before watching it that night, I kept on hearing a reoccurring theme of old school & throwback being used to describe this film. I’m not quite sure if that description gives the movie it’s due justice,though. The fighting choreography was not akin to old school or shaw brother studio-esq nor did the plot of the movie take me back to memory lane of the movies from the 70’s or 80’s. In my estimation, the only thing old school were the gem of veteran actors that were served on a platter for our viewing pleasures! The overall theme for this movie was not about fighting,martial arts, or stunts. The message of the film was about BROTHERHOOD & the undying LOVE for their master & the 30 years of hardship that they endured while waiting for their teacher to awake from his coma. Shaw Brother great, Chan Koon Tai, Bruce Leung, Law Mong (Shaw Brother fixture), Teddy Robin, & Chan Wai Man round out the proven all stars selected to tell us about this wonderful tale. I got goosebumps & chills when they introduced the characters in the film with a millisecond freeze frame & caption with the name of the actor & the role that they played! The theater roared & clapped their hands when all the veteran actors of yesteryear were introduced to us in one by one fashion! I know I did my part in hootin’ & hollerin’! I doubt that this film got this same type of attention & love in their home city of Hong Kong! Nobody in Hong Kong seems to notice or care about these seasoned kick ass(literally) actors & actresses anymore. Proof? I asked my family who acknowledged these names from the depths of the wonder years, but they all asked me why do you watch these geriatric folks that are not current anymore? Why? Because they influenced & paved the path for these new young guns. To be honest, I enjoy & relate to most of these old time actors more than I do the current ones. An ounce of passion from these veteran stars would deflect a thousand pounds of Hong Kong canto-pop ,anyday! Original gangster actors & their skills in martial arts are lost at sea to the new generation of acting droids. I’m real proud of us fans in the USA for showing love & appreciating the skills of acting & fighting on screen from these studded all stars from the 70’s & 80’s! For me, seeing these great actors again is similiar to fantasizing about your favorite retired boxer like Joe Frazier,Muhammad Ali,Larry Holmes, & Mike Tyson step back in the ring again. You know they can never step in the ring again to duplicate their moves like they once did, but you still highly respect them for being the old tigers they are! Enough with talking around the movie! Let’s talk about the movie! Forget the nostalgia! This film was a hilarious feel good story with a comic book style way of telling it! In a nutshell, this film is about an officespace worker who gets shitted on by all his co-workers & boss. He gets assigned the crap duty in the boondocks of Hong Kong to help real estate management evict a tea house tenant leased by Master Law(teddy robin) & managed by 2 of his best kung fu students, Tiger(Bruce leung) & Dragon(Chan Koon Tai). The Tea house was formerly a martial art temple, but was converted to a restaurant while master law remained in a 30 year old coma from an epic battle with the big bad foes. It’s a classic tale between the forces of good & evil when “The gates of Law” martial arts defend their tea house against the evil of Law Mong & MC Jin. MC Jin, a real life hip hop artist from Queens,NY did a great job in his 1st ever movie role produced in Hong Kong. It was seriously hilarious when Master Law awakes from his coma & goes about his life like it was 30 years ago. He instantly asks for his smelly aged,dry duck, inquires about his deceased wife, & his 2 young studded students, Dragon & Tiger who are now fighting the clutches of father time! Dragon & Tiger show glimpses of their fighting glory ,but their skills are definitely a corpse of what they once were. Teddy Robin does a tremendous job playing the role of Master Law! He is a kung fu master full of shits & giggles,all 4 ft tall of him! Times get tough when Master Law suddenly dies. Law passes the seed to his students with the message of “If you want to win, then don’t fight, but if you fight, you MUST win!” This message will come in play when they enter a martial arts tournament. Tiger takes this message to heart when he battles a younger foe in honor of his teacher & the “gates of law” kung fu! the old lions in this movie really show that they still have the moves! The real message of the movie is not about winning or losing, but to always try your best with the utmost passion till the very end! Law Mong, Bruce Leung, Chan Koon Tai, & Chan Wai Man are my Joe Frazier’s,Mike Tyson’s, & Larry Holmes of the kung fu movie world! Thumbs up to this movie for the comedic relief, nostalgic actors, & flashes of kung fu glory! The soundtrack for the film was dope as all hell, too! It made me want to train & sit in a horse stance for quite some time till my legs started to quiver! Something of note, Chan Koon Tai plays the role of Dragon who manages the Tea House. In 1974, Chan Koon Tai starred in the “The Tea House” that he also managed in. In the 1970’s, Chan Koon Tai took no prisoners because he was a real martial arts champion in the ring before jumping into films!
Bruce Leung & MC Jin were in attendance at the screening of Gallants & they were touched by the standing ovation that we gave them! Gallants’ movie theme & casting screamed “underdog” & we love to root for underdogs! Subway cinema announced that Gallants & Castaway on the Moon were winners for the audience favorite awards from the festival! It’s no surprise to me because I really enjoyed both of those movies!
–Mr. C (Pics & video courtesy of Planetchocko & mr. c)
Tags: andy lau, bruce leung, chan koon tai, chan wai man, gallants, hong kong, jin, lau tak wah, law mong, mc jin, new york asian film festival, nyaff, teddy robin
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GOLDEN SLUMBER
July 8th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
Golden Slumber, a mystery-thriller movie with hints of comedy & action was a nice introduction back into Japanese cinema for this neophyte! I thoroughly enjoyed the film with the few twists & turns offered into the plot even if it was mere fantasy than believable! I can’t wait to watch Yoshihiro Nakamura’s(Director of the movie) previous film, FISH STORY! Golden Slumber shares its name with one of the Beatles’ famous songs from the 1969 album “Abbey Road”. There were quite a few references to the Beatles in the film with the common theme of finding a way back home for the main character! The skinny of the movie is about a 30 year old delivery man who is framed for the assassination of the Prime Minister of Japan, & his elusive tribulations in disappearing into the Sendai community with the help of old friends from school, a fireworks maven, his supportive parents, & an old school original gangsta boss recovering or falsely recovering in a hospital?! The film starts off with a scene that is really the finale of the movie ala Quentin Tarantino style. Aoyagi, the main protaganist in the movie is a delivery boy who is publicly known because he thwarted a robbery attempt of a famous pop songstress! He went from being zero to hero in a quick whim of a judo leg takedown! The meat of the story begins with the reunion of Aoyagi’s old buddy, Morita going on a supposed fishing trip together. Aoyagi & Morita end up having lunch in their car parked close to the parade that the Japanese Prime Minister will march in & end up losing his life at. A primary bomb is setoff by a remote control helicopter which takes the life of the Prime minister. A second bomb would go off in Morita’s car with Aoyagi escaping the grasp of death that would link the 2 stories together. So, begins the tale of an innocent 30 year old happy go lucky japanese man who is framed by the CIA for the assassination of their prime minister. Stories of remote control helicopters, Aoyogi’s friends who are coerced by law enforcement to set him up, a plastic surgeon who performs surgery on the imposter that shows up on the video evidence, & a young killer in a hood who helps aoyogi, starts to surface! The movie had their fair share of quirky characters in the movie like the cold stoned killer with the shotgun at hand with his sensitive ears, the old man river gangster in a wheelchair, the death note like killer in a hoody, the father who beat up men that groped children on the train, & the ex-girlfriend who buys a battery for Aoyogi’s Toyota Corolla & manages to elude law enforcement with her young daughter by her side as an accomplice in order for her to install the car battery. More peculiar, but entertaining nooks & crannies develop when Aoyogi goes underground in the sewer system to hide like the Ninja Turtles without the special martial art powers with the help of the old gangster navigating the underground. The live TV broadcast of Aoyogi’s plea for innocence & the help of Aoyogi’s IPOD would soon come into play! A smattering of fireworks would be setup in a professional pyrotechnic manner that would aid in the escape of the young delivery boy! Aoyogi’s, Golden Slumber in the Beatles variety would soon be realized, but the question remains to Aoyogi, SO DID YOU DO IT? Did you sex up the pop star when you saved her life from the clutches of the robber? Film goers of GOLDEN SLUMBER will chuckle at this question!
–Mr. C
Tags: aoyogi, fish story, golden slumber, new york asian film festival, subway cinema, yoshihiro nakamura
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Berlin Street Art
July 6th, 2010 by planetchocko
most of these photos were taken in the Hackescher Market and Kreuzberg sections of Berlin and also by the East Side Gallery which is about a mile long stretch of what remains of the Berlin Wall.
-chocko
Tags: berlin, germany, graff, graffiti, greenpoint, kreuzberg, street art
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CASTAWAY ON THE MOON
July 5th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
I was stoked as all hell to check out “Castaway on the Moon” at the New York Asian Film festival on the 4th of July partly because I wanted to get a tasting of Korean cinema,partly because the synopsis of the movie sounded promising, & the rest of the the remaining “partly pie” was because I wanted to get out of the heat in the concrete jungle of NYC into the cool arms of Walter Reade Theatre! Up till this point, I’ve been getting plump on Hong Kong film madness & I was truly salivating for some bulgogi, bibimbap, or the ultimate…noodles with black bean sauce, korean style! I’ll get to the explanation of this metaphor in a bit!
Castaway on the Moon is a lighthearted hybrid drama of the comedy & romance variety. I really,really wanted to like this film especially when the director, Lee Hey-Jun came out to introduce the movie before the screening. He seemed like a real down to earth,honest, & charming director. He also mentioned that this movie bombed at the box office in Korea! Wow! Talk about being funny & honest! (Check out the video that I took of the director introducing his film before the screening above). After watching the movie, I really,really did like it! It was entertaining & offered up a slice of normalcy for the agoraphobiacs of the world! The movie starts off with Mr. Lee, a man who cannot stand the pressures of his everyday corporate life which results in him jumping off a bridge into the Han River in Seoul, Korea in a feeble attempt to erradicate himself & his financial woes. Unfortunately/fortunately for him, he somehow survives the ordeal & ends up on a deserted island not too far away from the city, but far enough so that he cannot swim to reach civilization. He curses at himself for not doing anything right including committing suicide & steadily curses at society & Building 63(his workplace) for his misfortunes with his pants pulled down to his knees! Mr. Lee flashes back to his childhood in the pool when his father forces him to learn how to swim, but he fails to keep afloat. In the same flashback scene, he suddenly is an adult in the pool & he struggles to keep afloat when his girlfriend decides to end their relationship. Thoughts of suicide still lingered in his mind, but he fights the temptation when he suddenly realizes that living on this deserted island can be a blessing in disguise. He is living in his own world & controlling his own destiny. He even has a place to call his own when he finds a Duck boat to inhabit in unlike the 7 years that he’s been trying to save to buy a home located across the river in the “real world”. His calls for H.E.L.P inscribed in sand is turned into the words H.E.L.L.O. He manages to teach himself how to catch fish by killing them inadvertently by washing himself with detergent in the han river. He then discovers how to catch birds by having the birds eat his poisoned fish resulting in their death. Mr. Lee finds an old wrapper of noodles with black bean sauce with just the sauce contents left behind. He begins to fantasize what noodles with black bean sauce tasted like as he remembers his past of rejecting this dish! His quest in his new life now is to find a way how to make fresh noodles to fulfill his dream of tasting this dish. Making pasta from plants ends in failure until his concoction of farming bird droppings will result in harvesting corn! The symbolism of finding a way to make this fresh pasta on the island is akin to him finding his own soul & purpose in life.
Meanwhile in Seoul, there is a parallel story about a young lady who lives inside her bubble. She suffers from agoraphobia & cannot deal with society. She cannot be seen & literally lives inside her room. Her only solace is taking photos of the moon & literally floats in air when she is in her zone of solitude! She happens on Mr. Lee one day on that deserted island when viewing through her telephoto lens. This young lady begins to take notice of his actions & basically begins to fall in love with him because of his passion to LIVE & his LOVE of trying to farm a crop to make fresh noodles for his instant black bean sauce. She begins to break out of her shell when she communicates with him with messages in a bottle tossed into the han river! Mr. Lee begins to communicate with her by inscribing messages on the sand as well. They both seem to be intrigued with each other until the young lady decides to have fresh noodles with black bean sauce delivered to the island for him as a gift which he takes as an insult. Making fresh noodles from scratch with his own ingenuity in this new world of his was a symbol of hope & self discovery of himself. He realizes that you cannot “buy” hope or self dignity. Mr. Lee soon realizes his dream as he makes his “Noodles with black bean sauce” from kernels of goodness with his harvested corn. The young lady sees all this from her viewfinder. She also sees Mr. Lee’s life on this deserted island come to a quick end when he gets deported back to the city by the local conservation group. In a whim, she desperately leaves the comforts of her bubble wrap to meet the man she honestly adores. Will they live out their fantasy together in the solitude of their own bubble wrap & styrofoam?!
Castaway on the Moon was an entertaining, cute, & insightful look into our own minds when stripping down the insecurities of oneself & analyzing the basics of understanding who you really are as a person in order to become comfortable in your own shell!
I think Lee Hey Jun, the director should of gotten praise for this movie but instead, box office sales slated this as a failure. In the eyes of the beholder of this movie, many of us ‘switchbladed’ this unique gem as a success to entertain the soul or should I say Seoul?!
Check out the Question/Answer session with the director of Castaway on the Moon, Lee Hey Jun that I captured on video below & his introduction of the film at the top of this aricle!
–Mr. C (7out 10 jajiang miens or noodles in black bean sauce for Castaway on the Moon)
(article, & video courtesy of Mr. C @planetchocko.com)
Tags: castaway on the moon, korean cinema, lee hey jun, new york asian film festival, subway cinema
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ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW
July 3rd, 2010 by Planet Chocko
Echoes of the Rainbow was the last of a trifecta set of movies that I screened last sunday at the New York Asian film festival. It was a welcome relief to soak in a lighthearted drama as opposed to heavy intense CGI & glorified kung fu slaughterings. Hey, even a Hong Kong phooey kung fu junky like myself appreciates a cornball movie every now & then that Oprah Winfrey would probably endorse. Echoes of the Rainbow was a sweet yet tragic story based on family unity, hope, & perseverance offering a slight jab towards the police powers that be, hailing from England. I hold a sprinkling of sentinental value to this movie because it served as an instant replay for my families background. The film is set in 1960’s Hong Kong in a town called Sham Shui Po on the Kowloon side of the island. My family had also lived in this area as well during that same time period. Simon Yam & Sandra Ng play a couple that live in Sham Shui Po struggling to make ends meet selling shoes out of their wooden shack home. The couple has a teenage son named Desmond & a younger son around 8 years old named ‘big ears’. Life is an everyday hustle for this family with paying the rent while business is slow. Despite the struggles, the Law family is a happy family similiar to “Leave it to Beaver” but Hong Kong style. The movie centers around their sons especially the youngest one who happens to be the narrator of the film with the crackling voice of an 8yr old and all! It sort of reminded me of the ABC hit series, The Wonder Years but with a kid telling his side of the story. ‘Big ears’ dreams of being an astronaut while walking around with a fishbowl on his head. He also is an opportunistic thief in hopes to sustain his fond craving of mooncakes with the double yolk variety! Big brother & little brother are inseparable! They room together in the attic which they humbly call “Beijing” and the downstairs is called “Canton”. Desmond is a great older brother to big ears with his renaissance qualities of speaking fluent english, playing the guitar, great at running track, being a scholar, & possessing knowledge about aquarium fish. Desmond struggles with the dynamics of his relationship with girlfriend Flora after discovering that she comes from a really wealthy family living in a mansion of sorts in the mountains of Hong Kong. Desmond will also have more important obstacles to hurdle in the times to comes. The leave it to beaver family will soon have issues that turn from mole hills to mountains when a typhoon destroys their comfy home & when a local policeman ups the ‘ante’ with his extortion fee. This movie may seem to prove that being cheesy is not easy, but I thought the film had a great wholesome theme of a family that sticks together stays together. Then, there are the harsh realities in life that we must learn to live with and possess the courage to move on from. After watching Echoes of the Rainbow, I have more of a mental & physical insight of what my family went through in those tough times living in 1960’s Hong Kong. Thank you to my parents for their journey in HK and having the smarts to forage into the buffet of concrete jungles, New York City to battle with other types of challenges! Thanks to Simon Yam & Sandra Ng for playing host to such believable parents in the film! This is also one of the first films that I recall Simon Yam playing this type of character. I normally see this dude play good cop,bad cop roles or be a leader in some triad organization! Kudos to Simon Yam for winning the actor of the year at the Hong Kong film awards that took place in April 2010 for his role in Echoes of the Rainbow! This movie is definitely worthy of a viewing if you are into sappy family,feel good then not feel good types of stories! I liked it because it held some sentimental value to me but overall, I thought the movie was charming, cute, & had mass appeal that many can relate to. Can it be that the little kid in the movie reminded me of myself? Not! I definitely didn’t turn into a rocket scientist or an astronaut, but I do come from this far away galaxy called Planet Chocko. Warning about this film,though! There was a cheesy,but touching theme song in the movie that was worthy of a depressing slit on the wrist or two just in case you couldn’t finish the job! Enjoy my young padawans!
–Mr. C (7 out of 10 mooncakes with double yolks for Echoes of the Rainbow!)
Tags: echoes of the rainbow, hong kong 1960, sandra ng, simon yam
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EASTERN CONDORS
July 2nd, 2010 by Planet Chocko
It’s been a hot minute since the last time I watched Eastern Condors in the late 1980’s! This goes back to the time when Eric B & Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, Big Daddy Kane, & EPMD where called to order and when this skinny asian cat(Heathcliff now) held up a boom box to his shoulder with a tight t-shirt in a big badass suburban mall! VHS copies or if you had pocket change left from buying wonton noodle soup from NY Noodletown, a 2 disc VCD were called to order in Chinatown-NYC when buying my favorite Hong Kong digs! The 43rd Chamber Kung fu video shop on 43rd street in Times Square would be a backdrop just in case Chinatown rejected my offers to solicit Kung Fu action porn. Fast forwarding 20 years later, screening this film at the New York Asian Film festival in a cold & comfortable Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center on a hot & muggy summer day was clearly a treat! This Vietnam war movie directed & starred by Sammo Hung in 1987 is best seen on the big screen with the pornographic sound blazin’ in your ear! The cast is pure all stars including Sammo’s kung fu classmates Yuen Biao & Yuen Wah,wife Joyce Godenzi,Yuen Woo Ping, Cory Yuen Kwai, Kung fu great(RIP)-Lam Ching Ying,Billy Chow, & Shaw Brother great(often villain) Dick Wei! There are many others in the cast that I’m leaving out but the great fighters have been called to the stage! This movie is about a Chinese military commander played by Lam Ching Ying who is hired by the US to go on a mission to Vietnam to find & destroy ammunition & weapons of mass destruction left behind by the US Military. Lam Ching Ying is ordered to bring 12 convicts with him to help him complete this mission. This chinese dirty dozen includes Sammo & 10 other slapstick boys that can barely walk straight, & one ladies man who is like face from the A-Team! Joyce Godenzi (Sammo’s real wife) plays a Cambodian rebel that helps the chinese dirty dozen to locate the weapons of mass destruction. These 12 convicts collaborate with Vietnam outlaw played by Yuen Biao to rival against the vietcong. Eastern Condors is a classic template of modern hong kong action in it’s best birthday suit. Explosions,endless great fighting choreography between highly skilled combatants,acrobatic sequences,guns & guns, & did I mention explosions?! If you were limited to watching just one groundbreaking HK film to get a taste of 1980’s Hong Kong cinema, you might be advised to watch Eastern Condors! Sammo did a ‘boombostic’ job directing this film & it’s a shame he lost this particular flavor to his movie making fever because he never seemed to rival anything like this in his repotoire again. We would of loved to see Sammo do more military style movies with Hong Kong flare! The fighting sequences involving Yuen Biao vs Dick Wei & Billy Chow vs Sammo were spectacular! The “Fatty Dragon” was also the slimmest we’ve ever seen on screen so you know his monkey acrobatic techniques were in full effect! Sammo’s real life kung fu brothers, Yuen Biao & Yuen Wah have got to be the most martially skilled out of the “7 Little fortunes” in my opinion! Yuen Wah almost always plays a quirky-almost gay type of sinister character that can truly kick some balls! The finale fight between Yuen Wah vs Yuen Biao & then Sammo Hung vs Yuen Wah was off the meat rack, live & direct! Sammo moved like a brisk tornado sweeping all mofo’s away who were in his path! I know all you mofo’s have got this on your netflix queue by now or for you real HK film fans get your copy at your nearest Chinatown,Yesasia, or HKFlix intergalactic internet stores, you suckas! See Sammo finish off Yuen Wah with a double kick below! You didn’t think a plump Heathcliff can do that did you?!
–Mr. C (9 out of 10 ‘Nam-wiches aka Bahn Mi)
Tags: dick wei, eastern condors, hong kong, joyce godenzi, new york asian film festival, sammo hung, subway cinema, yuen biao, yuen wah
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Remembering BRUCE LEE!
July 1st, 2010 by Planet Chocko
After screening IP MAN 2 at the New York Asian Film Festival, I couldn’t help but reminisce about one of Ip Man’s most famous students, the late great Bruce Lee! I never get tired of watching a then 24 year old Bruce Lee doing an audition/screen test for a role in Green Hornet! He would later land the role of Kato in the Green Hornet Series! You can see his charisma,confidence,speed, & martial art skills were as clear as day even on a foggy morning at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge! Ip man’s teachings helped infect Bruce Lee with some kung fu knowledge that he would later elevate to another level! Coming from a Chinese-American-martian background myself, it’s truly inspirational that a courageous “Little Dragon” named Bruce Lee broke color barriers on different platforms in the 1960’s like auditioning in Hollywood & not giving a rats ass if he was black,green,alien or “oriental”,teaching Kung fu in Oakland & San Francisco to non-chinese, & saying fuck you to the Shaw Brother studios in a time when they expected you to eat the rice they gave you & shut the hell up. It takes quite a stubborn,persistent, & brave mofo to have that type of mojo to pave new groundwork for us mere mortals to walk on! Ip Man planted the seed, & Bruce continues to bloom to this day infecting mutants with his passion & spirit! Check out Bruce Lee’s 8 minute audition with the Green Hornet brass with the video below, thanks to Olerud99!
–Mr. C
Tags: audition, bruce lee, green hornet, ip man, kung fu, wing chun, yip man
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BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS
July 1st, 2010 by Planet Chocko
On paper, Bodyguards and Assassins with kickass Donnie Yen on the cast, & the story of Dr. Sun Yat Sen & the revolution against the Ching government to revive China back to it’s people sounds like a win,win,win situation! Even the struggles with Teddy Chan, the director of the movie who had many obstacles with making the film which spanned over a decade including a suicide with an investor of the film to his own bouts of depression to his mom’s death to rainstorms & labor disputes to a dog eating the script (just kidding) makes you want to root for the success of the movie. The anticipation grew exponentially with the release of Bodyguards and Assassins! The movie had a tremendous potential given the patriotism & historical significance of Dr. Sun Yat Sen to his country. However, in my alien eyes, the plot development & the characters in the film seemed out of place & often distracting! Furthermore, I did not connect with Dr. Sun Yat Sen & his inspiration that he provided to his country because he was just an enigma in the film. To the ordinary viewer, Sun Yat Sen was just a dude in a white jungle hat. The movie did not allow you to feel his pulse & I wanted to get to know his character so badly because it was Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the leader of China that wanted to overthrow the evil empire. I wanted to know why the chinese people who supported Sun Yat Sen would want to risk their lives for him. Yes, we know he wanted to organize a revolution to fight for a democratic nation to offer a better life for his people, but I wanted to feel that for myself on the movie screen.
Bodyguards and Assassins starts off with a bang from an assassination of a local democratic figure named Yang Quyun in Hong Kong. From what I understand, Yan Ouyun was one of the original spearheads of instituting democratic ideas to the chinese people. Xiao Guo is the lead assassin hired by the Ching Emperor to rid of roaches that would stand against their dynasty including Democratic notions led by Yang Quyun & Sun Yat Sen. Chen Xiao Bai another democratic activist in Hong Kong hears rumblings that Sun Yat Sen will set foot in Hong Kong soon to meet with other leaders & activists to discuss democratic order & to organize an uprise against the Ching Government. Another major player in the film is Liu Yue Tang who is an investor to the cause & owner of a printing press for a newspaper. He desperately wants his son to stay away from the above mentioned parties because he knows death would loom for anyone going against the ching government. Unfortunately, the son ends up being the decoy for Dr. Sun with his pilgrimmage to Hong Kong. Simon Yam plays the leader of the Peking Opera Troupe who will ultimately sacrifice their lives for the safety of Sun Yat Sen. The Hong Kong police which is governed by the British is caught between a rock & a hard place. HK Police have orders from the english hierarchy to let the chinese & ching government take it’s course & let them eliminate each other. Donnie Yen is a Police officer,addicted gambler,spy,then ex-spy for the Ching government. Pop star veteran , Leon Lai who plays Master Liu was an aristocrat turned beggar who sleeps on the streets because of his ladyfriend who committed suicide. The gist of the film is that the followers of Sun Yat Sen & his movement in Hong Kong will organize a safe passageway for him on his day visit to Hong Kong Island for the meetings. Truth is known that these bodyguards willing to escort Sun Yat Sen through the streets of Central on Hong Kong Island will basically sacrifice their lives. The first half of the film introduces the viewer to all the characters that will either be the bodyguard or the assassin. I didn’t have an issue with the first half of the movie, but once Sun Yat Sen got off the Star Ferry enroute to Central it seemed like somebody in the film flipped the switch on & everybody was kung fu fighting when not a lick was thrown prior. Even Donnie Yen’s character didn’t move a feather in the 1st half of the film. Yen was even bitch slapped by a few mongrols & he took it like a champ. Yen played the role of a raggamuffin & troubled gambler with a new found daughter, but it was just odd that suddenly the man erupted into “Iron Monkey” looking to whoop some scoundrel ass. Another intense but weird fight scene involved an assassin played by kickboxing champion,Cung Le and Donnie Yen. Cung Le came out of no where like the incredible hulk smashing innocent bystanders instead of crippling the entourage that rickshawed Sun Yat Sen & the decoy. Cung Le & Donnie Yen finally meet up & basically cancelled each other out. It was an intense fight scene but the choreography was so rabbid that it was not to be enjoyed. Donnie Yen’s last breath was taken when he courageously rammed into a galloping horse that carried the #1 assassin hired by the Ching government. Now, the #1 killer has to schlep on his own two feet to seek blood! This act allowed Sun Yat Sen’s decoy to rummage forward. Leon Lai’s character was also an enigma. He spent half of the movie playing the beggar sleeping on the streets with a full beard then at a whim the mofo is clean shaven,showers,then carries a steel bladed fan ready to sacrifice his life for the cause? With that in mind, Leon Lai is as clumsy as Mr. Magoo when heavy barrages of kicks & punches are thrown. Quirky characters played by Eric Tsang (HK detective) & 7 foot NBA player, Menke Bateer who played an ex-shaolin monk that never had a fist fight were a tremendous distraction to the film. A serious & uplifting film like this should not have any circus acts like Eric Tsang or Menke Bateer acting in it. In the end, many bodyguards were sacrificed in order to keep the Sun Yat Sen movement alive as the Chinese continue to fight with the leadership of Dr. Sun until the Qing Dynasty succumbed in 1911.
The story as a whole provided some great insider information regarding Sun Yat Sen’s journey into Hong Kong in 1906 for those secret meetings while he was in refuge in Japan & the United States for the most part. I thought the backdrop & movie set that depicted the Central district on Hong Kong Island circa 1906 looked amazing! However, the individual parts of many characters in the film were quite peculiar which was a big turnoff to me. That being said “Bodyguards and Assassins” won the best film of the year award in Hong Kong in April of 2010. So, the moral of this movie review is that you should watch it yourself & make up your own mind! Bodyguards and Assassins didn’t float this martians spaceship. Booooo!
–Mr. C (4 out of 10 leggo my eggos)
Tags: bodyguards and assassins, cung le, donnie yen, hong kong film of year, sun wen, sun yat sen, teddy chan
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