Epic FAILE
March 1st, 2012 by chocko
The FAILE Mural at the corner of Bowery and Houston Street in New York City has been up for 5 months and is in the process of being replaced with new art. Here is a look back at the Brooklyn-based art collective’s eye-popping, behemoth installation shortly after its completion.
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Tags: graffiti, new york city, nyc, street art
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Korean Blogathon 2012
March 1st, 2012 by Mr. C
New Korean Cinema and cineAWESOME! are both hosting the 2nd annual Korean Blogathon from March 5-11th. We had so much fun with throwing down a few writeups last year that having a week long blitz in observing-writing-viewing-dreaming about Korean cinema is on our menu once again! Last march, we doubled down on some Korean ban chan with writeups of THE FOUL KING and CHAMPION. This year I think I’m feeling something krusty and crafty from the 1970’s and 1980’s, maybe some Hwang Jang Lee or Hwang In-Sik?
So watch/write/post anything Korean on your blog or website and then email the Korean blogathon folks with a link to your review at: blogathon@cineawesome.com during the week of 5th to the 11th of March. More importantly, have fun while doing it!! You can also manually post links to your reviews on their facebook page as well.
Tags: korean blogathon 2012
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Modus Operandi
February 29th, 2012 by chocko
Director: Frankie Latina
Starring: Randy Russell, Mark Borchardt and Danny Trejo
Genre: 70’s B-Movie, Exploitation Throwback
This film is by the young director Frankie Latina who clearly loves cinema especially grindhouse movies, blaxploitation films and Italian giallo. The movie has a lo-fi look, was shot on Super 8 mm and switches frequently from color to black & white. Each scene is provocative and carefully shot with lots of attention to detail. I got a kick out of seeing old gadgets (clunky outdated phones and top-loading VCRs!), sleek classic cars and drop dead gorgeous girls in various states of undress. If babes in bikinis firing off weapons is your thing, you’ve come to the right place. Just to balance things out, there is some male frontal nudity thrown in the mix.
There is so much genre mixing and crazy stuff going on in the movie that the plot seems to take a backseat at times. The movie tells the story of a CIA black-ops specialist Stanley Cashay (Randy Russell) who goes into retirement after his wife is murdered. Before drinking himself into oblivion, Cashay is called back on a mission to retrieve two briefcases stolen from the President. Cashay enlists the help of some fellow agents including a Tokyo badass named Black Licorice to help retrieve the cases with the mysterious content. In exchange for the briefcases, Cashay gets the identity of the killer who murdered his wife. Throw in the scene-stealing Danny Trejo in a white tux and you’ve got yourself a film with a lethal mix of bloody violence, betrayal, torture and mayhem.
Director Frank Latina shot most of the movie in his hometown of Milwaukee and took nearly five years to complete. Some of my favorite scenes include a character named Dallas Deacon (Mark Borchardt) being chased by a helicopter in an open field…no doubt in homage to “North By Northwest.” Seeing Black Licorice walk the streets of Tokyo was ultra cool. I also enjoyed the commercial for a fake TV show featuring the Bombay assassin, Ayesha Ayesha. More of her please! The showdown near the end is not to be missed…strippers, guns and nunchucks!
The DVD just got released. It’s got lots of bonus features including deleted scenes, interviews, audio commentary and an introduction by Sasha Grey who will appear in a forthcoming film by Latina. Check out the trailer below. You’ll know right away if this movie is for you!
Tags: danny trejo, frankie latina, modus operandi, movie, review, sasha grey
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Sara D Roosevelt Park
February 21st, 2012 by Mr. C
Sara D. Roosevelt park provides a green oasis in the urban trenches of lower manhattan that stretches from east Houston to Canal street bordered between Chrystie & Forsyth on the lower east side all the way down to chinatown. On a nice early sunday morning stroll in this park, you will bear witness to dragons being suspended in the air to the stillness and serenity of tai chi practitioners to the fast pace games of basketball, soccer, & handball. The Hua Mei bird garden on the Delancey street side of the park will bring a bit of old school china into Sara D. with finches, songbirds, sparrows, & blue jays chirping in their bamboo bird cages. Cross over to the other side of the delancey and you will see the Golden Age center for senior citizens as well as other raggamuffins drifting about. Central Park is nice and beautiful but the heartbeat of the poor to working class immigrant population in NYC can be truly felt in this green & concrete space.
After a nice city up walk at Sara D, I finally ventured into CHEEKY SANDWICHES to get a taste of new orleans in the L-E-S! They’ve been open for quite a while now but Cheeky was always quite elusive in my schedule. My heart rate was racing something furious after eating their sinful breakfast sandwich, a fried chicken cutlet smothered with country gravy, topped with purple slaw trapped between a buttery biscuit! Ohhh yeaaah, it was all so good! It was all hosed down with a cup of Cafe Du Monde coffee! Stop by Cheeky’s to get some beignets or “Ben Yays” as they wrote it for the linguistically impaired, an oyster or shrimp po boy, and/or one of their sinful breakfast sandwiches! Cheeky Sandwiches is located at 35 Orchard Street between Hester and Canal. Don’t blink though, Cheeky’s diminutive and undercover storefront can be quite elusive as well!
Tags: chinatown, sara d roosevelt park
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Screaming Females played at Long In The Tooth (Philadelphia)
February 18th, 2012 by chocko
Last Wednesday, Screaming Females made a stop in Philadelphia on their recent mini-tour of record stores. This time around they played at a record store by the name of Long In The Tooth. The place was packed by the time the show began. Local pop punk trio Dry Feet opened up and kicked a few jams to the supportive home crowd. Screaming Females played after them and simply slayed! The started their set with “skull” and “bell”, ripped through a couple older tunes, and introduced the city of Brotherly Love to some new songs, “it all means nothing” and “5 high” off their upcoming album, Ugly. The new stuff sounds awesome!!!
Tags: long in the tooth records, philadelphia, philly, screaming females, show in-store
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Screaming Females played Generation Records
February 15th, 2012 by chocko
Screaming Females from New Jersey stopped by Generation Records in New York City for their first date on a mini tour of records stores and one lone book store. Fans packed the basement and the band played some old stuff that got the kids dancing and new songs from their upcoming fifth album Ugly. The new stuff the band played sounds amazing and I can’t wait for the new album which drops April 3. In the meantime to hold me over, I picked up their new 7″ vinyl single featuring a new song, “It All Means Nothing” and a live version of “A New Kid” which was recorded live at WFMU. I’m loving the new single…hypnotic bass, the drums sound super heavy and Marissa sounds possessed-vocally and while shredding on the guitar! There’s a couple stops left on the tour for you to pick up a copy and catch Screaming Females play for free. Plan a road trip. Do it!
(left to right: King Mike-bass, Jarrett-drums and Marissa-guitar/vocals)
Tags: don giovanni records, generation records, in-store, new york city, nyc, screaming females, tour
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The Vivian Girls played Gansevoort Plaza
February 13th, 2012 by chocko
The Vivian Girls played a free show last Friday night at Gansevoort Plaza located in NYC’s hip and swanky Meatpacking District. Fashion Week was in full swing and the ladies were decked out in Kate Spade dresses looking quite lovely and fancy. The show was the first night of the Florence Broadhurst Pop-Up Shop Tour which features a bus converted into a pop-up shop with clothes for sale inspired by wallpaper artist Florence Broadhurst. The show was outdoors…a bit unusual for the winter months but luckily the weather lately hasn’t been too harsh, although it did start to snow by the end of the set. Front girl Cassie Ramone (guitar), Katy Goodman a.k.a. Kickball Katy (bass) and Fiona Campbell (drums) started their 20 minute set with the call-and-response tune “Take It As It Comes” off their latest album Share The Joy. The ladies then proceeded to rip through a set of songs with a perfect mix of DIY punk, lo-fi garage rock, and 60’s girl-group pop. Check out the videos below for “Take It As It Comes”, “When I’m Gone” from the album Everything Goes Wrong and “Tell The World” from their eponymous debut album. The tour heads out west and concludes at SXSW.
Tags: band, brooklyn, cassie ramone, coasting, diy, fiona campbell, kickball katy
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Veronica Falls played Music Hall of Williamsburg
February 13th, 2012 by Mr. C
(L-Marion Herbain(bass):R-Roxanne Clifford(vocals/guitar) at the merch table after the show.)
Veronica Falls played at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn last thursday. We discovered this band a little over a month ago and now, I can’t stop playing their self entitled debut album on my 50 mile spaceship commute to work. Veronica Falls, formed in London in 2009 is comprised of Roxanne Clifford on guitar & lead vocals, James Hoare on vocals and guitar, Marion Herbain on bass guitar and Patrick Doyle on drums. They have a low-fi pop sound with a dash of some throwback from The Mamas & The Papas glazed with shoegaze-goth style! Their harmonic blends & catchy melodies coupled with their 3 guitar chord techniques occasionally strumming at a furious but rhythmic pace lended to a carefree & fun vibe similiar to the Ramones despite their grave lyrics with songs like Found Love in a graveyard & misery.
We missed the two opening acts, Brilliant Colors and Groom but landed just in time for Veronica Falls! The setlist included almost all of the songs from their debut album minus Fountain which is one of my favorite tunes on their CD. They also played a few new tunes destined for their sophmore album to be released sometime in the unforeseen future. Some other songs that I really enjoyed that night were Beachy Head, Wedding Day, and The Box which had a similiar guitar riff to the Ramones‘ – Blitzkrieg Bop. The harmonies from the two guitarists and the drummer were very pleasing to the ears & the dome! I really dig the ‘california dreamin’ style of Veronica Falls! They ended off the night with a cover by Roky Erickson’s Starry Eyes. After the show, Roxanne Clifford (vocals/guitar) and Marion Herbain (bass guitar) were on hand at the merch table to greet their fans. I ended up buying their 7″ vinyl – Bad Feelings. Check out Veronica Falls, y’all at your nearest live music cave or local record store!
Tags: lo-fi, mr c, pop, veronica falls
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Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1974)
February 10th, 2012 by chocko
Director: Bo A. Vibenus
Starring: Christina Lindberg and Heinz Hopf
Genre: 70’s B-Movie, Exploitation
This Swedish movie features a young woman’s twisted tale of ultimate revenge chock full of graphic violence, nudity and some hardcore sex scenes thrown in for good measure. Thriller was originally banned in Sweden. The U.S. release under the name, They Call Her One Eye, had over 20 minutes of the original version chopped out. The role of the young woman named Madeleine was played by the alluring and voluptuous Christina Lindberg. Before Thriller, Lindberg had already been making appearances in other exploitation gems such as Anita: Swedish Nymphet, Maid In Sweden and the Japanese softcore revenge flick, Furyô anego den: Inoshika Ochô a.k.a. Sex And Fury.
A young girl’s innocence is lost after being raped by an old man in a park, rendering her mute. Pretty disturbing stuff! After recovering on her family’s farm she meets Tony who forces her into prostitution after getting her hooked on heroin. On top of that, Tony stabs her in the eye with a scalpel…a really sick scene in the movie which supposedly a cadaver was used in the filming to make the razor-to-the-eyeball scene realistic. After learning of her parents’ untimely death, Madeleine snaps and sneaks out to get lessons in martial arts, learns to fire weapons and gets driving lessons. Madeleine plots her escape and goes on a killing spree dressed in a black leather trench coat and eye patch and armed with a sawed off shotgun enacting bloody revenge one sucker at a time.
Synapse Films released this rape-revenge movie a couple years ago with 2 versions. The Limited Edition version is worth tracking down for the totally uncut and uncensored version of the film along with loads of special features including outtakes, rare photos and alternate fight scenes. The “Venegeance” Edition is probably more easier to find in stores, but it is without the explicit adult content and special feautures.
trailer courtesy of Synapse Films
Tags: christina lindberg, hooker's revenge, review, the call her one eye
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STAR & DAGGER signing at Forbidden Planet
February 9th, 2012 by chocko
From left to right…Donna She Wolf (Cycle Sluts From Hell), Von Hesseling and Sean Yseult (White Zombie) form the killer blues metal combo STAR & DAGGER along with drummer Dustin Crops. These ladies are no joke! I used to see Donna perform in her band She-Wolves back in the day at CBGB and I do recall a lot of headbanging at Roseland shows seeing Sean rock the bass in the legendary band White Zombie. I’m really excited to see them back on the scene and joining forces along with the killer vocalist, Von Hessling! They recently made an appearance at NYC’s Forbidden Planet last month and brought along their limited edition (only 500 made!) vinyl EP titled “In My Blood.” The vinyl is clear and half of it is “blood dipped” red. The opening track is titled “In My Blood” and has Von Hesseling sounding seductive and sinister while the band provides the chugging metal riffs guaranteed to make you bang your head! The flip side features some heavy, bluesy metal riffage on “Stories” and a cover of “Out of Focus” by a psychedelic band from the 60’s called Blue Cheer. If you’re down…get your copy from Last Hurrah Records. Expect a full length album titled “Tomorrowland Blues” to come out in 2012, an appearance at SXSW next month and I’m sure a ton of shows to come!
Tags: cycle sluts from hell, sean yseult, star and dagger, white zombie
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celebrating chinese new year at PEARL RIVER MART
February 6th, 2012 by Mr. C
(all pics & video by mr c)
The Wan Chi Ming – Hung Gar Kung Fu School were called upon once again to help celebrate chinese new year outside the storefront of Pearl River Mart by performing a traditional southern lion dance on jongs (poles-stilts) and another lion dance routine that showed the side-effects of a drunken lion! The hung gar students did a tremendous job of showing finesse, power, & grace worthy of a lion! Eating the lettuce would provide good fortune & luck not to mention a healthy does of red envelopes too! Some videos of the performances are below.
But before the aerial dance assault ensued, the Hung Gar kung fu students demonstrated some traditional routines native to their Tiger-Crane style including weapons like the kwan dao, broadsword, tiger’s fork and two person fighting forms involving the double broadswords vs pole and the kwan dao vs a snake spear bladed like long weapon. All the energetic fighting routines were backed by the traditonal thumping of the chinese drum!
For all that have never been to Pearl River Mart located in lower manhattan, what have you been waiting for? This store sells all things chinese including fabrics, kitchen-housewares, tea, birdcages, musical instruments, clothing, furniture, books, bruce lee prints, & other cute knick knacks! It’s basically a hodge-podge of chinese culture all housed in one building! I remembered shopping at their original & very modest locations in chinatown way back in my flock of seagulls hairdo days when they set up shop on grand street before consolidating to one larger store on canal & broadway in the late 80’s. The reincarnation of the store that is now located in Soho for quite some time now at 477 Broadway is a sight to behold. Pearl River Mart is definitely a recommended stop on your way down to chinatown! See ya’ there!
Pearl River Mart
477 Broadway (between Grand & Broome Street)
NY, NY
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new york hospitality
February 2nd, 2012 by Mr. C
Upon frolicking in the streets of the east village & lower east side, we sometimes get greeted by this at the crosswalk as mondocurry recently witnessed on suffolk street…..fuggettaboutit!
(photo taken on 1st avenue & 3rd street)
Tags: street art
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