Tragedy played Europa w/ Citizens Arrest, Teargas and Night Birds

June 1st, 2011 by chocko


TRAGEDY

CITIZENS ARREST

TEARGAS

NIGHT BIRDS

Starting off last night’s punk rock invasion of Greenpoint, Brooklyn was Night Birds…a band that features former members of the Ergs! and Hunchback and sounds like they’re inspired by surfer music and old school Cali punk bands like Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. These guys were full of energy and never stood still for more than a second. Guitarist, Mike Hunchback leapt into the crowd and spent most of the time off the stage. He was a good sport and welcomed the heckling after breaking 2 guitar strings which slowed down the set just a tad. The catchy “Midnight Movies” was definitely a highlight which was also the title of their 7″ single at the merch table which features art by Mike Diana…dirty stuff with a whole lotta dick in the artwork. What’s up wit dat? They also have a new CD called “Fresh Kills Vol. 1” which features a lot of previously released stuff from their records and demo cassette. Definitely check them out!

Teargas brought the heavy artillery from Brisbane, Australia, but played to a crowd that looked like they would rather have been at a poetry reading…too much standing with the arms folded and not enough moving for a hardcore show. They played a quick half hour set complete with microphone problems…actually the lead singer accidentally unplugged his mic and sang unplugged for half a song then sang on a crappier mic for the rest of the set. They still brought the crust thunder from down under and sounded awesome. Their set included songs such as “The Mirror Stared Also” and “The Sound of Hammers Must Never Stop” from their first and super limited demo and first release on vinyl. They had a record for sale titled “The Way Of All Flesh” on Narm Discos. Recommended stuff!

Citizens Arrest bumrushed the stage looking a bit leaner and meaner from their last NYC appearance six months ago. Fresh from their Maryland Death Fest show and with Ted Leo in the mix on second guitar…I can’t imagine them ever sounding better. The crowd moshed and growled along to the choruses including Todd of Tragedy who watched from the side of the stage. These hardcore dudes from the 80’s and CBGB and ABC NO RIO alumni were no joke…class was in session. Lead singer, Daryl still got some high-flying hops left in him and the band played a set list that covered a lot of ground including new stuff they just recorded on Coextinction Recordings. Ted Leo definitely gets props for attempting the “Rhinestone Cowboy” request and for busting his ass on the slippery stage on the last song of the set and playing it off like a pro. There were lots of goodies at the merch table including the double album from 1991 “Colossus” on vinyl and a limited edition poster by Artist, and Inflatable Children frontman, Derek Stukuls.

Tragedy was the reason the club was packed from wall to wall on a Tuesday night at 11:30 pm. As soon as the lights got dim and the band took to the stage, fists were raised and the crowd got increasingly crazier after every song. In case you don’t know…Tragedy are legendary in the hardcore punk scene with very little to no online presence. They sound inspired by bands like Discharge, Japanese hardcore bands and even d-beat and crust. Very heavy stuff indeed. Despite the microphone problems, their apocalyptic songs got the crowd moving, moshing, slipping, sliding and tumbling. My favorite song of the night had to be “The Ending Fight.” A real banger! Killer vocals by Todd Burdette. Lots of people of all shapes and sizes jumped into the pit…one fat dude looked like a jumbo jet as he leapt into the crowd. I’m pretty sure there were no survivors after the crash landing. The Tragedy album from 2006 “Nerve Damage” is the ish…See you at the next show!




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The 2011 NY Asian Film Festival lineup!

June 1st, 2011 by Mr. C

Folks, it’s almost that time of the year where the BEST film festival in NYC is about to blast off from July 1st-July 14th! Check out the programming below courtesy of the wonderful organizers of this event, SUBWAY CINEMA! Looks like this martian might go broke! From the retro films of Tsui Hark like ‘the Blade’ & Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain to Ching Siu Tung’s ‘Duel to the Death’ to Dragon Inn, Reign of Assassins, Detective Dee, the filipino exploit films, Bangkok Knockout, & midnight movie madness with my cult fave ‘Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky’ are must sees for me! I didn’t even get to the Japanese & Korean films yet! Oy Vey! My freakin’ wallet!

Via Subway Cinema

NEW YORK ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL
July 1 – 14 at Lincoln Center (July 1 – 14)
Japan Society (July 7 – 10)

The New York Asian Film Festival is ten years old! And we have presents for you! A Takashi Miike World Premiere! The long-awaited animated epic based on Osamu Tezuka’s life of Buddha! The International Premiere of the new movie from Johnnie To! Rare Filipino exploitation! An avalanche of retro screenings to celebrate our tenth birthday! And special guests Tsui Hark, Ryoo Seung-Wan, Su Chao-pin, Takayuki Yamada, Tak Sakaguchi and many more!

The New York Asian Film Festival is presented in association with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Japan Society’s Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film.

We’re deeply grateful for the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York, the Korean Cultural Service New York and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York.

The Line-Up!!!!
Official Opening Night Film
MILOCRORZE: A LOVE STORY (Japan, 2011, North American Premiere, 90 minutes) Truly trippy, this bizarro musical/variety/samurai/love story from Japan is one solid slab of psychedelia from Yoshimasa Ishibashi, the mad genius behind the Fuccon Family.
***The movie’s director, Yoshimasa Ishibashi, and star, Takayuki Yamada, will be at the screenings
Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

Centerpiece Presentation
SHAOLIN (Hong Kong, 2011, North American Premiere, 131 minutes)
It doesn’t get any bigger than this. Superstar Andy Lau, Nic Tse and Jackie Chan all star in this swank, blockbuster retelling of the primal martial arts story: the destruction of Shaolin Temple, which is the birthplace of martial arts. It’s a movie that’s been made many times (hence the alternate title NEW SHAOLIN TEMPLE) but never before has it been this massive, this lavish and this chock full o’action.
***The movie’s director, Benny Chan, will be at the screening

Centerpiece Presentation
NINJA KIDS!!! (Japan, 2011, World Premiere, 100 minutes) – Takashi Miike has been impressing critics with 13 ASSASSINS and his 3D remake of HARA KIRI that just played Cannes. Whatever. We’ve got the World Premiere of his insane new kid’s flick about feuding ninja schools. People wonder where all the craziness went from Miike’s two new films? He put it all in here. Your jaw will drop like an elevator with a snapped cable. We love you, Takashi Miike!!!
Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

Official Closing Night Film
THE YELLOW SEA (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 156 minutes) – from the director of THE CHASER, and fresh out of Cannes, this is the Korean action movie in excelsis. A North Korean immigrant is sent to Seoul to perform a hit. Soon the Chinese mafia, the Korean mafia and the cops, are after him and hatchets are deployed, trucks are flipped and all hell breaks loose.
***The movie’s director, Na Hong-Jin will be at the screening

The 2011 Star Asia Awards will go to:

Star Asia Rising Star Award
Takayuki Yamada – Japan’s most versatile young actor has gone from being a TV heartthrob to a TRAIN MAN (his breakthrough role) to one of Takashi Miike’s 13 ASSASSINS. And in this year’s Opening Night selection, MILOCRORZE: A LOVE STORY, he plays every single male part.

Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award
Tsui Hark – One of our first events was a retrospective of Hong Kong’s veteran filmmaker and award-winning director, Tsui Hark, way back in 2001. We figured it was time to bring him to the festival and recognize his extraordinary, lifelong contributions to Hong Kong cinema, especially after his latest film, DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, was a huge box office hit and won “Best Director” at the Hong Kong Film Awards 2011.

We’ve also got three special focuses:
WU XIA: HONG KONG’S FLYING SWORDSMEN
Presented with the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, this special focus is on Hong Kong’s wu xia (literally “martial arts”) films. It’s a genre that’s unique to Hong Kong and while it’s all about showcasing the Chinese martial arts tradition it’s come to refer specifically to that brain-expanding genre of Hong Kong movies that use the cutting edge of cinematography and the best special effects of the time to paint a world full of flying swordsmen, deadly female warriors, legendary blades and more than a touch of fantasy.

This line-up will include:
DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (Hong Kong, 2010, 122 minutes) – Tsui Hark’s return to greatness is a Holmes-ian fantasia about spontaneous combustion and kung fu deer. An exiled detective is returned to favor in the Imperial court to solve a series of mysterious deaths that delay the inauguration of the Empress Wu, played by Carina Lau, who won “Best Actress” at the Hong Kong Film Awards 2011 for her performance. The movie also won top prizes in Art Direction, Costume and Make-up Design as well as in Sound Design and Visual Effects.
***The movie’s director, Tsui Hark, will be at the screening

THE BLADE (Hong Kong, 1995, 100 minutes) – a rare screening of Tsui Hark’s martial masterpiece, this is one of the towering achievements of Chinese cinema. In a rare 35mm print.
***The movie’s director, Tsui Hark, will be at the screening

DUEL TO THE DEATH (Hong Kong, 1983, 83 minutes) – Ching Siu-tung’s directorial debut deploys ninjas, poisoned blades and some of the world’s most innovative choreography to create a movie that’s one part martial arts film, one part exploitation shocker and one part ballet. Screening on a rare 35mm print!

DRAGON INN (Hong Kong, 1992, 109 minutes) – two of Hong Kong’s greatest actresses, Maggie Cheung and Brigitte Lin, take on Donnie Yen’s bloodless eunuch in this TsuiHark-produced swordplay romance. Directed by Raymond Lee, it’s a remake of King Hu’s 1967 masterpiece. A brand new print of this classic film, struck specially for the New York Asian Film Festival.
***The movie’s producer, Tsui Hark, will be at the screening

ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (Hong Kong, 1983, 94 minutes) – the movie that launched a thousand wu xia, Tsui Hark’s surreal phantasmagoria will blow your mind. Recruiting Hollywood special effects technicians just off Star Wars and Star Trek the Motion Picture, Tsui Hark’s film reinvented a genre and kickstarted Hong Kong’s entire special effects industry. This is a rare chance to see a 35mm print of this movie in all its big screen glory.
***The movie’s director, Tsui Hark, will be at the screening

Special focus:
SEA OF REVENGE: NEW KOREAN THRILLERS
In 2008, when the Korean film industry was at its lowest point, Na Hong-Jin released the word-of-mouth hit, THE CHASER, launching a wave of twisty thrillers focused on intense action and ace performances. In this special focus, presented in association with the Korean Cultural Service New York, we show you the best of what THE CHASER has wrought.

This line-up will include:
THE YELLOW SEA (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 156 minutes) – Na Hong-Jin reunites with his stars from THE CHASER to make this big, relentless follow-up. We’ve got it fresh from its Cannes screening as part of Un Certain Regard
***The movie’s director, Na Hong-Jin, will be at the screening

THE UNJUST (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 119 minutes) – longtime festival favorite, action director Ryoo Seung-Wan, turns in this epic, sprawling corruption saga that recalls Sidney Lumet back in his PRINCE OF THE CITY days.
***The movie’s director, Ryoo Seung-Wan, will be at the screening

BEDEVILLED (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 115 minutes) – this time, the ladies are doing it. An all-female version of DELIVERANCE, where a city slicker goes to an insular rural community where she’s not wanted. Possibly the greatest women vs. men movie ever made, lead actress Seo Young-Hee took home six “Best Actress” awards for her performance here.

THE CHASER (Korea, 2008, 125 minutes) – the thriller that saved the Korean film industry, this mega-hit is what you’d get if you cross-bred Alfred Hitchcock with a pit bull.
***The movie’s director, Na Hong-Jin, will be at the screening

HAUNTERS (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 114 minutes) – 50% superhero movie, 50% horror movie and 100% Korean thriller, this bigtime commercial
hit is about a troubled kid who can control minds and the simple guy, immune to his ability, who’s out to stop him.

THE MAN FROM NOWHERE (Korea, 2010, 119 minutes) – one part Batman, one part Bourne, Korean mega-star, Won Bin, revamped his image as a hard man of action with this movie about a spy coming out of retirement to take on a ring of organ harvesters. The number one movie at the Korean box office in 2010 (beating INCEPTION and IRON MAN 2), it took home SIXTEEN film awards!

TROUBLESHOOTER (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 99 minutes) – produced by Ryoo Seung-Wan, this is a classic “wrong man” movie, only this time the wrong man is a hardcore ex-cop (Sol Kyung-Gu from the highly successful PUBLIC ENEMY series) and it’s got the black, bleak sense of absurdist humor most thrillers lack.
***The movie’s producer, Ryoo Seung-Wan, and director, Kwok Hyeok-Jae, will be at the screening

Special focus:
SU CHAO-PIN: TAIWAN’S KING OF ENTERTAINMENT
In the US, we think of Taiwanese movies as an endless stream of art films. But with the support of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, we are proud to bring to New York one of the few Taiwanese directors who makes blockbuster hits that actual real live people go to see: Su Chao-pin!

This line-up will include:
REIGN OF ASSASSINS (Hong Kong/Taiwan/China, 2010, 117 minutes, New York Premiere) – co-directed with John Woo, starring Michelle Yeoh and Korean star Jung Woo-Sung, this massive martial arts hit gives the genre a beating, bleeding, romantic heart.
***The movie’s director and writer, Su Chao-pin, will be at the screening

THE CABBIE (Taiwan, 2000, 94 minutes) – Su’s first movie set new trends in Taiwan for actually being entertaining. He wrote this flick based on his experiences driving a cab, and it’s a fast-paced black comedy about a cabbie in love with a traffic cop.
***The movie’s writer, Su Chao-pin, will be at the screening

BTS: BETTER THAN SEX (Taiwan, 2002, 92 minutes) – one of the most hyperactive, funniest movies about sex you’ll ever see. Pity this poor teenage porn-addict who just wants to find a real girl. Way ahead of its time, this movie manages to be all about sex without feeling pervy.
***The movie’s director and writer, Su Chao-pin, will be at the screening

And now the full line-up!

CHINA
BUDDHA MOUNTAIN (China, 2010, North American Premiere, 105 minutes) – gobbling up festival awards around the world, Sylvia Chang stars as a suicidal landlady who rents an apartment to three irritating young hipsters in this transcendent drama from Li Yu (LOST IN BEIJING) one of the only female directors working in China. Popular actress, Fan Bingbing (SHAOLIN), stars as one of the hipsters, but it’s Sylvia Chang, the most important woman in Chinese show business in the 70’s and 80’s, who owns this movie.

OCEAN HEAVEN (China/Hong Kong, 2010, New York Premiere, 96 minutes) – directed by another female director, this movie sees Jet Li team up with cinematographer Christopher Doyle and composer Joe Hisaishi to make a restrained, heartbreaking movie about a dad (Jet Li) trying to teach his autistic son how to live on his own. Beautifully shot, scored, acted and observed, it’s got no action, all heartbreak.

HONG KONG
THE BLADE (Hong Kong, 1995, 100 minutes) – part of Wu Xia focus.
***The movie’s director, Tsui Hark, will be at the screening

DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (Hong Kong, 2010, 122 minutes) – part of Wu Xia focus.
***The movie’s director, Tsui Hark, will be at the screening

DRAGON INN (Hong Kong, 1992, 109 minutes) – part of Wu Xia focus. Brand new print!
***The movie’s producer, Tsui Hark, will be at the screening

DUEL TO THE DEATH (Hong Kong, 1983, 83 minutes) – part of Wu Xia focus.

PUNISHED (Hong Kong, 2011, International Premiere, 94 minutes) – the latest movie produced by Johnnie To, this is a hardcore revenge drama featuring a powerhouse turn by Anthony Wong as a real estate billonaire whose wild child daughter has been kidnapped. Bullet-to-the-head action the way Hong Kong used to do it.

SHAOLIN (Hong Kong/China, 2011, North American Premiere, 131 minutes) – Centerpiece Presentation
***The movie’s director, Benny Chan, will be at the screening

RIKI-OH: THE STORY OF RICKY (Hong Kong, 1991, 91 minutes) – the classic Hong Kong midnight action movie about prison privatization and monsters who strangle you with their guts. Rarely seen on the big screen, this is a full-on, ridiculously crazy mind-melter full of crucifixion, flaying, classic kung fu combat and prison wardens who keep breath mints in their glass eyeballs.

ZU: WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (Hong Kong, 1983 94 minutes) – part of Wu Xia focus.
***The movie’s director, Tsui Hark, will be at the screening

JAPAN
13 ASSASSINS: DIRECTOR’S CUT (Japan, 2010, 141 minutes, New York Premiere) – the complete UNCUT version of Takashi Miike’s samurai masterpiece. With 17 minutes of original footage restored.
***One of the movie’s stars, Takayuki Yamada, will be at the screening

ABRAXAS (Japan, 2010, New York Premiere, 113 minutes) – straight outta Sundance comes this movie about a punk rocker turned Buddhist monk who still yearns to rock out.

BATTLE ROYALE (Japan, 2000, 114 minutes) – a celebratory screening of Kinji Fukasaku’s masterpiece now that it finally – after 10 years!!!! – has a new distributor who wants people to actually see it. Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

A BOY AND HIS SAMURAI (Japan, 2010, North American Premiere, 109 minutes) – the director of FISH STORY and GOLDEN SLUMBER returns to the festival with this family film about a samurai who winds up in the modern era. Surprisingly, it then becomes an exceptional food movie! This is the father-son movie you’ve been looking for.

DARK ON DARK (Japan, 2011, International Premiere, 17 minutes) – this short film is the directorial debut from Makoto Ohtake, a well-known Japanese comedian and actor since the 80’s (he’s worked extensively with Takeshi Kitano and the popular City Boys troupe). It’s all about a two-bit talent manager and his outrageously endowed adult video talent bringing peace into the world via their various “gifts.” Screens with HORNY HOUSE OF HORROR.

GANTZ and GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER (Japan, 2011, 130 minutes & 150 minutes) – presented back-to-back it’s the uncut, subtitled, live action movies based on Japan’s existential sci fi action manga. It’s the New York Premiere of the subtitled GANTZ and the North American Premiere of the subtitled GANTZ: PERFECT ANSWER. Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

HEAVENS STORY (Japan, 2010, North American Premiere, 278 minutes) – “King of Pink Films” Takahisa Zeze spent almost two years shooting this 4 hour movie about two random murders and the heartbreak, trauma and healing that spills out from them over the next two decades. Monumental and strange, passionate and philosophical, this is an epic in every sense of the word and a towering achievement in film. Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

HORNY HOUSE OF HORROR (Japan, 2010, North American Premiere, 75 minutes) ¬ Japan does the violent porno horror thing better than anyone else and this oddity features butt-walls, wiener-eating and demon hookers. This is the directorial debut from the writer of MUTANT GIRLS SQUAD, and it’s firmly in the vein of that film and ROBO GEISHA. Only, you know, set in a horny house that’s full of horror. Preceded by: DARK ON DARK (see above, 17 minutes)

KARATE-ROBO ZABORGAR (Japan, 2011, New York Premiere, 106 minutes) ¬ Noboru Iguchi (Robo Geisha) makes his best film yet. Not just that, but this is the best-looking flick from label, Sushi Typhoon, yet. Slick, big budget and almost family friendly, it’s based on an obscure TV show from the 70’s about a young, bright-eyed police officer and his karate robot (who transforms into a motorcycle) fighting crime. But in Iguchi’s version, the two split up and have to reunite years later after middle-age has taken its toll.

THE LAST DAYS OF THE WORLD (Japan, 2011, World Premiere, 96 minutes) – a return to the trippy, socially-engaged, blackly comic, ridiculously violent revolutionary movies of Japan’s 60’s. A high school student has a vision that the world is ending and so, faced with no consequences, he abducts a fellow student and goes on a crime spree.

LOVE AND LOATHING AND LULU AND AYANO (Japan, 2010, North American Premiere, 105 minutes) – based on a book of interviews with porn film dayworkers, this exuberant, anime-influenced movie about life on the bottom rungs of the adult film business treats life in the porno business as a chance for some actors to escape theirhumdrum, everyday existences. Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

MILOCRORZE: A LOVE STORY (Japan, 2011, North American Premiere, 90 minutes)
Opening Night Movie ***The movie’s director, Yoshimasa Ishibashi, and star, Takayuki Yamada, will be at the screenings Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary

Japanese Cinema
NINJA KIDS!!! (Japan, 2011, World Premiere, 100 minutes) – Centerpiece Presentation Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

OSAMU TEZUKA’S BUDDHA: THE GREAT DEPARTURE (Japan, 2011, North American Premiere, 111 minutes) – the much-anticipated animated epic based on Osamu Tezuka’s landmark life of the Buddha. Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Film

RINGING IN THEIR EARS (Japan, 2011, International Premiere, 89 minutes) – Yu Irie (8000 MILES 1 & 2) returns with this ambitious flick about an upcoming concert by a reclusive rock group and the managers, obsessed fans, shut-ins, single moms and kindergarten teachers who are affected by it. A true tribute to the healing power of rock and roll.
Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

VERSUS (Japan, 2000, 120 minutes) – a tenth-anniversary celebration of the Japanese zombie action film that launched a thousand horror/splatter/action flicks. ***Star and action choreographer, Tak Sakaguchi, and writer, Yudai Yamaguchi, will be at the screening.

YAKUZA WEAPON (Japan, 2011, New York Premiere, 105 minutes) – stuntman-turned-director, Tak Sakaguchi, turns in a high calibre, action-heavy riff on Robocop all about a robot yakuza out to put his fist through the skulls of the bad guys. From Sushi Typhoon, purveyor of movies like Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl.
***The movie’s director and star, Tak Sakaguchi, and co-director and writer, Yudai Yamaguchi, will be at the screening Presented with Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema

KOREA
BATTLEFIELD HEROES (Korea, 2011, New York Premiere, 118 minutes) – an absurdist satire about war, this movie from Lee Joon-Ik (director of KING AND CLOWN, the highest-grossing Korean film of all time) is like a Terry Gilliam movie gone Korean as a farmer too poor to even have a name gets drafted into one of medieval Korea’s eternal wars.
***The movie’s director, Lee Joon-Ik, will be at the screening.

BEDEVILLED (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 115 minutes) – part of Sea of Revenge focus.

THE CHASER (Korean, 2008, 125 minutes) – part of Sea of Revenge focus.

CITY OF VIOLENCE (Korea, 2006, 92 minutes) – an encore presentation of the best all-out action film from Ryoo Seung-Wan (THE UNJUST). Like a less ironic version of KILL BILL.
***The movie’s director, Ryoo Seung-Wan, will be at the screening

FOXY FESTIVAL (Korea, 2010, North American Premiere, 110 minutes) ¬ a “Making Our Neighborhoods Safe & Happy” festival has the vice cops working overtime in this multi-character comedy that’s like a Robert Altman flick about fetishes. Love – and handcuffs, and nipple clamps – all conspire to save the day from the forces of conformity.

HAUNTERS (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 114 minutes) – part of Sea of Revenge focus.

THE MAN FROM NOWHERE (Korea, 2010, 119 minutes) – part of Sea of Revenge focus.

MSFF SHORTS (Korea, 2010) – Korea’s best directors assemble two selections of that country’s best short horror, action and comedy movies just for you.

THE RECIPE (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 107 minutes) – a serial killer escapes from prison but is recaptured when he stops to eat a bowl of stew that’s so good he loses track of time. What is the secret behind the stew? Korea finally delivers its best food film with this kitchen romance.

TROUBLESHOOTER (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 99 minutes) – part of Sea of Revenge focus. ***The movie’s producer, Ryoo Seung-Wan, and director, Kwok Hyeok-Jae, will be at the screening

THE UNJUST (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 119 minutes) – part of Sea of Vengeance focus. ***The movie’s director, Ryoo Seung-Wan, will be at the screening

THE YELLOW SEA (Korea, 2010, New York Premiere, 156 minutes) – Closing Night Movie Part of Sea of Revenge focus.
***The movie’s director, Na Hong-Jin, will be at the screening

MALAYSIA
SELL OUT (Malaysia, 2008, New York Premiere, 110 minutes) – one of the best, smartest and funniest movies ever made in Malaysia finally escapes from the clutches of its evil distributor and it was worth the wait. A musical about money, creativity and a reality show focusing on those who are about to die, this is like nothing else in our line-up except (maybe) MILOCRORZE.

PHILIPPINES
MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED (Australia, 2010, New York Premiere, 84 minutes) – from the people who made Not Quite Hollywood, comes this definitive documentary about the Filipino exploitation film bonanza that erupted in the 70’s and 80’s.

RAW FORCE (Philippines/USA, 1982, 86 minutes) – one of the strangest Filipino/US co-productions from the 80’s, this rarely-screened exploitation fever dream is better known by its other title Kung Fu Cannibals. With zombies, ninjas, samurai, kung fu, and evil monks, this is the entire 1980’s exploitation industry fired into your eyes via firehose.

TAIWAN
BETTER THAN SEX (Taiwan, 2002, 92 minutes) ¬ part of Su Chao-pin focus.
***The movie’s director, Su Chao-pin, will be at the screening

THE CABBIE (Taiwan, 2000, 94 minutes) – part of Su Chao-pin focus
***The movie’s writer, Su Chao-pin, will be at the screening

REIGN OF ASSASSINS (Hong Kong/Taiwan/China, 2010, 117 minutes) ¬ part of Su Chao-pin focus.
***The movie’s co-director and writer, Su Chao-pin, will be at the screening

THAILAND
BKO: BANGKOK KNOCKOUT (Thailand, 2010, New York Premiere, 105 minutes) – Tony Jaa’s mentor, Panna Rittikrai, will school you now. This exploitation stunt-tacular features all his best stuntmen and women unleashing muay thai, capoeira, dirt bike fu, shovel beatdowns, fights on fire, fights in the water, fights under trucks, fights in mid-air, and two back-to-back climactic smackdowns that have to be seen to be believed.

Prepare yourselves for the best New York Asian Film Festival yet!!!

ABOUT THE FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER
Under the leadership of Rose Kuo, Executive Director, and Richard Peña, Program Director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center offers the best in international, classic and cutting-edge independent cinema. The Film Society presents two film festivals that attract global attention: the New York Film Festival, currently planning its 49th edition, and New Directors/New Films which, since its founding in 1972, has been produced in collaboration with MoMA. The Film Society also publishes the award-winning Film Comment Magazine, and for over three decades has given an annual award (now named “The Chaplin Award”) to a major figure in world cinema. Past recipients of this award include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks. The Film Society presents a year-round calendar of programming, panels, lectures, educational programs and specialty film releases at its Walter Reade Theater and the new state-of-the-art Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, opening June 2011. The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from 42BELOW, American Airlines, The New York Times, Stella Artois, the National Endowment for the Arts, WNET New York Public Media, Royal Bank of Canada and the New York State Council on the Arts. For more information, visit their website here

ABOUT NYAFF
Subway Cinema is a New York-based film programming, exhibition, and marketing collective, committed to increasing exposure and appreciation for Asia’s popular cinema with year-round events and screenings. Its flagship event is the New York Asian Film Festival (July 1 – 14) which the New York Times has called “…one of the city’s most valuable events…” Launched in 2002, the NYAFF is America’s leading and most influential showcase for popular Asian cinema. Each year, the Festival selects over 40 feature films, and only the best, the strangest, and the most entertaining make the cut. The NYAFF was the first North American film festival to put a spotlight on Johnnie To, Bong Joon-Ho and Park Chan-Wook and it also held the largest retrospective of Tsui Hark’s work outside of Hong Kong. It is widely considered invincible.

The NYAFF is made possible through the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York, the Korean Cultural Service New York, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, Japan Foundation and the Kitano Hotel.

ABOUT JAPAN SOCIETY
The Japan Society Film Program has offered a diverse selection of Japanese films, from classics to contemporary independent productions. The Program has included retrospectives of seminal directors, thematic series and special screenings of international, U.S. and NY premieres. Several original film series curated by Japan Society have traveled to other U.S. venues in tours organized by the Film Program. The Film Program has provided English subtitles for films which have never been screened outside of Japan. Accompanying lectures help place the films in their aesthetic and social contexts, and filmmakers often introduce and discuss their work. This year, Japan Cuts: Festival of Contemporary Japanese Cinema (July 7 – 22, 2011) becomes the world’s largest showcase of contemporary Japanese cinema with 32 films in its line-up.

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bk street art

May 28th, 2011 by chocko

williamsburg, brooklyn nyc

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Mismatched Couples (1985) directed by Yuen Wo Ping

May 28th, 2011 by Mr. C

Director: Yuen Wo Ping
Actors: Donnie Yen, Dick Wei, Kenny Perez, May Lo mei mei, Brandy Yuen

Donnie Yen busted out some ‘boombastic’ b-boy grooves coupled with some ‘shagadelic’ kung fu moves in this fun, hong kong comedy from 1985! I guess you can call it, breakdancing fu! I haven’t watched this joint since the days of my flock of seagulls hairdo from the late 1980’s! Donnie Yen has a special place in my piggy heart since his DRUNKEN TAI CHI was one of the 1st kung fu movies that I had ever watched on the big screen in NYC’s chinatown! Mismatched Couples featured a very young & mobile Donnie Yen which still proved to be entertaining 25+ years later!

The story teeters between the misadventures of eddie played by Donnie Yen and the relationship between his conservative sister and an older gentleman looking to make ends meet who Eddie befriends. Old man rivers’ only intention was to just secure a job at the sisters restaurant but a mismatched benny hill love story between Eddie’s sister & the geezer would lurk in the horizon!
The old man is goofy & as alert as Mr. Magoo but possesses some fine ass kung fu chops on occassion when he isn’t chasing his own tail!

Donnie Yen would display some furious breakdance moves which included some up rock, down rock, freezing, & freestyle techniques with some pop & lock variations all with a kung fu flavor of course! There were quite a few b-boy battle scenes that would have you on the edge of your seat in amazement & laughter at the same time! They include: The airport scene with the old man with the boom box vs kenny the punk in the jumpsuit with speakers built into his outfit; The crouching tiger hidden dragon tennis match between the punks vs Donnie Yen on a BMX bike; Donnie teaching a young lady how to pop & lock with a nice demonstration of the campbell lock techniques similiar to Rerun in What’s Happening!; The weightlifting scene between Donnie, the iron man, & the lady bodybuilder; And the B-Boy battle between Kenny vs Donnie Yen with the 2 demonstrating some real funky up-rock techniques as a prelude before switching over to some dynamic aerial moves with some down-rock b-boy swagger which included some baby freezes in the mix!

All would not be good in Mr. Rogers’ hood when the iron man from the weightlifting gym looks for revenge against Donnie Yen for upstaging him in a prior battle! This scene would bring back memories of the Last Dragon when Sho-nuff met up with Bruce Leroy but with a 80’s chinese comedic flare! This finale will showcase some fine kung fu action tempered with some slapstick that Jackie Chan would understand & appreciate!

All in all, Mismatched Couples was a fun, lighthearted comedy that is worth watching especially if you’re a Donnie Yen & Yuen Wo Ping fan! The mashup of breakdancing & kung fu was insane and it definitely showcased Yen’s athletic ability to the fullest! Seek & destroy, folks!

Stuntman & actor Michael Woods who was a student of Donnie Yen’s mother, Master Bow Sim Mark of Boston mentioned at a HK film retrospective event at the museum of the moving image that Donnie had asked him & his friends to show him a few breakdance moves in anticipation for filming Mismatched Couples! Breakdance & kung fu do share a lot of similiar fluid movements that require flexibility & attitude!

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Our Concert Could Be Your Life

May 25th, 2011 by chocko


Last Sunday’s show at Bowery Ballroom in New York City was a special one and it featured 14 bands paying tribute to the book by Michael Azerrad titled “Our Band Could Be Your Life” which chronicled the American punk and indie rock scene in the 1980’s. Every band on the bill covered a band written about in the book, each playing short sets. Eugene Mirman and Janeane Garofalo hosted the evening and provided the comedy while introducing the bands. The first band up was members of Dirty Projectors doing a set of Black Flag songs, surprisingly in the way they were meant to be heard…fast and furious. This was a total departure from Dirty Projectors’ reinterpretation of Black Flag songs in their tribute “Rise Above” which came out in 2007. It was definitely a good way to start the night. Delicate Steve played Minutemen songs with the help of Les Savy Fav’s lead singer Tim Harrington and Lee Renaldo of Sonic Youth. Citay performed Mission of Burma songs. Ted Leo covered Minor Threat in a set that featured him without a band and singing over backing tracks which played on a reel to reel tape machine. You would think that it would be wack, but Ted pulled it off well and his set was definitely a highlight. Grooms covered Husker Du. Titus Andronicus did an energetic Replacements set with Craig Finn playing the role of the police officer at the start of “Kids Don’t Follow.” Tune-Yards and Callers both played Sonic Youth songs. Things got really wacky when Dan Deacon performed Butthole Surfers songs with the all the lights off and a screen which projected images of demons and Woody Harrelson. The crowd got a bit rowdy and mosh pits were formed and noses were broken. Annie Clark a.k.a. St. Vincent covered Big Black songs which was the definitive highlight of the night. Doing her best Albini, Annie Clark shredded her guitar and rocked the f*ck out. Her versions of “Bad Penny” and “Kerosene” blew the roof off the place and got the loudest crowd reaction of the night. Wye Oak played a rocking Dinosaur Jr. set. Buke and Gass played an acoustic set of Fugazi songs. White Hills treated the crowd to a Mudhoney grunge fest and Yellow Ostrich ended the night with a Beat Happening set. The encore featured a speech by Michael Azzerad and a set of Nirvana songs performed by members of Wye Oak, Buke and Gass, Dirty Projectors, Titus Andronicus, Tune-Yards and Dan Deacon.




SET LIST

Members of DIRTY PROJECTORS (Nat Baldwin, David Longstreth and Brian McOmber) played “Police Story”, “Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie”, “Spray Paint”, “Thirsty and Miserable”, and “Rise Above” by BLACK FLAG

DELICATE STEVE played “Cohesion”, “This Ain’t No Picnic” (with Tim Harrrington) and “History Lesson Part II” and “Jesus and Tequila” (with Lee Renaldo) by MINUTEMEN

CITAY played “Term Two” and “Peking Spring” by MISSION OF BURMA

TED LEO played “”Minor Threat”, “Stand Up”, “Filler”, “Look Back And Laugh” and “Salad Days” by MINOR THREAT

GROOMS played “”Pink Turns To Blue”, “Diane” and “Something I Learned Today” by HUSKER DU

TITUS ANDRONICUS played “Kids Don’t Follow”, “Raised In The City” and “Treatment Bound” by THE REPLACEMENTS

TUNE-YARDS played “The Burning Spear” by SONIC YOUTH

CALLERS played “Shadow of a Doubt” and “The World Looks Red” by SONIC YOUTH

DAN DEACON played “Sweet Loaf”, “Human Cannonball”, and “The Shah Sleeps In Lee Harvey’s Grave” by BUTTHOLE SURFERS

ST. VINCENT played “Bad Penny” and “Kersene” by BIG BLACK

WYE OAK played “Sludgefest” and “Tarpit”by DINOSAUR JR.

BUKE AND GASS played “Long Division” and “Guilford Fall” by FUGAZI

WHITE HILLS played “In ‘N’ Out Of Grace” and “When Tomorrow Hits” by MUDHONEY

YELLOW OSTRICH played “Indian Summer” and “Left Behind” by BEAT HAPPENING

ENCORE “Negative Creep”, “Sliver” and “Lithium” by NIRVANA

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On the Shoulders of Giants (2011)

May 23rd, 2011 by Mr. C

Directed by Deborah Morales
Written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

This documentary was written by one of the greatest NBA players of all time (and college,too), Kareem Abdul Jabbar. He would tell us a story about the greatest basketball team that you’ve never heard of, The Harlem Renaissance better known as the HARLEM RENS! This documentary would also serve as a reminder of what our young united america thought about people of color.

The film would open up with 4 guests on the hot stove & Kareem on the sideburner offering up his point of view when the baton was passed to him! The question was posed to the 4 distinguishable guests: Bill Russell (Celtic legend), Jerry West (Laker great), Jerry Reinsdorf (Chicago Bulls owner), & Marques Haynes (Harlem globetrotter legend).

Who was the greatest basketball team of all time? Russell argued for his Boston celtic teams. West would throw in the 1980-85 L.A. Lakers, Reinsdorf would mention Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, & Haynes would say his Globetrotters. Kareem was also partial to his 1980’s Lakers and then segued into the statement.. “But now, I want to tell you the greatest team that you’ve never heard of !”
And in a millisecond, Chuck D’s rap vocals with familiar public enemy boom bap beats paired with Wynton Marsalis’ jazz chops would ignite the film! Jamie Foxx & Abdul Jabbar would bring much life to the basketball courts while narrating the movie! Besides the plethora of informative facts, the stunning visuals of the black & white still photographs from the film really leaped out from the screen telling an electrified tale of their own even from their static only presence. Stills & animation would provide the backdrop to stories of lynchings, burned bodies, church burnings, racism, & segregation of african americans. Maya Angelou appeared in the film & provided a quote:

“If you’re LIGHT you’re all right, if you’re BROWN stick around, and if you’re BLACK get back..get back” – Maya Angelou

In the NY area, this would inspire black americans to unite and provide the inspiration to give birth to the Harlem Renaissance movement. Black culture, music, arts, literature, history, entertainment, & sports would be the manifestations of this renaissance. Bob Douglas would be the man with the master plan in creating the Harlem Renaissance Casino & ballroom on 138th st. & 7th avenue in Harlem! Douglas would also add a few basketball backboards & rims to his ballroom and soon thereafter, his basketball team of all blacks, the Harlem RENS would be the brainchild to one of the greatest basketball teams ever assembled! Ren players, fats jenkins (point guard), pop gates (great ball handler), zack clayton, wee willie smith, john isaacs (great ball control), Tarzan cooper, puggy bell, & shag burnett would be the foundation for this juggernaut of a team! Harlem didn’t have pro teams in other sports, but did have a pro basketball team with players that came from the heart of african american culture in harlem, new york! The Rens were the heart & soul of basketball at that particular era & they had a certain flare & style that was unique to harlem.
The style of basketball from the Rens can be defined as more of a passing game & less of a one man dribbling monster like we know it today. The goal was to always have the ball ahead of the players & keep the ball moving like a hot potato. Give & go! The Harlem Rens would be compared to warrior jazz musicians on the court that encompassed lots of improvising & rhythm. The bass would provide a strong foundation to the band much like the power forward on the team.
Meanwhile, the original celtics from the 1930’s were an established all white team who were very important in the development of strategy in basketball history. Without providing you with too much details, the Celtics and the Rens would eventually tango to discover who the real champions are & find out how much they really had in common. Bob douglas would also take his team on the road enduring struggles of traveling, meals, & accomodations for the colored. Staying in jails would prove to be safer.

Bob Costas: “The Rens embodied dignity in the face of oppression.”

A quote from the movie: “Terrorized. Traumatized. Stigmatized..which made african american role models not just important but essential to the black community.”

The Harlem globetrotters would eventually surface as another team created to cater to the white audience. Their traits were to be docile, less threatening, & to provide comedy on the court as opposed to the Rens who were hardcore players. The globetrotters were created to be non threatening to the whites. You will be surprised to hear where they are really from!

The Harlem Rens were pre Jackie Robinson era & much respect should be shined on them for the pains, burdens, & sufferings they had to deal with to fight for social equality in hostile settings with basketball as the vehicle! Black americans knew what they had, though! They achieved a serious milestone with the success of their Harlem Renaissance team! That along with the Joe Louis victory against Max Schmeling provided much pride & something to cheer for against their hating & ignorant counterparts!

This documentary cracked open the history books and gave me a lesson on a great basketball team that I never knew about while more importantly, provided me with a refresher course on a disgraceful part of american history which showed the struggles of african americans and their sources of inspiration to slowly overcome. Showing this film in history & social studies classes to our kids in high school might prove to be a good idea.

Guests from the film include: Dr. Cornel West of princeton, grant hill, chuck d, samuel l jackson, hubie brown, rev jesse jackson, charles barkley, clyde drexler, herbie hancock. david stern, lou carnesecca, John Wooden, & much,much more! Soundtracks from the movie includes music from Chuck D, Herbie Hancock, Will I am, & Wynton Marsalis!

This makes me want to visit the original site of the Harlem Renaissance Casino & Ballroom on 138th street & 7th avenue to see what remains of this once magnificent structure! You would imagine that the Harlem Renaissance Casino & Ballroom should of been flagged as a natonal landmark, but…??? I can also taste the history of the Apollo Theatre in Harlem as well!

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Detonation: Violent Games (1976)

May 16th, 2011 by Mr. C


Director: Teruo Ishii
Genre: Japanese biker gangs, exploitation

If TOEI wasn’t busy producing mega monster movies like Godzilla, you can bet your Takoyaki balls that they were looking for the next biggest thing in the exploitation arena to knock out of the ballpark at the box office! In this case, it’s the 1970’s invasion of the Japanese biker gang phenomenon on the big screen! Teruo Ishii directs the 2nd movie of the 4 part DETONATION series! Ishii was well known for directing movies in the pinku, martial arts, & yakuza film genre!

Detonation: Violent games tells the tale of an urban tug-o-war between two rival motorcycle gangs in Tokyo. It’s the Red Barons vs the Black Panthers! The Red Baron gang encompasses members of the more well to do faction of Tokyo while the Black Panthers are a bunch of raggamuffin inspired street demons who work day to day blue collar jobs. It’s a social typecasting that all human races can relate to and the animal in us will soon surface as layers of wealth are just that…layers that can be shed in the journey to discovering your true self. The opening scene of the movie involves both gangs tearing up the streets with their motorcycles to eventually meet tire to tire on the concrete slabs of Tokyo while hell riding & karate kicking each other in attempts to try and knock each other out of the box! Hells yeah! sounds like a good prelude to the movie already! Let’s get ready to rumble! Turf wars would soon ensue as the upper echelon society of the Red Barons will battle the sewer rats of the Black Panthers with Masami, a European Grand prix racing champion acting as the mediator between the two gangs! You can guarantee that someone will get caught up in the crossfire! Love, pride, & a tattoo BY FORCE to one of the gang members will cause the emotions of Mount Fuji to slowly erupt while testosterone levels rise to unsafe levels in the name of revenge! In the midst of all this brouhaha, finger snapping Japanese style West Side Story scenes will make this movie appeal to the exploitation fans as well as broadway enthusiasts(not really). As with any successful-award winning(sarcasm) exploitation flick, a decent amount of breasteses will show thyselves in the film & high beam you when they need some TLC! So, if junior is near the vicinity & he thinks that Detonation is an appetizer to a double header to Godzilla, get him back to playing pong on those colecoVision, Intellivision, or Atari game consoles while you investigate Detonation: Violent Games! This movie is chock ‘o full of fun motorcycle wares and love stares to make you grease that head back, or encourage you to puff out that perm with some extra heat while in the hairstylist seat!
I’ve been trying to get a hold of the 1st movie in the series called Detonation : Violent Riders with a special guest appearance by Sonny Chiba! Chiba Chiba-san promises to be a rough riding badass mofo!

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The Oily Maniac (1976)

May 13th, 2011 by Mr. C

Director: Ho Meng Hua
Produced by Shaw Brother Studios (1976)
Actors: Danny Lee, Chen Ping, Lily Li, Hua Lun
Genre: Horror, exploitation

Make sure to secure your quarts,gallons,and drums of engine oil, y’all! The OILY MANIAC is coming ‘atcha! This movie is another fine example of a Shaw Brother produced horror & exploitation joint at its best or worst depending on your point of view! How can you deny boobs, blood, & oil, I say?! Danny Lee plays the character of a lawyer on crutches stricken with polio. (And YES, this is the same Danny Lee that plays the good cop in John Woo’s, “The Killer”). His uncle who owns a coconut garden oil factory is framed for murder when a dirtbag business conglomerate fashions a plan to try and take over the company as well as some prized female possessions! While the Uncle is destined for death, Danny Lee’s character begins to unravel the truth behind the shenanigans which involves a crooked lawyer taking bribes from both parties while taking advantage of his clients & the defendants under the horrid circumstances. Danny would meet with his Uncle one last time as uncle Bah Ba passes on a secret spell that is tattooed on his back which will ultimately give birth to the wd40 monster, the OILY MANIAC! Danny cannot hide his emotions any longer when his love interest gets taken advantage of which then progresses further by her sleeping with the enemy! This quadrupled with Danny’s undressing of the conspiracy theory with uncle bah ba’s misfortunes & further frustrations of his polio disease leads to the inspiration of the Oily Maniac casted from this secret spell! He uses the oil slicked monster to take revenge on the evil doers as he morphs from human to monster when he douses & drowns himself in oil! While in monster format, he can also turn into a pool of oil to mask himself as he travels from scene to scene often magically reappearing in liquid format in local plumbing pipes to the bathtub to the ceiling to the ground before morphing into the well oiled 15w40 monster! His powers include possessing extraordinary strength & the ability to regenerate his body parts! With the intention of using the well oiled monster for good killings?, his rage gets the best of him when he starts to use the power to kill for love or the lack thereof! You may or may not be surprised on the method of his demise! The special effects & costume of the Oily Maniac is suspect almost hilarious, but the acting, story, & overall production of the movie is pretty darn entertaining! I guess you can say THE OILY MANIAC is a mashup of THE BLOB & the TOXIC AVENGER…chinese style! Saying yes the Oily Maniac is saying yes to breasteses, blob, blood, & oil! You will never look at an ordinary quart of oil in the same way again!

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Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds played at the Paradise Theater in the boogie down Bx!

May 11th, 2011 by Mr. C


Legendary singer/songwriter/producer – Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds played at the Paradise Theater on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx on Sunday, Mother’s Day! It was a very special day for all the ladies that night as a double header explosion of R&B started out with TANK who proceeded to rile up all the females into ecstasy with his supple sounds of sexual healing which clearly populated into the emotional minds of some swooning ladies in the house! The bass was thumpin’ & asses were jumpin’ around! We walked into the last few songs of Tank’s set including May I deserve & Please don’t go! Tank made a few more ladies cry in the front row by offering them $50 for getting their nails & hair done for mothers night out! Dag, if I would of known earlier I would of gotten dressed up as a martian version of Sheneneh from the Martin Lawrence show to try to get some Andrew Jackson’s thrown at me!

Batting in the cleanup spot was Babyface as he would slowly electric slide onto the stage with a full band as he caressed the mic while whispering sweet somethings in the audience’s ear! ‘Face opened up with “For the cool in you” as he danced & pranced about while spinning around like an elder statesmen from FAME! Father time reared its head as ‘Face even said that he was gasping for air after attempting the Bobby Brown twinkle toe dance moves! Despite the need for an oxygen tank, Babyface sounded real nice that night and the band complimented him really well by adding a full sound coupled with his gentle vocals. Face also had a few funny stories that he unleashed to the crowd including the “if the circumstances or the generation gap” would of been different with his 5th grade crush & charm on his school teacher, he might have been a writer/performer similiar to R. Kelly! “There ain’t nothing wrong….with a little bump n grind!” . The other story that he reminisced about that sparked his inspiration to write & perform with the best of them included a concert that he attended of Luther Vandross & Debarge! He stated that Luther was always the great Luther, but when he saw this little pale skin colored dude (El Debarge) with that puffed out curly hairdo jammin’ on that keyboard while singing in that falsetto voice with the song, “Love me in a special way”, Face knew what his calling was!

Babyface really warmed up the crowd when he performed a medley of some of his favorite digs which included Soon as I get home, Somebody to love me, & Where will you go! My favorite performances of the night from ‘Face includes “Everytime I close my eyes” & “Two Occassions” by The Deele! He really brought that Deele song home! The Deele originally consisted of Babyface, L.A. Reid, Satin Greene, & Kevin Roberson! Another heavy hitter & fun composition of the evening also performed in a medley format were songs that Babyface either wrote and/or produced including a few of Bobby Brown’s top hits like Don’t be Cruel, Tenderoni, & Every little step! Tevin Cambell’s (Can we talk for a minute), After 7’s (Ready or not), Johnny Gill (my my my), & Boyz 2 Men (I’ll make love to you + End of the Road) rounded off the flashback songs that made you say GODDAMN, Babyface…you had a hand in creating those monster tunes?! And many more to go with that list including writing lyrics for Whitney, Aretha, Chaka Khan, Janet, Prince, Pebbles, Brandy….and the list continues on & on! It’s mind blowing as you get a feel of how much Babyface really influenced the music industry! Edmonds performed “Whip Appeal” to close out the night at the beautiful & historic Paradise Theater! The Planet Chocko Storm Troopers (Chocko, Buggy, & Mr. C) all agreed that it was a fun concert but, we also concluded that there seemed to be a few elements missing that would of turned this mutha into an unforgettable night! We’re not sure if there was a 10pm curfew or something posed at the theatre, but the show seemed to really end abruptly. Babyface did not introduce the band members, nor even mentioned Tank. There was no hasta la bye byes to the audience as ‘Face just drifted out into the boogie down bronx night while the band finished off the last of the notes. The band shouted “Baby…Face”…”Baby…Face”, but there was no encore to be had as the theatre lights came right on! Even before the last song of the night “Whip Appeal”, we noticed that the crowds were starting to file out like there was some fire sale going on at the Grand Concourse! Did they know something that us Planet Chocko freaks didn’t? Maybe the zombies & the From Dusk Till Dawn characters would soon file into the theatre after 10pm for an afterparty?! What was also odd was that Babyface didn’t even touch an instrument the whole night! We were expecting him to come out acoustically with his guitar to bust out a personal tune or two to connect with the audience! Maybe this wouldn’t appeal to the local Bronx crowd? Who knows! Strange! We wanted to hear more, though! Some of the following would of been nice! : “When can I see you again”, “Change the world”, “How come, How long”, & “and our feelings”. I guess you can’t keep all the fans happy! Despite the disappointing finish in our point of view, Babyface layed it down real smooth & soothing. I love how he doesn’t over dramatize his performances, but instead chooses to use his weapon of voice to flow steady & slay his listeners with control, gracefulness, & clarity! I’m thinking a Babyface show at Manhatty might be more to our set list liking! REE-VENGE!

SET LIST
For the cool in you
Everytime I close my eyes
Never keeping secrets
soon as I get home
somebody to love me
where will you go
two occassions
Don’t be cruel
every little step
Tenderoni
Can we talk for a minute
Ready or not
my my my
I’ll make love to you
End of the road
Whip appeal

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JUSHIN THUNDER LIGER and HIROSHI TANAHASHI invade Mitsuwa

May 10th, 2011 by chocko

Japanese Professional wrestlers Jushin Thunder Liger (the one with the mask) and Hiroshi Tanashi (the dude with the killer mullet) stopped by Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater, New Jersey today for an autograph session to promote their upcoming wrestling matches in the area. It was a pretty unusual spot to see wrestlers..their table was set up in back of the cash registers at the marketplace and feet away from the food court where lunch goers were munching on sushi and ramen. Both wrestlers were extremely polite and posed for photos with the fans that showed up including some cashiers that hopped off the express lanes. Jushin Thunder Liger is a Japanese legend who got his start in professional wrestling in 1984 and every acrobatic, high-flying wrestler since then owes their success in part to the great masked one. He’s been in a slew of epic battles in Japan with with the likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and continues to wrestle. Hiroshi Tanahashi has been wrestling professionally since 1999 and was a tag team partner of Kenzo Suzuki in a team called Kings of the Hills. After being stabbed in the back in real life by an ex-girlfriend, Hiroshi gained tons of popularity after recovering from his injuries and stepping back into the ring as a solo wrestler. He held many different titles in his native land and continues to wrestle internationally. They’re both part of the NJPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling) Invasion Tour 2011 (Attack On East Coast) and will be wrestling at the following East Coast events:

May 13, 2011 – Rahway, NJ
Rahway Rec Center, 275 East Milton Avenue, Rahway, NJ

May 14, 2011 – New York City, NY
Basketball City, Pier 36 and South Street, New York, NY

May 15, 2011 – Philadelphi, PA
The Asylum Arena, 7 W. Ritner Street, Philadelphi, PA

You smell what Chocko’s cooking? Go get your tickets in advance here or else Chocko will give you a couple elbows off the top rope!




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Adrock and Kathleen Hanna were at MoMA

May 9th, 2011 by chocko

Last Thursday, Adrock of The Beastie Boys rocked the turntables at MoMA in conjunction with the exhibition there called Looking At Music 3.0 which focuses on the underground music scene during the 80’s and 90’s. Adrock was all smiles as he provided the music in the outdoor sculpture garden. He covered pretty much every genre of music you can think of but one of my favorite moments in the set is when he dropped a little Misfits on the unsuspecting museum crowd. Where Eagles Dare…got my attention and head bobbing to the punk rock beat. His wife, Kathleen Hanna of the legendary riot grrrl band Bikini Kill and Le Tigre was also on hand to sign posters she designed for the museum exhibit. She was so nice and talked to all her fans that came to see her. She signed some Bikini Kill CDs for me and we briefly talked about her band, The Julie Ruin which also features another original Bikini Kill member, Kathi Wilcox. She has been recording recently and it looks like she’s totally down to tour again when the album is done. Cey Adams, the founding creative director at Def Jam was also in the house signing a poster he designed. MoMA is located at 11 W. 53rd St. in New York City and the exhibition Looking At Music 3.0 will run until the end of May.


kathleen signs a poster for a fan

poster designed by kathleen hanna

poster designed by cey adams

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Zatoichi – Stage play (2007) directed by Takashi Miike

May 9th, 2011 by Mr. C

Written & Directed by: Takashi Miike
Starring: AIKAWA Show, ABE Sadawo, NAGATO Hiroyuki
Genre: Samurai Stage play

This Zatoichi stage play directed by Takashi Miike in 2007 is a pure work of art & a must see for any Zatoichi-Chanbara fan! The entire 166 minute play is stunningly performed & expertly crafted with very smooth set to set changeovers. The lighting & the soundtrack really set a nice mood to the story which included a hint of comedy along with the sizzling dramatics & violence! The sword choreography was graceful, yet powerful, a breathtaking glance with a dance of death of sorts! I’m probably wrong, but the swords that the cast were slashing & prancing about with on the stage really looked like heavy metal blades, not sharpened of course! They definitely did not look like toy soldiers with toy swords! Sho Aikawa played Zatoichi & he REALLY did a GREAT job capturing the spirit of the blind swordsman!

The play started out eerily quiet with 2 dark hooded figures with walking sticks cautiously strolling up the aisles of the theatre chanting, “I’m blind…I’m a blind masseuse…I’m blind…I’m a blind masseuse”. Upon stepping on the stage, the set changed over to a quick glimpse of Zatoichi slaughtering a few foes as they dropped like a sack of rice bags. The story would begin here as we find once again that Zatoichi has a reward out for his head with a few brave or dumb souls depending on your point of view that would have enough mochii to come and take a crack at cashing in on the reward! An added appetizer of the play includes an actress from a traveling stage troupe who starts to develop feelings for Zatoichi as well as for a renegade samurai bodyguard named Ryu. The central nervous system of this play would lie in a map that leads to a treasure which will cause a lot of grief & bloodshed! The fueding Yakuza clans, an elder, & an instigator will put their chips on the table for all to see! Who will bluff? Who will get stuffed? Who’s the schmuck? Zatoichi, Ryu, & the actress will find themselves in the middle of all this chaos! A tale of a broken sword & a confession of love will show thyselves!
I really dug this stage play that I viewed on DVD! The cast, the story, the costumes, the elaborate sets, mood, lighting, choreography, soundtrack, & the continuity of the whole production was off the hibachi! Not to mention that all of the above was done LIVE & to 1 take only! The close up camera shots when the fury swordplay erupted added to the chaos & frenzy! The subtitling of the play on DVD was also very easy to read! Thanks to the Kung Fu Cinema Community in shedding light to this wonderful find! Check out SamuraiDVD to get your copy of Zatoichi – Stage Play directed by Takashi Miike!

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