the Jackie Chan shuffle in the big apple
June 21st, 2013 by Mr. C
(Who me?)
Jackie Chan was on-hand in NYC on June 10 to accept the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center presented by the team responsible for organizing The New York Asian Film Festival – Subway Cinema! It was an award long due in recognizing the most decorated & skilled International Action star in my book – Jackie Chan! I grew up in a chinese household that watched Jackie Chan profusely in old school kung fu period piece movies as well as his modern day action comedy romps when he teamed up with his 2 peking opera school mates – Sammo Hung & Yuen Biao which were some of my favorite Jackie films! It was an honor to be in the same room with Jackie – twice! Once when he was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Lincoln Center followed with a screening of his new film Chinese Zodiac and then again the following night as he appeared at the Asia Society on Park ave for a brief Q&A with Asia Society film curator La Frances Hui followed by a screening of Drunken Master 2! It was certainly a privilege to see Jackie Chan in person with his animated self as he talked with Grady Hendrix and La Frances Hui. Thank you Subway Cinema & Asia Society for making this all possible! Enjoy the Q&A video at Walter Reade Theater by our Asian film fanatic friend and Jackie Chan superfan – Earl the WanderingAsian and our very own Chocko for the Asia Society video!
(courtesy of ERdarkness @ youtube aka WanderingAsian)
(courtesy of NJ-chocko @ youtube)
Get a taste of The Jackie Chan Experience, a retrospective of films that he directed and starred in! The Jackie Chan Experience film series starts on Monday – June 24th at Lincoln Center! Get your Hong Kong action on! Most of the films are being shown in 35mm format! Go!
(Jackie and La Frances Hui at Asia Society)
(Jackie Chan showing us the helicopter stunt in Supercop)
(Jackie Chan with Grady Hendrix/Subway Cinema at Walter Reade Theater)
(I don’t think Grady wants to challenge Jackie’s fists!)
(Goran from Subway Cinema presenting Jackie w/ the Lifetime Achievement Award)
(Gavin Smith – Editor & Programming Associate for Film Comment Selects at LINC)
Tags: hong kong action, jackie chan, jackie chan experience, lifetime achievement award, stuntman
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Maniac at Times Scare NYC
June 21st, 2013 by chocko
(l-r) Elijah Wood, Genevieve Alexandra, Franck Khalfoun, Jan Broberg and Megan Duffy
Last Monday night, Fangoria, IFC Midnight and Times Scare tag teamed for a preview screening of MANIAC with director Franck Khalfoun and members of the cast including Elijah Wood, in the house for a Q&A. MANIAC is a modern day remake of the William Lustig 1980 cult slasher movie starring Joe Spinell as a deranged lunatic on the loose in NYC who scalps his victims. This new remake, directed by Franck Khalfoun casts Elijah Wood as Frank, a serial killer with “Mommy issues” who stalks and terrorizes his pretty female victims before slicing off their scalps for his mannequin collection. The movie is shot in the killer’s point of view and takes place on dark and desolate streets of Los Angeles. MANIAC is a horror movie not for the squeamish…it is a gory retelling complete with some brutal and bloody killing. I didn’t think I would like the film, but it reeled me in from the opening scene where Frank’s first victim of the movie gets an uppercut stab with a knife through the skull before she could even scream. The plot was interesting and unpredictable which always make for a great movie-going experience in the oftentimes clichéd horror genre. MANIAC opens June 21 at IFC Center in New York City.
MANIAC Q&A at TIMES SCARE with Fangoria’s Michael Gingold, Elijah Wood and director Franck Khalfoun
left: Franck Khalfoun and right: Genevieve Alexandra
Following the movie the audience was treated to a Q&A which was moderated by Fangoria managing editor Michael Gingol and featured actor Elijah Wood and director Franck Khalfoun. Pump up the volume and check out the video above! It was a great movie event at Times Scare (a former Peep Show venue) which featured not only a theater, but also a restaurant, bar (the drink specials of the night: The Maniac Martini, The Bloodletting and The Scalper) and a haunted house attraction! After the screening a group of us went into the haunted house together. It is one nightmarish, claustrophobic fun time which had us scared by ghouls hiding in dark corners and chainsaw wielding insane asylum patients. The haunted house features plenty of meticulously done set pieces in a maze of pure horror which also featured bloody torsos swinging from the ceiling and a victim convulsing in an electric chair. Highly recommended!
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Tags: elijah woods, fangoria, franck khafoun, maniac, screening, times scare
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Kung Fu Wildstyle: Fab 5 Freddy + MC Yan + ENTER THE DRAGON – 40th Anniversary screening!
June 20th, 2013 by Mr. C
FILM SOCIETY LINCOLN CENTER & SUBWAY CINEMA
Proudly Presents
Kung Fu Wildstyle: Featuring Fab 5 Freddy + MC Yan!
As per the fine folks from Subway Cinema and Lincoln Center:
Asian-inspired Hip Hop art to be featured at Lincoln Center, accompanied by a 40th anniversary screening of the Bruce Lee masterpiece Enter the Dragon!
The New York Asian Film Festival is pleased to announce a special 40th anniversary screening of Bruce Lee’s epic martial arts masterpiece, ENTER THE DRAGON at the Walter Reade theater in Lincoln Center on Sunday, June 30th.
Earlier that evening, at 7:00PM there will be an art opening for the Kung Fu Wildstyle exhibit, which opened in Hong Kong in 2012, and has recently opened in Shanghai.
At 9:15PM, there will be a panel discussion with the two artists onstage at the Walter Reade theater, before the screening of ENTER THE DRAGON.
The show features new work by the artists Fab 5 Freddy and MC Yan, and explores the relationship between Kung Fu movies and Hip Hop culture. Using Bruce Lee as a central image, both artists imagine him from their different cultural perspectives.
Fred Brathwaite AKA Fab 5 Freddy is a Hip Hop pioneer and fine artist who, among many other achievements curated the first ever graffiti art show, was the first to exhibit his art in Europe, starred in and produced the seminal Hip Hop film Wildstyle, and hosted the genre’s first TV show Yo! MTV Raps. His has recently opened shows in NY, LA and Las Vegas, and last year his art sold at Sotheby’s fall contemporary auction.
Chenguang Ren AKA MC Yan is known as the Godfather of Chinese Hip Hop due to his work with Hong Kong rap outfit LMF in the 1990’s. He was also one of the first graffiti writers to gain fame, and is known for his political activism. He has designed products for Nike, Clot and Remy Martin among others, and created new works at the Tate Modern in London and at Paris’ FINAC.
Sunday June 30th, 2013
Please join us on June 30th for the following events:
7:00PM: Kung Fu Wildstyle exhibit opens at the Furman Gallery in Lincoln Center.
9:15PM: Special 40th anniversary screening of ENTER THE DRAGON, preceded by a panel discussion on the relationship between Kung Fu movies and Hip Hop culture with Fab 5 Freddy and MC Yan at the Walter Reade theater.
Tags: bruce lee, enter the dragon, fab 5 freddy, kung fu, martial arts, mc yan, street art, wildstyle
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Spectacle: The Music Video exhibit
June 19th, 2013 by Mr. C
(I want my MTV! + YO MTV RAPS!)
I was lucky enough to catch the 2nd to last day of Spectacle: The Music Video exhibit on display at the Museum of The Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. We were up and about the Spectacle exhibit a few times during its installation run but of course movie screenings at the Moving Image like The Kick and lectures by Fab 5 Freddy had us focused on other things. I’m glad I spent some time at the Spectacle exhibit because it brought back a lot of memories while growing up watching some of these videos from the 80s & 90s. Music videos on channels like MTV and public TV shows like Video Music Box were partly responsible for introducing pop culture to a whole generation X of music fans! I apparently missed a few videos at the exhibit like Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’ and Missy Elliot’s influence in the “Body Language” room for the choreography excellence in her music videos but who can blame me with over 300 videos, artifacts, and interactive installations scattered all about! This Music Video exhibition celebrated the art and history of music videos from Aha’s “Take on Me” to David Bowie and Madonna to contemporary artists like Jay Z & Kanye West. Watching Radiohead’s 2008 “House of Cards” video was also a trip and a half! Apparently, House of Cards was the first music video that did not use cameras but instead used lasers and scanners to render 3D images. Laying eyes on Bjork’s “Wanderlust” video was also an experience in itself. The story, costumes, creatures, and demons in that video rendered in CGI, special effects, and 3D – lent to some pretty wild images! The exhibit also had a nice display for the groundbreaking AHA video “Take on Me”. The video featured pencil sketched animations forming a live action image.
(Radiohead’s “House of Cards” video)
(Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” video)
(A yarn bombed media room on display at Spectacle Exhibit!)
(Agent Provocateur installation at Spectacle Exhibit)
One of my favorite installations from the exhibit was ‘Agent Provocateur’. This fun setup consisted of a row of peep-hole stations supplied with headphones on each stall. Each station featured a music video to be watched by peeking in the peep-hole and listened by putting the headphones on. Videos on display included N.W.A.’s “Straight outta Compton”, Madonna’s “Justify my love” & “Like a prayer”, M.I.A.’s “Born Free”, Public Enemy’s “By the time I get to Arizona”, and Tyler the Creator’s “Yonkers” to just name a few. The Agent Provocateur theme as stated by them:
Music Videos have always pushed boundaries, prompted controversy, titillated, and helped accelerate social change. These videos address themes such as Racism, Sexism, Sexual Orientation, Poverty, and Alienation, due to their adult frankness or just plain raunchiness. They were shown, if at all, late a night and accompanied by advisory warnings.
(Public Enemy’s “By the Time I get to Arizona” video)
(Ducksauce’s “Big Bad Wolf” video)
(Agent Provocateur installation at Spectacle Exhibit)
Spectacle: The Music Video is organized by the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati and curated by Jonathan Wells and Meg Grey Wells of Flux. Exhibition design by Logan. The exhibition at Museum of the Moving Image is presented in partnership with Sonos and VEVO.
(N.W.A.’s “Straight outta Compton” video)
(Aha’s “Take on me” installation at the exhibit)
(Drawings/sketches of the Wanderlust costume for Bjork)
(Bjork’s “Wanderlust” video)
(Jay Z’s “99 Problems” video playing at the Exhibit)
(Madonna’s “Justify My love” video)
(Madonna’s “Like a prayer” video)
Tags: mtv, museum of moving image, music videos, spectacle
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Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival
June 13th, 2013 by Mr. C
Last weekend was another fun-filled celebration on Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan where gleeful culture clashes of immigrant Chinese rubbed elbows with the Jewish Community. The Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival has been an annual event for 13 years – created to celebrate these two cultures living side by side in harmony. For a $5 combo of an egg roll and an egg cream, you can get right down to the core of Chinese American – Jewish American eats!
(Steve Weintraub – Yiddish Dance Master)
(Michael Winograd and the Klezmer Orchestra)
The center of this outdoor/indoor joyous event took place on Eldridge Street between Canal & Division Street with the Eldridge Street Synagogue as the focal point for the celebrations. Festivities included musical performances by Michael Winograd and the Klezmer Orchestra, the Chinatown Senior Center folk orchestra, East River Ensemble of Mencius Society for the Arts, & Cantor Eric Freeman. Steve Weintraub provided the fun dance routines to move along to the Klezmer music! Cultural and language exchanges took place in the form of Chinese & Yiddish lessons while Mah Jong lessons and play took place on the street. Folk Art demonstrations in Jewish papercutting, scribal arts, Tzit Tzit tying, Chinese brush painting & calligraphy, & Chinese knot tying took place in the Eldridge Street Synagogue. Events targeted for the kids included face painting, yarmulke making, designing a chinese paper fan, & creating your own lion mask. Challah making and a Tea Ceremony rounded out the food demonstrations. A Peking Opera performance with a Face Changing routine anchored the day’s event.
(Yarmulke making)
(Yiddish lessons by Mark Sommerstein)
(Chinese Lessons by Julia Guo)
(Chinese knot tying by Cindy Qian)
(Tzit Tzit Tying by Susan Eisman Levitin)
(Chinese Tea Ceremony demonstration by Angel Chan)
(Cantor Eric Freeman)
(Hebrew scribal arts by Rabbi Zelig Mandel)
(Mah Jong)
(Face painting)
(Making lion masks)
(Challah making)
(Chinese brush painting and calligraphy)
(Chinese ensemble)
(Gigi Lee and Councilwoman Margaret Chen)
(Face Changing by Cao Zhen Jian of the Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera Company)
(Peking Opera)
(Klezmer Orchestra)
(Steve Weintraub leading the dance to Klezmer music!)
(Making an Egg Cream
Tags: egg rolls egg creams festival, lower east side
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Big Apple BBQ Festival
June 12th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Skylight Inn with their double cleaver whole hog chopping action at the Festival)
(Whole Hog Sandwich – Skylight Inn)
The Big Apple Barbecue Block party went out with a smoky bang last weekend at Madison Square Park! Once again we over-loaded ourselves with some porky delights enough to get the Dukes of Hazzard County out and about with Boss Hog hot on their trails! Where’s the Boars Nest at? My favorite meal of the day went to the folks from Ayden, North Carolina – SKYLIGHT INN! They served up a scrumptious whole hog sandwich which in my mind blew the competition away. It’s a wrap! The chopped up tender pieces of whole hog including shards of fat & cracklings, bits of finely chopped cole slaw with an added dash of hot sauce – all resting up on a soft pillow of hamburger buns to absorb all the juices. It simply was divine! It was smoky, porky, and crunchy all in one bite! Some other favorites included Big Bob Gibson who also served up a mean & tender/smoky whole hog sandwich w/ a bit of the sweet BBQ sauce lathered all about with the additional white-ranch style sauce accompanying the hog party! Jim n Nicks was another repeat offender – one of our usual favorites serving their smoked out spicy sausage accompanied by pimento-jalapeno cheese! Ed Mitchell’s & Scott’s BBQ rounded out my other whole hog sandwich cravings as I was ready to tap-out with a three count after those delights. We eventually went in with the kill at Blue Smoke who served up a delicious salt & peppered beef rib alongside a tasty pickle!
How many days left for the Big Apple BBQ Fest 2014?
(Ed Mitchell)
(Whole Hog sandwich – Ed Mitchell’s)
(Ed’s team getting ready for their first wave of customers)
(Fire up those coals – Ed Mitchell’s)
(Pappy’s Smokehouse – brushing the ribs w/ some BBQ love!)
(while Pappy himself seals in the flavors w/ a torch!)
(Scott’s Barbecue – whole hog sandwich w/ cracklings)
(Jim N Nicks – Smoked sausage & pimento cheese)
(Blue Smoke – salt & peppered beef ribs w/ a pickle)
(Big Bob Gibson – Whole hog sandwich)
(Fried Apple pie! Looks like an empanada!)
Tags: barbecue, BBQ, big apple block party, food
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Photos From Outer Space 4
June 11th, 2013 by chocko
Once again, Chocko has been combing the streets with camera in hand and ready for action. Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) was taking part in a Music + Film panel at SVA Theater during the Tribeca Film Festival.
Lead singer of THE NATIONAL, Matt Berninger also took part in the panel. He spoke proudly of his band’s eerie love songs being featured in television shows such as GAME OF THRONES and BOARDWALK EMPIRE. One of THE NATIONAL’s songs is featured in the film WARRIOR, a mixed martial arts movie. A scene in the movie features the saddest NATIONAL song playing while two fighters brutally beat each other up. His band is featured in the documentary MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS which was directed by his brother Tom Berninger during the High Violet Tour.
Legendary West Coast gangster rapper Snoop Dogg recently stopped by the Apple store in Soho to discuss his new moniker Snoop Lion and introduce some clips from the documentary REINCARNATED. Snoop is now all about feel-good reggae music and positivity. On the way out the building, Snoop signed some albums and posed for pics with fans.
Damien Echols of the West Memphis 3 at one his favorite New York hangouts, Sacred Tattoo in SoHo, a tattoo parlor where he spoke, did a Q&A and signed his book LIFE AFTER DEATH. Recommended reading! He talked about the worst years in his life and after spending 18 years in prison, relocating to NYC…walking the streets of Chinatown for hours soaking in the sights and smells. Sacred Tattoo was the first places he hung out and felt comfortable around people. Damien and his wife now lives in Salem, MA where he recently opened The Hermetic Reiki Center.
More fun at the Apple store…Edie Brickell (best known for her 1988 hit “What I Am”) and legendary funnyman Steve Martin recently stopped by to play a couple songs and talk about their recently released album “Love Has Come For You” which features a modern day take on bluegrass music. Great banjo playing by Steve and Edie’s vocals are syrupy sweet!
The “Godfather” of Hip Hop Afrika Bambaataa made an appearance at the Filmmatic event at Sunshine Cinema which feautured 3 rarely seen hip hop documentaries including “Beat This” by Dick Fontaine (1984).
Rachael Yamagata outside the David Rubenstein Atrium in Lincoln Center. We missed her performance but caught her outside during a post-show cigarette break. Chocko took a couple photos and she awkwardly admitted to not knowing how to pose. C’mon now, I know she’s lying.
The Riot Grrrl Collection: Book Launch and Signing at Fales Library Reading Room (l-r) Lisa Darms (curator of the Riot Grrrl Collection and editor of the Riot Grrrl Collection book), Ramdasha Bikceem (GUNK ‘zine) Johanna Fateman (Le Tigre) and Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill + Le Tigre). The Riot Grrrl Collection book documents the feminist movement in punk during the 80’s and 90’s by reproducing ‘zines and printed matter from that era. The book is out now on The Feminist Press.
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke were at Apple Store along with director Richard Linklater to discuss their new movie Before Midnight. If you have followed the characters of Jesse and Celine since 1995’s Before Sunrise and also saw Before Sunset in 2004, you will enjoy being reunited with the funny and chatty romantic couple once again. Not only will the ladies enjoy the “Before Trilogy” but the dudes will dig it too.
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Tags: damien echols, ethan hawke, julie delpy, new york city, nyc, photos, rachael yamagata, snoop lion
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EDO POP – Lady Aiko
June 10th, 2013 by Mr. C
Faced with a 30 minute time limit at Japan Society for the EDO POP Art Exhibit because of technical issues we encountered trying to check-in our CitiBikes at the 47th Street & 1st Avenue stations, we brisked through the installation just to at least appreciate the visuals of the historic ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the EDO period (1615-1868) alongside contemporary art by living artists. This exhibit was set to close on the following day which unfortunately, we could not make. We wished we could of spent some more time reading and just soaking in the collage of traditional artwork mingled in with the modern. That being said, what drew me in to EDO POP to begin with was the installation by Lady Aiko. Lady Aiko is a Japanese born street artist who uses stencils and spray paint on walls to create pop collage images with bright colors that jump out of the surface. Her murals at the Japan Society were stunning and serene to look at. We first came upon some of Lady Aiko’s creations when she was a collaborator with FAILE as well as some of her own individual works displayed at the Jonathan Levine gallery and at the famous mural location on the Bowery & Houston Street.
Aiko’s murals at the Japan Society were located in a room underneath a huge skylight.
Tags: grafitti, japan society, lady aiko, street art
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BREAKUP AT A WEDDING – Free Advance Screening in NYC w/ Zachary Quinto Q&A – Monday, June 17th @ 7:00pm
June 7th, 2013 by Mr. C
BREAKUP AT A WEDDING – Free Advance Screening in NYC w/ Zachary Quinto Q&A – Monday, June 17th @ 7:00pm
Oscilloscope Laboratories presents a PERIODS. Film – “BREAKUP AT A WEDDING”
** Catch an advance screening on Monday, June 17th @ 7:00pm w/ Zachary Quinto (STAR TREK) Q&A **
at
AMC Loews Village 7
66 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10003
Produced by Zachary Quinto (Mr. Spock of STAR TREK; NBC’s HEROES) and the producers of MARGIN CALL and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, “Breakup At A Wedding” is a new comedy created by “PERIODS.”, the viral video comedy team behind “Viking Wives,” “East of Eden” featuring Penn Badgley (GOSSIP GIRL), and the new comedy webseries “Lil Women” on the Nerdist network.
** PLEASE NOTE **
RSVP does not guarantee admission. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first served basis. Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to start time.
Film Running Time: 85 minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated by the MPAA
ON DEMAND & DIGITAL – JUNE 18th, 2013
—
BREAKUP AT A WEDDING
Directed by Victor Quinaz
Written by Anna Martemucci, Philip Quinaz & Victor Quinaz
Starring Philip Quinaz, Alison Fyhrie, Mary Grill, Damian Lanigan, Michael Lidondici, Chris Manley, Anna Martemucci & Brian Shoaf
On the eve of their wedding, Alison gets cold feet and decides to break up with her fiancé Phil. But rather than face the embarrassment of calling off the ceremony, Alison suggests to Phil that they proceed with a sham wedding. Phil is more than game to try, secretly hoping that a surprise gift he has for Alison will ultimately change her mind. Yet once the guests begin to arrive, more complications ensue than either of them could have ever imagined – even if they did know their wedding was bullshit.
To watch a clip and for information:
http://www.breakupatawedding.com/
Tags: comedy, Oscilloscope laboratories, Zachary Quinto
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DRAGON GIRLS screening at Brooklyn Film Festival: Windmill Studios
June 5th, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: Inigo Westmeier
Cast: Xin Chenxi, ChenXi, Huang Luolan, Yang Ziyu, Quan Ling, Xu Manyu
Genre: Documentary on Shaolin Tagou Martial Arts school
Dragon Girls is a documentary that follows a handful of young ladies who take up residence at the Shaolin Tagou Martial Art School as they live the lifestyle of training in Chinese martial arts and elementary cultural education. The Shaolin Tagou School is the largest private Kung Fu school in China and incidentally is right next door to the famous Shaolin Temple. It houses 35,000 students, trainers, & educators. It appears that most of the parents that send their children to this school had good intentions that Shaolin Tagou would turn their kids into a well disciplined kung fu fighting machine. The training looked tough. The trainers looked tougher. And the environment looked similiar to being in the militiary. The headmaster of the school reminded me of a warden at the penitentiary. It’s also apparent that some of the students in the school would just as much not want to be there but realize that upon graduation, they most likely would find themselves in a better situation to provide for their families. This documentary if anything raises layers of questions that largely go unanswered at least from my perspective. The movie was uplifting to a certain extent especially when we see the students persevere through the training while still maintaining the playfulness and innocence as kids when they have that one day off. It was amazing to see how the girls sustained their composure throughout despite all the hardships and obstacles at the school. It’s difficult to criticize another culture for their customs and ways of industrializing the population in every aspect because their lifestyle is so foreign to us. What was sad to me was the lack of love and emotion that the fathers showed to their children at times, using motivational factors like “if you don’t place first in the competition, I will not come to visit you”. I thought the interviews with the martial art trainers, the Head Master of the school, and the Shaolin monk offered a nice contrast in thoughts and opinions of martial arts virtue & humanity in general. The student that ran away back home to Shanghai was also a telling story. The hard boiled discipline doesn’t just get propagated to the students as the instructors are also limited in contact with their loved ones. It seems like not only students defect but instructors do as well. Now what does that tell you? My question arises after the student graduates. Where do they go then? Do most go into the Police force, working on movies, or perhaps represent their country in competitions? Maybe they find jobs working in the school as intructors? Maybe most go no-where and end up going back to their village? This documentary never really answers that nor suggests career paths for our subjects. One thinking I have is that maybe the Shaolin Tagou school or if I want to be more cynical, the Chinese government didn’t want certain information to be revealed or suggested in the final output or maybe it was just an afterthought on the directors part?
There was no narration on the film, just interviews with the subjects. Visually the film was stunning offering a birdseye view camera shot of some of the massive training sessions attended by thousands at the school. The synchronous movements and precise coordination of techniques from the students were truly a sight to behold. Although I wasn’t totally wowed by the film, I thought the film was eye-opening and raises a lot of cultural food for thought in a world we are still learning a lot about. I also thought it was brilliant that the director made a film solely on chinese female kung fu practioners because that is more of a trying story in my opinion. In China, girls are not viewed in the same high regards as boys and therefore are not given equal opportunities. The underlying backdrop of old school techniques a la The Shaolin Temple in contrast with the new school train of thought and industrialization of Kung Fu in Shaolin Tagou was a great way to bring the talks to the table.
Go and watch DRAGON GIRLS to see how you feel about alternate education at the school of Shaolin Tagou hard knocks! Dragon Girls screens at The Brooklyn Film Festival at Indie Screen on June 6 – 8:30pm! The Brooklyn Film Festival runs through June 9th.
Tags: brooklyn film festival, china, documentary, martlial arts, shaolin
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New York Chinese Cultural Center performance at David Rubinstein Atrium/Lincoln Center
June 4th, 2013 by Mr. C
Last weekend, Meet the Artist Saturdays at Lincoln Center hosted a fun program for adults and kids as performers from the New York City Chinese Cultural Center demonstrated a diverse set of asian dance, arts, & culture including a traditional peking opera set: In search of the Real Monkey King! Traditional dances from Tibet, Mongolia, and China were also on the set list! We were treated to a rare performance of the Face-Change dance as well. Before the program started, children in the audience had fun at the crafts table making their own Monkey mask to be worn after the show as the Monkey King performer showed the kids a few dance moves from the agile one from the forest! The event was opened with a performance of traditional Chinese folk music.
(Hillary M. Plate – Meet the Artist/Lincoln Center)
Hillary M. Plate, the Assistant Director of the Meet the Artist program introduced this wonderful event to help celebrate asian culture in anticipation of the Monkey King: Journey to the West – Live Performance at Lincoln Center from July 6-28th! It’s a limited engagement – 27 shows only! This Monkey King performance promises a high-octane circus with jaw-dropping gymnastics, jugglers, trapeze artists, contortionists, & Kung fu fighters! Find out more about the event HERE!
(Cathy Hung – New York Chinese Cultural Center)
Cathy Hung, the Executive Director of the NYC Chinese Cultural Center was on-hand to introduce their performers.
(The Monkey King)
(The Monkey King teaching the kids a few moves)
(Kids at the craft table designing monkey masks)
(Kids with their monkey masks on in preparations to learn a few moves from the Monkey King!)
The Face-Change dance originates from Sichuan opera and performers where bright colored costumes with multiple masks. The mask changes happen at the swipe of an arm and the different colors of the mask represent various emotions.
Fan dance highlights the movements and poses of the dancers. Fans can be made from feathers, silk, & paper.
Xinjiang dance is a dance from the Xianjiang region of China which is located in the Northwest. which features landscapes of mountains and deserts. The xinjiang people portray their elegance in their postures with intricate hand and arm movements with buoyant steps. This particular dance represents their daily life.
Tibetan dance symbolizes their spiritual life often using buddhism as a stance to fight against nature and their enemies. This particular dance exemplifies their daily life.
Mongolian bowl dance demonstrates the intricate shoulder, wrist, & arm movements. Mongolians are also known for their hospitality in their culture. See if you can see it emit from this dance!
The Red Ribbon dance symbolizes happiness and good luck in chinese culture.
The Monkey King dance is a traditional chinese opera dance which imitates monkey behavior combined with martial art movements. This dance shows us the Monkey King’s journey to the west as he discovers an imposter!
(All photos and videos by mr. c)
Tags: asian dance, chinese culture, monkey king
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Brooklyn Zine Fest 2013
May 30th, 2013 by chocko
The second annual Brooklyn Zine Fest, the biggest self-publishing expo in NYC celebrating zines and DIY publications happened last month. More than 80 writers and artists crammed into all of Public Assembly in Williamsburg. In the front of the venue there was an outdoor pop-up library and lots of passersby peeking in with a “what the hell is going on in there?” face. At times, it was so crowded inside that it was difficult to move and I felt like I was being helplessly swept away in a riptide of hipsters and crazy folk. It was all worth it. I picked up a couple issues of Deafula by Kerry Radley which is a personal zine about a girl dealing with the experience of being deaf. I also picked up “Dead Hand” a mini-zine by artists Mark T. Sedita and Matt Crabe who draw some really detailed, gross stuff (not for the kids!). The latest Vinyl Vagabonds was hot off the press and features record reviews with a lot of special attention to Kurtis Blow records. I can’t wait for the next one to come out. I also stopped by Katie Haegele’s table to pick up her zine The La-La Theory which features stories and lots of penmanship. Her book White Elephants: Yard Sales, Relationships, and Finding What Was Missing recently came out on Microcosm Publishing and compiles some of her zines into a funny and well written memoir worth checking out. Meet The Lady by Tom Blunt was also for sale and I picked up 2 issues of the humorous and kinda creepy zine in which found photos (from junkheaps) are put together to tell a story. Dessert Island is the best place to buy indie comics in NYC and they were also at the fest with their latest – the reprint of Kicks #1 which was originally released in 1978 by Billy Miller and Miriam Linna. They would both later form the Norton Records label which took a devastating hit when Hurricane Sandy came to town. Flooding from Sandy destroyed a ton of their merchandise. The 100 page reprint features great photos and articles on rock and roll and the proceeds of the book go to Norton. Check out some photos below!
ZINESTER MOSH PIT
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Tags: 2013, brooklyn, diy, fest, public assembly, punk, zine
Posted in art, chocko, photos | Comments (2)
