THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE screening at Montclair Film Festival
May 6th, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Stars: Skylan Brooks,Ethan Dizon,Jennifer Hudson,Jordan Sparks
Genre: Drama
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete is a down and out urban version of Home Alone with additional subject matter that addresses much of the social and economic issues flooding our cities today. Instead of the suburban home, we are presented with an apartment in the low income housing projects of Brooklyn. Instead of an upper to middle class caucasian family, we have a set of poor, working class African-american & Korean-American single moms. 14 year old – Mister (Skylan Brooks) and 8 year old – Pete (Ethan Dizon) are dealing with individual issues of their own such as being bullied at school and having bad grades but nothing can compare to the real issues at hand in their home life. Both of their moms hustle the streets to make a living and in situations of child neglect it is inevitable that DYFS and the housing authority will get involved. Of course when their moms are nowhere to be found or incarcerated, Mister & Pete will do their best to make due by themselves in their rundown apartments with no resources. Meanwhile, the housing police are on the mad hunt to take custody of these kids. Just as in Home Alone fashion, these two savvy city kids will do by any means necessary to get by until their moms come home. By all means necessary, we mean dodging the police, the local thugs, shady babysitters, thieves, and the local bodega monger or shall we say bodega mongrel!
The film is sad & disturbing yet inspirational and uplifting in terms of offering a glimpse of hope in our society. The theme of brotherhood despite the obvious differences between Mister and Pete was something to make note of. The question of morality and making ends meet is a very thin line indeed. We will see how addiction truly affects our children firsthand. The film exposes the lack thereof of real role models for our kids and the lack of quality time being spent with them. Authority figures such as the Police and teachers are cast in such a light that sometimes they seem to be more menacing than helpful at times. Besides some of the bleak offerings that this film is surrounded by, shades of humor and charm also joined the party. The Pete character is so cute and innocent while the more street smart Mister is very creative and enchanting in his very own way. Mister was a character, though only 14 years old was a kid that thinks on his feet and was able to adjust to difficult situations. Jennifer Hudson plays Mister’s mother in a role that I could have never ever imagined her perform in! Suffice to say, she knocked it out of the park! Jordan Sparks has a secondary role in the film but she plays a very important part in Mister’s struggle. Alicia Keys provides some of the excellent soundtrack in the film!
I did find the film to be a bit longer than I anticipated and felt portions of the movie could of been edited. After the screening the director, George Tillman made it clear that we saw a cut of the film that would be different than the official release in October. I’m gathering it means that the film will go under the knife for further editing.
(Director-George Tillman Jr in the lobby of the Clairidge; photo by mr c)
The Q&A after the movie revealed that Tillman had been sitting on the script of The Inevitable Defeat since 2009. It was a 3 year struggle to make the film mainly because no studio believed anyone would want to see a movie with a 14 yr old black kid hanging out with a 8 year old asian american boy. Hollywood believed that it was a marketing nightmare to try to promote such a film with kids in it but was not really a kids film. Hollywood wanted Tillman to continue making the blockbuster actions (FASTER) or comedies such as he did with – Beauty Shop, BarberShop, & BarberShop 2. The director mentioned that he had similiar struggles making Soul Food. As it goes, he went the Indie route with a 3 million dollar budget for Mister and Pete.
As far as Tillman’s latest project, he stated that he is still working on The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete and continues to think about the film everyday. It’s slated for a release later in the year. He’s trying to get Alicia Keys to add more music to the soundtrack. Lastly, he truly believes in the message of this film and hopes that we all will come out to support it! Stay tuned for the release of The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete at theaters near you!
Tags: 2013 montclair film festival, drama, mff13
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Q&A: Director Ron Morales on His Film GRACELAND
May 6th, 2013 by chocko
GRACELAND is a gritty Filipino thriller that pulls no punches and will open the viewer’s eyes to a near hopeless, poverty stricken world infested with crime, corruption and violence. In the film, Marlon (Arnold Reyes) must find a way to rescue his daughter Elvie (Ella Guevara) who becomes a victim of mistaken identity in a kidnapping gone terribly wrong.
BUGGY makes her return to Planet Chocko with the following interview we did with writer/director Ron Morales about his latest film.
Where did the idea for GRACELAND come from?
The idea behind GRACELAND started while I was in a car driving around in Manila. I was reading a recent news article about a kidnapping then all of a sudden a police officer on a motorcycle pulled the car over. In the Philippines the police are known for shakedowns and corruption, so in this situation, I imagined what if something horribly went wrong.
What was the message you were trying to convey by making the film?
We are what we are. People will do almost anything in their power to save their loved ones even if the actions are morally wrong. We all are susceptible to the evils within humanity.
It took 5 years to make the movie. Was it primarily research or were there obstacles that you had to overcome to complete the film?
The original script of GRACELAND was an action thriller. I had to shelve it after I realized that it would be too expensive to make. In the interim, I researched a different screenplay in the Philippines. I was very close to receive funding, but in the last minute the script did not get the green light. It wasn’t until producers Sam Rider and Rebecca Lundgren jumped on board that I was able to make GRACELAND in 2010. But with many low budget independent films, raising funds is the biggest challenge.
Where exactly was the film shot in the Philippines?
GRACELAND was filmed more or less in the entirely Metro Manila. The locations were spread out through out the city, but the majority of locations spanned Taguig City and Quezon City.
The film focuses on underage female prostitution. Were you apprehensive about including the nude scenes?
We were apprehensive about including the scenes, but when it came down to the final edit, I felt that the research and the reality of these issues would be wasted. I feel that these scenes are necessary and done in a way that forwards the story, as well as portray the harsh reality with in the world we live in.
What did you learn about filming in the Philippines?
Being a Filipino American, filming in my homeland allowed me to investigate my culture and grow as an artist. Filipinos have a talent of making something out of nothing. What we accomplished with the small budget we had and the time restraints still amazes me. This is the product of some of the hardest working crew I have ever had the pleasure to work with.
What future projects can we look forward to?
I have a couple of new scripts that I am working on. One is a US Mexico Border crossing thriller and another film that partially takes place in the Philippines.
GRACELAND is available on VOD/iTunes and out now in select theaters. Click here to purchase tickets.
Tags: drafthouse films, film, graceland, interview, ron morales
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Montclair Film Fest Weekend
May 4th, 2013 by chocko
If you love movies and you can get to Montclair, New Jersey this weekend…come on down. The Montclair Film Festival wraps nearly a week of screening 80 films and hosting free panels. MFF has an excellent mix of films including documentaries, comedies, family films and drama. More reviews of the movies we have seen will be coming up on the website shortly. In the meantime, check out some movies this weekend in Montclair. It’s a great town with lots to see and plenty of restaurants and places to fill your belly with yummy food. Please check the Montclair Film Festival website for ticket availability. Many of the screenings this weekend may be sold out in advance, but if you show up at the theater before the screening you might just score some rush tickets at the box offce. If you tweet, follow them on twitter for the updates. #MFF13 Congratulations to all the filmmakers participating in this event and a special shout out to the 600 volunteers who make the festival happen.
check out some photos from the Montclair Film Festival 2013
Robert Trachtenberg, director of AMERICAN MASTERS MEL BROOKS: MAKE A NOISE (2013) at Clairidge Cinema (486 Bloomfield Ave)
Director Morgan Neville (left) at a Q & A after a screening of JOHNNY CASH’S AMERICA (2008) with Festival Director, Thom Powers (right) at Clairidge Cinema. Neville’s latest film TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM made its NJ Premiere at this year’s Opening Night Gala at the festival.
(L-R) Thom Powers (he’s everywhere!) and writer/Staten Island native Chris Galletta introduce THE KINGS OF SUMMER (2013) at Montclair Kimberley Academy (6 Lloyd Rd). THE KINGS OF SUMMER is funny, smart and well written. The movie is about three teenage boys who decide to run away from their families and build a house in the woods. THE KINGS OF SUMMER will be in select theaters May 31. Highly recommended!
left: Oscar-winning writer Geoffrey Fletcher at a Q & A after a screening of VIOLET & DAISY at Bellevue Theater (260 Bellevue Ave)
Check out some awesome art work done by young fans of movies.
Tags: 2013, film, mff, montclair film festival, movies
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THE ATTACK screening : 2013 Montclair Film Festival
May 3rd, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: Ziad Doueiri
Stars: Ali Suliman,Evgenia Dodena,Reymond Amsalem,Dvir Benedek,Uri Gavriel
Genre: Drama, Thriller
From the local, small time thugs in the U.K. from WASTELAND to a much bigger stage and unfortunately, somewhat realistic happenings in our world today comes this disturbing but excellent film – THE ATTACK.
The skinny of the film takes us on a ride to modern day Tel Aviv as an Arab surgeon (Ali Suliman) learns a mind-blowing secret about his wife in the aftermath of a suicide bombing. The opening sequences of the film would create light mentions of the everyday lives in this part of the world where Arabs co-exist with the Israelis but the juxtaposition of the two cultures colliding can turn light ripples of friendliness into bigger waves of destruction. Our main character, Dr. Amin Jaafari (Ali Suliman) is a man that is not tied to any particular religious beliefs and is leading a very affluent lifestyle along with his wife – Siham (Reymond Amsalem), a devout Christian. Everything seems cool as a breeze as Dr. Amin Jaafari is being recognized with a medical achievement award which is equivalent to the Oscars in the medical field while the wife seems to be in a very happy place as they both have assimilated to the lifestyle and culture in Tel Aviv rather well. Suddenly a bombing in the city that killed 17 people would change the rest of their lives forever as Arabs living in an Israeli society. How well do you really know your loved one. We will come to find out!
The Attack raises a lot of questions on the culture of terrorism, suicide bombings, and self-worth. I hate to bring up religion but these horrendous acts seem to use religion as an excuse – a mask – a vehicle to fool those who are disillusioned & impressionable into performing such hellish crusades which will bring glory upon their cause, their people, god forbid – their religion. Instead, they are causing harm to the innocent, themselves, and loved ones. This powerful movie opens up the discussion highway to a century old conflict between two nations. The film attempts to try to understand the suicide bombing by putting a face, a personality, an emotion to the martyr of the act to justify the reasoning behind such desperate crimes. If any flaw or fault can be found in the movie, it’s that the story takes a turn that is a bit over-dramatized and unrealistic. However with the not realistic comes a conversation with a priest and a brush with an Imam that proves to be revealing.
The Attack also intensifies the spotlight on individuals with a lack of identity, a sense of being ‘Out of Place’, and to some just being plain old ignorant or brainwashed to the matters at hand.
On the flipside, a man that is well educated who gives back to the community as a medical healer is suddenly looked at with guilty eyes when he straddles both sides of the fence meanwhile his own people regard him as a traitor, as a man that lives amongst the enemy. Such a dichotomy exists within these confines.
The acting performances of the entire cast was excellent with special shoutouts to the main character Dr. Amin Jaafari and the detective who played the aggressive interrogator. The roles they played were frighteningly lifelike! The scene when they showed the sequence of psychological torture with the practice of playing loud music to promote sleep deprivation in hopes to break down the accused into a confession or statement seemed all to real. Looking at the big picture in the end, it sounds easy to say that providing evidence to incriminate your own is a moral obligation as a citizen in that particular country, however with the state of affairs between Arabs and Israelis, it’s not quite that simple.
The Attack takes a riveting and gut-wrenching look at such an ordeal. Go see this film and have a friendly discussion to make sense of it all!
The Montclair Film Festival continues to run through to the weekend of May 5th! Catch a screening or 10!
Tags: 2013 montclair film festival, drama, mff13, thriller
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Chiller Theatre April 2013
May 1st, 2013 by chocko
Chocko and Mr. C busted through the doors of Chiller Theatre once again to celebrate pop culture, horror and b-movies, sci-fi and everything else in between. This spring was another huge event with a lot of guests from the world of movies, television, music and professional wrestling. A lot of temptations await at Chiller if you are a fan of movies and one of the vendors we tend to gravitate towards is the VHSPS booth. The VHS Preservation Society believes in your right to watch movies as they were first seen on VHS. They pretty much transfer long forgotten or Out Of Print movies on VHS and transfer them to DVD. I picked up “The Making Of Star Wars” (1977) which came with the bonus Star Wars Holiday Special. I haven’t seen the Holiday Special since it aired on tv a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…it should’ve stayed there! I never realized how terrible it was and I would rather kiss a Wookie than have to sit through it again. There is a really cool animation segment featuring Boba Fett that does make up for the rest of the tv special. I also stopped by the Skreem Magazine booth that has the best deal in the house. If you bought their magazine, you got a random movie. I got The Funhouse (1981) by the director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
(L-R) Handsome Dick Manitoba of Dictators, Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster of The Munsters) and Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens
Who knows what lurks in the halls of Chiller Theatre…Ahhh! Rocky Horror!
Chris Holmes, a founding member of the heavy metal band W.A.S.P.
Jerry “The King” Lawler reacts to a Chocko silent but deadly funk blast
(L-R) Ricou Browning (legendary actor who played the Gill-man. Browning is the last surviving original Universal Monster) and Texas musician and actress Patricia Vonne (Sin City and MACHETE KILLS).
Akira Takarada of the GODZILLA films discusses his career at a panel
(L-R) Marky Ramone of The Ramones (have you tried his sauce?) and Rockabilly outlaw musician, producer wrestling manager Johnny Legend
William Forsythe and boxing’s Jake Lamotta hanging out in the lobby
We always get a kick outta seeing the guys and ghouls at Chiller Theatre all dressed up like it’s Halloween in April. Sometimes it was hard to tell if people were in costume or in their usual mondo bizarro getup. The photos below were taken during the Chiller Theatre “Live” Rock & Roll Monster Surf Party. The Dead Elvi played their monster surf tunes and invited a number of special guests to the stage including Zacherley the COOL Ghoul who sang “Come With Me To Transylvania” and “Monster Mash.” Denny Laine of Wings performed 2 songs with the band “Live and Let Die” and “Band On The Run.” Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators hopped up and down while singing The Stooges classic “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and the MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams.” Kane Roberts performed 2 Alice Cooper songs “Freedom” and “School’s Out” with Joe Von T on vocals. More heavy metal thundered through the room when Chris Holmes stepped on stage for “Blind In Texas” by W.A.S.P. Akira Takarada was also invited to the stage where he surprised the crowd with a Misfits cover. Just kidding, he blew out the candles on a Godzilla birthday cake. The Next Chiller Theatre is October 25 – 27, 2013!
Zacherley The COOL Ghoul still got some monster chops!
(L-R) Kevin Clement and John Kullberg of THE DEAD ELVI
The Dead Elvi with Denny Laine performing “Band On The Run”
The Dead Elvi w/ Manitoba performing “I Wanna Be Your Dog”
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Tags: 2013, akira takarada, chiller theatre, horror convention, spring, the dead elvi, zacherley, zombies
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WASTELAND screening : 2013 Montclair Film Festival
May 1st, 2013 by Mr. C
Director: Rowan Athale
Stars: Luke Treadaway,Timothy Spall,Iwan Rheon,Matthew Lewis,Neil Maskell
Genre: Suspense, thriller, heist
On my initial artificial inspection of Wasteland and opening sequences of the film, my reaction was that this movie was going to be a very grimy, seedy, & dark film. In retrospect, that view shattered my preconceived notions. Actually, the setting seemed to be in a grimy and seedy locale but the movie never stepped into the depths of darkness as much as I wanted it to. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it on some level even with the few predictable story lines. The audience at the Montclair Film Festival reacted with a few chuckles and some grunts during the screening which is a positive sign for engaging the viewer. This stylish British heist caper film starts us off with the main cheeky protagonist Harvey (Luke Treadaway) in a bruised and battered state being interrogated at the Police Station by Detective West (Timothy Spall) on the charge of stolen money from a local social club. This is when Harvey flashes back to his story of being recently released from jail, framed by a local brute force drug dealer and “security” specialist in Steven Roper (Neil Maskell). Mind you Harvey is no innocent cat either with his local small time dealings with the white stuff. With inflamed revenge on his mind, Harvey recruits his other hipster buddies to join him on the heist escapade in hopes to one, get back at Roper and two, to steal money.
The interactions and dialogue of these young british gunners reminded me so much of the band of lost misfits known as the cutters in the movie “Breaking Away”. These two movies have no similarities whatsoever but the camaraderie of both of these groups with parallel struggles of day to day life reminded me of the dynamics in their brotherhood no matter what the circumstance.
As the stage was being set in Wasteland – flashes of other well known heist films began to scroll through my mind as flashbacks to the crime scene and the master plan w/ alternate stories would clue us in on the plot. The robbery is quite hokey and complicated as the story starts to unfold. Our lead character in my opinion is a bit laid back and aloof while the supporting actors including the bruiser antagonist – Roper does a good job in their roles to make their characters somewhat believable. The end result is a lightweight heist with a convoluted plot. The twists and turns of the story reveal themselves when Harvey is trying to mislead the Detective during interrogation. The movie begins at a slow pace until our main character add layers to the story for embellishment and trickery for the interrogator. In the meantime, the director seems to take the time in showing us the nuts/bolts of the relationship with this antagonist crew and their take on their dead end/mundane lifestyle of living which is very similiar to the ‘Cutter’ crew in “Breaking Away”. I would guess their take on this hopeless way of living is a reference to the title of the movie.
The film is artistically shot and pleasing to the eye without the overuse of technology. In the end, I welcomed the film in for the fresh outlook and interpretation from the young cast with a gritty appeal of a U.K. that is not doused with royalty. I just wished the story would of went to a darker shade of Waste. The Heist story plot was all too familiar and needed some serious overhauling. I would say for a directorial debut, Wasteland was a success!
For other screenings at the 2nd Annual Montclair Film Festival, checkout their schedule!
Tags: british film, heist, mff2013, montclair film festival
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The Chinese Martial Arts Film class at NYU
April 30th, 2013 by Mr. C
Now this is a class that I would love to take if money was not an issue! Take the Fu back to the classroom. Enroll now! — THE CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS FILM at New York University —
Class description:
The Chinese Martial Arts Film
H72.0324 4 Credits
Instructor(s): Z. Zhen
H72.0324.001
Wednesday 12:30 – 4:30PM
Instructor: Zhang Zhen
4 Points.
Where and when did the martial arts film emerge? What are the cultural resources this hybrid genre draws from? What kinds of spectatorship has it fostered over the course of eighty years and across national borders? This course addresses these and other related questions through a historical survey of the genre’s origins and transformations in the broad landscape of transnational Chinese-language cinema. Screenings include works by key figures such as Zhang Che, King Hu, Bruce Lee, and Tsui Hark, as well as neglected experiments and films associated with their female stars.
THIS COURSE WILL SATISFY THE CINEMA STUDIES MINOR REQUIREMENT FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CINEMA.
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Montclair Film Festival : April 29-May 5
April 29th, 2013 by Mr. C
The 2nd annual Montclair Film Festival is upon us starting today April 29 – May 5, 2013! I’m proud to say that I went to College at Montclair and even worked at one of the movie theaters that is participating in the festival. Though, I must admit that I’ve been out of touch with the daily ongoings of Montclair since graduating from her ranks in the mid 1990s – the Montclair Film Festival is a great reason to come back home! Much has changed in Montclair/Upper Montclair since the 1990’s most notably the storefronts and electric vehicle charging stations but a lot has remained the same. This town has always been progressive and was always a community that nourished the development of arts be it film, theater, or fine arts. What I love about this film festival is that the whole community is taking pride in showcasing this event. From the local businesses decorating their storefronts with film themes to the students from the local schools providing artwork to promote the festival to the town providing free shuttle services to festival goers to the different venues. You truly get a feel that the Montclair Film Festival is playing host to new & relevant movies along with showing appreciation to some of the classics as well as welcoming special guests like Harry Belafonte, Lake Bell, Ice-T, Jim Mcgreevey, Michael Moore, and more.
We will be attending a few screenings including – The Kings of Summer, American Masters: Mel Brooks, Computer Chess, The Attack, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete, Wasteland, Violet and Daisy, and probably more depending on how our schedule shakes out. Go to the 2013 Montclair Film Festival website HERE to checkout the latest schedule, offerings, guests, and free panels! We hope to see you at the movies in Montclair!
(At the Montclair Film Festival Office at 494 Bloomfield Ave – where you can get tickets & merchandise)
(And also where you can see a really cool Mondo movie print collection!)
(Inner City vs Outer Space!)
Tags: 2013 montcair film festival
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Record Store Day 2013
April 27th, 2013 by chocko
The big day for vinyl happened last weekend and I started the search for records at Tunes in Hoboken, New Jersey. The place was packed and Record Store Day Exclusives were displayed throughout the store. I found the Rob Zombie “Dead City Radio” 10″ which was made with a reverse groove. It’s really cool-you have to drop the needle in the center of the record and it plays backwards. I also picked up The Shangri-Las “Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)” single and couldn’t resist the Girl In A Coma vinyl release of their album “Both Before I’m Gone” on blue vinyl.
Generation Records
Next, I crossed the Hudson River, found some killer parking by Washington Square Park and made my way to Thompson Street to get in on the madness at Generation Records. They had a couple freebies on their counter on the way in…a CD sampler of a bunch of Sub Pop bands and a Kanine Records cassette celebrating 10 years of indie rock. Lots of great bands on that tape including Chairlift, Grizzly Bear, Surfer Blood and Bleeding Rainbow. Generation Records had a whole schedule of bands and DJs playing throughout the day. I was lucky to catch Livids play, but really disappointed in myself for forgetting my earplugs. Livids played LOUD garage punk rock and my ears screamed for mercy. Lead singer, Eric Davidson knows how to get the party started and spent lots of time off the stage messing with audience as he did on stage with the rest of the band. Check out a video from the instore below of Livids performing “(Some Of Us Have) Adrenalized Hearts.” It was also cool to see Tom Scharpling (The Best Show on WFMU) in the store ready to rock the turntables. Tom gave me a Best Show sticker just for saying hello!
Livids
Eric Davidson shopping for vinyl
Tom Scharpling
I took a short break from all the madness and walked over to the F Train Brooklyn bound platform on 14th St to watch the one and only Kaki King busk in a subway station. The super talented guitarist played her debut album, Everybody Loves You, in its entirety to a small crowd in preparation for her Mercury Lounge show to celebrate the album’s 10th anniversary. Kaki ended her performance with a bonus track titled “The Government” which had the audience meowing along like kittens. You don’t believe me? Pump up the volume and check out the video below.
Kaki King
I made a cameo appearance at Discorama on 8th Street to see what exclusives they had displayed in their glass cases. I picked up the “Because The Night” 10″ by Garbage and Screaming Females and the Roky Erickson “mine mine mind” limited edition 7″. I made my last stop at Other Music where there was a line out the door. There wasn’t a long wait in the line but when I got in around 5pm it looked like the RSD section had been ransacked. I did find a copy of the Tegan And Sara “Closer” single which features 8 remixes of the first single off their newest album Heartthrob. I also picked up the Now Now Neighbors: Deluxe release and also the DVD titled “Just Like Being There” which is a documentary about gig posters and art. Highly recommended! It was fun to shop while NYC-based producer FaltyDL provided the tunes. I hope everybody out there found all the records you were looking for on the high holy day of vinyl worship. A belated Happy Record Store Day and a quick mention to Brooklyn’s Sound Fix, a great Williamsburg record store which closed its doors during RSD weekend. I always enjoyed shopping there and checking out all the in-store performances (Amanda Palmer, Mates of State, Oh Land, Ra Ra Riot). Thanks for all the fun times.
FaltyDL on the wheels of steel
(photos and video by chocko)
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Tags: 2013, busking, generation records, kaki king, other music, record store day, records, vinyl
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Richie Havens
April 26th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Richie Havens @ the Barre Opera House in Vermont/2009 -photo by mr c)
I just wanted to throw some mentions to a folk musician that had passed away earlier in the week who created plenty of great music that healed the soul – the one and only – Richie Havens. Havens also reinterpreted pop & folk songs that often sound better than the original in my opinion. He had an amazing raggamuffin, soulful voice and a frenetic way of strumming the guitar with distinctive soulful rhythms that came to life with each action! He even had an unusual way of using his thumb to play the chords. We’ve seen Richie play live a handful of times at venues including The Bottom Line, The Williams Center in Rutherford, Governor’s Island, Madison Square Garden at Pete Seeger’s birthday celebration, outdoor concerts in Paramus, NJ and Battery Park as well at the Barre Opera House in Vermont amongst other outdoor folk festivals. Richie’s music was always there to comfort me during tough times like when my father & sister passed away or just when I needed an extra lift of inspiration to carry on. Richie sported a dashiki and a gentle soul that manifested through his voice and guitar play. He also possessed a mean ass jump kick that he would always include in his performances to close out his set onstage! And that’s the way I want to remember this man! Carry on my brother and show us the path to this heavenly glory with your music!
(Richie performing “You are so Beautiful” at the Barre Opera House – vid by mr c)
(Richie Havens + I)
(Richie Havens performing at Woodstock – a 2 hour set!)
(Havens performing his famous “Freedom” at Woodstock)
Tags: folk, richie havens
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Bending Steel screening at the Tribeca Film Festival
April 25th, 2013 by Mr. C
(Photo by Chocko)
(Chris ‘Wonder’ Schoeck otherwise known as the man behind Bending Steel outside the Clearview Cinemas before the screening. Notice the relic of a case in tow filled w/ his weapons of choice – steel! /Photo by Chocko/)
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Director: Dave Carroll
Genre: Documentary feature film on the Strongman
Have you ever had a feeling that you didn’t quite fit in with society or that you felt like an extraterrestrial roaming about one of the most famous cities in the world while everyone is running amuck trying to make a fast buck and finding ways to spend it the very next minute? Such is the case with our subject in this uplifting documentary film BENDING STEEL. Chris ‘Wonder’ Schoeck is a loner, an introvert that feels out of place in this urban mecca known as NYC despite growing up in her arms. Chris seems to be making a honest living working as a therapist/personal trainer but otherwise wants nothing to do with relationships in any form whatsoever. He feels disengaged from society and chooses to not take part in public or personal affairs for that matter. A major part of this is due to his insecurities with himself and later on in the movie we would find out that he had demons in his past that would help contribute to these traits. Chris, however would find solitude in twisting, contorting, and bending steel! He feels a certain high and instant gratification in that very moment when that piece of metal would give way to his body! This manipulation of steel made him feel in control of the situation as opposed to interactions with human beings. Chris kept to himself so much so that his parents did not even know about his passions of this unusual art form. Of course bending metal of different sizes and shapes presents obstacles, challenges, and subsequent failures which can also stand to symbolize the nuts and bolts of human relationships as well.
In the second half of the film, Chris would step outside of his box to reach out to other people that shared these same passions. This would introduce us to the yesteryear art of the Olde time Strongman performer, the kind of performance that you would find at Sideshows in Coney Island and other circus acts across the United States of real, unbelievable human feat! We would learn a lot about the subculture of the strongman performer and their strong bond (pun intended)!
(Wonder Schoeck at the post screening of Bending Steel at Clearview Cinemas accompanied by a strip of steel he will bend in a few minutes!)
With the help of this outlaw community (Steel Nuts Club), Chris Wonder Schoeck would learn a lot about himself and a lot about performing in front of live audiences with his rather unique skill. The eventual goal was to perform at Coney Island’s famous sideshows in an Olde Time Strongman Spectacular! Characters such as Chris ‘Hairculese’ Rider, Stanless Steel, Slim ‘The Hammerman’ Farman, Sonny ‘Man of Steel’ Barry, & John ‘Hammerhead’ Ferraro will help bring this lost art back to life at Coney Island!
As a side note, Chris Wonder Schoeck seemed very well spoken for and appeared to be pretty comfortable in front of the camera. I guess there are various degrees of feeling isolated from society and maybe Chris’ degree of separation was more internal and self-inflicted than it showed on the surface. Either way, BENDING STEEL was an inspirational and uplifiting cyclone like rollercoaster journey that Wonder Schoeck took us on. It seemed like a very familiar path and one that many of us go through at various stages in our life whether we realize our calling in life though, is another story. Besides having the Richie Cunningham (Happy Days) and boy next door appeal as an Olde Time Strongman, we actually think Chris Schoeck might serve as a wonderful outlet as an inspirational speaker to our young future leaders of America or perhaps to adults in need of some motivation to get back on their feet. We are positive that his story will resonate with a lot of folks in dire needs of a kick in the butt or a 2nd chance in life.
There was a brief Q&A with the Director and ‘Wonder’ Schoeck himself after the screening along with a live demonstration of Chris bending a strip of steel into a coil like form! Chocko took some video of the Q&A below!
(Q&A w/ Chris Schoeck + Director after screening)
(Q&A w/ Chris Schoeck + Director after screening in Audio format)
(Chris Wonder bending the steel after the screening at Chelsea Cinemas!)
(The results of the steel after the Wonder twist! Tight little coil pack indeed! Nice job! Chocko is holding the finished product and is trying to finish the bends to no avail!)
You can catch Bending Steel at the Tribeca Film Festival this Saturday at Clearview Cinemas on 23rd Street at 10.30pm. Otherwise watch out for a screening near you! We don’t think this film will have any problems for distribution in one form or another!
Tags: 2013 tribeca film festival, coney island, documentary
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Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany
April 23rd, 2013 by chocko
Free Fall
Director: Stephen Lacant
Free Fall opened the 35th Annual Kino! Festival at MoMA with an enthusiastic crowd along with the director Stephen Lacant in attendance. The movie is not your typical buddy cop movie. This contemporary bromance centers around two male police officers in training who just can’t get their hands off each other. Marc has a pregnant wife at home and the affair gets steamier when Kay gets transferred to Marc’s unit. The two young, chiseled protagonists wrestle under the sheets, romp around gay clubs at night and go for “morning jogs” while keeping things undercover unbeknownst to Mark’s unsuspecting wife and homophobic police department. The movie is loaded with drama, cheesy dialogue and unfortunately nearly void of humor. I definitely recommend you check out this rollercoaster of a movie to find out if the love affair between Marc and Kay last, despite all the lies and betrayal. According to the director of the film Stephen Lacant, the film will be released next month in Germany, Switzerland and France. Free Fall will also be released in the United States soon, so check it out at a theatre near you.
Oh Boy
Director: Jan Ole Gerster
This black and white film was fun to watch. It instantly reminded me of vintage Woody Allen complete with old-timey jazz music playing in the background. Jan Ole Gerster’s debut feature Oh Boy follows the likeable Niko Fischer (Tom Schilling) as he shuffles around the picturesque city of Berlin. He is a down on his luck loser…got no job, lost his girl, dropped out of law school and can’t even find a decent cup of coffee. Many characters populate Niko’s world including his friend Matze, an out of work actor and Niko’s wealthy father who cuts financial ties with his son after discovering he hasn’t been showing up to his college classes. The movie is really funny and chock full of awkward moments. The character of Julike, a former high school classmate invites Niko and Matze to her performance in a bizarre avant-garde play. The night spirals out of control, more shenanigans occur but unfortunately the movie changes gears toward the end. It’s a great movie, not perfect but deserves recognition and hopefully it finds a huge audience outside of Germany.
Silvi – Maybe Love
Director: Nico Sommer
Another German feature screening at during Kino! is titled Silvi – Maybe Love which features the character of Silvi (wonderfully acted by Lina Wendel) whose husband decides to walk away from his wife and family, leaving Silvi in her late forties, single and and not quite ready to mingle. After becoming “stranded unexpectedly” Silvi places a personal ad to see what is out there beyond her lonely life working in a bookstore. The movie is an honest look at the complexities of adult relationships and searching for happiness. I will spoil some of the movie now by saying that the men she meets are freaky-one guy is a busdriver who only wants to get busy with Silvi in a hotel room. She deserves better than that! She then meets a successful businessman. They really hit it off well…snort cocaine, have romantic rooftop dinners, but lookout! He’s also into fantasy roleplay and bondage. Will Silvi recover from all her emotional misfortunes? Will she find Mr. Right? Keep your fingers crossed.
Check out these feature films and more new German cinema at the 35th Annual Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany series hosted at MoMA in NYC from April 18–24, 2013. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is located at 11 West 53rd St. in New York City.
Tags: festival, film, free fall, german, kino!, moma, movie, movies, oh boy, silvi
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