IP MAN
April 27th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
Donnie Yen as IP MAN
“Ip Man” won the film of the year award in Hong Kong in 2009! This movie is a biographical tale of the man himself who started the craze of kung fu fighting in southern China! Ip Man is one of the most famous practictioners of the martial art style of “Wing Chun”. Bruce Lee was one of Ip Man’s most celebrated students in Hong Kong! We all wanted to kung fu fight like Bruce Lee when we were young zombies growing up & Ip Man was the 1st inspiration for Bruce Lee to learn how to kung fu fight! Pay respects, my fellow martians! Wing Chun’s character techniques embodies close range fighting with straight centerline punching, rooted stance, & usually squared up footwork in regards to the opponent. Another key ingredient to Wing Chun is trapping hands which is used to immobolize the opponent in order to land an offensive attack. ‘Chi Sao’ or ‘sticky hands’ is a two person sensitivity drill used to practice the skills of trapping hands. A wooden dummy is also used as a training tool to practice techniques & develop strength with trapping hands & striking with the fists, elbows, finger thrusts, & kicks.
Donnie Yen who portrays Ip Man in the movie does a fairly good job in doing so! Maybe too good, but it is a movie! Yen’s background in a whole host of different martial arts with a high degree of fluidity proves to over glorify the movements of Wing Chun in my opinion, however the choreography is certainly well in tune on displaying the common traits of wing chun. Ip Man lived the life of an aristocrat with martial arts as his love & is a very highly respected man in his village of southern china. He is a very quiet & humble man, but his extraordinary kung fu skills attract a lot of bees to his hive. “IP Man” was set back in the 1930’s when Fut Shan in Guang Zhao-China was renowned for martial arts. Many a teacher in their professed skill in their specific fighting art have challenged Yip Man to a duel & many have left the Kwoon with their tails straggled between their legs. There was this one antagonist in the film in particular who specialized in northern style fighting that beat all the Sifu’s to a pulp from Fut Shan with his disrespectful impromptu challenges. However, his encounter with Ip Man told a different tale as he got his ass handed to him in all his northern glory! So, here bears the heyday of kung fu fighting in the Guang Zhao province & in comes the new times of the japanese invasion & occupation. Life was very lean for the chinese at these times. Ip Man who lived a rather noble lifestyle is suddenly struggling to put rice on the table for his family. The japanese general, a karate master himself admires skilled combatants as he pits chinese inspired fighters to his japanese bretherens. The japanese fighters open up cases of ‘whoop’ ass on the chinese stylists until they run into the diminuitive, but deadly, Ip Man! The japanese General offers Mr. IP Man the job to teach his style of pugilism to the Japanese soldiers, but IP Man refuses! My review stops here, y’all! This is a cue for you chopsocky mofo’s to revisit this film or if god forbid, you didn’t watch it yet then watch it now! Do NOT sleep on this movie, goblins! I’m trying to wet your appetite here because “Ip Man 2” is set to be released in a month or so! This sequel is set to tell the Ip Man tales in Hong Kong where he & a lot of southern chinese immigrated to, much like my family did to escape the jaws of the overzealous japs! Remember my kung fu droids, Yip Man taught & inspired a whole subset of disciples in Hong Kong that would eventually grace the shores of our western world to drop knowledge on some chinese chopsuey goodness! Bruce Lee was one of these droids & he will be introduced in “Ip Man 2”. I can’t wait! Sammo Hung is the fight choreographer in the sequel so the fight scenes should be kickass & mucho realistic! Yay to Donnie Yen for still playing the role of Yip Man! Let me mention that the opening film for the 2010 New York Asian Film Festival on 6/25-7/08 will be “Ip Man 2”. Simon Yam & Sammo Hung will also grace us at the Film Festival to receive the Asia Star award! See y’all kung fu ghouls at the festival in NYC, represent!
*Everybody was kung fu fighting…Those cats were fast as lightning!*
*In fact it was a little bit frightening…but they fought with expert timing*
*They were funky chinamen…from funky chinatown!*
*They were chopping them up and they were chopping them down*
*It’s an ancient chinese art..and everybody knew there part*
*From a feint..into a slip…and kicking from their hip….*
-Mr. C (8 out of 10 kung fu dropkicks)
Tags: bruce lee, chi sao, donnie yen, hong kong film of the year 2010, ip man, kung fu, simon yam, ving tsun, wing chun, yip man
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williamsburg, BK street art
April 20th, 2010 by planetchocko
-chocko
Tags: brooklyn, graffiti, new york city, street art, williamsburg
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trompe l’oeil
April 11th, 2010 by planetchocko
Trompe l’oeil is an artistic style which in French translates to “tricks the eye.” This wall is part of the Centre Building located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The windows and reflections are all an illusion. It is actually a mural by Richard Haas. 
-chocko
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INGRID MICHAELSON at the STATEN ISLAND MUSIC HALL
March 8th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
The pride of Staten Island’s own, Ingrid Michaelson came snuggling into Snug Harbor with her crystal clear pop vocals to perform at the Music Hall to raise money for the Staten Island Museum. This benefit concert is very close to Ingrid’s heart as her mother is the director of the Museum. You could tell the fans at the music hall that night were filled with familiar faces to her. She looked like she was having so much fun onstage that it almost appeared that she was performing to a large crowd in front of her own living room! What a way to kick off her tour by serenading us in her own backyard! Ingrid was supported by her band including Allie Moss, Elliot Jacobsen, Dan Romer, & Chris Kufner. Unfortunately for us, but fortunate for her, Bess Rogers was away on a tour of her own!
Ingrid had a few standup comedy moments in her performance especially when she did some impersonations of the classic New York jewish woman’s accent, & for dividing the audience into 2 teams. She called one side the Richmond Street Terrors, & the other side was the Bay Street Ball Busters! The two sides fiercely competed to see who was the loudest, & of course my team, the Bay Street Ball Busters busted a nut screaming the loudest! The 2 teams sounded like gangs from the movie, The Warriors! It was also very hilarious when Ingrid sang a song ode to “Mexican Food” with the music from “Maybe”. She encouraged the audience to replace the “Fajita” lyric with “vagina” for an added laugh! That silly song really got me fiending for some Mexican delights later on that night! Ingrid also played a TLC classic, “no scrubs” in her own classified pop meets opera style called POPRA on her keyboard, solo. Her no scrubs rendition really got the crowd roaring! Other songs on her set that night included Soldier, Die Alone, once was love, You and I, Everybody, Radio Head’s – ‘Creep’, sort of, the hat, the way I am, locked up, & maybe. Ingrid ended the night with “Far Away” with a little help from the audience! Ingrid’s performance was surely energetic, genuine, & casual! Ingrid Michaelson’s bright pop vocals along with her fun, feel good lyrics, her sense of humor, & her Lisa Loeb looks will surely make you cheer her on! The cohesiveness of the band really bonded everything together as well. Ingrid & the her band truly do look like they are having the time of their lives onstage! Check out Ingrid Michaelson’s latest album, “Everybody”. Her two previous albums, “Be OK” & “Girls & Boys” are very ear friendly, too! By the way, support the Staten Island Museum, Botanical Garden, the children’s museum, the Music Hall, & Snug Harbor. The buildings in and around Snug Harbor look amazing in all their colonial built glory. Snug Harbor was a town that was inhabitated by many a Seamen in their yesteryears. This area of Staten Island really reminded me of some of the surroundings of Governors Island. So, to all you martians that have finally made it to the end of my monolithic review, take my suggestion, hop on the “Free” Staten Island ferry from the comforts of Manhattan, & take a City Up tour around Snug Harbor. By the way, check out the Staten Island Yankees while you are there! Let’s go Yankees!
–Mr. C
Tags: allie moss, chris kufner, dan romer, elliot jacobsen, everybody, far away, indie pop, ingrid michaelson, new york, pop, staten island music hall, staten island musuem, the way i am
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YEAR OF THE TIGER in NYC!
March 2nd, 2010 by Planet Chocko
–A celebration in Chinatown, Manhattan! Pics by Mr. C
Tags: 2010, chinatown, chinatown parade, chinese new year, lion dancing, mott street, new york city, year of the tiger
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100 WAYS TO MURDER YOUR WIFE
March 1st, 2010 by Planet Chocko
I was rifling through my movie collection in hopes to trim some fat on storage space & up pops a VHS copy of this 1986 movie called “100 Ways to Murder your wife” starring Chow Yun Fat, the late Anita Mui, Joey Wong, & Kenny Bee. I quickly reheated some plump & juicy wonton noodle soup from New York Noodletown, leftovers from the previous night, & literally went to town on revisiting this slapstick movie starring the Fat Man! Chow Yun Fat plays the role of a veteran professional soccer player from Hong Kong who is married to a beautiful woman starred by Joey Wong. Everything is hunky dory with the couple except that the Fat man is one jealous son of a china man. The wife is friendly with others in an innocent way, but Fat man assumes the worst when the wifee is social with the dudes. In parallel to this story, Kenny Bee also plays the role of a pro soccer player with Anita Mui as his wife. Anita Mui plays the more aggressive & verbally abusive wife who tries to consul Kenny Bee in getting a more lucrative job rather than playing fancy footwork with a soccer ball. After a frustrating day with the wives, Fat Man & Kenny Bee meet by chance at a local bar. They both get shit faced & begin to talk about murdering their wives in a jokingly manner. Then, they both agree to murder each others wives & the slapstick games begin! Chow Yun Fat appears at Kenny Bee’s home in all his drunken glory with a feeble attempt to wack Anita Mui. Anita ends up smashing Fat Man over the head with a porcelain vase & out like a light he goes. When Kenny awakes in the morning, he finds Fat man sleeping on his sofa, & they both begin to think that the wife really did get murdered! Kenny is in shock but he must keep his word, & murder CYF’s wife. The escapades continue with unique ways to murder the wives including electrocution from a projection TV thrown into a pool, starting a fire with a magnified clear glass plate close to gas lines, a guillotine strategically placed by a tanning chair, & releasing of piranhas in the pool. There is also a funny scene at a gay club that Chow Yun Fat & Kenny Bee end up going to in hopes to win back the hearts of their wives. The finale of the movie involves being at the highest point in Hong Kong, a wedding, & a hot air balloon! This movie really brought back some good memories of Hong Kong movies in their glory years! It wasn’t that this movie was that spectacular, but the time period of the mid to late eighties, Chow Yun Fat, Anita Mui, the hair, the dress, & the over the top slapstick comedy would bring a smile back to anyone’s face who is into HK film! If you are a Chow Yun Fat fan, then you should check this flick out. It’s one of his better silly movies. After re-watching this film, I have a sudden urge to rock that flip flop hairdo, heavily slurp some ramen noodles, wear some tightass short shorts, & run around with a chinese meat cleaver!
–Mr. C (7 out of 10 ‘flock of seagulls’)
Tags: 100 ways to murder your wife, 1986, anita mui, chow yun fat, golden harvest, joey wong, kenny bee, wong jing
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FOODPRINTS NYC
February 28th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
David Haskell from Kings County Distillery
Makalé Faber Cullen
Naa Oyo A. Kwate
Jonathan Bogarin
Planet Chocko attended an interesting panel discussion at Studio X on Varick St. just below Houston called “Foodprints NYC” which is a free series of conversations with invited special guests to speak on food in our city regarding topics like clustering of bodegas, analysis of fast food & alcohol advertising in the inner city, slow foods, zoning for street vendors, green markets & sustainability, & many other topics regarding the foodscapes in NYC. I walked into the middle of a discussion with the guests talking about the irony & lunacy of more strict regulations being set on families applying & receiving foodstamps when the actual corruption of welfare aid from the government is laden with guilty hands from the puppets that actually create these amendments to begin with. The conversation then turned the page to talking about the poisoning of fast food culture into our psyche. One ‘conservative’ guest talked about putting an extra tax on fried chicken. Fried chicken, cigarettes, & booze are poisoning our bodies, he says! My tongue & heart dropped when I heard this. No!, not fried chicken! Thoughts of Sylvia’s, Charles’ country fried pan chicken, Pluck U, & Bon Chon quickly raced through my mind! The next panel discussion encompassed guests Jonathan Bogarin, Makalé Faber Cullen, David Haskell, & Naa Oyo A. Kwate. Jonathan Bogarin was born & raised in New York as an artist & educator. His palate of works include paintings & a recent film called “Bodega Down Bronx” ,a 29-minute video that investigates New York City’s bodegas in terms of their owners, suppliers, inventory, clientele, and more. He talked about the thriving culture of the NYC bodega despite having floods of similar stores in the same neighborhood & more than not, on the same block. Every bodega has their own rash followings of convenience whether patrons erupt from a certain housing project, a school, being located close to a subway or bus stop or perhaps having special products such as plantains, goya products, and herbs specific to a certain ethnicity. The majority of owners of NYC bodegas are of Dominican, Middle Eastern, & Puerto Rican descent. Next to speak was Makalé Faber Cullen. She is a cultural anthropologist and contributor to Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods. She discussed the rise & support of the green markets in NYC including the thriving farmers market in Greenpoint, Bronx, & Queens. The main objective in Makale’s soliloquy was about educating the masses with slow foods, sustainability, & support of the local farmers to make it worth their while to make the trek from upstate NY to the urban thralls of NYC. Next on deck was David Haskell. He is a Senior Editor of New York Magazine & is a co-founder of the East Williamsburg, Brooklyn based distillery called Kings County Distillery. Kings County churns out country style moonshine, bourbon, & whiskey similar to the tradition of Kentucky. Yeehaw & don’t forget to tip that cow! Kings County Distillery is located in the heart of hipster infected East Williamsburg, Brooklyn! David discusses how backwards thinking the local laws & regulations of NYC are with erecting his distillery business. The City of New York seems to be more obsessed about the locale of the distillery, zoning location away from schools, & ferociously rabid about the particular locks that his distillery should be infested with. Apparently, the city of New York cares less of what is in the spirits. Man!, this would make Uncle Jessie, Boss Hog, & Cooter one happy sons of Boar’s nest! Rocket fuel, rubbing alcohol, everclear, Kings County Distillery, we have lift off! The final guest to the podium was Naa Oyo Kwate. She is an assistant professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. She led an interesting discussion about the strategic locations of fast food restaurants & billboards. Her research led to the results that NYC is one of the most segregated cities in the nation. Naa Oyo, also came to the conclusion that black & latino neighborhoods, no matter poor, middle class, or affluent would always contain the most franchised fast food enclaves than their white counterparts. Billboard advertisements of the alcohol & fast food nation variety would also come to the same conclusion.
All in all, Foodprints NYC provided an excellent forum in discussing the food escapades of our City & how we can sustain it for the future by educating ourselves. Planet Chocko hopes that we, martians & earthlings alike will open up our minds to settle our differences so that we can bridge the gap to achieve one goal, to live in a more healthy, natural environment both mentally & physically.
–Mr. C
Foodprints NYC @ Studio X
180 Varick St. Suite 1610 NY, NY
Kings County Distillery
35 Meadow Street
East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Tags: david haskell, foodprints, foodprints nyc, Jonathan Bogarin, kings county distillery, makale faber cullen, Naa Oyo A. Kwate, studio x
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LUCY KAPLANSKY & RICHARD SHINDELL
February 22nd, 2010 by Planet Chocko
Lucy Kaplansky with her daughter, Molly
Richard Shindell
Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell, two-thirds of the former super folk group, Cry Cry Cry, came eclipsing along into the historic Paramount theatre in Peekskill, NY on February 20th, 2010 with a paralyzing performance! Kaplansky & Shindell were like 2 veteran boxers much like Larry Holmes with his traffic stopping stinging jab & George Foreman with his gut wrenching anchor type hooks to destroy the kidneys. The only differences between the pugilists of the hurt game of Holmes & Foreman, & the pugilists of the folk realm is that Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell age like fine wine as their performances seem to bloom exponentially with every bout! First at the plate was Lucy Kaplansky. She delivered an emotional 11 song set. You see, Lucy’s daughter, 6 year old Molly was in attendance along with her husband Rick. They rarely attend Lucy’s performances & she got emotional as a monkey when she talked about Molly who was adopted from China. Lucy had also turned 50 last week so she was glowing with glee that the anticipation of that big day was over with. She jokingly celebrated tonights performance by wearing a pair of sexy slacks instead of her usual jeans as well as sport some Sarah Palin like glasses in her second vortex of life. Now, onward to the show! Lucy was on fire with her performance! Her voice was on point & she radiated with pure energy! I’m sure her daughter & husband had something to do with this. Lucy’s set included Manhattan Moon, Mothers Day, Don’t mind me, Life threads, This is home, Hallelujah (a Leonard Cohen song) on the grand piano, and a fun cover song called “God will” by Lyle Lovett. Richard Shindell came out to help Lucy on the guitar with Scorpion, Ten Year Night, & a chilling performance of “Speaking with the Angel”, a Cry Cry Cry song. Richard Shindell provided awesome harmonies for Lucy & he truly is a master guitar player, both on the electric & acoustic! Lucy ended her set by dedicating “This is Home” to her daughter Molly which was very touching. At the end, Lucy owed Molly $60 dollars because they had a deal, everytime Lucy cried, it would cost her $20. She cried about 3 times!
Richard Shindell anchored the night with his spiritual & hypnotic self. He was accompanied by Lincoln on bass & Sara Milanovich on violin. Shindell played a 14 song set including cow blues, A juggle out in traffic, There goes Mavis, You stay here, Reunion Hill, Darkness Darkness, Are you Happy now, & the Ballad of Mary Magdalen . My favorites of the night included Before you go, Transit, Darkness Darkness, & Get up clara, a song about a mule in the Roman times. Shindell folked the house down with Cry Cry Cry’s, “By Way of Sorrow” & “Cold Missouri Waters” of course, accompanied by Lucy Kaplansky! I truly admire the lyrical madness of Richard Shindell. His songs are spiritual in nature often containing tid bits of self help & self realization. Theology & religion seem to be a common denominator for the basis of his lyrics which comes to no surprise since he went to a seminary, but the wit of writing songs from God’s other creations’ points of view such as cows, birds, & mule’s are hilarious & Noah’s Ark mindful! Shindell often writes from the persona of a soldier as well. He is a great storyteller, writer, & master of the guitar! Richard Shindell’s baritone voice is “10-4” & “over & out”, firm & clear! In my planet, & I hope I don’t give y’all a heart attack with my statement, Shindell’s storytelling gives me the same haunts as Blastmaster KRS One’s Emcee’ing! These 2 musical geniuses in my book are extreme polar opposites, but they both tell an interesting tale when words emit from their mouths! “Lucy Kaplansky is down with us….Richard Shindell is down with us….Blastmaster KRS is down with us….makin’ funky music is a must, I’m #1 ” ! Planet Chocko martians enjoy both folk & hip hop…word to the mutha!
–Mr. C
Tags: cry cry cry, folk, life threads, lucy kaplansky, new york, paramount theatere, peekskill, richard shindell
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ottawa graffiti
February 21st, 2010 by planetchocko
The Tech Wall in Ottawa is located on Slater Street across from Bronson Avenue.
-chocko
Tags: canada, graffiti, ottawa, street art
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SHINJUKU INCIDENT
February 16th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
Shinjuku Incident is a 2009 Hong Kong style directed crime-drama film starring the venerable Jackie Chan under the direction of Derek Yee. The one oddball thing about this movie is that Jackie Chan is like an eagle without its wing based on the character that he plays in this film. Yes, you heard me right, Jackie Chan is basically grounded throughout the entire Shinjuku Incident! There are no flashes of Buster Keaton, Gene Kelly, or Fred Astaire. No slapstick humor or any comedic relief, whatsoever! There are no traces of the Drunken Master, Police Story, or Rush Hour. No scaling walls or stunts to make you say wow! This movie is flatline serious drama! The basic notion of this flick without giving too many details that would ruin the transaction of your viewing glory is a story about the abundance of illegal immigrants of Chinese descent ungraced onto the shores of Japan & some eventually wandered into the urban lifestyle of the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. Shinjuku is a section of Tokyo that is quite reminiscent of the old times square in New York City of the 70’s & 80’s. Hookers, drugs, drinking, scallywags, & gangbangers dominate the scene in this area. Jackie Chan & friends loathe onto the shores of Japan illegally in hopes to find a better way of life. The struggles of the illegal chinese are further compounded by Japan’s elite status & scoffing of non-japanese. Some manifestations from the journey on making a living in Japan include working in landfills, cleaning the underground sewer system, washing dishes, then elevating to hustling on the streets selling counterfeit phone cards, and stealing products to resell to southeast asian vendors. Pachinko machines are also rigged to provide extraordinary payouts. Shinjuku Incident takes us on a roller coaster ride of emotions running away from the police and into the arms of the underworld with no apparent winners at the end! It was very ironic that Jackie’s character saved the life of Eguchi, a gangster who so happens to be the husband of Jackie’s girlfriend from “Timbuktoo” China who escaped the farm & peasantry life for a more promising future in Japan! The plot thickens when Jackie is hired by Eguchi to assassinate a few of his mobster rivals. After the successful massacre, Jackie was elevated as one of the leaders to manage the chinese clan to replace a Taiwanese mobster who betrayed Eguchi.
Shinjuku Incident had many naysayers from the film critics, but I found the movie to be quite entertaining. I was on the edge of my seat in the beginning of the movie, waiting for Jackie Chan to explode with morsels of chop socky goodness & to open up a can of whoop ass on the Japanese, but after a few confrontations, I began to understand that the Drunken master & police story characters were not going to come out of the woodworks. After realizing this, I started to appreciate Jackie’s character for what he was, just the average “Joe”, or maybe “Chan” in this case with no superhuman feats of martial excellence! I’ve never seen Jackie act in this particular setting before, or at least I don’t remember him playing in any roles like this in the past. I’m sure one of you Planet Chocko martians can tell me different. One thing is for sure, this movie had lots of opportunites to display kung fu wizardry, eye popping stunts, & fighting that we are accustomed to seeing in a hong kong production. The feel of this movie kind of took me back to the “Fist of Legend” and “Chinese Connection” because of the dominance of the Japanese. But the classic action of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, nor Bruce Lee never did materialize. Instead, the plot & story of this movie were left to stand on it’s own, the story about the migration of illegal chinese immigrants to the shores of Japan in the 1990’s to find better opportunities. Part of me wanted the ‘everyone was kung fu fighting’ scenes of epical proportions , but I enjoyed the movie nonetheless. So, pickup a bowl of ramen, get some tempura to wet the appetite, & just chill’ax to Shinjuku Incident!
–Mr. C (6 out of 10 shots of Sake!)
Tags: derek yee, hong kong film, jackie chan, shinjuku incident
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toronto graffiti
February 8th, 2010 by planetchocko
Graffiti Alley in downtown Toronto, Canada is definitely a hot spot for graff and street art. Graffiti Alley is located in the back alleys of Queen Street West between Spadina and Portland behind tattoo parlors, cafes and record stores. The network of alleyways provides a nearly endless gallery of amazing street art by Canada’s finest.
-chocko
Tags: 2010, canada, graffiti, street art, toronto
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HUMAN LANTERNS
February 7th, 2010 by Planet Chocko
Human Lanterns is one of my favorite period piece kung fu-horror mashup movies that Charles Manson might even find appealing. This Shaw Brother studio film was released in 1982 directed by the great Sun Chung with the help of a legendary fight choreographer, Tang Chia. Human Lanterns mixes up great Chinese period piece costumes with awesome set design, off the meat rack kung fu display, & off the chain casting including Chen Kuan Tai (Bad ass Chinese version of Sonny Chiba), the great footwork of Lo Lieh, Sun Chien(played the scorpion in 5 deadly venoms), & a cameo appearance of Lo Meng (played the Toad in 5 deadly venoms). The premise of this movie is basically about two well to do kung fu scholars competing to see who can make the flyest Chinese Lantern for the annual Lantern Festival in ‘TimBuktoo’ China. The desperation to see who’s got the ‘biggest back’ has inspired one of the scholars to hire a passionate, underground Chinese Lantern maker played by Lo Lieh. Lo Lieh is the jekyl & Hyde character that posseses the spirit of Charles Manson. He plays the once burned, twice scarred role of a man that has been disrespected & deemed an outlaw in society, basically living in a souless body according to him. This apparition of a man finds his solitude in kidnapping, raping, & then skinning his beautiful female victims alive, before taking their ‘breath away’. What’s shocking is that Lo Lieh uses the freshly torn skin to make his unique creation, otherwise known as the Human Lantern. This Jekyl & Hyde figure looks similiar to Chewbacca from Star Wars that dons a skeleton mask. Chewy wreaks havoc on the village as he dispatches the young ladies while creating dissention between the 2 protaganists in the film. The action in the movie was bonkers as should be expected given the A+ cast & Tang Chia’s direction. Lo Meng’s character fought with a cool looking weapon that looked like dual tonfa’s, but with hooks on one end, & a secret latch that releases a blade on the other end! Lo Lieh played the psycho killer role to a tee as his martial skills shined through once again! I will spare you the details of the flick, but if you have the cajones, I recommend you martians to hang onto your skin, grab a bowl of freshly popped corn kernels, & go to town on this movie! The only thing that I would of loved to see or actually hear in ‘Human Lanterns’ would of been a score of music from the horror-punk genre! I think that would of added another off the wall element to an already off the wall movie. Hmmmmm, let me see…kung fu, horror, gore, & punk music! It’s a ten 10 ten 10 TEN!
–Mr. C (7 out of 10 skin grafts for Human Lanterns!)
Tags: chen kuan tai, horror, human lantern, human lanterns, kung fu, lo lieh, lo meng, shaw brother, sun chien, sun chung, tang chia
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