Choy Lee Fut trailer starring Kane Kosugi and Sammo Hung

"Big Ups" tenfold to the Blogger Gods over at Twitch for constantly providing me with hope for the future. As I was perusing the latest postings earlier this hour I happened upon this rough trailer for Choy Lee Fut starring both Sammo Hung and Kane Kosugi. Typically I have little interest for martial arts movies set in modern day, but seeing this trailer gave me black belt-level boner. It probably has something to do with seeing Kane Kosugi in a CHINESE martial arts flick with Hung, who apparently happens to be his best friend in real life. Long gone are the days of little Kane fighting gangs of punks with his ninja dad. He's his own badass now.

IMDB does have an entry for it yet, but from what I've read it stars the two as European best friends who happen to be students of Hung Gar style and then head off to learn the Choy Lee Fut style, a Southern Chinese form. The trailer gives it a Bloodsport element, which I'm not the least bit opposed to. I'm not quite sure when I'll get my chance to see this on American soil, but hopefully my dream will be fulfilled before 2012.

Big Screen Big Apple- I Saw The Devil(2010) Sunday Feb. 20th at 1pm

It's nice to see that there are two films worth mentioning at the Film Society Lincoln Center this weekend. The first, of course, being Hobo With A Shotgun. It probably has something to do with the New York Film Festival's pre-game known as Film Comments Select, which is running from now until the beginning of March. Out of the couple of dozen films that will be screening over this time, I've picked out a couple of interest to highlight in this little old blog. This Sunday afternoon,you might want to head on down to the Walter Reade Theater to catch Kim Ji-Woon's I Saw The Devil(2010),a chaotic thriller that was banned in South Korea for being too graphic and "offensive to human dignity".

Filmlinc.com says - "Giving new meaning to catch-and-release, a secret agent searches for the serial wacko who murdered his fiancée and takes a very special form of vengeance. The twisty, gruesome new thriller by the director of The Good, The Bad, The Weird was initially banned in South Korea for its meticulous attention to bloody detail. Marked by Kim’s agile set pieces, and a sustained mood of encroaching darkness, it stars Lee Byung-hun (The Good, The Bad) and Choi Min-sik (Oldboy)."

Saturday February 20th @ 1PM Walter Reade Theater, West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave, on the upper level, Upper West Side

In the Parking Lot After School with 3:15(1986)

Whenever a movie has gangs of punk rockers, me taking the time to watch it is a sure thing. Since the first time I first sat down and watched Return of the Living Dead in the 80's, there has always been something about mohawks and chains that will draw me to a movie. Punkers in shitty 80's movies were about as common as the "white kid dance" aka The Molly Ringwald. Most 80's films aimed at teenagers typically had a variation of one or the other, sometimes both. From Valley Girl to Suburbia, no matter how shitty it is, if I see it has punk rockers I will take the time to watch it.

Such is the case with 3:15(1986), a film I ran across about a month back and finally got to sit down and watch. When I first read the description, all I could think of was a cross between Class of 1984 and 3 O'Clock High with roving gangs of punk rockers. I typically think to myself that I've seen enough of these movies in my lifetime to pretty much guess the plot without watching the movie. Even if the acting and plot sucked, at least it had punks and a post-apocalyptic feel. No matter what the outcome I would probably enjoy it.

3:15 is the story of the notorious street gang the Cobras, and the traitor who would fall out of favor with them, Jeff Hannah. After a rival gang member gets brutalized during a turf skirmish, Jeff decides that the thug life is not for him and hangs up his colors forever. The Cobra's president, Cinco, is non too happy about Jeff's decision, and tell's him so.

Fast-forward one year. Jeff has kept to his word and left the gang life behind. These days he is an all-star basketball player with a knack for school work and popular blonde for a girlfriend.Everything in Jeff's life would be Heaven if it wasn't for the huge gang problem the school has. There is not an inch of the school that isn't covered in tags, and the Cobras only reason for attending class is to make dollars through the dealing of drugs, namely marijuana, which according to Principal Horner is "turning students into zombies". So the local law enforcement have been working with Principal Horner to stage middle-of-class raid on the Cobras. During the raid, Cinco manages to elude the cops for a few minutes by running around the school looking for a place to stash his product. The cops are at foot by the time he reaches the locker room, and he needs to make a quick drop, so he passes the stash off to Jeff, who wants nothing to do with it. As Jeff tosses the contraband back in Cinco's face, the fuzz arrive and nab the notorious leader for possession. As he is being carted away by the boys in blue, Cinco is sure to let the school know that Jeff has wronged him, and vengeance will be sought upon his release from the Big House. Before you know it, 3:15 is the new High Noon.

I did derive enjoyment from watching 3:15, but it was a bit more 3 O'Clock High Than Class of 1984. The latter being more of what the director was aiming for. There were punkers, but there was nothing post-apocalyptic or gangster about them. Most of the mohawks were seen at a local hang-out, not in the Cobras. Slightly disappointing, but ever so slight. Even though the flick lacked terminator teachers and futuristic drug addiction, there was more switchblade action than a room full of greasers. In fact, any sort of violence in 3:15 usually concerned a switchblade, with the exception of a dinky, little .22 that Cinco used to regulate towards the end of the film. Since the fight choreography was so bad, I wouldn't have mind seeing a little bit of nunchuck to widen the array of weapons used. Nunchuck action at least would have made the movie slightly more recommendable. Other than that a being second rate Class of 1984 and loading it with switchblades, 3:15 doesn't really have much going for those of you who aren't die hard about there cinematic trash. Unless of course an early cameo by Gina Gershon as a Cobrette floats your boat, which it might.

Big Screen Big Apple- Vampyros Lesbos(1971) Midnite on Saturday Feb. 19th in Brooklyn

Exploitation King Jess Franco's horror spectacular Vampyros Lesbos(1971) is going to be following Death Watch at Spectacle this Saturday at Midnight. So if you don't think that Baron Munchausen, which is playing the night before, has enough skin for you, hit Spectacle up for this classic Midnite Movie.

IMDB says - "In Istanbul, the lawyer of Simpson & Simpson Linda Westinghouse has erotic dreams with a strange woman every night and her analyst Dr. Alwin Seward suggests her to find another lover. Linda is assigned to resolve an inheritance issue with the Hungarian Countess Nadine Oskudar that has inherited a real estate from Count Dracula. Linda leaves her boyfriend Omar in the Istanbul Hilton and travels to the Kadidados Island. While waiting for transportation in the continent, Linda is advised by a local that the island would be a place of death and insanity and she should not travel to there. However, she does not pay attention to the man and meets Countess Oskudar that is a lesbian vampire fascinated by Linda. The Countess drinks the blood of Linda and she has amnesia and is sent to a mental institution where Dr, Steiner, who is also a vampire expert, treats her and puts an advertisement in the newspapers."

Saturday February 19th at Midnight @ Spectacle 124 S. 3rd St., (at Bedford Ave.)Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Big Screen Big Apple- Death Watch(1980) Sat. Feb. 19th at 9:30 PM

IMDB says - "Roddy has a camera implanted in his brain. He is then hired by a television producer to film a documentary of terminally ill Katherine, without her knowledge. His footage will then be run on the popular TV series, "Death Watch"..."

Death Watch(1980) is a French Sci-Fi film starring Harvey Keitel as a human camera. Spectacle describes the film as a "prophetic tale of a dying woman hounded by a reality television program is an eerie and elliptical sci-fi gem". I love old sci-fi movies that fairly accurately predict the rise of reality TV. Even though I knew very little about the existence of Death Watch, the subject matter and star of the show are enough to make me want to head down to Spectacle to check it out.

Saturday February 19th at 9;30 PM @ Spectacle 124 S. 3rd St., (at Bedford Ave.)Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Big Screen Big Apple- Hobo with a Shotgun(2011) on Friday Feb. 18th at 11pm

Many will agree that one of the best things about the release of the Tarantino/Rodriguez throwback extravaganza Grindhouse were the fake trailers that ran before and in between the two releases. Some folks, not including myself, will say that they were the only good thing about it. Since then, a few of the fake trailers have actually taken a life of their own, outside of the trailers. As most of you know, Hobo With A Shotgun was the only one of the parody trailers not directed by a Hollywood notable. The creators won a contest,of thousands, and created a product good enough to shine with the rest of the garbage. It took a couple of years, but Hobo With A Shotgun(2011)is finally ready for the general population after shining at Sundance.

IMDB says -"A homeless vigilante blows away crooked cops, pedophile Santas, and other scumbags with his trusty pump-action shotgun."

I, for one, am a bit giddy for this one and will make every possible effort to get up to Lincoln Center this Friday Night. Especially Since the director is going to be there in person.

Friday February 18th @ 11PM Walter Reade Theater, West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave, on the upper level, Upper West Side

Big Screen Big Apple- Alien Vs. Ninja(2010) Tues. Feb. 15th at 10pm in Brooklyn

For those fans of such insane, Japanese gorefests like Tokyo Gore Police and Machine Girl, has reRun Gastropub Theater in Brooklyn have a surprise for you. For one night only, reRun is going be showing the latest cinematic shitshow, Alien Vs. Ninja on Tuesday evening to celebrate the blue ray/dvd release. The best part of going to see AVN on Tuesday night is that you don't have to pay for it. Admission is free. Don't show up with pockets completely empty though, because reRun has a bar and a full menu(all I have to say is popcorn drenched in bacon fat).

reRun says - "In ancient Japan, the fiercest ninjas of the Iga clan face their toughest enemies—and they aren't from this planet! A fiery mass crashes in the forest, and soon, horrifyingly savage creatures reduce the warriors to tasty snacks. But these jerks from outer space have bitten off more than they can chew. The ninjas' swords and throwing stars may fail against the unearthly goons, but their skills don't stop at sharp stuff. If you're into ARMY OF DARKNESS, you’ll be taking bets over who'll win this over-the-top battle for survival!"

Doors open at 9pm, so be sure to get there early enough for seats and shots. Get your free tickets here(limit of 4 per person).



Tuesday February 15th at 10pm @ reRun Gastropub Theater 147 Front Street Brooklyn, NY 11201

FestQuest:SXSW 2011 Midnighters - Insidious

IMDB says - "A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further."

I may be jumping to conclusions, but seeing "from the creators of Saw and Paranormal Activity" at the beginning of this trailer doesn't really draw me in. In fact, it makes me think that this film could end up being a waste of time It has been well established that I am a hater of the Saw franchise, and I liked Paranormal Activity but it should have been limited to a one off and not franchised. Insidious looks like it might be a bit too polished and "Big Hollywood" for my tastes. I don't really foresee a movie like this spending too much time on the festival circuit. I actually would be surprised if it was given a release to the general public sometime this summer.

I don't really see myself hitting up the theaters when it hits NYC, even if it makes the indie theater circuit. I could be wrong though, we will see how promising the reviews are. I'm pretty sure that the only was I'll be watching Insidious is if I have nothing left but it for an OnDemand selection, but you never know.



South by Southwest(SXSW) Film Conference and Festival 2011,March 11–19 in Austin, TX(as if you didn't know.)

FestQuest:SXSW 2011 Midnighters - The Divide

With the release of SXSW's Midnighter's and SXFantastic list over the last couple of days, I've decided now would be a good time to add the "FestQuest"(cheesy I know)section to Ye Olde Blogge. I've been dabbling with the idea for the last couple of weeks and now is a better time than ever with SXSW just around the corner. Besides, it gives me an excuse to blog something more than reviews and local NYC cult movie showings. More content makes me a busier guy in this time of extreme boredom.

I'm aware that several of these movies might have already been covered, even reviewed, due to the fact that they have probably been on the festival circuit for awhile. So don't scorn me for being a day late and a dollar short with a couple. In some cases I might not even cover it based on trailer availability. I have a format with each post that I like to follow. That format includes trailer at the bottom.

I'm going to kick this off with The Divide(2011), directed by Xavier Gens. For me, Gens is best known for the French horror Frontier(s), a movie in which I was able to see a one-night only screening of a couple of years back and really enjoyed. Before Frontier(s), there wasn't much out of France that interested me besides berets and cigarettes. Since then, I've been sure to keep my eyes open for anything new in the realm of horror.

The only help IMDB can provide with a summary for The Divide is "To survive the end of the world you must first survive each other." This, along with the trailer, makes me believe that The Divide is something of a post-apocalyptic movie with that Lord of the Flies thing going for it. I realize the idea is nothing new, but I have much faith in Gens' direction. Besides, Rosanna Arquette has what looks to be an active roll, and you can't go wrong with someone who inspired a Toto song, can you?



South by Southwest(SXSW) Film Conference and Festival 2011,March 11–19 in Austin, TX(as if you didn't know.)

Big Screen Big Apple- The Valiant Ones(1975) Sunday Feb. 13th at 4 PM

Let's give it up for the Museum of the Moving Image this weekend for bringing a kung-fu classic to the big screen. Woooo Hooooo!!! After being out of commission for a couple years, it's nice to see that NYC's best museum has an open theatre again. I don't know if this is part of the museum's ongoing Fist and Sword series or not, but it's really nice to see that King Hu's The Valiant Ones(1975) is going to be one of the opening screenings for the new museum.

The Museum of the Moving Image says - " A rarely screened wuxia gem, The Valiant Ones is a meditative yet action-filled movie about a 16th century husband-and-wife swordfighting team hired to protect China from Japanese marauders. King Hu reveals character through the film’s intricate fight scenes. "


Sunday February 13th at 4pm @ Museum of the Moving Image 35 Avenue at 37 Street Astoria, Queens Free with admission