Martial Arts-Focused Media Company, OOSS Media, Launches With “This Is The Time I Fought Jackie Chan” Video

Ben Conrad (co-founder, Donut Media, the fastest growing automotive channel in the U.S.), Gilbert Galon (producer, TigerBelly, the top Asian podcast) and Jeremy Marinas (director, John Wick: Chapter 4 action designer and 87Eleven Action Design member) today announced the official launch of a new martial arts-focused media company, OOSS Media. Dedicated to the next generation of martial arts fans, OOSS Media seeks to entertain, educate and illuminate audiences on a wide range of martial arts topics at the intersection of movies, pop culture, combat sports, health & wellness and internet culture. The company kicked off with an exclusive interview with key players from John Wick: Chapter 4, and fight coordinator Marinas, along with actors Scott Adkins (the Undisputed franchise) and Marko Zaror (Undisputed III: Redemption), discussing all of the behind-the-scenes action. 

The A-Team VS The Karate Kid

It's the battle of the 80's re-imaginations!! The ultimate team of anti-terrorist titans vs the pint sized, kick-ass Kung Fu kid who should actually be doing Karate! THE BATTLE IS ON!!!

The A-Team - Part MacGuyver..part elite military fighting force. The A-Team is back, this time on the big screen with a sort of prequel origin story that segways into something mirroring the pre-show back story of the disgraced team that now dodges johnny law and does good deeds when they are called upon. Director Joe Carnahan knows his way around an action film, keeping an excellent pace riddled with witty exchanges between his new A Team that never get old or annoying. Fighting for the top spot of "craziest motherfucker" and by default, most enjoyable to watch, would be Face (Bradley Cooper) and Murdock (Sharlto Copley) who are given the funniest bits, naturally. Coming in third, oddly, is Liam Neeson's Hannibal who remains extremely likably with a sort of dry humor that isn't exactly straight man to the pair of WOO HOOing goofballs. Neeson carves out his own personality within the group while retaining the core elements of the original show's character..not an easy task! Even though he's given ample screen time and some memorable stunts, painfully forced character nuances keep our new school Mr T from achieving greatness and pure FUN. To make matters worse, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson delivers his lines with the care and plotting of a Charlie Brown character or Tommy "Tiny" Lister in The 5th Element. This was always an insane bit of miscasting, but I honestly thought the WHOLE movie was going to be a train wreck. Color me surprised! B.A.Baracus remains cohesive among the crew as they crack successful jokes and fall out of the sky on more than one occasion. He is likeable...just not Mr. T likable!

I'll always say FOX missed a golden opportunity to make a poster with the tank falling out of the sky with Face on the guns and the tag line "You'll Believe A Tank Can Fly."

On the flip side of all this funny amid pulse pounding action is the bad guy collection, whom I won't name specifically since we aren't supposed to know they are bad guys until specific events unfold in the story. Once again, we have an excellent action film that could have shot itself in the foot by not having a super evil bad guy you really hate. Much like The Losers, our classic John McClane nemesis is traded in for a somewhat likable, constantly wisecracking evil "genius" who practically stops the film to perform comedy bits with his henchmen. This falls just short of intolerable and will surely illicit a groan or two from your fellow movie goers. Just be BAD for fucks sake!!! On a side note, I'll mention that since the A-Team were so funny and the bad guys slightly less funny, this left Jessica Biel and her team as the straight men for 90% of the movie. Credit to the film makers for not cashing on on Biel's sex appeal by finding a reason to get her into her underwear, but what we are left with is a cookie cutter "determined policeman" type character that could have been played by anyone. Odd. And I miss her undies. I hope to see them again soon.

Another blow to the movie's crackerjack timing are the constant flashbacks, shown so often I'm convinced the editor thought the core audience for this film are on the slow side. YOU SEE THAT THERE?? HE GAVE HER A PHONE!! ..and then the voice over of Face man goes "hold onto this" as if to suggest he wanted her to..maybe...hold onto it. YEESH. Despite these relentless "you see what we did there?" moments, The A Team still comes out a killer action movie with above average CGI effects, NEW tricks I've personally never even seen before, leaving me to pick my jaw up off the floor, and a laugh nearly every 5 to 10 minutes. This is the summer movie you hoot and holler at, applauding and laughing right up to the closing credits. Thanks for bringing the FUN back to my movie going experience!!

NOTE: Stay after the credits if you want to have old school A-Team flash backs!

The Karate Kid - Be warned, this is not the goofy coming of age story you remember. Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) is uprooted and dropped in the middle of China with no advance cultural studies or much knowledge of the language. Befriending a young female violin player only gets him a fist to the face from the school bully squad, lead by a wide eyed, Kung Fu wielding psychotic who will remind you of a tiny little Bolo Yeung! These opening moments before Dre's inevitable bonding with Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) are very slow and quiet. Clowning and one liners are kept to a minimum, giving the initial exchanges a very thoughtful indie movie vibe. You'll quickly discover this is more a serious drama than the mostly light hearted original. Jaden Smith proves he's got the acting chops to pull it off and remain sympathetic while not going full on emo, but the tone is still unexpected.

Before long, Dre is taken under Mr.Han's wing as we trade the "wax on wax off" exercises for jacket on, jacket off, as it was taught for generations by the Shao Lin Monks. (I kid) Yes, its true he is learning Kung Fu, and NOT the Japanese fighting style known as KARATE..which would have made him The KARATE Kid. It's just something you'd have to accept before even sitting down in the theater. If the cultural mis-step offends you, don't go. As it stands, you'll see more genuine Asians in this movie than you will the upcoming Last Airbender film, which is supposed to take place on a PLANET of Asian people. ~sigh~ ..but I digress. Dre wanders through the film with a sort of blank faced wonder before the beauty of China as if we were watching a travel documentary, learning about the people, culture and most importantly..KUNG FUUU!! Amid the pretty, Dre develops his love interest with the little violin girl. There's little chemistry in these exchanges, but we'll give them a break since we are talking about little kids, a fact that the film makers abandon at one point when the mood gets..shall we say..uncomfortable. You'll know the scene when it hits and scratch your head, wondering why it is even in the film.

So Dre and Mr.Han form a close bond while training for the promised Kung Fu face off in the film's finale, all the while showing they are spectacular actors capable of genuine depth. This movie may not be the fun multi-cultural romp I remember, but it certainly holds its own as a serious, well executed drama. Some films reveal an ending that redeems an entire film. The Karate Kid pulls out a stunt that would practically make the little animated head of M Night Shyamalan pop up and scream "WHAT A TWEEEST!!" Why they chose to end a very real, touching film with a hugely unrealistic, over the top moment is beyond me..but what's done is done. If you were coming to The Karate Kid to see Jackie Chan and Jaded Smith shout Wax On, Wax Off and any number of classic lines from the original film, you've come to the wrong place. If you are ready to sit down and watch a new drama about a boy overcoming his fears with the help of a man whose heart seems beyond repair, then you'll leave with a smile on your face.

The NY/Asian Film Festival is COMING!!

Last year...this happened....

This year promises..well..maybe less man ass, but more crazy Asian fun, drama, hilarity and 100% originality. DON'T MISS THIS FILM FEST!!

Co-presented for the first time with The Film Society of Lincoln Center!
All screenings at the Walter Reade Theater!
Additional screenings July 1 - 4 at Japan Society!
Special Midnight shows Fridays & Saturdays at the IFC!

Like Vandals storming the gates of Rome, the New York Asian Film Festival rampages through the Film Society's Walter Reade Theater June 25 ­ July 8, unleashing an orgy of the latest and greatest pop masterpieces Asian cinema has to offer. For nine years, the NYAFF has been North America's leading festival of popular Asian cinema but now it's teamed up with the Film Society of Lincoln Center to also become North America's fanciest!

America's art-house theaters normally show an anemic sliver of what Asian cinema has to offer but the NYAFF¹s 2010 line-up is a brawny slab of 35 blockbusters and break-out hits that audiences in Thailand, China, Korea, Hong Kong and Japan actually buy tickets to watch.

The full line-up will be announced in May, but this year's festival will have three major events, so mark them on your flesh now!

THE STAR ASIA AWARDS
The NYAFF will be presenting three Star Asia Awards to actors Western audiences should know more about. The ceremony will take place on opening night, June 25, and the recipients will all be at the festival to receive their awards.

Rising Star of Asia Award to Huang Bo One of China's most popular new actors, Huang Bo got his break in Ning Hao's 2006 comedy, CRAZY STONE, and he's gone on to specialize in earthy,
foul-mouthed characters. A leading man with a character actor's face, he won a Golden Horse for his performance in COW, and we'll be screening it as part of the NYAFF 2010, as well as his movie CRAZY RACER.

Star Asia Award to Simon Yam Starting as a character actor in the 1970's, Simon Yam has gone on to become one of Hong Kong's favorite leading men, winning Best Actor' at the 2010 Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance in ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW, an official selection of this year's New York Asian Film Festival. From his performance as the insane fashion plate, Judge, in Ringo Lam's FULL CONTACT to his turn as the dapper pickpocket, Kei, in Johnnie To's SPARROW, Simon Yam has been one of the world's best, and most debonair, actors. In this
year's festival, he appears in ECHOES OF THE RAINBOW, STORM WARRIORS and BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS.

Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award to Sammo Hung!! A special Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award will go to the legendary actor and director, Sammo Hung, to honor his legacy of onscreen work. Jackie Chan's "older brother" at Master Yu Jim Yuen's Chinese Opera School, Sammo has worked as a producer, director, action-choreographer or stuntman in over
230 films. In this year's NYAFF, Sammo Hung choreographed the action in IP MAN, he co-stars in the festival's official opening night film, IP MAN 2, and he stars in the cracked action-cooking-comedy KUNG FU CHEFS. There will also be a special screening of his 1987 Vietnam War movie, EASTERN CONDORS, preceded by an onstage chat with the maestro about his career.

RETURN TO THE OLD SCHOOL: HONG KONG'S NEW MARTIAL ARTS CINEMA
After 2009's film, IP MAN, became a massive box office hit, savvy Hong Kong producers unleashed a wave of old school-inspired martial arts films that went back to basics: no CGI, no fancy wire work, no fakery. Instead, they were all about blazing hand-to-hand combat, hard-falling stuntmen and lightning fast kung fu. In conjunction with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York, this year's NYAFF features a special focus on Hong Kong's new wave of old school kung fu.

This year's line-up will include Jackie Chan's latest movie, LITTLE BIG SOLDIER; we'll be screening GALLANTS, a rollicking action comedy starring a gallery of old school greats like Bruce Leung and Chen Kuan-tai; and two movies about Bruce Lee's teacher and Chinese folk hero, Ip Man: an encore presentation of the original IP MAN and the North American Premiere of IP MAN 2, our official Opening Night Film.

We'll also be screening the award-winning, 2009 Hong Kong blockbuster, BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS; the insane cooking kung fu flick, KUNG FU CHEFS; and the totally mad throwback to visually bonkers Hong Kong comic books of the 70's, THE STORM WARRIORS, and much more.

UP FROM THE JAPANESE UNDERGROUND
Independent movies get a bad rap, but for the past two years some of the wildest Japanese films have been shot on video for about $1.95. Hip hop wannabes stranded in the middle-of-nowhere will be ripping up the screen in the award-winning 8000 MILES (about male rappers, dying on the vine) followed by a screening of the much-anticipated follow-up 8000 MILES 2 (about female rappers, languishing in obscurity). Director Yu Irie will be here for both screenings. We'll also be screening two films from director Tetsuaki Matsue, who will also be attending the festival. First up is his Japanese/Korean personal odyssey porno documentary, ANNYONG YUMIKA, that's a testament to the passions aroused by one Japanese skin flick actress working
in Korea. Then we're screening LIVE TAPE, one of the most ambitious concert films ever made and winner of "Best Japanese Film" at the Tokyo International Film Festival, starring Kenta Maeno, known as Japan's Bob Dylan. Kenta Maeno is expected to attend the screenings.

We may be in a new location, but the NYAFF will still be as raw and potent as moonshine. Although we're on the Upper West Side, we're still showing movies that'll mess you up and ruin you permanently for the pale, lifeless junk Hollywood has to offer. For further info, hit http://www.subwaycinema.com/

Jackie Chan Takes Kicking Ass Seriously in The Shinjuku Incident

We've been watching Jackie Chan blow our minds with amazing feats of martial arts prowess and death defying stunts all delivered at break neck speed, and through it all there was always a level of the absurd to cushion us from the reality of these situations. A Jackie Chan movie was always more a Bugs Bunny cartoon than Clint Eastwood life and death drama. In between all of the American releases, there surely must have been countless cop dramas overseas, but it wasn't what Chan was known for here in the states and make no mistake, he was probably reminded of this by many a Hollywood suit. Now comes The Shinjuku Incident, telling a very real story of what people will do to protect their friends and family and the depths they'll traverse just to survive.

Like all great epics, it is love that drives the man. "Steelhead" leads a simple life in China with dreams of starting a family with the woman he loves one day. She follows an opportunity to Japan, leaving Steelhead broken-hearted. After a time, and no word from his love, he too sets off for Japan and quickly finds himself unwelcome among the sprawling populace, seen as another immigrant beggar taking up space. Steelhead is smart and charismatic, so we watch him gather a group of fellow immigrants and, almost inadvertently, create a new gang and fortune of ill gotten gains. The story unfolds like an Asian Scarface, but without the malice. Steelhead really does have the best intentions, always keeping his new "family" safe and fed and always searching for his lost love when he can, but however you spin it, he is the head of a new crime outfit.

Before long, the established bosses take notice and try and drop the hammer on Steelhead's merry thieves. Now the blood and body parts begin to fly as we watch Steelhead's rise up the criminal ladder, all the while remembering what it cost him to get there. Jackie Chan's portrayal of this simple man who never wanted to be an underworld boss never ceases to be engaging. This level of intimacy with the character helps to grip the audience tightly, doing something you rarely see in a film. You actually care deeply for, what is essentially, the bad guy. Sure, you can argue he's the nicest of the bad guys, but there is no mistaking he has made choices that lead to people's deaths. We've watched Steelhead trying to utilize the resources available to someone living on the streets of Japan and see how easily success in a small criminal enterprise, even with good intentions, can lead to bloodshed. The once gentle man who only wanted a happy, simple life is now forced to consider that those around him might kill him if it serves their purposes. These are certainly themes we've seen in film before, but the execution is slick and extremely thoughtful with acting performances you'll remember. The result is a gritty crime drama that never apologizes for its characters and maintains multiple levels of storytelling without losing the audience. That is an accomplishment in itself.

Admittedly, I have probably only seen half a dozen Jackie Chan films, so it is only from my own limited perspective that I say The Shinjuku Incident may be the best film I've ever seen him in. It is certainly far superior to, say, Rumble in the Bronx and similar martial arts action bonanzas we've had in American theaters. It is also MILES better than the Rush Hour series! Unfortunately, the film only got a tiny theatrical release, which has now ended, so you'll have to wait until Summer to catch it on DVD. Keep an eye out! After The Shinjuku Incident, you may never look at Jackie Chan the same way again.

Karate Kid Goes Full On Kung Fu

Not sure I'm up for this one. I'll be in "wait and see" mode.