“Don’t try to be like Jackie. There is only one Jackie.” – Jackie Chan
It is just a few days away from my 21st birthday, and as I inch toward adulthood, I can’t help but wonder whether I’ve acquired any bits of wisdom worth imparting to the readers of this column. The wise sage Jackie Chan I am not, but I have learned many a life lesson from the three years I’ve spent attending the Film Series. So, in celebration of my birth, some insights from the silver screen:
“They’re a young species. They have much to learn. But I’ve seen goodness in them. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. You all know there’s only one way to end this war: we must destroy the Cube.” – Transformers
“Sometimes you have to show a little skin. This reminds boys of being naked, and then they think of sex.” – Clueless
“Love is the blackest of all plagues.” – The Seventh Seal
Now that we’re all a little wiser, let me just say that the Film Series is going to be so dope this week. Come every single night. You will be cooler, smarter, and better looking if you do.
THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER
1994. Hong Kong. Dir: Chia-Lian Liu. With Jackie Chan, Lung Ti. 99 min.
I’m a huge fan of getting drunk and trying to fight people. That could be why I so closely relate to Chan’s character Wong Fei Hung in Drunken Master. He practices the Zui Quan style of martial arts, which means the more alcohol he consumes, the better his fighting abilities. I should probably insert here that the Film Board does not condone drinking in the Goldsmith……….
CABARET
1972. USA. Dir: Bob Fosse. With Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey. 124 min.
In the risqué Kit Kat Klub in Weimar Republic-era Berlin, decadence is pervasive even as Nazism begins taking hold in Germany. Fosse’s dazzling, genre-defying social satire is not your typical “I feel a song coming on” kind of musical. Instead, the director masterfully works Minnelli’s cabaret performances into an intense yet frighteningly beautiful story of escapism in the midst of a horrifying political reality.
THE WARRIORS
1979. USA. Dir: Walter Hill. With David Patrick Kelley, James Remar. 92 min.
Seriously don’t tell anyone if you haven’t seen this movie before. People who are into The Warriors are really into it. Here’s what it’s about: in the neon-lit underground of a dystopian New York City, a gang called the Warriors is accused of killing a rival gang leader. Warfare ensues as the Warriors race back to their home turf at Coney Island. This totally excessive cult-thriller features memorable roundhouse kicks, Molotov cocktails, and mimes in top hats. Cannnnn yooouuuuuu diiiigggg iiittttt?
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
1951. USA. Dir: Elia Kazan. With Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh. 122 min.
Hands down, the sexiest movie of all time. And I don’t mean sexy as in 23 year-old Brando’s bangin’ bod. I just mean there’s a lot of crazy, illicit sex in this movie. Nymphomania, bisexuality, and rape all work their way into this electrifying, steamy film based on Tennessee Wiliams’ award-winning play. After Brando’s performance as the brooding stud Stanley, movie acting would never be the same again.
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