Quickie Review: Sins of the Dragon (2012)

It's been a while since I've delved into the world of low-budget filmmaking, and I have to admit, a lot has changed over the years. I recall getting VHS tapes of shot-on-video horror films in the mail just over a decade ago. (Showing my age a bit.) Then the VHS tapes were replaced by DVDs (and DVD-Rs), and then Blu-ray discs, but now it seems digital streaming and downloading  is beginning to reign supreme. And it's just not the format that's changing; it's the quality of the productions too!

With film going digital and the equipment to make films being super affordable these days, the kids of yesteryear that shot homemade kung-fu flicks in their backyard with a bulky VHS camcorder, have been replaced with young aspiring filmmakers armed with handycams and digital editing equipment! It's a startling change and definitely one for the better in my opinion.

Which leads me to SINS OF THE DRAGON, a cool kung-fu throwback that pays homage to classic Shaw Bros. fare. Filmed entirely in the woods with a small cast, (much like Ryuhei Kitamura's breakout film VERSUS), SINS OF THE DRAGON is an obvious labor of love for editor/co-star/director/writer Joey Corpora, that often belies it's miniscule budget.

The film begins when the main villain Caligo (the half-hockey-masked swordsman in the film's poster) kills one of the "Four Dragons," aging martial arts masters that were blessed with supernatural powers. By killing them, Caligo gains their powers and becomes an even more potent assassin. However, Caligo's thirst for power has gained him a stalwart foe, namely young Cunri. (Who kind of resembles Ken from Capcom's Street Fighter games now that I think of it.) Cunri was a child when Caligo wiped out his village and murdered his family, causing the orphaned child to take up martial arts training in his quest for revenge.

Joining Cunri on his journey is his war-fan wielding pal Kaia, who is far less bloodthirsty, but more than capable of taking care of herself. Along the way they battle Caligo's numerous, yet mainly useless ninjas (i.e. cannon fodder), and an odd trio of idiotic comic-relief bandits that enjoy eating piss and beans. (Yeah, I'm still scratching my head over that one. Hahaha.) The film eventually boils down to a ninja massacre that leads  to the final showdown between Cunri and Caligo, where truths are revealed, old wounds are healed, and new ones are opened.

SINS OF THE DRAGON runs just under a half-hour, though I've got the feeling that it used to be a bit longer. (Note: According to Joey Corpora, the original cut was at roughly 53 minutes, but was edited down for film festival screenings.) Most of the story is quickly told through exposition (you never get to see Caligo attack Cunri's village or battle it out with two of the other "Four Dragons"), which means that most of the film is made up of kung-fu action! The bulk of the fight choreography in this flick is very well done, with the stars pulling off some crazy moves and stunts. Though there are a few moments where the actors hesitate a bit before delivering a blow, the majority of the fight choreography is fast-paced and almost seamless. (A lot of this is due in part to the editing, which is top notch.)

Kaia and Cunri are about to put a hurtin' on some ninjas!

There is a lot to like in SINS OF THE DRAGON, but there's one glaring thing that didn't quite work for me: The three bandits that capture Kaia. I understand that they are there to a.) provide some laughs and b.) provide a moment where Cunri and Kaia make amends after an argument, but they stall the movie as soon as they show up on the screen. I didn't find them particularly funny, and though they manage to capture Kaia,  I could see her easily escaping from them without Cunri's aid. Truthfully I think it would have made more sense for her to be captured by Caligo and his minions, which would have given our hero even more reason to seek out and destroy his arch-nemesis. Seeing as how the film was heavily trimmed for festival screenings (including scenes where Cunri crosses paths with Sozen), I'm kind of surprised that the halfwit bandits survived the cut; their presence is totally unnecessary.

Despite my misgivings about said characters, I have to say that this is a solid little action flick that rises above its meager budget. (At times it feels like you're watching a demo reel for some up and coming martial artists, but that is no way a bad thing. Just look at Tony Jaa in ONG-BAK; that movie kicks some serious ass but is essentially a glorified demo reel for the rising martial arts star.) SINS OF THE DRAGON runs at a brisk pace, showcases some awesome kung-fu action, and pays tribute to the Shaw Bros.' films of yore with awesomely cheesy sound effects and watery arterial spray! It's an impressive start for first-time director Joey Corpora, and I very much look forward to seeing what else he and his companions pull off in the future, especially if they scrape together a much larger budget.

I enjoyed SINS OF THE DRAGON and gladly give it:

THREE AND-A-HALF 'RADS'

For more info about SINS OF THE DRAGON, visit the Platypus Underground website, and check out the film's IMDB page! And while you're at it, give the trailer a look-see below!

A Noble And Holy Passion

"Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead." 

 Recently I attended a concert performed by the Santa Rosa Symphony, under the direction of Bruno Ferrandis. The final piece was the powerful Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Opus 74: the Pathétique. Interestingly, The Russian title of the symphony, Patetičeskaja, means "passionate" or "emotional", not "arousing pity", but it is a word reflective of a touch of concurrent suffering. The Finale: Adagio lamentoso is a slow movement, bleak, stressful and anguished, in which Tchaikovsky lays his soul bare as he meditates on death. At the end the music slowly fades away into a silence where a pin drop might be heard. It was just at this point in the concert which I attended, during perhaps the last six or eight measures, that the tinkling sound of someone's cell phone was heard. The whole mood in the hall was destroyed! We watched Maestro Ferrandis nearly collapse. The expression on his face wasn't really anger, though I'm sure he felt that, but much more of a profound, weary sadness. He hurried off the stage with a forlorn demeanor, which didn't even disappear as he and the orchestra took a second bow, by which the time the audience had risen in a standing ovation to show its empathetic support. 

What I realized in that experience was the reality of Maestro Ferrandis' deep passion for the music to which he's devoted his life. It's apparent in every one of his performances, but more so on this occasion. Passion. Emotion. Not arousing pity, but rather "a touch of concurrent suffering" with another: certainly with each member of his orchestra and with the members of the audience. Who can know what he may have felt towards the person responsible for the disturbance? 

It seems to me that this is similar to the passion of Mary of Bethany as she tends to the anointing of Jesus in anticipation of his suffering and death, a deeply emotional response to what lay ahead, a sense of solidarity because of Jesus' evident opposition and harassment by the Pharisees and legal experts of the Law. Her gesture happens in the context of her sister, Martha, and her brother, Lazarus, having him to dinner, possibly to show their extreme appreciation for Jesus having restored Lazarus to life. We know from the Scriptures of the longstanding love and friendship among them, and how perfectly Jesus felt "at home" with them and they with him. In John 11:17-46, the story of Jesus raising Lazarus to life, each of the main figures displays a deep pathétique character: Martha and Mary, in each of their opening words to Jesus, "Lord, if you had only been here, my brother would not have died."; and Jesus in his response. "When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he shuddered, moved with the deepest emotions...Jesus began to cry..." Their bonds were deep and enduring.

In a curious, negative sort of way, perhaps Judas Iscariot's hard response to Mary's action betrays a similar passion, though in an opposite, selfish direction. Fr. Pius Parsch, commenting on this passage in his Year of Grace (Vol. 2, p. 303) says, "In everyone's heart, in my own too, there dwell two souls: a Judas-soul and a Mary-soul. The former is the cause of Jesus' suffering, it is always ready to apostatize, always ready to give the traitor's kiss...Your Mary-soul is a source of comfort to Christ in His sufferings."

This Holy Week highlights the noble and holy passion of God in coming among us in Jesus, to be one of us, to experience first-hand what it means to be a human being. Jesus the Christ embodies this noble and holy passion whose clear agenda is "that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10) The practical implication of all this for you and me is to open ourselves to and nurture in ourselves a similar noble and holy passion to our sisters and brothers, and to God, a touch of concurrent bearing with, of being in solidarity with the suffering as well as the joy of others.

Introduction to Tarot Reading

Introduction to Tarot Reading: With Beads N Botanicals owner Catherine Novak. Great for beginners or as a refresher for experienced readers. We will cover the traditional meanings of the Major & Minor Arcana cards, interpretation of the cards, listening to your inner voice and developing confidence in your reading abilities.

Several spreads will be taught as well. Rider Waite Deck required for this class and available for purchase at the shop for an additional fee. Please note that this class takes place every other week, to allow students to work with the tarot in depth. 

Five Weeks on Wednesday nights, from 6:00pm to 8pm. starting April 3, April 17, May 1, 15 & 29.

Cost: $150 per person, due by March 30th. Or $125 prepaid by March 16th.
Pre-payment and pre-registration required. Minimum of three students required for this class to run with no more than ten students. (we will have a waiting list for more than 10 students)

For more information and updates, check

Introduction to Tarot

Astrology in the 21st Century

Taught by Amalia Pursell, this class includes a basic introduction to the concepts of Astrology, including the zodiac, the natal chart, the planets, and the houses. It also covers the changes in astronomy in our era: the reclassification of Pluto, the precession of the Earth's Axial Tilt, Ophiuchus, the so-called thirteenth sign, and how these alterations affect Astrology.

Amalia Pursell is a practicing astrologer. Her specialties include the trigonometry of the celestial sphere, the mathematics on which astrology is based, and chart synastry: the study of relationships through comparing two or more peoples' astrological charts. She comes from a long line of astrologers, and has created natal charts for people from all over the world.
Cost: $20 pre-paid by March 23rd; $25 thereafter and at the door. Two or more pre-registered students needed for this class to run.

Wednesday, March 27, 6 pm to 8pm

Astrology in the 21st Century

NOW PLAYING: COME OUT AND PLAY, THE CROODS, & OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN!

It's a good weekend (or was) to hit the theaters, because you can watch a decent action/thriller, an animated caveman comedy that the whole family can enjoy, and a CHILDREN OF THE CORN knock-off set in a tropical locale. Let's take a closer look at what's new! First up is COME OUT AND PLAY:


Yep, this is totally CHILDREN OF THE CORN set on a tropical isle (though it seems to be lacking the whole supernatural/religious aspect). When a vacationing couple arrives on a glorious island paradise and finds it nearly deserted, they soon discover that the adult residents of said island have been butchered by all of their children. After exposition from a lone survivor, they try to escape, but can they? I guess it all comes down to how many 5-year olds they can take in a fight. While I could probably take on my fair share of killer ankle-biters, my moral compass would drag me down a bit apparently, allowing me to only survive the onslaught of twenty or so. As for the movie, it doesn't look like anything special, but I always get a kick out a film that a.) has creepy kids murdering adults and b.) has the adults murdering them right back in order to survive. There's something very wrong with me....

20
Next up we have THE CROODS, a new animated comedy from DreamWorks Animation. A family of cavepeople wander around and go on adventures and ... stuff. I wasn't blown away by the first trailer I saw, and I'm personally surprised by how well it is doing in the box office. (Then again, I'm not so surprised because it's the first legit kids film to come out this year.) Let's check out the trailer, shall we?


 Ok, I'd watch this. It's no WRECK-IT RALPH, but it looks fun and almost makes me wish I had a son or daughter to go see it with. (Key word here is ALMOST. Haha!) I like Ryan Reynolds and Emma Stone, and Nicholas Cage, who (though stricken with a malady that gives him a complete inability to turn down a role, and typically causes him to chew the hell out of the scenery) seems rather restrained here. If you've got young'uns this is def the best movie to take them to see this weekend.

Finally, if you don't live in a city that's playing COME OUT AND PLAY and you're planning on going out and leaving the kids with a babysitter, why not watch Gerard Butler reenact DIE HARD in the White House? Your final new major release for this week is OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN:


Oh MAN, how formulaic could you get?! Asian terrorists (probably North Korean because China's a major economic power in this world now and it'd be wrong to make them the villain in a movie. See also: RED DAWN remake.) easily invade the White House and capture the president, and its up to an ex-special forces/ex-Secret Service agent who happens to be stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time, to kill the bad guys single-handedly and rescue the prez.

This is screenwriting at its laziest, but damn it, I'd gladly give it a look. It's Rated R, has Gerard Butler doing what he was made to do (i.e. being an action star, not a frequent leading man in numerous retardedly formulaic chick flicks), and blows up several of Washington D.C.'s most notable landmarks! (I haven't seen this much destruction in our nation's capital since EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS! Well, except for INDEPENDENCE DAY that is!)

If you caught any of these new flicks on the big screen this weekend, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below, or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter!

It's The Incarnation!

"It's not the Resurrection, dammit! It's the Incarnation! But we don’t believe it. We don’t believe we are invited to become the very life of God!" 

Fr. Godfrey Diekmann, OSB (1908-2002), one of the architects of Sacrosanctum Concilium/Constitution On the Sacred Liturgy, the first completed work of Vatican Council II, shouted out the above words during a dinner conversation with students at St. John's University, Collegeville, MN. I believe most folks who've thought long and hard about this will get the drift of what he meant. Such a person is Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM who, in his new book, Immortal Diamond, spells this insight out in a clear, creative and exciting way. I heartily recommend it.

Such ideas as Frs. Diekmann and Rohr have put forth set me thinking about and approaching Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum with a fresh understanding. So often in the past I've simply assumed that one starts Holy Week with emphasis on remembering the suffering and death of Jesus, and while that certainly is a major part of the whole mystery of salvation, I've come to believe that emphasizing more the ultimate reality of what Jesus has already accomplished for humankind through his love can lend itself in Lent/Holy Week/Easter to a more fruitful celebration of these mysteries. I experienced the Liturgy of the Palms in a whole new way this morning. "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of God. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" was the initial shout. The same tone continued in the Collect where we asked the "God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby [God has given us] life and immortality, through Jesus Christ our Savior." In the reading from Luke 19:28-40, Jesus sends two of the disciples to fetch a colt in the village. I'd never really thought about the words: "Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' just say this, "The Lord needs it.'" God's creation, even animals, was so important to Jesus that he "needed" this colt, one that had never been ridden before. The donkey was an ancient symbol of royalty, but one of a sovereign coming in peace, as Zechariah 9:9-10 attests: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you' triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey..." Matthew's account alludes to God's creation also as useful in welcoming the Lord of life when he notes that "others cut branches from trees and spread them on the road..." Luke, however, speaks of God's human creation of "people... spreading their cloaks on the road." In a take-off on this text in a delightful sermon, 8th century Bishop and hymnographer, Andrew of Crete, exclaims: "Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments,..but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish...let us spread before his feet...ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him..." Finally, Luke has Jesus answering those adversaries who would stop the crowd's adulation: "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out." In other words, all of God's creation, even the inorganic, has a potential role in welcoming Jesus the Messiah into the City of Peace: a concept that would've warmed the heart of a man like Teilhard de Chardin!

 In conjunction with the Epistle from Philippians 2:5-11, the Liturgy of the Palms conveys to us how boundless and extreme is God's creative love for you and me. Not only are we, with all creation, called this week to exult in the joy of what Jesus has done for us through his humility in the Incarnation, but also to exult in God's lifting us up with Jesus to God's own glory, which is ultimately, of course, resurrection to eternal life, as the prayer concluding the Liturgy of the Palms notes: "...mercifully grant that in all the pain and struggle of life we may learn by his example that humility is divinity, thereby sharing in his resurrection..."

"Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

Results of the 19th edition of the Euro-kartoenale Kruishoutem 'The Bicycle', Belgium

In total we received 2483 cartoons from 718 participants of 79 countries. Most participants were from Europe (57%), followed by Asia (31%), South-America (8%), North-America (3%), Africa (1%) and Oceania (0.5%).
The submitted cartoons approached the bike in all its aspects: the cycling associated with doping scandals, romantic bike rides, bicycle thefts, the bicycle as transportation ...
The winners of this edition are:
First prize: Mohsen Asadi (Iran)
Second prize: Pavel Constantin (Romania)
Third prize: Ross Thomson (UK)
Best European entry: Constantin Sunnerberg (Belgium)
Best Belgian entry: Nikola Hendrickx (Belgium)
Prize of the ECC: Marco D'Angelo (Italy)
Cover award: Angelo Campaner (Italy)
Honorable mention: Peter Ruge (Germany)
Honorable mention: Jorgo Schäfer (Germany).
You can see all winners on our webpage of on our Pinterestboard.
All participating and selected cartoonists for the exhibition and the catalogue are on the participation list.
We thank all participants for their entries and hope to may welcome you on the 20th edition in 2015.
Photos of the ceremony will be available soon on our Facebookpages.
The ECC-team.