Mardi Gras: Made in China

Mardi Gras: Made in China is a documentary about the manufacturing of the celebration's ubiquitous, plastic beads.  The crew journeys to China's Fuzhou city in Fujian Provience and documents the manufacturing of the beads in a massive, walled factory.  The crew then travels to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, recording the beads at the end of their life cycle.  

Movie Cover

At the factory, the crew interviews many of the labors who work 12 hours a day making the necklaces, doubloons, and even plastic penises that get thrown to the crowds every year.  Unsurprisingly the conditions at the factory aren't good.  But what really makes life so terrible is the restrictions the factory puts on its employees personal lives.  Employees can be fined an entire day's wages for talking during working hours.  Also, employees can only leave the prison-like factory on Sundays.  The other six days of the week they must spend all their non-working time in the compound.

On the other hand, the owner of the factory lives large on $2 million a year, producing items for the Krewe of Tucks.  He was born in Mainland China but went to Hong Kong as a child.  He returned to China to open the factory after the initiation of economic reforms.  This isn't surprising considering the communist party opened China to Chinese from Taiwan and Hong Kong as a way to bind them closer to the mainland and use the experience and expertise of other "Chinese" to rebuild the country following communism.  Think FoxConn but on a much smaller level.

The Factory Owner

Back in New Orleans, the beads are tossed off the sides of floats.  Some make it to the spectators while others simply fall on the ground, staying exactly where they land.  At the end of the partying, most are just thrown away.  During and after Mardi Gras signs advertising bead recycling centers are posted in public places.  Apparently the beads have a high content of lead which seeps into the groundwater.  The documentary shows the bulldozers that roll down St. Charles Ave. cleaning up the beads after each parade.

I am no sandle wearing hippie, but it's an enormous amount of waste.  The documentary really doesn't do it justice.  Each night bulldozers and workmen travel down the Avenue scooping up the beads.  It's troubling to see how many of the beads don't even make it to the spectators, simply falling onto the ground.  They become trash the instant they get thrown over the sides of the floats.  I am not an innocent party in this either.  Last year I rode on float.  By the end of the parade I had tossed bags of beads without the slightest thought about where they came from or where they would end up.

Beads Everywhere!

Don't get me wrong, I love Mardi Gras, but the waste resulting from the cheap trinkets really troubles me.  That's why I snatched this documentary off the library shelves the second I laid eyes on it.  I hope that one of the Mardi Gras krewes "goes green" in the future and realizes the economic and environmental problems this worthless crap causes.  But with krewes that have mottos like "throw until it hurts," its likely that this tradition won't die easily.  

James Rolfe Revolutionized Entertainment

Does Anyone Else Remember the Power Glove?

Early this summer at the height of the Ghostbusters (2016) fiasco, a memory of the terrible Ghostbusters NES game that I had as a kid popped into my head.  The game was unplayable.  It ended up in my video game collection for the same reason it probably ended up in millions of other kid's collections...It had the word Ghostbusters printed on the front.  The first thing that came up after googling the video game was a video by the "Angry Video Game Nerd."  The video was a hilarious.  I felt like it had vindicated me and every other kid who got ripped off by crap merchandise.  In the video the Nerd plays the game and does a review while he is.....well....angry.  His character is basically that 30 year old guy that we all know who still lives in his mom and dad's basement.  He makes fun of all the crap video games that ripped us off as children.

The Angry Video Game Nerd, or AVGN as he is known, had hundreds of videos on Youtube.  He was one of the website's first real celebrities.  For the next week, I did nothing except watch James Rolfe's AVGN videos.  When I finished I started watching all of the other videos that his website, Cinemassacre, made over the last 10 years.  He did it all on a shoestring budget.  I kept watching these shows because they were great and incredibly entertaining.  It got to the point where I preferred watching Rolfe's videos to actual Hollywood produced shows.  Before this I had never gotten into the whole Youtube thing.  After watching the AVGN there was no going back.

James Rolfe and his partner in crime Mike
Matei during their amazing Batman episode.

You can find a Youtuber making their own videos about almost every subject.  I started subscribing to a few whose videos I liked.  I found a guy calling himself SerpentZA who does videos about his life in China.  Youtube completed changed the content that I consumed.  Gone were flashy Hollywood shows with laugh tracks, and in were low budget, do-it-yourself videos about subjects that I actually cared about.  I find Rolfe and others like him inspiring.  Rolfe genuinely loves what he does and comes through in all of his videos.  Just try not to laugh when he takes you back to the past to remember something as stupid as the Virtual Boy or all those crappy Tiger handheld games you got for your birthday.

Times have changed and we're no longer stuck with what the networks give us.  Now people have the ability to create and publish their own material.  It's Rolfe and people like him that are the future of entertainment.  So get out there and start your own Youtube channel or a blog.  Yes, I know that I was late to the game on this subject, but no time like the present.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLVGmvmNitg  

Aldrich-Genella House: A New Orleans Haunted Treasure

Every town in America has a haunted house or two, but New Orleans has far more than its fair share.  Few are as prominent as the Aldrich-Genella House.  Situated at the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Bordeaux Street, this massive mansion commands respect.  The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Its architecture style sets it apart from other mansions on "the Avenue".  Built in the Second Empire architecture style (think of Paris and its mansard roofed buildings), this house is certainly a one-of-a-kind building in America's most unique city.

I decided to highlight the property as a haunted house because it has fallen into disrepair.  I often wonder what tourist think as they role down St. Charles on the streetcar and see a mansion vaguely resembling Norman Bate's house.  Many of the windows are missing glass and the banister on the front staircase has disintegrated.  A Christmas decoration spookily spelling out "Believe" hangs in the window year round.  I'll admit, the first time I saw this place I was taken aback.  After passing by it a few times, I started to notice the cars parked in the driveway.  At least two of the three have flat tires.  The Corvette looks like it hasn't been driven in a decade or more.

Though the architecture style originated in France, you're far more likely to see a mansion like this in the Midwest or on the plains than in the Big Easy.  So how did this mystic manor land on the city's most prominent residential street?  Apparently it was part of a military academy.  I couldn't find much on the subject, but below is a link to someone else's blog that carried a piece about it.  As time goes by, I have started to worry about the house.  It's so unique compared to the other buildings in the city.  I hope it doesn't fall into disrepair and have to be torn down.  However, it'd also be weird to see it completely restored.  After all, every place needs "the house" that you cross the street to avoid.

http://neworleans.danellis.net/rugby_academy.htm

The house viewed from the neutral ground
in St. Charles Avenue

From the side.  Notice the broken window at
the top of the tower.

Broken window on the right.

At least someone is still cutting the lawn.

Flat tires on the one of the cars in the
driveway.

The stoop leading the front door.

I hope that isn't a load bearing column.

Project A: Martial Arts Movie Saturday III

Considering his currently close ties
to the Communist Party, Jackie
Chan probably regrets wearing this
Royal Navy uniform

Outside of Asia, Project A isn't well known.  Funny considering it was a favorite movie of Japanese Emperor Hirohito.  This Jackie Chan masterpiece chronicles the misadventures of the Hong Kong Police Force and Royal Navy in the early period of colonial rule.  It's notable for starring three of the "7 little fortunes" of Hong Kong cinema; Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Yuen Biao.  Some of my older readers might remember Sammo Hung as the star of TV's Marshal Law.  As a kid I remember ads for this show but haven't seen any the episodes.  Sammo Hung is also notable for being an overweight marshal arts expert.  That's right....overweight marshal arts expert.  His character is affectionately called "Fats" in the film.  You can see some of his moves in the film, and they are genuinely impressive.  These three actors would later go on to star together in other classic films, such as Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars and Wheels on Meals.  

The hallmark of any Chan film is the stunts, and get ready because Project A has some awesome ones.  In one seen Chan has to hang on to the hands of a clock, a la Charlie Chaplin, before falling three stories to the ground.  The final scene of the film features more grenade explosions than you can shake a German potato masher at.  It's like something out of a low budget Michael Bay film, except that here it's meant to be a little funny and outlandish.

The three main characters

The time period  and setting of the film are refreshing.  There's no "tournament fighting" motif or "shaolin masters" in this film, making it something of an anomaly for kung fu films with English dubbing.  Overall it's great to see an action film with an original premise, particularly one so funny and entertaining.  In terms of tone, the film is way ahead of its time.  It's more like some of Chan's later American movies than other early 80's films.  It fits comfortably in the action/comedy genre alongside Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon.  It certainly contrasts with American action films of the 80's, where if it moves, the lead actor just shoots it to death.    

If you're in the mood for something original and retro, checkout this little known classic.

Eat your heart out Doc Brown and Marty McFly

Rumble in the Bronx: Martial Arts Movie Saturday 2

Even the tagline highlights
the fact that Jackie Chan
does his own stunts

Rumble in the Bronx has Jackie Chan rumbling in the Bronx.  That's really all you need to know about the plot.  If you need a little more detail, Jackie Chan comes to the Bronx for his uncle's wedding and suddenly keeps running into trouble.  Jackie Chan manages to witness more robberies during his first two days in America than I have witnessed in my whole life.  Jackie's uncle then goes on his honeymoon and leaves his nephew in charge of sewing up the loose ends as he transfers ownership of his store to one of Jackie's two love interests in the film.

The action in the movie is amazing.  Even twenty years later, I don't feel like it has an equal.  One of my favorite things about watching this film was knowing that Jackie Chan did all his own stunts.  It's flat-out amazing.  Jackie Chan jumps off buildings, kicks people in the face, water skis behind a hovercraft, and so much more.  I could go on for a few more pages, but you really have to see the action in this film to believe it.  Despite all this awesome kung fu action, Jackie Chan is still incredibly down-to-earth.  He's a kung fu champion version of an everyman.  Amazing considering he spends a good portion of the movie disarming the bad guys and throwing them through windows.

Team Glasses/Mullet

Team reformed criminal

The two love interests were one of my favorite parts of the movie.  I found myself thinking, who will Jackie choose.  Will he choose the smart, entrepreneurial Chinese woman or the wild, criminal, racially ambiguous Chinese woman?  I seriously wanted to know....well guess what.  You'll never really find out.  This movie just sort of ends......too early.  I honestly think they just ran out of money.  

Anytime you see pinball machines in a kung fu
film....assume someone will be thrown into them

The last 15 minutes of this film's plot makes absolutely no sense.  But by that point in the film doesn't matter.  You've already bought into the film so much that you don't care what happens.  It's sort of like blowing up the shark in the end of Jaws.  It's completely stupid, but the movie is so good that you really, really don't care.

Make sure to checkout this classic from the 90's and enjoy memories of a time when New York was dangerous but affordable.

P.S. Chan is the man

Paulson on China

None of us could ever love Henry Paulson as much as he loves himself.  I came to this conclusion early while reading his book Dealing with China.  That being said it's a really good read, and I recommend it for anyone interested in either Chinese or US politics.  For me, the most interesting thing about the book was Paulson dancing around the subsequent histories of some of the people he dealt with in China.  Gao Yan, Bo Xilai, and Zhou Yongkank all feature in the book.

Where in the world is Gao Yan?

Gao Yan - One of the PRC's most famous and wanted fugitives.  He fled the country with millions of dollars earmarked for power projects in 2002.  His location is still a mystery.  Paulson met with him shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and says that he was not apologetic and showed no sympathy for America's loss.  He took time in his book to highlight his personal dislike of Gao.

I found this very short section of the book fascinating.  Gao Yan worked for the State Grid Corporation of China, the mysterious and very politically powerful state power company.  Little is known about the inner working of this State Owned Enterprise (SOE).  Many of the nation's most important princelings spend part of their careers there, including the daughter of Li Peng who was implicated in the Panama Papers earlier this year.

Just like an episode of House of Cards

Bo Xilai - Paulson mentions Bo's larger than life persona.  The book also contains an aside about Bo's downfall and the earthshaking scandal that shook the Communist Party of China to its core.  The scandal surrounding his downfall contains many larger-than-life details, including his wife murdering a British businessman by poisoning him.  Supposedly the British businessman, Neil Heywood, served as the Bo family's "white glove", helping the family move illicit money out of China.  Some also speculate that he had a relationship with Bo's wife, dubbed the Chinese lady Macbeth.

Zhou Yongkang was famously
denied hair dye in prison

Zhou Yongkang - Zhou remains the largest "tiger" snared in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown.  He was arrested a little less than a year before the book's release and convicted a few month's after its release.  Paulson doesn't have much to say about Zhou's character.  Interesting considering that the two probably had a ton of interaction and a relationship going back over two decades.  Paulson even arranged a meeting between Zhou and then-President George H. W. Bush.  It's likely that Paulson doesn't touch on Zhou's character or their personal friendship because Paulson knew he wouldn't be doing the disgraced CPC politician any favors.  Paulson also probably didn't want to link himself too tightly to someone who is rumored to have arranged the murder of his first wife and who has become the scapegoat for China's forced organ harvesting of prisoners of consciousness.

What Paulson doesn't say about these three rouges tells us just as much as what he does say.  His book is good and no one would dispute the fact that "Hank" is one of the smartest and greatest businessman of his generation.  Just be prepared to be constantly reminded of his environmentalism and altruism.  Basically, the only problem this book had is the same problem most autobiographies suffer from which can be summed up in one phrase: "I was right"

Martial Arts Movie Saturday 1: Enter the Dragon

The Film Poster

Enter the Dragon is the definitive Bruce Lee film.  The last film he completed before his death, Enter the Dragon cemented his place as a Hong Kong film legend and a global iconic.  Since its release in the 70's, the film has become a must-see for generations of action film fans.  For many it represents Hong Kong action films at their best.  It's tragic that Lee died before the release of the film, because they managed to put lightning in a bottle with this one.

Very much a product of its time, the film is also worth noting because of the global events occurring during its production and release.  As the Mainland was deep in the grips of the Cultural Revolution and the British economy tanked after decades of nationalizations and socialism, Hong Kong continued to boom.  Caught in the middle of two global powers with uncertain futures, Hong Kong culture began to blossom and the films made by its production companies showcase this.  This attracted foreign audiences to action films and launched a genre of films still popular today all over the globe.  The result is a true blend of east and west.    

The man, the myth, the legend

The plot of the Enter the Dragon resembles a mashup of early James Bond films and Mortal Kombat.  A bad guy has an island, and Bruce Lee must go to his island and compete in the his diabolical kung fu tournament.  The result is awesome kung fu action.  I don't think I need to say much more about it than that.  The action is awesome, the stunts amazing, and Bruce Lee makes us all wish that we'd taken karate classes as children.

A few characters of note are the extremely British government official who approaches Lee with the mission.  His OxBridge accent and dress make the character border on the edge of parody.  Bruce Lee is joined at the tournament by two Americans, one white and the other black.  Between the British guy and the Americans from two different races, it was likely that the production company was trying to appeal to the widest range of demographics possible.  Not surprising considering that this movie was the first Hong Kong action film financed by a major American studio (Warner Brothers) and the increasing popularity of kung fu films outside Hong Kong and China.    

Bruce Lee and a young Jackie Chan

According to the extras on the DVD, Jackie Chan worked as a stunt double on the film and appears in a few scenes.  I didn't notice him during my initial screening of the film.  Likely because the scale of the production is epic.  Yeah...in case you didn't know it, Jackie Chan is way older than he looks.

If you only see one 43 year old, dubbed, kung fu film this year, make it this one.

Keep a lookout for future Martial Arts Movie Saturday reviews.