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John Liu was the New York Ninja in 1984, and thanks to the folks at Vinegar Syndrome, he is the New York Ninja today.
Here’s a real oddball entry. “New York Ninja,” (1984/2021), a sprightly tale of a kung fu vigilante and the brainchild of John Liu, was shot in 1984 and never made it to post-production. Decades later the people at Vinegar Syndrome, a purveyor of the finer things in dreck, got hold of the footage and managed to get it into screenable form, despite handicaps such as no audio, no script, and no idea what the hell it was about or who all these people were. The only reason it came to the attention of the Bad Cinema desk is that the world’s greatest kung fu female, Cynthia Rothrock, was hired to do voiceover work for one of the characters.
We’ll have a future edition of S&A devoted to Rothrock.
The result warrants more than one paragraph, a rarity in S&A. We’ve got multiple villains, many wearing silly masks. One main villain with a melty face from his habit of looking into a box full of plutonium. Group of kids who overwhelm both bad guys and cops with cuteness. Kung fu badminton net. Ninja vs. maitre d’ with rattail that he sucks on while fighting. Enough gratuitous nekkidity to be going on with. The worst martial arts displays this side of “Fungicide.” Only the faintest hint of plot to get in the way of the story. An outstanding effort all around.
“Sugar Hill” features slow-moving, cobweb-covered zombies.imdb.com
“Sugar Hill” (1974) answers the question “What happens when the mob bumps off a lady’s boyfriend and she’s friends with voodoo people?” Answer: One by one the gang members are knocked off in uniquely hideous ways. Marki Bey does a pretty fair Pam Grier imitation. The zombies are the traditional, slow-moving type. In an unusual twist, the zombies are covered in cobwebs, which suggests they need to get out more. Severed chicken foot attack. Death by many many snakes. Death by quicksand. Zombie massage parlor. Zombie rhythm section. Perfunctory nekkidity we could have done without. Add completely blatant rip-offs of James Bond music and voila! It’s the poor man’s “Live and Let Die.”
Speaking of Pam Grier, one of her lesser-known efforts is “Sheba Baby” (1975), the stirring tale of a woman who takes revenge on the loan sharking hoods who destroyed her father’s legal loan sharking business. No gratuitous nekkidity, a grave flaw, but the car wash scene makes up for it. We’ve got a bad guy who looks like the young Al Sharpton dressed in carpet remnants. Lots of gunplay as opposed to kung fu. An extended fairground scene that gets filed under “Why yes we have permission to film here.” A fairly humdrum affair, all told.
Let’s wrap this up with “Red Star Rising” (1994), a Don “The Dragon” Wilson vehicle that also features the immortal Mako. This brings us to the Iron Law of Martial Arts Flicks: “If it has Mako, you must watch.” Japanese/American cop comes to LA to hunt bad guy. Cop endures many bad jokes about Japanese people. Bad guy specializes in a fatal kung fu move called the Death Touch. Plenty of mayhem and a touch of gratuitous nekkidity. Gnomic utterances, such as “Fate has pitted Thomas against this assassin” and “When day meets night only one can survive.” And, of course, the Death Touch, which isn’t as good as its counterpart in “Kill Bill” but it’ll do.
The “Planting Utopia” series by Julia Whitney Barnes
Viewers surrounded by Barnes’s paintings at the opening of “Convert Light Energy” at Kenise Barnes Fine Art in KentNatalia Zukerman
Morejohn, meanwhile, draws with a kind of meditative, trance-like quality, letting lines tangle and mutate until they resemble nerve endings, snow crystals, maps of imaginary weather. Her drawings are not so much of nature as from it — diagrams of an ever-changing world.
The show’s title, “Convert Light Energy,” describes both artists’ reverance for the fleeting and delicate — attempts not so much to preserve what fades, but to transform it into something fierce, tender, and alive.
The show runs through June 8 at Kenise Barnes Fine Art, 7 Fulling Lane, Kent.
Ticking Tent brocantes-style market from 2024.
According to Modern Luxury media, “The Ticking Tent co-founders Christina Juarez and Benjamin Reynaert have transformed the passion of the hunt into a premier shopping destination rooted in the art of discovery.”
Christina Juarez is a luxury and interior design consultant with 35 years’ experience. She worked with Oscar de la Renta, and as senior VP at Christian Dior for communications and special events for North America. Juarez and her friend Benjamin Reynaert, founder and creative director of Benjamin Reynaert Creative and market director of Elle Décor, created The Ticking Tent together.
Benjamin Reynaert and Christina Juarez,co-founders of The Ticking Tent lena nicholson
Christina wrote of its origins, “We are both consumed with the thrill of the hunt, identifying and shopping for beautiful, unique finds with provenance, or made by hand by artisanal creatives.Anything under a tent is usually an indication that something wonderful can be found.Ticking fabric is reminiscent of the Marches aux Puces de Saint-Ouen in Paris — the world’s largest flea market — where it was used as frequently as muslin for upholstering bedding and furniture. Our special ticking cloth was created for us by Schumacher.”
From Elle Décor: “This year I’m definitely planning on heading to the Ticking Tent, an artisan and decor fair that is popping up in New Preston, Connecticut on May 3.” There is early bird shopping and breakfast is available from 9 to 11 a.m. NOTE: The Green Vase paper flower workshop with Livia Cetti at 3 p.m. is limited to 15 people.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, check their website: thetickingtent.com
