Black Belt Times - August 2004
Black Belt Times - August 2004 |
|
When this issue of Black Belt went to press, Vol. 2 had since lost the box-office top spot to Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing. However, the Tarantino flick was still ranked in the top five.
‘Catwoman’ Film to Feature Halle Berry, Capoeira HOLLYWOOD—Mark Twain once wrote, “If man could be crossed with the cat, it would improve man but deteriorate the cat.” The verity of that philosophical tidbit comes in full view in Catwoman. The Warner Bros. film stars Halle Berry as Patience Philips, a painfully shy woman who mysteriously acquires the abilities and sensitivities of a cat after discovering a conspiracy at the cosmetics company where she works. For the role, the actress was taught to emulate the animal’s every movement, from the way it turns its head to the way it twitches its body. “We studied a lot of different poses [beforehand] to make Halle Berry look good,” said Nito Larioza, who worked on Madonna’s Drowned World tour before being asked to perform stunts in Catwoman. In the feline film, he also worked as an assistant to stunt coordinator Mike Gunther and dance choreographer Anne Fletcher. “Cats always land paws-first, so we always did that. We always knew she should walk on all fours instead of on two feet, and always low to the ground. Things like that made it very cool.” In the fight scenes, co-stars Benjamin Bratt and Sharon Stone use basic techniques like punches and kicks. Stone’s character is even described as a “brawler.” For Berry’s battles, however, they decided to employ techniques from the art of capoeira. It hasn’t been seen on celluloid for 11 years, Larioza says, but the African-Brazilian style is sure to enthrall audiences with its graceful, acrobatic movements. “We didn’t want kung fu, we didn’t want wushu, we didn’t want Jackie Chan,” Larioza said. “Capoeira looks like the way a cat moves, the way it fights.” When Berry does capoeira, you’ll be convinced she really is a cat, he said. In his capacity as a liaison between Gunther, Fletcher and other crew members, occasionally Larioza was asked for input about the choreography, brainstorming with them and making up some of the moves. To avoid confusing Berry with too many instructions from different people, however, he conveyed all the relevant information to Ruthy Inchaustegui, Berry’s main stunt double. It was the Peruvian native who actually taught the fight sequences to the actress. “Berry worked hard to learn the moves and make her scenes look good,” Inchaustegui said. The actress reportedly did many of her own stunts. “In the beginning we’d do the warm-up with stretching,” Inchaustegui said. “Some days I’d take her through the whole sequence of capoeira, and it’s a lot of repetitions. Then we’d do cartwheels and rolls and stuff like that.” Berry also worked with a whip trainer. She immediately gained a reputation for being a quick learner. “If you show her something, she’ll just do it,” Inchaustegui said. “If you explain something, she’ll just do it. We had a good working relationship in that we were able to come together and see this character and take it to the next level. She always wanted to be herself, a strong woman fighter.” Meow.
MAIA SuperShow a Hit in Sin City LAS VEGAS—The third annual MAIA Martial Arts SuperShow was held here May 2, 2004. The annual convention, which is organized by the Martial Arts Industry Association, was a martial artist’s dream-come-true. Numerous fighting legends—including Diana Inosanto and Black Belt Hall of Fame members Royce Gracie, Frank Shamrock, Randy Couture, Cung Le and Bill Wallace—were on hand to teach free seminars and mingle with the 2,000-plus attendees. More than 70 venders displayed their wares, exposing convention participants to a wide range of products and services. Booths representing Black Belt, Century Martial Art Supply, Revgear, Focusmaster, Cold Steel, Cane Masters, Asian World of Martial Arts, CDT, Haganah USA, Krav Maga, Macho Products and Otomix were among the most visible. The SuperShow is held every year on the same weekend as the K-1 USA tournament in Las Vegas. The next one is planned for early May 2005. For more information, call (866) 626-6226.
Four American Kickboxers Compete in Thailand MAE SOT, THAILAND—Every April, a little-known martial arts event takes place here. Called Muay Kaad Chuak, meaning “bare-knuckle muay Thai,” it follows a set of brutally simple rules that allow elbow strikes, knee thrusts, punches and kicks, as well as head butts and throws. Fighters don’t use gloves; instead, they bind their hands with rope. The wraps frequently cause cuts and abrasions and provide very little padding, adding to the intensity of the competition. The action spans five three-minute rounds, and the contests are often wild and bloody. Victory comes by surrender or knockout. If both participants are still standing at the end of the allotted time, the fight is declared a draw. This year marked the first time Americans have competed in Muay Kaad Chuak. Renowned muay Thai trainer Master Toddy, who is based in Las Vegas, prepared four of his top fighters for the event: Kit Cope, Ben Garcia, Cope was the first American to fight. His adversary, Mojo Myawaddi, claimed he was the current Burmese champion. Nevertheless, Cope made short work of him. The knockout came in less than a round. Garcia’s bout was more evenly matched, and his opponent proved more durable. For two rounds, the American did very little and was tentative. His opponent’s defense was rock solid, and he looked too strong for Garcia. In the third round, however, the two opened up a little and exchanged punches and elbows. Garcia backed out to regroup, then decided to step in and launch a four-punch combination. One of the blows slipped through his opponent’s guard, catching him on the nose and apparently breaking it. The fight was finished. When the third American, Anthony Brown, stepped up for his turn, it was obvious that he was much larger than his opponent. Approximately 35 pounds separated the two, representing a gap that’s unheard-of in the fight game. The bout was a mismatch from the start, as Brown was simply too big and too strong. Barely a minute into it, he knocked down his adversary with his first combination. His second put him out for the count. Next up was Mitchell. From the moment the bell rang, he looked anything but focused. Toddy screamed in the background: “Look up, look up! Don’t look down or you’re going to get your face smashed into pieces!” Mitchell failed to follow his instructions, however, and paid dearly for it. Only 45 seconds into the match, his opponent, Ton Ton Yangon, landed a series of kicks and punches. The American crumbled to the canvas and didn’t bother to get up. His performance in the gloveless ring was over. He did have the courage to fight, however, and that’s more than can be said of many others. Kyudokan Karate Organization Formed WEBSTER, MA—The North American Shorinryu Kyudokan Karate Association was recently created here. The goal of the group is to spread the art’s techniques, philosophies and historical anecdotes. Daniel Espinillo will serve as president. For more information, visit http://www.kyudokan-usa.org. Martial Artist Recognized for Community Work CHICO, CA—Chinese martial arts expert Farshad Azad was recently nominated by the Big Brother Big Sister organization of Butte County, California, to receive the Big Citizen Award in recognition of his community-service efforts. Azad, his staff and students raised more than $7,500 in 45 days and donated the proceeds to BBBS, a national non-profit organization that mentors children. Sumo Documentary Coming in June SAN FRANCISCO—Sumo East and West, a documentary that examines the cloistered world of sumo wrestling, will air as part of PBS’ Independent Lens series on June 8, 2004. Ferne Pearlstein and Robert Edwards’ film looks at the past, present and future of the ancient Japanese sport and explores the cultural clash in Japan as more and more foreigners participate in it. Footage to be shown in the documentary includes scenes depicting the lives, initiation and training rituals of the wrestlers; tournament competition; and archived matches. Celebrity profiles of Hawaii-born Akebono, Konishiki and Jesse Kauhaulua will also be featured. For more information, visit http://www.itvs.org or http://www.pbs.org/sumoeastandwest. Swords to Be Banned Down Under VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA—Lawmakers here and in New South Wales have outlawed the private ownership of samurai swords. The new law will take effect in July 2004. Its passage follows several attacks that allegedly involved samurai swords and machetes. Swords were previously listed as “controlled weapons” here. However, under the new legislation, sword owners will be required to sell their blades to a licensed dealer or turn them in to the police. Exempted parties include historical collectors, former soldiers who acquired traditional samurai swords while serving in World War II, and members of certain cultural and religious groups. However, they must pay approximately $93 for a permit and store the weapon in a safe that’s bolted to the floor, a police spokesman said. Anyone caught illegally owning a sword will be subject to six months in prison or a fine of approximately $8,258. Martial Artist Raises Funds for Breast Cancer MARLBORO, NJ—Local martial artist Tom Aellis will spend six weekends in 2004 walking to help eradicate breast cancer. He’ll be participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, a series of weekend fundraising events that will take place from now until October to raise awareness and funds for research. All women are at risk for breast cancer. In 2003 the American Cancer Society reported that approximately 211,300 women in the U.S. were diagnosed with the disease, and about 39,800 deaths were attributed to it. Breast cancer also occurs in men, and this year an estimated 1,300 cases will be diagnosed. Those facts are part of the reason Aellis, 43, has accepted the challenge. He has kicked off a new program called Karate Kicks Cancer and is striving to unite the martial arts community for the cause. For more information, visit http://www.onaimaging.com/kkc.html. Karateka Pioneers the Martial Arts E-Book OAKLAND, CA—Although the digital e-book is not new, it’s been slow to gain a foothold in the martial arts community. It’s still too early to tell if other genres are experiencing this same lethargy, but it’s safe to say the technology will eventually find a niche in the martial arts publishing industry, which already produces hundreds of conventional trade paperbacks a year. Shorin-ryu karate expert Sid Campbell isn’t going to wait and see how this new tool shakes out in the martial arts world. An author with more than 50 books, videos and audio-video productions under his belt, he has seen the future and it is now. “The [development of] computers is moving at such a rapid pace that our industry can get lost if we do not learn to use this medium to educate our students,” he said. An instructor for almost 40 years, he believes that education in any form, provided it enhances the karateka’s overall learning experience, is a good thing. “When you can take the written word and artfully integrate it with colorful graphics, sounds and how-to video clips and roll them all into one nicely developed CD-ROM e-book, what you have is the best of all worlds,” he said. Campbell created some of the first multi-functional interactive educational programs for martial artists. More recently, he adapted The Dragon and the Tiger: The Birth of Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do in Oakland, a text he co-authored, to the e-book format. His company, On Demand Digital Publications, recently converted more than 20 of his old titles to the new format. He believes his work will open the doors for others to follow in his footsteps. For more information about his work, visit http://www.OaklandJKD.ws. |
HOLLYWOOD—Although director Quentin Tarantino reportedly intended Kill Bill to be one movie, releasing it in two parts has proven lucrative. According to Miramax Studios executives, Kill Bill Vol. 2 raked in $25.6 million during its April 16, 2004 opening weekend in the United States, a 16-percent increase over the first film. Vol. 2 earned an additional $17.6 million when it hit theaters overseas the following weekend, where it was No. 1 in 16 countries.
Anthony Brown and Saul Mitchell. Attesting to the uniqueness of their participation in the competition, their bouts were broadcast on Thai television, and MTV followed them for a future installment of its True Life documentary series.
