Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Movie Review: They Live

Director: John Carpenter
Starring: ''Rowdy' Roddy Pipper, Keith David, Meg Foster
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
Year: 1988
Length: 1h30
Rating: 4 popcorn boxes

What do you get when you mix classic one-liners, a 1980s WWF wrestler, Ray-Bans and ghoulish looking aliens?  They Live! An alien invasion cult classic based on the short story 8’ O Clock in the Morning by Ray Nelson.

Former WWF Wrestler Roddy Piper plays the lead character named John Nada, a drifter who goes to different American cities seeking employment. Nada gets a job doing backbreaking construction work in Los Angeles, while toiling in the construction site Nada makes friends with a black guy named Frank played by Keith David (Chronicles of Riddick, The Thing another Carpenter horror). While awaiting their first pay checks, Frank and Nada move into a squatter camp community with other destitute people. 

You see them on the street. You watch them on TV. You might even vote for them this Fall. You think they're people just like you. You're wrong. Dead wrong. They Live's tag line still sounds creepy after all these years
As Nada settles down he finds that things are a bit strange in his new neighbourhood. For instance, an unmarked helicopter constantly fly’s over their camp. There’s also the blind street preacher, played by Raymond St Jacques (Voodoo Dawn, Time Bomb) who rants at street corners about “our masters.”   Then there are the hackers who have figured out how to hijack prime time television with their broadcast signal to warn people of an evil conspiracy to control humanity.

Nada’s curiosity eventually leads him to sneak into the street preacher’s church across the road from the camp, which he discovers to be the hackers’ broadcast station. The next night police raid the hacker’s base and brutally kill whoever they find. 

"I have come to chew bubblegum and kick *ss...And Im all out of bubblegum" This punchline was so bad *ss it even got used in the video game Duke Nukem 3-D and is a part of pop culture
When Nada returns to the church after the raid, he discovers a hidden box containing sunglasses that allow wearers to see that the world is being taken over by corpse looking aliens disguised as the famous and powerful humans in society’s ruling elite, the very same people admired on TV. There’s also the subliminal messages on billboards and magazines which look like normal advertisements to the blind, but appear as commands like STAY ASLEEP, WATCH TV, MARRY AND REPRODUCE to people wearing the sunglasses.

After uncovering the conspiracy, Nada recruits Frank as a sidekick and they embark on a mission to stop the ugly aliens, and the two get into unrealistic gunfights as they attempt to stop the aliens from taking over Earth. The only time we get to see big tough Nada let his guard down is when he is with his crush Holly, played by Meg Foster. She’s the pretty yet suspicious acting assistant director of the Cable 54 news channel.

This film is low budget and it shows. The alien make up looks dirt cheap and the black and white CGI techniques were considered out-dated even by 1980’s standards. Then there is the corny acting and unconvincing shoot outs and explosions.

The aliens maintain their disguise by broadcasting covert frequencies encoded in TV signals that block people from seeing beyond their human camouflage.

Nonetheless, the $3Million movie raked in $13million in America alone. The acting and special effects might be shoddy and out-dated, but the messages it conveys are still relevant now, more so than in the 80s, explaining why the movie has ascended to cult status. They Live definitely deserves it’s plaque in the sci-fi hall of fame.

Monday, June 10, 2013

Q&A: BBOY Killy

The Red Bull BC One Cipher had some fresh talent. Photographer:@mpumelelomacu
Success begins with dreaming which is the easiest part, then pursuing your dreams (way harder). Thereafter there’ll be one inevitable outcome; either victory or failure. The latter is the most unbearable reality of pursuing success. Case study:  Bboy Marshall at this year’s Back to the City BC One Cyphers in Jozi. He travelled from Zambia to compete – sadly, judges eliminated him in his 1st round battle against Killy. Marshall visibly fought back emotions as he stormed of stage. Hopefully, the fact that Killy whipped everyone else’s ass that night consoled him.

Forget a hand stand, do a spinning HEAD STAND. Photographer:@mpumelelomacu
 Killy, (Lehlohonolo Hato, 26) from Soweto duelled Just Bashi  in the finals. At first it appeared Bashi would win after some dangerous looking head spins/flips. Then Killy took of his hoody, revealing a buff torso, Oh - oh. That’s when shit hit the fan for Bashi. Demonstrating amazing upper body strength, Killy attacked with a devastating barrage of power moves & incredibly fast spins that transformed him into a human top. Bashi never knew what hit him. 


The battles got of to a slow start but picked up pace as they progressed. Photographer: @mpumelelomacu
@Mook_etsi: What do you call your power move?
@killyskills: It’s called 2000 and it involves spinning on both hands with your legs pointing straight up. I learnt it while attending the 2009 Music Mayday in Rotterdam, Holland from my mentor Lil King. To spin faster he said, “Tuck your chin closer to your chest.”
Bboy Killy's signature power move, "2000". Photographer:@mpumelelomacu

@Mook_etsi: What makes a dope bboy?
@killyskillsBeing an all-rounder. You can’t just be good at footwork but suck at ground work or vice versa. I guess it is a delicate combination of style, power and tricks.
Killy's hand stands impressed the judges. Photographer: @mpumelelomacu

 @Mook_etsiWhat do you call your winning combo?
 @killyskillsFlair- Push of to Elbow Freeze & Elbow Air

Killy executing his power combo: "Flair - Push of to Elbow Freeze & Elbow Air". Photographer:@mpumelelomacu 
@Mook_etsi: WTF? That sounds dangerous.
@killyskills: It is that’s why it took so long to master. It took me three years to learn how to do a proper flair, plus another year to learn how to push of into the air using my elbows.

@Mook_etsi: So where to from now?
@killyskills: I want to see the world some more, learn from international breakers and obviously make tons of money as a bboy.
Killy ecstatic over his win. Next step is the national finals in Cape Town happening in July. Photographer:@mpumelelomacu 
The respective winners of the other ciphers are: JungleKat from Port Elizabeth, Benny from Cape Town and Tarquin from Durban. The national finals will take place on July 6 in Cape Town and the world finals will take place in Seoul, South Korea on November 30th.