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Sunday, November 10, 2013

Film Of The Week: BATTLE B-BOY (2012)


SYNOPSIS:
“Da-Fi all odds!” 
Da-Fi (pronounced “defy”)[noun] 
1. Short for Dance Fighting
two. Hand-to-hand combat using dance moves 
When MIKE discovers his father wants income for heart surgery, he and his B-Boy pals solicit the help of JIMMY, a skilled gambler, and enter the planet of “Da-Fi,” an underground fight-club exactly where B-Boys and B-Girls physically battle for cash and reputation. 
Guidelines are easy: fight to the beat of the music and the final team standing at the end of 3 song changes wins. If you can not take the heat, you far better tap-out just before you get knocked-out! 
As the fights get far more unsafe, Mike have to learn to function with his team and hold everyone collectively, or he will lose his father forever.
Overview:

I initially learned about Battle B-Boy earlier this year upon the film's entry at the Vietnamese International Film Festival back in April. The film has considering that garnered some quite outstanding evaluations, leaving me curious about the film ever since. The trailer was very energetic, vibrant, colorful and youthful in its delivery of just the kind of film any action fan could and should look forward to.

Jonathan Phan stars as Mike (pictured far right), a entertainer for employ who performs with buddies Jay (Ricky Cole), Ben (Ingel Catindig) and Ritchie (Ritchie Greenfield). A single day, Mike soon learns of his father, Sam (Howard Fong), and rushes to his aid at the hospital where the physician informs him that a unique process is required for his debilitating heart situation.

After pawning his ring for just enough to get a down-payment for his process going, Sam is mugged at knife point and his income is stolen, with Mike chasing right after the culprit and his companion waiting for them in a cramped alley. Mike corners them two-on-one fight where Mike utilizes his skills as a street fighter to take them down effortlessly. Upon walking away unscathed, he bumps into Jimmy (John Kreng above/left of Phan) who witnesses the brawl and delivers Mike a money creating supply he could not refuse, introducing Mike to the world of Da-Fi, an underground tournament exactly where fists and feet fly only to the beat, and every single step you dance will lead to knockout or a tapout.

When Mike passes his initiation, it is not long just before he discovers Jimmy's shared, and extended-bitter previous with Sam, who is too prideful to accept any support from Jimmy, monetary or otherwise. But with Sam's situation worsening, the medical expenses piling up and no other options left, Mike should locate a way to keep aboard and aid get his close friends involved in the Da-Fi circuit with out his father noticing.

Aided by their extended-time buddy and Mike's really like interest, Rachel (Alison Dahlstrom), they compete in their first bout as a crew beneath Jimmy's advisement, proving they have a long way to go prior to being completely capable to operate as a team. In spite of this, Jimmy reluctantly agrees to train them for future matches, as they each share a dynamic skill set for dancing and street fighting, as effectively as factors of their own for winning the $ one hundred,000 money prize earned for each individual competitor.

As the film continues, each character has a small story arc that builds in between scenes, including Ben bearing the brunt of the physical work at the local market place with his mother, Jay's own effort to take care of his disabled, headstrong and determined sister (Kamali Minter), in addition to Ritchie's struggle to resolve his differences with his father following running away from property, and Rachel, whose personal tragedy upon losing her father brings him closer to Mike as she supports his struggle to assist Sam at any expense.

The film isn't all doom and gloom although, delivering a healthy blend of action drama and lighthearted comedy, highlighting almost everything from Ritchie's goofy, playful character to Ben's boyish charm as he romances stunning, rich, upperclass b-girl dancer, Kelly (Megan Nguyen), from an opposing team, in addition to accentuating the group's admirable close-knit nature as they progress by way of the tournament.

As the film moves forward, stakes get greater and the battles grow to be much more and more unsafe, as the team readies for its most violent dance battles from the all-black robopop-lockin crew, The Exterminators, with the nefarious bone-breaking crew known as Typhoon, led by the silent-but-deadly Villn (Longkue Steven Lor pictured left/center) whose tricks are even deadlier than his kicks. The action is spectacular, with fights that are incomparable, groundbreaking and dynamic with sharp execution of choreography, technique and a sense of brilliance that leaves you actually wanting more.

The violence is quite mild with a handful of bruises and bloody noses, but nothing at all cringeworthy. And every single of the battles share one thing memorable, specifically from kid b-boy Bailey Munoz who cameos at the begin of the film, and Ricky Cole who brilliantly pays his homage to the now-late excellent actor and martial artist Jim Kelly in his personal outstanding way during his scenes.

Writer and director Frank Lin accomplished a excellent deal in bringing Battle B-Boy to life, with co-star, producer and acclaimed author and action director John Kreng attaining what films like Beat Street and Stomp The Yard did, basically introducing fashionable hip hop and dance, and blending it all with the kind of blistering, gravity-defying martial arts strategies that would attract any martial arts cinema fan. And through it all, Lin tells a very poignant and unifying story about friendship, family members, triumph over tragedy and endurance through even the toughest of occasions.

Battle B-Boy is a amazing, explosive, heartwarming, colorful, classy and vibrant film, all as it comes with each other to revitalize a classic movie genre...with a B-twist! I hugely recommend renting or getting this movie as it is, deservedly, one particular of the most memorable films in recent martial arts cinema history, and with all hopes of a sequel bearing around how this film does, I sincerely hope it takes place. So assistance it! Check it out now at Google Play, Redbox and Netflix, or wherever movies are sold.

John Kreng will be hosting a screenfighting seminar titled Fights And Action For Filmmakers this week on Thursday, August 29, 2013 joined by fellow actress, comedian and stuntwoman Melissa Tracy, along with screenwriter and director Ben Ramsey (Blood And Bone) and acclaimed action director and stuntman Jeff Imada (The Bourne Ultimatum). CLICK Right here to find out a lot more on how you may partake in the event. Kreng's most current book, Fight Choreography: The Art of Non-Verbal Dialogue is also available at Amazon
or wherever books are sold.

Battle B-Boy was written and directed by Frank Lin and stars Jonathan Phan, Ingel Catindig, Ricky Cole, Ritchie Greenfield, Alison Dahlstrom, John Kreng, with Karen "DJ Shy" Beck, Howard Fong, James Chang, Bailey Munoz, Kamali Minter, Megan Nguyen and Longkue Steven Lor.
For far more information, visit the official website for the film.

From L to R: Ritchie Greenfield, Alison Dahlstrom, Jonathan Phan, Megan Nguyen, Ingel Catindig, Ricky Jay and John Kreng

Film Of The Week: BATTLE B-BOY (2012)
9out of 10 based on 10 ratings. 9 user reviews.

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