BETALEVEL

Thursday, September 22nd
Doors at 8pm; movie at 8:30pm
FREE

“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself makes you fearless.” – Lao Tzu

Greetings. This is David, curator of the Wasp & Orchid Martial Arts Film Series. When I was but a wee little hapa kid, my father would tell me stories about how, as a young Chinese dude in San Francisco, he would spend time in between college and work watching kung fu flicks at various theaters in Chinatown. Little did he know then that, some decades later and in Los Angeles, he would have a son who ended up screening kung fu flicks in Chinatown.

In honor of my pops, who raised me with a particular love for martial arts movies, I’m going to keep it “mad Chinese” this month and contunue screening some of my favorite films from the motherland. This Thursday we’re going to watch Ronny Yu & Yuen Wo Ping’s Fearless, made in 2006 and starring none other than international superstar Jet Li. Similar in many ways to Ip Man shown earlier this month, Fearless is inspired by the life of martial arts master Huo Yuanjia (1868-1910), one of the founders of the Chin Woo Athletic Association. It’s a story of redemption, but more importantly, it’s a story of kicking some serious colonial ass (see photo above). Because if there’s one thing I’d like people to take away from this month’s Wasp & Orchid Martial Arts Choreography Film Series, it’s that Chinese people are amazing (and not to be fucked with!).

Check out the trailer: