Monday's events were a milestone first for me as a film critic and indie journo pursuant of action on film, and I'm especially glad to see actor and martial artist Bren Foster's screen fighting choreography work in a theatrical setting with BEAST. It was a worthwhile presentation with a hard-hitting sound production to sit on, making the hits as impactful as ever and which probably contributed to my enjoyment of it.
The same can especially be said with the next screening for another film I watched the following Tuesday, but more on that a little later...
My day started by finishing my review of BEAST and publishing it while starting my day at the store. It was a short work day though; I initially RSVP'd to a 10am showing, but I was told the seats ran out, so I was slotted in for a 2pm showing instead. The film in question: THE FURIOUS, a film that stands as perhaps the BIGGEST deal in Asian action film fandom since anything Timo Tjahjanto directed of late.
My interaction with the campaign for this film began when I was contacted some weeks ago to promote the trailer on my website. I was among those who saw the trailer before anyone else, and for a major studio release like Lionsgate at that, and I'll never forget how that went down. I was trading WhatsApp voice messages with my friend Saej when I got a ping in my toolbar that included text regarding this film's promotion. I had a stroke mid-sentence out of disbelief of what I saw, elated at it, and immediately-- and I mean IMMMMEEEEDIATELY went right to the email thread and began interacting.
The trailer debuts and my pageviews go crazy high from it, and soon enough, I'm offered to finally get a chance to screen this film after months of plotting my own commercial viewing of it provided I could afford it. Hilariously, I was so jaded at all the online hype I'd seen from other folks who got to attend screenings whether it was in Toronto or LA, or Busan, I kept about my stoic business and continued on with the work, and simply staying the course. Never... never ever... NEVER, in a million years, did I think I would be able to get to screen a film like The Furious - a film that stands a bookmark for the longstanding trajectory of Asian films and action cinema, with all the acknowledgements of past works out of Hong Kong and China, South Korea and Indonesia, and especially Japan; Of course, the most discernible are films like The Raid, The Night Comes For Us, Baby Assassins, and even Kenji Tanigaki's award-winning spectacle, Twilight Of The Warrirors: Walled In.
/Sigh...
Anyway, I still had several hours to go before showtime, and so I got off of Canal St., almost got lost before checking my Google Maps and started heading up to North Moore St.. I'm walking and walking, and WALKING, and I find myself coming full circle with one of the many landmarks in New York City I never thought I would see up close: Hook & Ladder #8, a.k.a. freaking GHOSTBUSTERS HEADQUARTERS. Good god...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DW1iHlkjvYt/?igsh=MXY5aDl5YTR3eW5qeg==
It was as stupifying as it was mesmerizing, and my only regret was not having anyone to share it with. But, that was pretty much all day as I proceeded to the corner where the Tribeca Screening Room is. I spent the next two hours with my phone both on and off, trying to keep in touch with some folks while not completely killing my battery power - that is, provided I could find some place to charge it.
I spent some time wandering around a little, took a brief close look of the BMCC campus before turning back and getting a bite to eat at Hashi Market. It was bento platter with Teriyaki Chicken with white rice. Most of the rice was dried out and stale as fuck unfortunately and it wasn't too pleasant eating out outdoors that day as Spring-breezy as it was during these crazy climate change times. A while later I went to a local Walgreens and bought my mother some mascara. I always have trouble finding the one she wants at my local outlet so it was nice that this one had it.
After that, I decided to try and find some place to charge my phone. One hotel I went was right next to BMCC, and the concierge didn't even know there were outlets facing the street which prompted me to see if I could use them. Unfortunately, I was dealing with an asshole of a concierge who wouldn't let me charge my phone because I didn't have residency there. Way to build me up there, bud. 🙄
I doubled back in the opposite direction and started wandering some more, and circled back to the Tribeca building where I stayed for a bit to try and just enjoy the rest of my day some. That was when I decided to weigh in on the significance of the day as it'd been five years since my sister's passing. I made a video and shared on my Instagram, and I didn't say as much as I wanted to - really, I was just in the moment, looking back on my life and the last thirteen years since I started this film journey, my sister, my parents and how hard it's been for them and what it took to finally come to terms with the loss of their first born. The day weighed pretty heavily. I think the last time I was out for more than several hours was when I had to escort my mother to a clinic far away for eye surgery. Her vision had gotten so bad that it became imperative, and she's needed it now more than ever.
All this - the pandemic, my sister, my mother coping with it all, and my father having to fight for his life for nearly four years now as he remains on the mend while we struggle to survive, make bills on time and try to keep a roof over our heads - has weighed so heavy on us that every single day made us weary of something possibly going wrong, or someone just waking up on the wrong side of the day one morning and deciding either me and/or my family were gonna bare the brunt of their suffering and angst and malfeasance. Honestly, I'm amazed we're still here.
And so, there I was, in Tribeca, an area of the city I'd never been to, waiting at a theatrical location I'd never been to for a screening I never thought I'd get to attend. It was around 1pm and I suddenly felt the need to go inside another building just to stay warm and relax or possibly charge my phone. Leave it to the kind concierge and busboys of the Greenwich Hotel to accommodate me. The concierge even asked me if I had my charger with me. I said 'Yes' and a staffer escorted me to a lounge area where I could relax and charge my phone.
I took my jacket off and stretched, and I sat there. I found myself looking around at this cozy environment and just taking it in. I thought about my family and hoped they were okay, and that was basically it for moment. Staring at the walls, the furniture, my phone, out the window, just keeping to myself. One lady was sitting by herself, saw me and smiled, and another gentleman was on his laptop for a minute before getting up.
Next thing you know, one of the busboys offered me water. I said yes, and he came back a moment later with a hotel-branded bottle, nice and cold. I asked how much, and he said it was free. I paused for a sec and nodded, and thanked him, and I took a sip, and I started crying. Quietly of course, but crying. I then cleaned up and took a selfie and sent it to mom to let her know my phone was in good standing.
My battery charged a little longer and I got about ten minutes before showtime and returned to the corner wondering why the door to the Tribeca Grill was locked. Again, I thought this might have been the entrance or something, so I was confused as hell. It was getting down to the wire, and so I looked up the PR agent and called her, and spoke to her about my situation, and she deferred me to the PR woman who was on location at the event who I'm actually friends with on Facebook! Crazy!
I wanted to get a picture too but I'm not sure if she would've consented. Last time I thanked a PR agent they asked for anonymity so I tend to oblige this aspect of what I do first and foremost, but my meeting was more than pleasant. She'd been pitching me for years, so it was surreal that I got to meet her.
I was escorted into the correct entrance and up the stairs, and made my way into the screening room, sitting as modestly close to the back as possible, and once more, I found myself taking it all in...
It was at this moment that my brain chemistry was about to change forever, because I still can't stop talking about THE FURIOUS just yet. Really, I wanna see it with friends at this point. I don't know if I'll get to, but it'll be nice if the opportunity presents itself and I can meet the moment.
Anyway, the credits rolled and all the staff went home, and, so did I. My friend Faya was having dinner with friends and wanted to see if I could come, and sadly, I couldn't. At this point, I had to write my review and then start on some utility paint work for insurance purposes, and it was kind of short notice, so business had to be handled.
I'll tell you one thing though... this week is the best week I ever had as a film critic. I started writing in 2013, a year later I'm finally entrenched in PR for remote coverage for labels like Well Go USA, four years later I'm part of the PopGeeks network, and the following year I'm covering a few of the biggest film festivals I've ever had in my purview on a remote basis. Seven years later, I'm sitting in screening rooms with colleagues from other platforms, watching two upcoming releases from Lionsgate (with one of them still pending).
I didn't get here by myself, but sure as I live and breathe, I did the work it took to get here. I sincerely thank the public relations companies who reached out to me in the past month for helping make this past Monday and Tuesday the start of a week to remember, as well as Saej, Faya, the staff at the Greenwich Hotel for providing me just a few small and simple comforts for a little while, and the guys over at Upside Pizza at 1231 Broadway, and at 99 Cent Premium Pizza at Kew Gardens and Queens Blvd for keeping me well fed. ❤️ 🍕
My review of THE FURIOUS will publish on the week of June 8.
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