The Best Fights of 2012

First of all... bestboxingblog.com compiled their best writing on boxing in 2012. Definitely worth a read.

Next, I was going to scour the internet to find videos of my favorite fights of 2012 and then discovered somebody had already done it for me. And although I might have quibbled with a fight or two on their lists, I tapped out and came around to their way of thinking.  However, I would replace the Sarah Kaufman fight with Cain's victory over Dos Santos.

Without further ado... http://www.allthebestfights.com/

2012 best BOXING fights Manny Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 Sebastien Gauthier vs Rodrigo Guerrero Chris John vs Piriyapinyo Yamanaka vs Tomas Rojas USERS BOXING RANKING

2012 best K-1 MUAY THAI fights Artur Kyshenko vs Murthel Groenhart Pidsanu vs Siragnern Yury Bessmertny vs Gago Drago Genji Umeno vs Chan-Hyung Lee USERS K-1 & MUAY THAI RANKING

2012 best MMA fights  Ronda Rousey vs Miesha Tate Eduardo Dantas vs Zach Makovsky Brian Rogers vs Vitor Vianna Sarah Kaufman vs Alexis Davis 2 USERS MMA RANKING

Thanks, guys!

Plus, as a matter of ethnic pride, I wanted to highlight the Dominican, Javier Fortuna, who had two impressive KO's this year during ESPN's Friday Night Fights.

My Favorite Films of 2012

I don't go to the movies as much as I'd like and I've made it a mission in 2013 to go to film festivals more.  However, I do have Netflix and Hulu+, a nice flat screen and dark quiet settings, so I still got to see some good films.  Just that they weren't all released this year. 

(in no particular order)
Thanatopsis
A Woman is A Woman
The Grey
Hara Kiri
Superfly
Zero de Conduite
The 5 Deadly Venoms
Valhalla Rising
3 Women
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (the long version)
House
Vampyr
Simon of the Desert
WR: Mysteries of the Organism
Entrevista Con La Tierra
Haywire
The Avengers

Update: I had to add 2 more films to this list.
Chronicle
Looper

VICE mag presents: FIGHTLAND

On its way to conquer the media world, VICE magazine now has a new site dedicated to mixed martial arts.

Stuff I Dig: Semiconductor

Semiconductor is artist duo Ruth Jarman and Joe Gerhardt. "Through moving image works they explore the material nature of our world and how we experience it, questioning our place in the physical universe." They believe in art and science co-existing together and as Kevin Holmes notes, "their work explores natural phenomena, the idea of a world in constant fluctuation, and gives form to the seemingly invisible—the technical and the molecular—while marrying sound and image to create fascinating experimental films."


Two I really dig: more on Brilliant Noise


more on Magnetic Movie 

https://vimeo.com/semiconductor

Just Saw This: Hara Kiri (1962)

Hara Kiri (original title: Seppuku) | Masaki Kobayshi | 1962 | Japan | Format: 35mm | 133 min

After re-watching it again, I'm ready to declare this film classic as one of my top 5 films of all time and the best samurai film I've ever seen (Sword of Doom, also starring Tatsuya Nakadai, comes at a close second).  This one has it all though: a great plot, hypnotic acting, poetic cinematography, poignant use of sound and editing, thrilling fight scenes... Kobayashi brought his A+ game on this one.  

Seriously, this film left me in a state of awe...
Oh, the still long shots, 
the compositions,
the use of angles and zooms,
the ironic revelation of samurai honor and political facade,
the sentimentality and humanity,
the tension -- Wow!

By the way, I love the self-reflexive meta moment around 2:34 of this trailer.  And I am convinced Tatsuya Nakadai would have played the ultimate Itto Ogami.
And here's Roger Ebert with more thoughts on Hara Kiri. 

Training Video Vault: Guro Dan Inosanto JKD Panantukan

After writing an earlier post about panantukan, I had to revisit this amazing and effective martial art because panantukan was the art that made me fall in love with boxing [again*]. It was also the bridge that helped me connect all the other elements of jeet kune do (primarily, trapping, muay thai and grappling) into one fluid fighting whole.  With panantukan as my bridge and my base, I could flow with more confidence in my trapping when I started inserting panantukan elements into it, overwhelm my opponents with panantukan combos, destructions and grabs when I boxed them and confound my opponents by inserting panantukan techniques in surprising ways when I kick-boxed or grappled them.  

I'm always amused at the fact that I only took panantukan classes in my early days of training (when I was training 5-6 days a week) after avoiding the class for months because it sounded weird and unnecessary to me.  I would do nothing during the hour that the class took place except walk around Herald Square or go to Barnes and Noble until I figured more training is better than no training.  So, I started taking it to do something (plus, I liked hanging out with the guys in the school... oh the good ol' days).  The rest is history and I aborbed panantukan like a sponge.  It formed the basis for many of the techniques I use in my book, MMA Fighting Techniques.

*I grew up watching boxing with my dad but stopped watching them after I saw Rocky 2 and 3.  After Rocky, the fights we enjoyed together just couldn't live up to the epic melodrama I had seen unfold on the silver screen.  Brainwashed by "professional" wrestling, kung fu and action movies, I was disappointed to find that real boxers did not have the physique, choreography and brute force displayed by the likes of Rocky.  All of a sudden all that jabbing and dancing around the ring seemed boring and the combo flurries moved too quickly to register in my mind as anything but a blur-- I wanted comebacks-from-the-brink-of-death-knockouts or, somehow, a ninja front flip straight cross KO, dammit!

Academy of Jeet Kune Do Fighting Technology has a great article on the historical intersection of western boxing and panantukan and a great primer on a panantukan curriculum.  Click below for the Guro Dan Inosanto-inspired curriculum they posted.

Video Pick: Yaard "I Want You 2"

simple. diverse. and weird.
just like Coney Island.

Video Filmed, Edited and Directed By Christian J Petersen. 
Download for the song I Want You 2 available HERE 
https://vimeo.com/christianjpetersen/
http://christianjpetersen.com/​

Movie Pitching Tips

Reposted in full from my other blog:

lol...But seriously... 
What filmmaker doesn't want to see themselves before a room of studio executives or company producers pitching a hot new movie idea?  The unprepared, boring, nervous one doesn't.   

But you won't be that filmmaker, right?!  Say what you will about the mailroom kid in the skit above but, at least, he was prepared, passionate and enthusiastic.

Pitching is part of the job for beginners and veterans alike so it's important to hone and maintain  your skills.  There are some producers and screenwriters out there whose main (and only) skill is in pitching ideas and they get paid whether or not the movie gets made.  Of course, you want to do more than just collect a check for an idea or a spec script, you want to make the movie.  But it still starts with the pitch and you have to sell it.  

Start practicing now:

• Concise and informative information on the TEASER PITCH and the STORY PITCH 
• What sets a film or TV pilot PITCH apart from a SYNOPSIS (according to Ken Levine)? [Aside: Although I understand, pitching as a form of job interview where execs and producers will decide if they want to work with you on a project as much as it is about selling the project, I do love Troy's point in the comments section; "Why do writers have to pitch (orally) at all?  ...Writers write.  Most aren't concurrently great at pitching - though yes, you can get better at it with practice and Ken's tips. So what's wrong with that? What's wrong is that we (Hollywood, the audience) reap what we sow: Movies and TV shows originated by great pitchers... but not necessarily great writers. Which explains alot about movies and TV. -- there's food for thought]
• 5 Tips on pitching a movie
• 5 MORE Tips on pitching a movie (especially a comedy movie)  [I know one of the tips here contradicts one of Ken's points about not laughing at your jokes during your pitch but I think it's a matter of how you laugh and appearing genuine as opposed to coming off like a silly and obnoxious monkey trying too hard to make 'em laugh.]
• Transcripts of story pitches developed by Christopher and Kathleen Riley [please note, I am only posting their transcripts as reference not as an endorsement of their consultation.  Like any good producer would, please do your due diligence when seeking script consultation]: 
• DESTINY, broken down into parts for a duo to pitch  
• THE SKY'S THE LIMIT, not broken down into parts, one or more can pitch 

Plus for all you visual and auditory learners out there, here's a cross-section of some additional advice videos on how to pitch a movie and who to pitch it to.

Video Pick: XXYYXX - About You

Tell Me Again, Why Was It That We Hated FCP X?

I remember a long time ago when we cursed Apple for abandoning FCP 7 and foisting FCP X upon us.  I can't remember exactly why since I never used FCP X but it seemed the right thing to do once Apple decided not to support FCP 7 anymore and a bunch of editors and writers called FCP X a glorified iMovie... (And I really hate iMovie) so I joined the mob and cursed Apple as we ran FCP X out of town.  I continued to cut on regular ol' FCP, and forget all about FCP X.  Lo and behold, a year and 3+ updates later, I stumble across David Leitner at Filmmaker magazine this month who really, really likes FCP X and thinks that one day we will learn to love it.

His argument:

A big advantage of conjoined operating systems is that user-interface breakthroughs on mobile devices such as the iPad can readily migrate to Mac apps like FCP X — for instance, use of animation, multitouch, auto-saving, full screen display, Retina display, integration with flash architecture — all of which in turn optimize FCP X for use on portable MacBook Pros with trackpads. On the latest MacBook Pro with Retina display, for example, you can view full 1080p in FCP X’s small Viewer window.

Of particular significance: the 64-bit AV Foundation found in OSX supplants the now legacy 32-bit QuickTime framework (video files will continue to sport QuickTime extensions). AV Foundation brings, at last, multi-core and GPU-assisted speed to Final Cut Pro rendering tasks (using OS X’s Grand Central Dispatch and OpenCL), as well as full color management from input to output and finer time accuracy for subframe events.

In addition to incorporating OS innovations and building out extensive control of metadata and media management, the FCP X team sought to directly address several prominent trends in production: Digital cameras generate endlessly more footage than film cameras ever did, which must be readily reviewable and searchable. Multiple cameras are now common and often wild (no sync). Democratization encourages many to edit regardless of experience; at the same time, audiences expect perfect finished quality regardless of budget.

FCP X’s solutions, in order: fast Skimming with pitch-corrected audio, Keywords & Smart Collections, Multicam (introduced in January in FCP X’s third upgrade in a year), and a friendlier, less cluttered interface for those with less experience, with deep controls located just below the surface for experienced editors.

A big plus for Leitner is that it allows him a new conceptual approach to editing:

FCP X has no tracks. It adopts a different metaphor, one that Aeschylus would recognize. Instead of a timeline with tracks above and below, FCP X provides a single “primary storyline” that serves as a narrative spine, with a beginning, middle and end. Individual clips are “connected” at points along the storyline, floating on, just above (video) or below (audio) the storyline. A complex stack or sequence of clips can be collapsed and nested into a simple “compound clip” that can be edited like a single clip or momentarily reopened into its own storyline for internal editing.

The editor, free from worry about accidentally knocking clips or complex sequences out of sync, can playfully shuffle clips and sequences, focusing entirely on story structure.

Dispensing with the clutter of conventional tracks also favors use of FCP X on mobile devices and compact laptops with smaller screens — a clear nod to the future.

I like my timeline and I hate the iMovie timeline but I won't lie... I'm not hating on FCP X that much now.  Maybe Apple was on to something from the get-go but messed up the rollout when they released an incomplete FCP X and abruptly shut down FCP 7. 

Also, check out 7 pro editors on their experiences using FCP X.

Stuff I Dig: Solipsist by Andrew Huang

Solipsist | Andrew Huang| 2012 | USA | Format: N/A| 10 min

Winner of Slamdance 2012's Special Jury Prize for Experimental Short.

Colorful organic threads. Colorful explosions. A colorful exercise in symmetry, rhythm and randomness.  

Although the meaning of Solipsist may not be straightforward and is subject to interpretation, it can be immediately grasped as an expression of beauty.  However, it's not just colors, puppets and effects wizardry here, according to the IMDB summary:

Solipsist is a three part experimental fantasy short film about otherwordly beings whose minds and bodies converge into one entity. Filled with elaborate costumes, stunning visual effects, and underwater puppets, the film is a non-narrative purely visual/audio experience designed to transport viewers through a hypnotic, dream-like experience.  It consists of three parts, each featuring visually fantastic characters and creatures that converge with each other in surreal ways. The film concludes by featuring all three segments combined into a colorful, psychedelic finale.

Short of the Week explains further:

Comprised of three loosely related scenarios, each segment reflects characters attempting [to] merge or physically connect. This is in reaction to the title of the piece, which refers to a philosophical concept that posits we can only know what is in our own minds, and are thus unavoidably isolated.  In an artist statement, the filmmaker, Andrew Huang, notes that he grew up fascinated with the concept, and the tragedy of being trapped in one's own physiology. Through contemplation of the nature of synaptic gaps in neurons and the structure and purpose of language, ideas for these 3 sketches emerged, centering on attempts to build bridges between individuals. 

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Original Soundtrack.

Video Pick: Twin Shadow "Tyrant Destroyed"

Tyrant Destroyed, written and performed by Twin Shadow, from the album "Forget", available for purchase here.



Plus a behind the scenes making of the video synth effects with video artist, Johnny Woods.  He is using a modular analog equipment from LZX Industries designed to manipulate video.

IWTST: Universal Soldier - Day of Reckoning

I Want To See This:
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning | John Hyams| 2012 | USA | Format: Red Code RAW| 114 min

 

Thank you, Sijo Bruce Lee

It's the master's birthday today and Bruce Lee would've turned 71 if he were still here with us in this physical plane.  To me, he is the pinnacle VA+MA (Visual Artist + Martial Artist) that I strive to be and whether it's for philosophical insight, spell-binding entertainment, or martial arts inspiration and wisdom, I constantly turn to sijo Bruce Lee.  And so, I constantly say, thank you.

The artful rage of Bruce Lee:

 
The studied wisdom of Bruce Lee:

Training Video Vault: Guro Dan Inosanto JKD Trapping

I remember seeing this VHS video collection for sale in Black Belt magazine and Inside Kung Fu as a kid and oh, how I wished I could afford them then.  
And now here they are on YouTube. 
For free.
At least until the cease and desist... so watch and take notes pronto.

JKD Trapping is a vital yet refined art that takes tons of focused practice but pays off in huge dividends down the road. It has its genesis in Wing Chun but it's not just Wing Chun trapping I'm talking about in the grand scope of trapping; I think of clinching and grappling when I talk of trapping, too.  Trapping as a concept and skillset form the basis of many of the techniques I use and teach and show in my book, MMA Fighting Techniques.  Most of all, trapping is about flow; the kind of flow that develops your sixth sense in reading and feeling your opponent's attack so that you can respond in kind.  Although trapping in this classic video series consists of the traditional JKD trapping inherited from Wing Chun, master them and keep your mind open to the practicalities and possibilities beyond it. 



For the rest of the series...

Getting Artsy with Hollywood Storytelling

After viewing the recent crop of movies (specifically, The Master, Cloud Atlas, Anna Karenina, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, and Holy Motors), film critics, Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott discuss the recent trend of these movies and others like it that dispense with traditional Hollywood narrative conventions of familiar plots and established genres to attempt a more interesting and personal kind of storytelling.

Each year we review movies that teasingly or didactically, successfully or not, dispatch with either the whole or part of the mainstream storytelling playbook: they don’t seem to have three (or four) well-defined acts or characters who seem particularly motivated. They (movies and characters both) drift along rather than shift into drive; in other words, they look a lot or a little bit like art films. This fall, though, within a couple of months, there have been more than a few such movies — some released by small companies like IFC Films and others by big studios like Warner Brothers — that, in different ways, appear to aspire more to the art house than the multiplex. I don’t think we are witnessing the emergence of a lasting break with the old, durable Hollywood ways, but we are seeing an exciting level of playfulness.

The critics are happy to see this kind of "playfulness" happening in Hollywood even if it isn't always successful.