36 Cinema Presents: Shaolin Vs. Wu Tang W/Live Commentary From RZA and Dan Halsted
Formed by Mustafa Shaikh and Wu-Tang's RZA, 36 Cinema creates a unique experience for film enthusiasts everywhere by marrying live-streaming movies with real-time commentary from directors, actors, film experts, and super fans. Their hope is that the live commentary helps to give viewers a deeper understanding and appreciation of the movies they love.
To kick things off and launch their rad new platform, the folks at 36 Cinema screened Gordon Liu’s 1983 kung-fu classic, Shaolin Vs. Wu Tang, which puts two factions of martial arts in a head-to-head scenario. This one-of-a-kind live-streaming experience featured live commentary from Wu-Tang’s own RZA and Hollywood Theater’s Dan Halsted, and part of the joy of the screening was listening to them share personal stories about their experience with the film or the kung-fu genre, crack jokes, shed little-known insight behind the film, and field questions from the audience in real time. We had an absolute blast and learned a lot of new information about this old school classic.
To the uninitiated, Shaolin Vs. Wu Tang is a film that made a HUGE impact on RZA, who saw a lot of similarities between kung-fu and hip-hop and used martial arts films to form and assemble his Wu-Tang Clan. Liu was a martial arts master in addition to being an actor and director. Part of what sets his work apart from the other kung-fu films is their emphasis on martial arts as an art form. As Halsted mentioned during the screening, Liu’s mission was to teach martial arts and highlight the history by illustrating all its different forms. The film is full of compelling drama and exhilarating martial arts choreography, and its climatic showdown still stands as one of the great final battles of kung-fu cinema.
The night’s discussion included RZA talking about enjoying the film with ODB over a couple of 40 ounces, and how he tried to rent a VHS copy back in the day but never could because Ghostface Killah had rented it and never brought it back. He also shared some personal stories about meeting with Gordon Liu, who he first met working on Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. RZA mentioned that he gave Liu a Fender Stratocaster as a wrap present to Liu because he likes playing rock ’n roll guitar (and because Liu thinks Les Pauls are too heavy).
Halsted told viewers about how he came to acquire his print of the film, which had been gratiously digitized by Alamo Drafthouse for our enjoyment. The print looked really incredible, which RZA even waxed lyrical about, stating that it was the best looking print he’d seen since he saw it in the movie theater.
In addition to all the really great insight provided during the film, it was also really cool to see the moments and scenes that would render the hosts and moderator speechless, subtly highlighting the film’s capacity to captivate and illustrating why it’s so adorned by RZA and company.
If you missed this screening, don’t fret; there’s more to come! This upcoming Friday, June 26th, 36 Cinema will be screening Rudy Ray Moore’s delightfully bonkers blaxploitation comedy, Petey Wheatstraw moderated by Mustafa Shaikh with special guests Donnell Rawlings and Mike Sargent. Don’t miss The Devil’s Son-in-Law in action! Snag your ticket by clicking here!
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!