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Chikara: Pro Wrestling meets Power Rangers

» Chikara mixes high-flying athletics with comic book storyline

Taylor Pitt
Contributor

| the main event, and the
crowd is almost silent in
anticipation. At ringside,

staff members finish putting
together the steel cage, a stage
that has only been used once
before in Chikara’s history.

This is the battle of the ages,

a deciding bout in a war that
has claimed many of their
favourites. Dark, thunderous
music hits, and a chorus of boos
and angry yells echo through
the hall.

Out from the shadowy
corner of the room comes
the Flood’s enforcer, the
giant Deucalion. He has
spent the better part of a year
running through the Chikara
roster, delivering deadly
Chokebreakers to many of the
crowd’s favourite heroes. He
wears a belt featuring some of
their masks, and holds it up in
celebration of his misdeeds. As
soon as he settles into the cage,
the hero’s music hits and the
crowd erupts.

This was the atmosphere
at the season 14 finale of
Chikara, a professional
wrestling promotion located
in Philadelphia, which is

: notable for their unique stories
: and characters. In addition

: to high-flying and high-

: impact professional wrestling,

: showcasing an abundance

: of moves and sequences that

: would be much rarer in other

: promotions, Chikara’s roster is
: made up of costumed insects,

: hypnotist cobras, goblins, trolls, :
: and demons.
: Even competitors who aren't :
: part of the colourful collection

: of non-human combatants

: are all capable of pulling out

: tricks that wouldn't work

: anywhere else, such as using a

: remote control to pause their

: opponents. Not only that, but

: Chikara is a popular promotion
: among older heroes from the

: WWE, ECW, and WCW. It’s not :
: uncommon to see big names

: from times past stop by to pay a
: visit, especially on larger shows
: such as the annual King of Trios :
: tournament. I recommend
: watching last year’s tournament :
: first, as it is the perfect

: introduction to the company
: and provides stellar examples of :
: what to expect.

On January 25, the first

: episode of season 15 was filmed
: at the old ECW Arena, now

: known as the 2300 Arena. Aptly
: titled “A New Start,” this marks

: the beginning of a Chikara

: seemingly free of the reign of
: terror suffered at the hands of
: Deucalion and the Flood over
: the past year.

However, this isn’t to say

that all is well and fine. The
: Colony, made up of Worker
: Ant, Fire Ant, and Silver Ant, a

trio of masked heroes who have

: always been at the front lines of

any battle Chikara has fought,

: are forced to fight an old ally,

: Soldier Ant, who feels betrayed
: by his former teammates.

: Delirious, a stark raving mad,

: unintelligible genius has

: brainwashed UltraMantis

: Black’s teammates, Frightmare
: and Hallowicked, and turned

: them against each other.

The Batiri, a duo of demonic

: warriors, still suffer from the
: loss of their captain, the Goblin
: King Kobald. These scenarios

are what makes the experience

: of watching a Chikara show

so much fun, and keep every

: victory and defeat feeling
: important.

In addition to being able to

: see Chikara matches free

: online on their YouTube

: channel, CHIKARAoffice,
: full shows are available on
: SmartMarkVideo.com

 

Photo by geekadelphia.com

 

Full metal jazz-it

» ‘Whiplash’ movie review

Alex Stanton
Staff Writer

OOOO

f I wrote that Whiplash is a

movie about jazz drumming,
that brief description wouldn't
be exactly accurate. The plot
of first-time director Damien
Chazelle’s film centres around
a jazz musician who goes to
extreme lengths to achieve
perfection in his craft. It’s as
much a love letter to jazz music
as a film can be. Right from
the ascending snare beat and
the claustrophobic, shadow-
drenched shot that introduces
the film, Chazelle makes you
very aware that this film is
definitely not going to be like
that one time at band camp.

At the start of the film,

19-year-old aspiring jazz
drummer Andrew Neiman
(Miles Teller) has just
been accepted into Shaffer
Conservatory, a prestigious
music school in New York
City. As the fall semester goes

: on, he manages to catch the
: eye of Terence Fletcher (J. K.

Simmons), the conductor of
the school’s finest jazz band.
Neiman, who is a backup in his

: band, is handpicked by Fletcher
: to join the teacher’s own band

: as an alternate drummer.

: Shaffer’s jazz maestro is highly
: respected among his peers and
: deeply feared by his pupils,

: and it only takes one rehearsal

: with him for Neiman to find

: out why. Fletcher sees potential
: in his young drum alternate,

: but when it comes to pushing

: a talented artist to achieve

: perfection, just how far is too

: far?

Veteran character actor

: Simmons, who up to this point
: was best known for playing J.

: Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s
: Spiderman movies, achieves

: his career-defining role

: with Whiplash. As Fletcher,

: Simmons isn’t a man, but a

: force of nature. He puts R.

: Lee Ermey to shame with his

: drill sergeant demeanour,

: snarling and prowling around

: the rehearsal space like a

: wild animal, barking bigotry
: and emotionally abusing

: students who don’t meet his

: astronomical expectations.

: Simmons completely owns

: every scene he’s in and his

: chemistry with Teller fuels

: the intensity and suspense

: of almost the entire movie.

: Teller does a convincing job of
: showing Neiman’s obsession
: with being great and the

: consequences that has on his
: personal life. The actor is also
: an experienced drummer off-
: screen, and he shines on the

: drum kit in Whiplash.

If the two lead

: performances are the soul of

: Whiplash, then the directing

: and editing are the heart.

: While the quieter drama scenes
: are well-crafted and havea

: fitting, dark, ambient piano

: soundtrack, the movie truly

: shines when the drum kit is on
: screen. Whether it’s during a

: rehearsal or a show, the shots

: are edited and framed ina

: way that focusses on the body

: languages and emotions of the
: musicians, as opposed to their
: virtuosity. These wise editing

: decisions turn musical numbers :
: that could have easily ended
up as glorified music videos

: into scenes of sheer intensity
: unrivalled even by the most
explosive war films.

The original arrangements

 

Screenshot of ‘Whiplash’

: of existing jazz standards
: featured in the film are so
: obviously composed by

someone who hasa true

: passion and love for the genre,
: and that goes for Whiplash

: itself as well. It’s a passion

: project for Chazelle and the

: two leads, and no doubt the
best movie of 2014.