Mark Dacascos

The latest incarnation of the Crow speaks out

My then-girlfriend and I were walking down a street in San Francisco's Chinatown. I had just finished teaching a class at my mom's (Malia) studio, and we were going to grab some lunch.

Two men approached us and one of them asked me if I was an actor.

I said, "no," since I really wasn't at the time, and we proceeded to walk away.

The same man then said it didn't matter, and asked me if I'd like to audition for a movie. I could feel my girlfriend squeezing my hand, signaling for us to get out of there. In most cases it would have probably been the right thing to do, but the man assured us it was a legitimate, dramatic film. He said he was the assistant director. He seemed sincere, so I took his card and told him I'd think about it.

I did call and figured if it was something I didn't feel good about, I could always walk away. I showed up at the office on the appointed day, and was met by the "card" man. I was led to a meeting room where a long table occupied most of the space. At the table sat a couple of men, a couple of women, and the director -- a tall, slim, Chinese man who appeared to be in his early thirties. He was very friendly and asked me some questions about myself. Our conversation lasted about 15 minutes. I can't remember if he actually had me "read" for him, but I do remember being really nervous.

A few days later, I was surprised to receive a phone call from Chris (the card man), actually the assistant director, telling me I got the job. I would be playing the boyfriend of one of the "lead" girls. It was a supporting role and they had me scheduled to work about a week.

The first day on set, I found myself face to face with one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen. Chris told me she was already a big star in China, having done movies since she was a kid. This, however, was going to be her first film in America. This was the first time I had ever even seen a movie camera, let alone been in front of one. One could say I was a little nervous.

I finished my week and had a great time working. I only wished I had had some knowledge, any knowledge, of the art and craft of acting. By the time the movie was finished with post-production, all of my scenes were on the cutting room floor. I like to think it was because the director had shifted the story's emphasis on a couple of the other characters and my character just wasn't relevant to the change. Of course, it could also have been because I was just horrible.

That was sixteen years ago, and the movie was called "Dim Sum." It was directed by Wayne Wang, who later directed " The Joy Luck Club."

The assistant director whom I became friends with was Chris Lee, from Hawaii, who went on to become president of Tri-Star (his brother Jeff taught me how to surf!).

And the beautiful actress I played the boyfriend of was the extremely talented Joan Chen. She has since starred in many movies, including "The Last Emperor" and "Heaven and Earth," but has most recently made her directorial debut with her film, "Xiu Xiu." I've seen it twice and think it's amazing.

Anyway, "Dim Sum" was my first job as an actor, and I have Chris to thank, so Chris, big Mahalo to you, brah!!! And Mahalo for letting us stay at your house whenever we're on the North Shore!

I started acting classes shortly after "Dim Sum," and I am still taking classes. I've studied with several different teachers over the years, but I feel as if I've found my mentor in Howard Fine. I've been with him for the last seven years, and intend to continue for many more.

Take care. Aloha!

Mark's Vital Statistics
Height: 5' 9 1/2"
Weight: 155 lbs
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Birthday: February 26, 1964
Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii
Heritage: Mark is Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Irish & Portuguese
Marital status: Married in January 1998 to Julie Condra
Children: Makoalani Charles, December 31st, 2000
Favorite actors: Bruce Lee, Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks
Favorite color: Navy Blue

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The Crow: A Mythology

By Gokhra

“People once believed that when someone dies, a Crow carries their soul to the land of the dead, but sometimes something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the Crow can bring the soul back and put the wrong things right."

I was 14 when I first saw blurry pirated cinema hall print of the movie on video tape and those lines stuck in memory. The Crow is simply a mythology and it is one that has inspired countless artists and storywrtiwers. It started off as a comic and was later adapted for movies and a television series. The writer was O'Barr. At the age of 18, a drunk driver killed his fiancee. Shortly afterwards, he started work on "The Crow" as a way to work through his anger and sorrow over the death. This was early 1980/81. O'Barr spent the 80's doing odd jobs and working on the comic until it was discovered and published in 1989.

The Crow is a gritty tale of death and revenge. The comics usually feature muted shades that seem to highlight the sadness even more. There are several different characters for the different comics, movie and novels. The basic story is that someone dies a wrongful death and comes back to exact revenge. The person who comes back is rather like an immortal in the sense that he (and in one case she) cannot be killed no matter what. Shoot them, burn them or run them down and they will be back haunting you. Of course there is a catch to this indestructibility. It works as long as the acts are being carried out on behalf of the dead. If anything is done for the living the Crow will bleed but hey, it is only temporary.

The first movie adaptation starred Brandon Lee, son of famed action hero Bruce Lee, and was based on the original story. Eric Draven and his fiancee Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) plan to get married on Halloween. The night before their wedding was called Devil's Night and that's when they were killed. Because their death was so terrible and their love so strong, the Crow brings Eric back to life "to put the wrong things right." He comes back to kill the four gang members who killed him and Shelly and then goes after the leader as a finale.

Brandon Lee died with eight days worth of movie shooting left. The missing parts were later completed using a body double.

The went on to become a cult classic and spawned sequels. They even started a television series that is currently being aired on Star World on Saturdays at 6:30 in the evening. It's titled Stairway to Heaven and is a continuation of the original plot. Here Eric Draven continues to stay and help people in the real world. The lead is played out by Mark Dacascos and it is a pretty interesting series except hat it becomes a little too slow at times.

The Crow is a terrific story albeit depressing. So far I have not aofundd a single place in Dhaka where you can find the comics. Amazon and Barnes and Nobles have these in stock but you will die in despair following the wait in getting the order.

By the way, Eric never had a last name in the comics. Draven was a take on 'raven' and was created by the movie producers.

Crow trivia:
Eric's body movements are based on punk icon Iggy Pop. The actual physical look of Eric is based on Peter Murphy from the band Bauhaus. The makeup design is not based on Alice Cooper or Kiss as is popularly assumed.

Caliber Comics published the first Crow comic in February 1989. In all, there were four volumes put out by Caliber, numbered/titled 1-4. O'Barr named each volume, but the name only appears inside of the volumes, not on the cover. Caliber went out of business before O'Barr could finish the comic. In late 1989, Tundra picked up the rights to the story (at the same time, Jeff Most optioned it as a movie). They reissued the four Caliber comics, combining them into two volumes. Tundra volume one is entitled "Pain & Fear". Volume two is entitled "Irony/Despair". The names reference the title of each volume put out by Caliber Comics. In May 1992, O'Barr finally finished the story and Tundra released volume 3, "Death". Not too soon after, Kitchen Sink Press picked up the rights to The Crow and combined all the Caliber/Tundra volumes into one graphic novel in late 1992.

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PC Game Review

Unreal II: The Awakening Special Edition

When Unreal II: The Awakening was first released in early 2003, it failed to meet the lofty expectations of critics and fans. Part of the disappointment stemmed from a short, lackluster single-player campaign, or absence of any multiplayer modes.

In response to the criticism, Atari has rereleased Unreal II in a new "special edition" package that includes both the single-player campaign and a team-based multiplayer mode called "XMP" (which is available as a free download for those who already own Unreal II). The new XMP mode isn't all that original, but it offers a solid gameplay experience.

There's only one gameplay mode in XMP, and it's a take on the quintessential capture-the-flag mode. Instead of capturing flags for points, the goal in XMP is to gather artifacts. Each team starts a match with two of four artifacts in its base. The first team to capture and possess all four artifacts simultaneously is the winner. Before spawning into the game, you'll choose to be one of three different classes: ranger, tech, or gunner. Each of the three classes is prebuilt with a specific kit of weaponry and items--the game doesn't allow for mixing and matching, nor can you pick up weapons from dead enemies or comrades. All three can revive a fallen teammate in the field (though only the rangers can restore teammates to full health), and all classes have the ability to fly a short distance using jetpacks.

All three classes have distinct roles. The ranger acts as a combination of the traditional medic and sniper classes, with the ability to heal teammates and attack from extremely long range using the sniper rifle. The magnum pistol and shock lance are the ranger's backup weapons. Though the ranger is the flimsiest class, it's also the fastest, and its smoke grenades can prove quite effective at providing cover when used by a skilled player. The tech acts as the basic soldier and engineer, carrying easy-to-use weapons like the assault rifle and shotgun, as well as kits for deploying force fields and automated defense turrets. Techs can also repair a teammate's shields. The final class is the gunner, who compensates for his slow speed by having the thickest shields and the heaviest weapons, including a rocket launcher, a flamethrower, and mines.

Though the game may seem simple with just three fixed classes to choose from, Unreal II XMP is actually fairly complicated and offers significant depth. Littered around the maps are a variety of fixtures, including energy generators, spawn points, vehicle spawns, and manned turrets. These pieces of machinery can be captured and are of great strategic importance. Energy generators supply each team with power to operate key base machinery and deployables. Without enough power, your automated defenses and manned turrets can go offline, making them inoperable. The struggle for energy becomes a key subplot in each match as both teams try to balance how many turrets and force fields they can afford to deploy.

It seems overwhelming at first to try to keep track of so many different aspects of battle. Within seconds, you can go from dominating all the generators to having an energy crisis. Forward spawn points you thought your team had locked down can swing back to the other team instantly. Once you get acclimated to the interface, you'll appreciate the way the battle flows from one area to the next as each team probes the other for weaknesses.

To encourage teamwork, the scoring system in XMP is strictly points-based. You gain points for fragging enemies, but no specific kill count appears on the scoreboard. This style of scoring encourages players to do more dirty work, such as escorting artifact carriers, capturing generators, and playing defense, all of which are rewarded appropriately by the points system.

Though there are only eight maps in the game, almost all of them are very well designed and fun to play. Bases always have multiple approach points from either a wide landscape or via underground passageways. Key areas such as generators and spawn points are scattered thoughtfully around the map, making it nearly impossible for one team to defend everything. Even in 30-player games, there's always going to be a weak point in your opponent's strategy.

The XMP mode leverages the same engine used in Unreal II, providing extremely high quality visuals. A year later, the graphics still hold up very well, and the sound effects are also the same ones used in the original game, so you can expect an attractive overall package.

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Movie Review

Torque

Review by Gokhra

Starring: Cary Ford - Martin Henderson. Shane - Monet Mazur. Trey - Ice Cube. Henry James - Matt Schulze. China - Jaime Pressly.

Torque is a biker movie. It's all about fast bikes, multiracial people, drugs, violence, wildly improbable chases and the funkiest clothes on the street.

The story is centered on long-time biker (and non-gang member) Cary Ford played by Martin Henderson. He is framed by long-time rival, Henry played by Matt Schulze, the leader of a biker gang called the Hellions. Cary is framed for the murder of Sleepy D who happens to be the leader of the most notorious and feared biker gang in the country. Sleepy Ds brother, played by Ice Cube, is on the prowl for revenge. You with me so far?

The movie mainly picks up from where we find Cary has been hiding out for months after somebody slipped crystal meth into some motorcycle gas tanks, setting him up for a fall and damaging his relationship with girlfriend Shane (Monet Mazur).

As if to make matters worse there are a couple of FBI agents on the hunt for drugs. As a result Cary and his friends must make a run for it and run they do in style.

If you liked Fast and the Furious you will like this too especially since it comes form the same makers. It is also similarly lame brained in the sense that it is more about style than anything else. In the real world you probably would not last five seconds with so much style oozing out but hey, that's what movies are for - to take a break from the real world.

Torque happens to be the type of movie where you do not think at all. The speeds are unbelievable and feel a little as if it's a video game. It has a lot of sleekly designed action scenes with one particular scene showing a chase on top and through a speeding train. Haven't seen that before.

The bikes themselves are well worth the reason to watch the whole show. There are a lot of Hondas and Yamahas with one of the stars being a blue Triumph T600. There is a much cooler black bike that anyone will drool over.

At one point of the movie Cary tells his girlfriend, ''I live my life a quarter-mile at a time.'' Sure, that's a very theatrical line.

She looks at him, squints, and says, ''That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.''

Yes, the movie does have its moments but theses are brief. It is something you watch with suspended disbelief or if you have an unholy obsession with anything on wheels. One thing is for sure, it will make you want to sell your Toyota and yearn for a two-wheeler.