Over the last few months in STARBURST, we’ve begun to dip a toe into the world of professional wrestling, particularly where it crosse s over into the genre television we all know and love. Other than a few m entions in issue 445’s piece on graps vampires, however, we’ve yet to scra tch the surface of actual wrestling storylines that wouldn’t look out of place between the opening and end credits of your favourite shows. That time is now.
And time is apposite, because the particular storyline we’re looking at in this issue of STARBURST involves time travel. What’s more, it’s a multi-season arc, which is rare in a medium that doesn’t usually have an off-season! One place it does, though, is the fun-filled super lucha world of CHIKARA Pro-Wrestling…
CHIKARA grew out of a wrestling school in Allentown, a city north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school - the Wrestle Factory - was founded by Tom ‘Reckless Youth’ Carter and Mike Quackenbush, two of the bigger names on the very small independent wrestling scene of the time. After the school’s foundation in January 2002, they very quickly realised that they needed somewhere to showcase the considerable young talents they were attracting, and on May 25th that year, CHIKARA Pro-Wrestling was born.
Right from the off, the school’s students adopted outrageous characters, influenced by the colourful Mexican lucha libre tradition, with the initial graduating class including Hallowicked and Ichabod Slayne (who both worked a Legend Of Sleepy Hollow gimmick), and Ultramantis (a humanoid insect), all of whom enjoyed long associations with the company.
Those three were soon joined by Phantasmo (a ghost) and Private Eye (a detective with a huge eye for a head), and a host of other characters as CHIKARA settled into its pattern of nine-month (or so) ‘seasons’, with the events in each season named for a different theme. Recent seasons have used James Bond film names, as well as episode titles from Doctor Who, Lost, and Goosebumps.
Denne historien er fra May 2018-utgaven av Starburst Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 2018-utgaven av Starburst Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Memoirs Of The Dead
It’s over 40 years since George A. Romero’s seminal zombie sequel DAWN OF THE DEAD first terrorised the planet, forever changing our demeanour when visiting the local shopping mall. On the eve of its latest disinterment - this time in 4K - we spoke to two actors who lived to tell the tale…
STAND BY FOR SHADO
This autumn marks the 50th anniversary of Gerry Anderson’s evolution from producing Supermarionation to live-action TV shows with UFO. We take a fond look back on a complex, mature series that took Century 21 Productions to new creative heights…
SHORT AND TO THE POINT
Short films have become a popular staple of film festivals but SHORT SHARP SHOCKS, the 41st release from BFI Flipside, shows us that the format has been used for much more commercial means previously…
ROAD TO OTAKU
YOUR GATEWAY INTO THE WORLD OF ANIME......WITH YOUR NAVIGATOR, JAMES 'MAGIC PERKINS' PERKINS
INDEPENDENTS DAY - FC RABBATH
Born in Alexandra, Egypt in October 1986, director/writer FRED ‘FC’ RABBATH has been an inventor, author, comedian, journalist, and all around entrepreneur. He’s also hugely well-travelled thanks to his father’s work, which required Fred to live in several countries before he was even 16. Tirelessly prolific, he has written and directed a string of acclaimed short films and a number of features including Scarlet’s Witch (2014), The Hum (2015), The Movie Extra (2015), and especially A Brilliant Monster (2018), which we described as ‘quirky and highly watchable… a psychological horror/thriller that examines the nature of creativity and the obsessions which drive the creative mind’ He’s back later this year with THE WAITING, a highly unusual and unpredictable ghost story that turns slowly into an unusual romantic fable. We spoke to Fred about his background and his approach to his work in the independent movie sector.
HEART and SOUL
Known for re-shaping the landscape of movies as we know it (not just animated ones), Pixar has respectfully raised the bar with delightful, heartfelt aplomb. From the intense opening segment of Up where no matter how lacking in emotion you think you are, tears will still come running, to the joyous Randy Newman-scored Toy Story moments, to the roaring, superhero family dynamics in The Incredibles, there’s an endless array of remarkable Pixar memories. Even in just these highlighted animated spectacles alone, Pixar has imprinted many sequences into our brains that we will never, ever forget. Everyone has a favourite Pixar character, scene, quote, song, and catchphrase that still evokes something nostalgically magical in them. So, what’s yours?
TRUTH BE TOLD
Following on from our TRUTH SEEKERS set-visit last issue, we speak with the driving forces behind Prime Video’s excellent new supernatural comedy series, SIMON PEGG, NICK FROST, and SAMSON KAYO...
Telephemera
ALAN BOON DELVES INTO THE TELEVISION ARCHIVES TO UNEARTH ANOTHER LONG-FORGOTTEN CURIO...
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
The controversial 1978 film I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE has just been released as part of a 6-disc box set that includes the reboot trilogy, the UK debut of the direct sequel, DÉJÀ VU, and a feature-length documentary GROWING UP WITH I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE. We managed to speak with actors CAMILLE KEATON and JAMIE BERNADETTE as well as the son of the original director, TERRY ZARCHI to find out more about the legendary revenge films…
telephemera
ALAN BOON DELVES INTO THE TELEVISION ARCHIVES TO UNEARTH ANOTHER LONG-FORGOTTEN CURIO...
