Screening: TNT JACKSON with FIRECRACKER at Popcorn Reef University (8/3/23)

*Due to an unforeseen circumstance, we've had to postpone this show indefinitely. We will keep you posted if we can get it going at a later date. Everyone who has purchased a ticket should have received a refund. If you have any questions, please contact eddie@popcornreef.com* 

It’s never the exact same movie when Roger Corman is producing and Cirio Santiago is directing!

We’re all about creating unique experiences here at Popcorn Reef, and with our new experimental sub-series, Popcorn Reef University at The Tenth Avenue Arts Center, we want to take you to places you’ve never been before. Have you ever sat in a theater and done a double feature, back to back, where both films were beat for beat, the exact same story, only filmed with different casts, seven years apart? We bet not.

But what if both of the films were so insane, and so full of wanton violence, sexy ladies, and destructive behavior, that the plots wouldn’t end up mattering by the end of the whole thing anyway? Answer that question for yourself on August 3rd as we blow you away with TNT JACKSON and FIRECRACKER.

Back in the early 1970s, B-movie godfather Roger Corman identified a brilliant business opportunity. Down in the Philippines, there was a burgeoning film industry, with a ready-set infrastructure of professional camera operators, stunt performers, and location scouts. These crews could be hired, non-union, for a fraction of the cost of an American shoot, so Corman said, “why not,” and flew American lead actors down to the jungle to make films that would later become recognized as some of the wildest, most unrestrained examples of maverick filmmaking in history.

Filipino director Cirio H. Santiago often acted as Corman’s “man on the ground” to execute the shoots, bringing an id-fueled sensibility to the projects that could only be achieved if you were truly not aware of any rules, both in the filmmaking sense, and from a morality perspective. Then the films would be brought back to America to be edited, packaged, and sold to drive-ins and grindhouse theaters. Director Joe Dante, who worked in the editing room for Corman at the time, commented in an interview for Mark Hartley’s excellent documentary MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED, that the resulting films “look like they were made on another planet.”

Join us for this trip to another film planet as we present two of Corman and Santiago’s greatest collaborations, TNT JACKSON and FIRECRACKER, on August 3rd, complete with vintage trailer reels between the films, trivia before the films start, and a whole bunch of other cheap thrills. We guarantee that you’ve never seen a night of cinema as explosive as this…unless you’ve already seen a bunch of these films before, in which case…you already know how awesome this is. See you there ;)

TNT JACKSON (1974) Synopsis:

"They call me TNT!,” announces martial arts expert Diana Jackson (Jeannie Bell, MEAN STREETS, THE MUTHERS) upon her arrival in Hong Kong to look for her missing brother. From there, she heads smack into what is known as the city's worst area, a no-man's-land haven for drug dealers, thieves and killers, run by Charlie (Stan Shaw, THE MONSTER SQUAD), an American who’s settled in Hong Kong and is bent on inching his way to the top of the city's drug-smuggling trade. But he has no idea what he's up against when he tangles with dynamite… in TNT Jackson!

Trailer (NSFW):



FIRECRACKER (1981) Synopsis:

Gorgeous martial arts instructor Susanne Carter (Jillian Kesner, HAPPY DAYS, RAW FORCE) travels to Asia to find her sister, a journalist, who has gone missing. She soon discovers the local mafia is running drugs and guns through their martial arts tournament. But they have no idea what they're up against when Susanne finds out that they had something to do with her sister's disappearance. Co-starring Darby Hinton (MALIBU EXPRESS).

Trailer (NSFW):

PLEASE NOTE:

-This show is at The Tenth Avenue Arts Center (930 10th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101)

-Doors will open at 7 PM, and we encourage you to bring your own food in before the show to eat at The Top Of The Tenth - The Tenth Avenue Arts Center's rooftop lounge with a panoramic view of downtown. Local eateries like Hodad's and Pokez are both great options and they are located within a block of the venue. The doors to the theater itself will not open until 7:30.

-Snacks and soft drinks will be available for purchase during the show.

-We cannot allow you to bring alcohol into the venue, but smoking is allowed at The Top of the Tenth, both before and during the show if you want to step out.

-If you are visibly intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, we will not allow you into the venue. Thanks for your understanding.

-There will be no delivery of tickets via shipping or email - we'll simply have your name on the list at the door (plus however many tickets you buy). Please bring your ID for verification purposes to check in. We can check in partial parties too, so if you're buying for multiple people and you're arriving at different times, don't worry about it.