I know I haven't exactly been consistent with new material... (Feels like confessing this inconsistency is the only thing that's consistent on this blog.) Man.. I'm totally lost with xanga's new layout and credit system and dingleberries.
But I really DO have something planned. And like all good things worthwhile, it takes time. Too much time.
In the meantime, I just HAVE to post Obama's speech from yesterday.. Love him or hate him, it was one of the most beautiful and honest speeches to ever come from a politician's mouth. Certainly the best I've heard in my lifetime. I almost cried.
Without further ado, "A More Perfect Union" March 18, 2008.
"Daniel-sawn could beat Bruce Lee's ass anyday! All he has to do is his crane kick!"
Man. I was such a cute naive kid. I remember coming back from the movie theatre with my aunt and uncle. We had just seen "The 'Kroddy' Kid" and I was under a "kroddy" high. "You don't even know Bruce Rhee?" my uncle looked at me incredulously. I had suddenly transformed into this dumbass that my uncle had the misfortune to be related to. "BRUCE? What kinda name is that??"
I didn't really care at the time because whoever this "Bruce" guy was, he wasn't as cool as Daniel-sawn. Bruce didn't have the SAWN title attached to his name. SAAAWWWWN. The only "Bruce" I knew was Bruce Wayne. Real people do not have "Bruce" as their name...
Fast forward to PRESENT.
Ahh.. time's have changed. I'm typing this entry with my right hand while my left is swinging "numbchucks." The circular motion of the farmer's-tool-turned-iconic-deadly-weapon gets the forearms burning and the brain cells churning. I'm thinking, "I'm going to name my firstborn child 'Bruce'." Let's just hope it's a boy. Or, the world will see its first "Brucette."
Time for shameless plug! Another Justin Lin production(The man who brought you "Better Luck Tomorrow" and "Tokyo Drift")!
Today is the premiere for its limited release! Just like we did for BLT, we gotta bring it to the box office for FTG! Find it at a theatre near you! Even if it's in the next state! Roadtrip!
So Warner Independent Pictures has apparently greenlighted a loose remake of the Bruce Lee classic, "Enter the Dragon" (1973). Tentatively titled "Awaken the Dragon", it centers around a rogue Shoalin monk caught in the seedy underground of "fight clubs" while being chased by cops. Or something. Hmm... can I say "Blood Sport" (1988) ? OK, USA!
Slight skepticisim aside, this is really exciting news for me as a Bruce Lee fan. Oh man. Bruce Lee. There could be a university course study on Bruce Lee. You could write thesis after thesis on Bruce Lee. "Hello, I majored in Bruce Lee."
"I'm currently seeking employment as Bruce Lee." And boy have there been plenty of those.
A lot of purists out there will cry out against any kind of defamation to His name, but those people forget that the worst Bruce-sploitation has already been committed back in the 70s and 80s following his untimely death. (Bruce Lei, Bruce Le, Dragon Lee, etc.) I don't think anything that manages to get the financial go-ahead these days could produce something even as remotely gawd-awful horrendous as some of the stuff produced from back then. (Somehow, I ended up with my own collection of these fakes and wannabes on VHS. I'll let you borrow in case you want the motivation to jump off a bridge.)
I am a little concerned that it's Kurt Sutter's directorial debut, but more than that, I'm concerned with how much of a fan he truly is of Bruce Lee. Producers Paul Heller and Fred Weintraub of the original film are returning to create this throwback to the legend. I suppose that's supposed to give credibility and assurance to Bruce Lee fans. Personally, "Enter the Dragon" is not my favorite of Bruce, but the production was a meaningful milestone at its time. (Thesis idea!)
It's great that Sutter is taking advantage of the Bruce Lee name and associating it with his film when it could easily have flown under the radar as "another" kung-fu action flick. Smart. But it feels like he's trying to play it safe by announcing it as a loose remake in a cop-out to hardcore fans and avoiding any direct sincere commitment to the Bruce Lee legend. Let me tell you, that's already strike one. If you want to associate yourself with Bruce Lee, you better go about it straight and sincere. That's Bruce Lee. If you don't understand that - if you don't understand the man behind the legend - how the hell are you going to write a role that's supposed to be even a remote reflection of him?
Well, we'll see. In the current streak of remakes and throwbacks, the timing is perfect. And Sutter's promising a modern twist on something classic. And he knows that even purists will have to watch either in horror or elation. I can't wait.
The following is a tribute to all those touched and inspired by Bruce Lee...
