Enter the Clones of Bruce

[Drunk Monk]

Enter the Clones of Bruce  (documentary)

I'm headed to this tonight: 

FANTASTIC FEST PRESENTS

ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE W/LIVE Q&A
Rated NR •
 
Length 100 min •
 
Year 2024

SEE THE HARD-HITTING KUNG FU DOC WITH A REAL-LIFE BRUCE CLONE

After becoming an international martial arts sensation, the death of Bruce Lee left a dragon-sized hole in cinema that was impossible to fill – not that people didn’t try. Whether you prefer Bruce Li, Dragon Lee, or Bruce Liang, there’s a clone for you. ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE is a love letter to the original icon, the badass actors tasked with filling his shoes, and the cinematic awesomeness that is kung fu movies. Our friends at Fantastic Fest will be taking it on tour with one of the most prolific Bruce clones, Bruce Le, joining us along the way for live Q&As.
What is a Live Q&A?


Got a question for the director? Wanna meet the cast? At our special Live Q&A events, we follow the screening with an in-person discussion.


ABOUT

THE DEATH OF BRUCE LEE GAVE BIRTH TO A NEW FILM SUBGENRE: BRUCEPLOITATION

WHAAAAAA! WATAAAHHH! AAAAAYYYYYY!
You’d be hard-pressed to find another actor who could be identified based on just a few yelps, but somehow, immediately, you know the man I’m referring to here.
Although Bruce Lee’s best-known films – THE BIG BOSS, FIST OF FURY, and THE WAY OF THE DRAGON – weren’t produced for audiences outside of Hong Kong, his cool blend of rakish charm and unparalleled martial arts skill caught the attention of the global market and quickly established him as an international star. When he died in 1973, it left an indelible mark on a genre that was just beginning to establish itself, and film studios around the world jumped into the fray to capitalize on Lee’s incomparable presence, giving birth to a kung fu subgenre: Bruceploitation.
From spitting-image clones like Dragon Lee in South Korea and Bruce Le in Myanmar to spiritual successors like Blaxploitation icon Jim Kelly and the pioneering "Lady Kung Fu" Angela Mao, the ripple effect of the Dragon’s death lasted over a decade, spawning countless careers and hundreds of movies.
ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE tracks down producers, scholars, aficionados, and some of the movement’s biggest stars, all skilled martial artists in their own right, as they reminisce over a bygone era of gonzo plotlines, shoestring budgets, and questionable taste. (Lori Donnelly)

If ever there was a case for MercNRet, it has been this event. The publicity rep reached out to me on 4/4 asking me if I wanted to interview Bruce Le (of course I did) but then wasn't sure if she could get me into the screener. WTH? I have never heard of a screener where there wasn't a press section. That's the whole point of screeners. Anyway, we batted it back and forth over a dozen plus emails - we were working with the wrong date for a while, and also were looking into a viral interview and online screener, but I really wanted to see something at Alamo Drafthouse. I was only there once for the missed effort to see the screener for EEAAO and the house looks awesome. 

Things finally settled to me interviewing Le at his hotel (he's staying at the BEI SF downtown but you didn't hear that from me), then to just prior to the screener, and now, it'll be after the Q&A. 

There was also an issue getting the press pass. I asked for a +1 (which is industry standard except for rare cases) but offered to just take one pass. Nevertheless, my +1 was approved. Now my friend and regular accomplice Carlos might have to bail because our mutual friend (and his housemate) just had a death in the family this morning, her twin sister's fiancé. I was texting her last night as she was coping with it. She has a very complicated relationship with her sister. They are both Russian adoptees. 

Anyway, it's been crazy. MercNRet crazy. I'm going to head up early, hoping to avoid any more cosmic chaos.

[Drunk Monk]

One more thing that's been bothering me. 

I know I watched The Clones of Bruce Lee recently, like in the last year or so. However, I can't find my review here or on KFM. I've been looking for my notes there.

[Drunk Monk]

I’m in the Mission. Thought I was going to get a burrito but this Indian Himalayan place called out to me.

Just me and the waitress.

[Drunk Monk]

Big thumbs up on Enter the Clones of Bruce. It's a very intelligent overview of the Bruceploitation genre from a historical and global perspective. I was pleased that I knew most of the films highlighted. The sections on the impact in France and Germany were illuminating, as well as the time perspective. Lots of great insights from lots of great actors who were there. 

Bruce Le was great. He's shorter than I thought but at 73, he still moves like a cat, powerful and lightning fast. Very impressive. He did a little Q&A which covered most of my questions. 

Then there was a moment where the promoters surprised him with a special guest. I knew who it was before they announced him. Who else? CCL. Chiu Chi Ling, dressed in his clown graduation robe and cowboy hat. It was cool to see them reunite after many years. I had a seat in the front row, and CCL paused to shake my hand, which was kinda cool I guess. I was squirming a bit about talking to him about TCEC. 

We all went to the lobby where the two posed together a lot and then for selfies with the crowd. Fortunately, it wasn't that big of a crowd (Alamo Drafthouse seats are large with tables because they sell food and drinks and it wasn't sold out like the rep had me believe). One of CCL's students asked me if I was the son of Tiger Claw. 

Then merc struck. I had texted Tara to let her know I was in SF but wasn't going to visit her because it would be late. Her car died, in the tenderloin, when she was picking up Bri from her final law class (she graduates in a few weeks). I was still waiting for the interview, which was to happen after the crowd thinned. 

But there were cameras, so ther was CCL, trying to steal the spotlight. Le was too cool. He was courteous, but no one - NO ONE - steals his spotlight. Somewhat dejected, CCL comes to sit by me. He apologizes profusely because he won't be attending TCEC. He'll be in Belgium, then Peru, then some other places. What a relief.

Meanwhile, I'm imagining Tara and Bri stuck in the Tenderloin late at night. 

Finally, I get the interview, and Le is cool. He gives solid answers. He's the real mccoy, with a good sense of fighting versus theater. Between his broken English and a helpful translator, we have a nice chat.

The we pose for a selfie. Le is the type of martial artist that dominates quickly - maybe it's a short man thing. He starts slapping my hands about (my excuse was I was thinking about Tara so I took a crappy pose). Next thing I know, he's kicking my legs out from the inside, not painfully, but powerfully, in a controlled manner to demostrate he could kick the shit out of me so fast. But we knew that when we first saw him move. 

Finally I free myself and head to Tara. She was actually in Civic Center, not quite the Tenderloin. They called for a tow, but were told it wouldn't come until 6AM. I activated my AAA and was told it would be 3 hours (it's already after 10). Finally Bri finds a local tow that's 20 mins. Jump Start Hero. No really, that was what the truck said. He quickly determines it's a dead battery, so dead that it wasn't taking a jumper charge, but it took his super pro Jump Start Hero charge, and Tara and Bri were off and running. It's still her original battery, so it's time has come.

I drive home but accidently heed my iPhone maps which sends me the wrong direction. I knew it was wrong, tried to correct quickly, only to realize I was going the wrong way down a one way street. So stupid. Feckin Merc. 

I get home and accidently knock the dry erase wall calender off the wall which shatters to bits (fixable). 

But the documentary was great. And they gave me a free DVD of Kung Fu Trailers. Score. 

Hope I captured the interview on my iphone...

Bottom line - totally D00M recommended.

[Drunk Monk]

Transcribers are useless with a canto accent.

"That's how I practice Jeet Kune Do"
trascribed as
"That's how I crack the chicken goes."

[Drunk Monk]

"It’s different than Shaolin Kung Fu."
"it's different from my child and Kung Fu."

---

"by showcasing this deadly fingers style Kung Fu. "
"by showcasing his fingers now improved."