First and foremost, Bruce Campbell is awesome. Why? He's The King Of B-Movies, the owner of quite possibly the Manliest Chin in the history of Manly Chins, and the sole reason why I tried out and stuck with Old Spice products. Most people, myself included, know Mr. Campbell for his role as Ashley J. Williams from the Evil Dead trilogy, a character that he made so badass and likable that fans almost worship him for it 30 years later.
Campbell's career isn't exactly A-list, but it doesn't have to be, because he can make any bad movie watchable, even if it's just a cameo. Some of his work may seem like some as a self-deprecating joke, but Bruce knows it, runs with it and we fans keep eating it up. Example: My Name Is Bruce.
The movie starts with some horny teenagers (surprise) in a graveyard when they accidentally awaken an ancient Chinese God. Only one of them makes it out, and he just so happens to be a massive Bruce Campbell fan. Cut to Bruce, arguing with his agent about the state of his career while his agent promises Bruce the best birthday he's ever had. The kid survivor then approaches Bruce for help but Bruce tells him to fuck off, so the survivor kidnaps him. Thinking that this is all a sham for his birthday, Bruce decides to play hero for the town but when he encounters the Chinese God, he realizes that it isn't a game and he must fight for the town's survival.
I'm really kicking myself for not watching this movie sooner. Produced & directed by Campbell with a wonderful script by Mark Verheiden, this movie was a blast, poking fun at the film industry, Bruce Campbell & his fan base in a non-condescending manner, making it more satirical than flat out offensive. The acting was pretty good with some bad parts mixed in occasionally but I'm pretty sure that's intentional.
As far as creature effects go, I love how there is NO CGI in this film, save for a brief misty effect on some of the shots of Gwan-di (the Chinese God) and one shot of CG blood. I love that because as you already know, CGI is terribly overused and it's nice to see practical effects in the spotlight for the majority of the movie.
This movie is played for laughs, so if you're expecting a jump scare every ten minutes, you're pissing up the wrong rope. This movie is so tongue-in-cheek that it's almost poking through. Even though Ted Raimi has 3 roles in this movie and does feature cameos from the actors who played Jake in Evil Dead 2 and the Blacksmith from Army Of Darkness, it's no surprise Bruce steals the show here, but if the show's already about you, can you truly steal it?
Final sum-up? My Name is Bruce is the movie Zombieland should have been. This movie had a budget of 1.5 mil and is more entertaining than some of the huge blockbusters coming out now. Anyone who hasn't seen this movie really should. It's got Bruce, horror cliches, milfs and plenty of laughs with enough of a horror tone to blend the two genres together. Go check it out.
-The Cynic
I really loved it as well, though my first viewing was ruined by the fact that I had previously read the shooting script before-hand, and I was pissed when I discovered some really great lines and scenes (Even an entire DAY) had been cut from the movie.
ReplyDeleteBut upon repeated viewings, I was able to look past that and just enjoy the movie as-is. Still, I hope (Though know we'll never get) an Extended Edition of it, cause going by the script, quite a lot was cut out and 98% of that was top notch stuff.