Coming And Going

 

 (imdb.com)

EXIT THE DRAGON, ENTER THE TIGER-1976-On a movie set, martial arts actor Dragon Bruce Lee tell his friend Tiger David Lee (Bruce Li) that if something happens to him, Tiger will be Dragon's successor. Of course Bruce dies. In Singapore, Tiger David suspects foul play. He's pretty upset. He goes to Hong Kong to check it out. It seems some gangsters led by The Baron (Yi Chang), tried to blackmail Bruce into carrying drugs for them and his mistress movie star Susie (Hsin-Yi Chiang) has an incriminating tape they want. Tiger's friend George is killed and his girlfriend is raped but Tiger triumphs in the end in this sub-par Shaw Brothers production.

Director Tso Nam Lee also made FIST OF FURY 2 (also with Bruce Li) and THE TATTOO CONNECTION with Jim Kelly.

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Story of a Fake Bruce

STORY OF THE DRAGON-Bruce Lee lookalike Bob (Bruce Li) and his inept friend (Carter Wong) are fired from their restaurant jobs after a fight with 3 "foreigners". They prevent the duo from getting other jobs and get beat up again. They manage to get a job unloading ocean containers. The foreign gang is run by an Asian martial arts teacher with very dark skin and a black wig (I think he was suppose to be Japanese). The nephew of the container station owner shows up and beats up the gang. Though there's a lot of talk about foreigners I think this is suppose to take place in San Francisco which would explain all the white guys. Fake Bruce opens his own school and teaches everyone. The big boss, Mr. Grace says of Kung-Fu: "it's out of date. It's 900 years old!".  Later Lee-Clone beats up Mr. Charlie (Roy Horan) but a "boxing champion" wrecks the school. The boxer defeats Lee in a fight but he trains hard for a rematch. Everyone joins in for the unintentionally funny fights in the finale.

This may also be known as BRUCE LEE: A DRAGON STORY re-dubbed to "less resemble" the real Lee's life story. Co-directors Chi Chang and  Hua Chen were better know for cinematography and second unit work.

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When Will Lee Return?

When is a movie about Bruce Lee not really a movie about Bruce Lee? When it's BRUCE LEE-THE MAN THE MYTH (1976).


Bruce Li (one of the many post-Lee clones) portrays The Mighty Lee who doesn't want to come to America. His mother makes him! He frolics in Seattle with his college student buddies and beats up some Karate bullies when their Japanese teacher refuses to admit Karate came from Kung-Fu. He goes to San Francisco to visit a friend ("Your Kung-Fu is really amazing") and develops his own style, Jeet Kune Do. He has a wild fight in an airport on the way to a tournament. A weird studio executive tells him no one wants to invest money in a young Chinese actor and he's shown in his "Kato" chaffeuer's uniform while filming "The Green Hornet". He goes back to Hong Kong to make movies and insults some Thai boxers and an English (?) running team. He smirks a lot and comes off as an egotistical asshole.

Although real scenes of the real Lee's funeral are shown, 2 alternate endings based on rumors are presented (one says he would return in 1986; I missed him!).

Director See-Yuen Ng made other movies including NEW GAME OF DEATH. Bruce Li made many more movies with Bruce Lee's name in the title but not since 1986....

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Sunday Morning Quickies

 ICHI THE KILLER-2001-Amazing and violent thriller from Takashi Miike. Two Yakuza groups fight over one of their missing bosses and the 100 million yen that disappeared with him. In the middle is Ichi, a seemingly idiotic hired killer with razor boots who literally slices people in half. He is tortured by the memories of bullies and the gang rape of his friend. But all isn’t what it seems to be. Some awesome graphic SFX highlight this unique feature but a brutal rape scene is hard to watch.



TRUE GAME OF DEATH-1981-Now this movie is bad but it’s also hysterical. Bruce Le portrays Bruce Lee who is poisoned by his wife but for some reason doesn’t die and comes back in disguise. Later he has to rescue her from gangsters. It’s all because the bad guys don’t want him doing a movie. It’s in bad taste I guess but it is funny! Le (a terrible fighter) made lots of movies with the name “Bruce” in them and directed some too. He may have been a stunt coordinator on MUTANT NINJA TURTLES 3 (there were 3 of them?) but he his last movie was in 1992.



CHRONICLE OF THE RAVEN-2004-Argentinean horror movie, shot in English about a young woman (Gina Phillips from JEEPERS CREEPERS) who returns to her family’s estate after the death of her sister (?). The whole family is under a curse instigated by her grandmother (Faye Dunaway chewing the scenery outrageously). It’s pretty routine and guessable but it would have been easier to take if the Phillips' character was more likable. Also known as JENNIFER'S SHADOW.






SAMARIA (SAMARITAN GIRL)-2004-Korean made tale of two girls who dabble in amateur prostitution after school. Yeo-jin sets things up and collects the money while her friend Jae-yeong takes care of the sexual end. When Jae-yeong dies jumping from a window to escape the police Yeo-jin take her place. When her police detective father finds out things take a violent turn. The film has many nice touches and great acting but it was a little too slow for me.

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"You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you"-John Wooden

Mad Dog -No Bite

MAD DOG COLL-1961-I've read that this low budget bio of the infamous gangster with the really cool name is inaccurate but what isn't?

It opens with scenes from the movie shown in negative over the credits after Coll (John Chandler in his film debut) machine guns the headstone on his father's grave! A stripper named Cleo (Kay Doubleday) narrates the story. Coll is an abused mamma's boy beaten up by other kids. He becomes a punk in a gang (with an "equalizer" monkey wrench). When a gang member says "You didn't have to hit him so hard", he replies "I'm practising to be a father". He organizes a real gang (with a young Jerry Orbach) and horns in on Dutch Schutz (Vincent Gardenia). Brooke Hayward plays his nominal love interest. Coll is a ruthless kill crazy thug who's trail is dogged by a Shakespeare reading detective (Telly Savalas). He kills some kids and a cop and during a kidnapping caper he rants about killing his father. He never really becomes the kingpin he dreams of being and at 23 he's gunned down in a drugstore. His last words are "...hate...I hate..."!

Director Burt Balaban also made MURDER INC and the seldom seen DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL rip-off STRANGER FROM VENUS.

Star Chandler had supporting roles in many films later on including PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, CHESTY ANDERSON,USN and PHANTASM 3. Hayward (the daughter of actress Margaret Sullavan) was married to Dennis Hopper at the time and late wrote the book "Haywire".



The real Mad Dog!

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