Bruceploitation

Bruce Lee

The advent of Bruce Lee's death was rivaled for some only by that of Kennedy's. In fact, there is said to be a curse on the family - an Old Wives' Tale which foreshadowed the death of his son under eerily similar circumstances. Bruce Lee's cinematic career, however brief, forever changed kung-fu movies and his legacy outlived him. Directly following his death in 1973, his legacy overshadowed him and he became the Terry Schiavo of kung-fu cinema.

It was during this time that a slew of forgettable kung-fu films bearing his name, or one very similar (such as Bruce Li and Bruce Le), were made. These films came to comprise a sub-genre of exploitation known as Bruceploitation. This sub-genre also includes films that actually star Bruce Lee but were released after his death. Such was the world's appetite for Bruce Lee, who died tragically at the age of 32.
While none of the actors featured in these films could hold a candle to Bruce Lee's intensity, their kung-fu isn't bad. It's usually pretty good, in fact. But the best Bruceploitation films are the most shameless. They also tend to be pretty sleazy by any standard. Still, at least a few people pursued lucrative careers imitating Lee's signature fighting style and catcalls. His public funeral drew some 30,000 fans and admirers.

Bruceploitation persisted throughout the mid to late 70s before they finally laid the poor guy to rest.

© The Weirding, 2014-2015

vs. Bruce Lee's Greatest Revenge

© The Weirding, 2015

Bruce Lee Biopic on the Way

Family members confirmed a new Bruce Lee biopic on the way that promises to explore the film icon's artistic side in addition to his work in movies and TV. Bruce Lee Entertainment is partnering with others to bring the movie to audiences. This biopic will focus on Lee's "own unique art and philosophy," according to his daughter who will be directly involved in the film.

No further details were given.

© The Weirding, 2015

vs. Kung-Fu Fever (ep. 202)

The B-Raters vs. Kung Fu Fever

Kung-Fu Fever is yet another Bruceploitation feature "starring" someone who kinda looks like Bruce Lee - that's not racist because all these movies star people who look like Bruce Lee - but is not, in fact, Bruce Lee. ALLEGEDLY. We can't tell them apart.

This one stars Dragon Lee and, no shit, Ron Von Clief. Yeah, that's kinda racist but only because there were never any black cowboys. ALLEGEDLY. Anyway, you should expect an awful lot of quotes and alludes to better movies from the 1970s throughout the entirety of this B-rating.

The B-Raters vs. Kung-Fu Fever starts Saturday night around 10:00pm CDT LIVE on Google Hangouts and YouTube.

Here is the riff and movie side by side with an IRC chat channel. Enjoy!

© The Weirding, 2014-2015

2.02: Kung-Fu Fever

© The Weirding, 2014-2015