The Bruce

This is a hard post to start.  Not because I have any lack of witty one-liners or in-depth reference material, but rather because I have so much to say about an admittedly pathetic subject that it's actually embarrasing.

So let me start with this - at least I'm not this guy.

For those of you in-the-know, Bruce Campbell needs no further explanation.  For the rest of you, where to start?

IMDB

Wikipedia

He's an actor, most well-known for his role as "Ash" in the Evil Dead series, and recently for his return to popular awareness as a sidekick on the TV show Burn Notice.

The story here is his lowly beginnings making cheap horror B-movies with his college buddies, Sam and Ted Raimi.  As time passed, he got a few other legit jobs, but his fame (though not fortune) always came from more obscure cult roles.  Aside from the above two, he was also the lead in the (awesomely cancelled) TV show Brisco County Jr.,  with recurring roles on Hercules and Xena thanks to the Raimi connection (also in every Spider Man film).  His last full-power film was the indie genre-bending hit Zombie-Elvis-Comedy-Horror Bubba Ho-Tep.

He also wrote a ridiculously entertaining autobiography.  I recommend it.

And I got to meet him.

Ok, we didn't shake hands.  But I did get to talk to him.  From 20 ft away.  By raising my hand.

The deal is this - Bruce just made a new film, My Name is Bruce - written, directed & starring Bruce Campbell.  It's about people who really like Bruce Campbell, and the real-life Bruce Campbell who may or may not be identical to the overblown monster-fighting character he portrays.

Every new film needs an opening, and what is an opening without star power?  Especially when star power and an obsessive fanbase is all you have to rely on (My Name is Bruce makes no claims on writing or cinematic innovation).

When it was time for the Q&A following the screening, Mr. Boomstick himself came out to take the questions.  After the perfunctory items (Will you make Evil Dead 4? Sure, when we get the time;  Will you be in my student film? No, I don't do first-time directors), I took a shot.

It went something like this:

"Hey Bruce, you've specialized in a certain calibre of films in your career (at this point Bruce interrupts me - "what are you saying?  that I make low-calibre films?") No, just that at this point in your career you can accept or decline projects as you see fit, and yet you seem to continue getting involved with very similiar, or off-the-wall films.  ("I see what you're getting at.  I make bad movies, is that it?") No, No, I would say that you have specialized in a type of entertainment ("bad movies") - Ok, let me get to my point.  Given the movies that you have been involved in, what criteria do you use when deciding to accept or reject a script? ("You mean, my movies are so bad how could I ever turn one down?")  Seriously - how do you choose you scripts?

Do I have your rapt attention yet?

simple answer:  "I don't do anything with a first time director, and I don't do anything with the word zombie anywhere in the title or the script.  Zombie's just aren't a good villain - they're slow, unemotional, uncompelling.  You can't act 'against' a zombie, you just run-walk away, and that's hard to make compelling."

And then he signed a girl's arm.  She had a huge ($700+) tatoo of his Ash character (with shotgun and chainsaw), so she had him sign it with sharpie so she could go and get his autograph tatooed on top of it (pictured at top).

Crazy.

But really, you should go see My Name is Bruce - or chop off your own arm with a chainsaw.  Whichever you think will be less painful.

Weber

::(lame) Texpatriot