My Name Is Bruce

I was extremely fortunate to obtain a ticket to the very first screening of "My Name Is Bruce" during the Ashland Independent Film Festival in Southern Oregon. Bruce appeared there in person and he was as charming, funny and charismatic as his alter egos on screen. It was a real privilege! Before and after the show, Bruce talked a bit about how making a film in one's hometown, how great it was for him to "be able make a film and sleep in his own bed for the first time in 10 years" and that you don't need a big Hollywood studio and a big blockbuster budget to make a good movie everyone can enjoy.

He proved his point completely with the screening of this film. "My Name Is Bruce" was filmed entirely on located in the Rogue Valley, casting locals in many of the major roles, who all did a wonderful job. No big celebrity names, exotic locations or blue screen studios were necessary in making this a real good movie.

But enough patting on the back.

If you love any of the Evil Dead movies, if you've ever loved him as the dashing king of thieves in Xena: Warrior Princess, or if you've just been charmed by his delightful cameos in the Spiderman films, you will LOVE "My Name Is Bruce"! Even if you don't know that much about Bruce Campell and you just happen to be a fan of B-Movies, I still think you will enjoy this movie. Everything we love about Bruce is played so well over the top you can't help but laugh yourself silly! Bruce takes no mercy in making fun of himself - in this film, he's a washed up, boozing, C-movie actor, who's just finalized his divorce, making horrible alien movie sequels while treating his devoted fans like crap (the scene where he kicks a fan in a wheelchair down a hill - PRICELESS - but just one of many)! This, of course, all done in comedic good taste. None of this could be considered is autobiographical, and it's far from some cheesy Lifetime channel oh-pity-me "the Bruce Campbell story" special. As Bruce beats himself up, we all laugh our bums off.

Then, there is of course, the evil monster, Quan-Di, who's chops peoples' heads off in a cool, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon style. I would also like to add by the way that this Chinese God of Bean Curd has his own folksong sung by two humble guitar players, and it's a rather catchy-tune. Quite frankly, if you don't leave the theatre singing: "Quan You, Quan Me, Quan Di...", well then I just don't know what to say to you. ;) The violence in this movie is very much like what you may find in the Evil Dead movies. There's much homage from that.

Something else in this movie that's uber-cool and cult fans will enjoy: Ted Raimi... Is... EVERYWHERE in this film. He has (as far as I could count) three different significant roles, which are both delightful and hilarious to watch.

The movie also takes some of its strength from the two main supporting roles, the plucky fan boy who practically worships Bruce Campell (whose name I can't remember at the moment) and his mother, played by Grace Thorsen.

I should note that what I saw was a rough cut of the film, not entirely finished, so I don't know the names of all the actors because there were no opening and closing credits. So, sorry for now, plucky fan boy who worships Bruce Campell. I thought you were very good, but I can't remember your name. And kudos to the actor who played Quan-Di, who's physical characterizations behind the mask made him more than just another monster.

In conclusion, when there is a final cut and it lands in theaters in October, do go see it. It was quite an entertaining film and well worth seeing it on the big screen. I would write more, because this movie ROCKED in practically every detail, but I fear I'd be giving too much away. Just take my word for it: it's groovy, baby. Go see it.

Fanboy is a term used to describe any individual who is devoted to a single subject in an emotional or fanatical manner, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession.

There was a day when I considered myself a Bruce Campbell fanboy. I've seen 90% of his movies, own posters and even a talking Bruce Campbell doll. Hell, I just remembered my ringtone to this day is quotes from Army of Darkness. But I realized after watching this movie, I'm not one. I never really backed up his weaker movies and honestly I didn't even enjoy Running Time. Which Bruce I guess holds some love for. Anywho, after only the beginning scene of MNisB I instantly realized this wouldn't be my cup of tea. And the biggest reason why, the amateur level seriously shows. The supporting actors (most of them) and the writing are just so damn unimpressive. The flick completely relied on Bruce to save the day. But with writing this weak, that's no easy chore.

The story itself is kinda cool, especially when we heard about it 5 years ago....or whenever the hell it first got buzz. Bruce is called upon for help, but fails miserably to live up to his legendary hero status. That's funny, and still is. But the movie didn't do that justice very well. I can only remember myself smirking a handful of times, and that's no joke. And probably a couple of the smirks were because of Grace Thorsen's massive boobs. Talking about a total babe.

This isn't to dismay anyone from seeing it, especially Bruce fans, since there are tons of nods and hidden jokes, but if you also can control your giddiness and fanboyisms (?), you'll see this film isn't a Bruce classic And the moron who said "if you like Bubba Ho-Tep, you'll love this." Wow, that is so off. Bubba Ho-Tep is ten times the movie this is. Which is a damn shame, because Bruce fanboys waited a while to see this one. I may still be a Bruce fanboy to some people, but I'll be the first to say this was one weak Bruce outing. 6 outta 10 for the Bruce swearing, the big, bouncing bosoms on Grace, and the handful of jokes that worked.

Bruce Campbell is called to Gold Lick to fight the evil Chinese war god Guan-di after one of his biggest fans, Jeff, awakens the demon and mistakenly believes that Bruce would know how to fight such creatures. Campbell accepts, but only because he believes the entire thing to be a movie shoot.

Not surprisingly, there is going to be two groups of people for this film: the die-hard Campbell fans who love it, and the others. The others might like it, they might hate it, but they'll be left cold if they realize the jokes aren't meant for them. The film really has no solid plot (it's been done before...) and the acting isn't great... and the jokes are, at best, average.

Campbell's actor friends show up: Timothy Patrick Quill, Ted Raimi, Dan Hicks and even Ellen Sandweiss. Some of the in-jokes are slightly clever (having Sandweiss play "Cheryl", the same character's name she had in "Evil Dead") while others are just too blunt and insult the audience's intelligence. Other references such as "I worked with Sam Raimi" just seem thrown in for good measure. I understand the point was to reference Campbell's past films, but it wasn't subtle at all and seemed poorly thought out.

Bruce Campbell is Bruce Campbell, so if you like him, you will like this film. That's pretty much all there is to say about that. He directed it, he stars in it and he had a strong guiding hand in the writing process. You get the best of Campbell and the worst in this film... and don't forget for every good Campbell film ("Army of Darkness") there are at least two bad films.

I had the privilege of catching a screening in Madison with Campbell himself on hand for questions and answers. This really made the experience special, but did not make me feel any better about the film. The audience generally seemed to laugh more than I did, so maybe I'm in the minority. But when Bruce answered questions, he didn't offer any reassurance that he cared much about the film... if anything, his appearance seemed to suggest he felt he couldn't sell tickets without a gimmick.

I received a DVD copy in the mail as part of my reviewing duties, and gave it a second viewing. In all fairness, I en joyed the film much more the second time, having a better sense of what sort of humor and style the film would be going for. My suggestion is this: if you're a Campbell fan, pick up a copy. If not, you'll want to see other Campbell films first to really appreciate this one. Luckily for the people who made this film, there are plenty of Bruce Campbell fans to see this one with a smile on their face.

First, my comments are based on a sneak preview of the film. I was not completed--lots of special effects were missing, the soundtrack was said to be not final, so the soundtrack (including dialogue) was not polished.

Having said all of that, and based on the reaction of the small army of Bruce Campbell fans in attendance, this is clearly a movie that every Ash fan will want to see. Without giving away more of the plot than is in the outline, an monster has been unleashed on a small town in Southern Oregon, and Bruce is enlisted by local fans to fight it. But it's Bruce, not Ash, and he does his level best to portray himself as a washed-up B movie actor with no scruples or morals worth mentioning. There's a lot that reminded me of Galaxy Quest, but with Campbellian twist, and about one-tenth the special effects budget.

The crowd couldn't stop laughing, so go see this when it's out!

It's already been said that My Name is Bruce is a movie for Bruce Campbell fans, by Bruce Campbell; and I'm going to say it again because it's true. I won't say that I'm (quite) a part of the crowd that idolises the Evil Dead star; but I am a fan of his and his mere presence is generally enough to make me want to see a movie, no matter how bad it sounds. I decided that I was going to go into My Name is Bruce and rate it solely on how good it is rather than based on the fact that Bruce Campbell is in it; and overall I certainly wasn't disappointed; as My Name is Bruce is a thoroughly entertaining and hilarious comedy horror that is sure to delight anyone that is willing to enjoy the movie for what it is (or for the fact that Bruce Campbell is in it). The film focuses on Bruce Campbell, who plays an over the top version of himself. He's down and out and tired of starring in rubbish low budget horror. Meanwhile, a young kid (who loves Bruce Campbell so much that he uses Army of Darkness quotes to pick up women, without much success) unwittingly unleashes a vengeful demon, and the townsfolk see the actor as their only means of survival.

Much of the movie's humour is focused around Bruce Campbell and the actor is certainly willing to laugh at himself. I doubt the actor in real life much resembles his character in this film; but even so, I don't think there are many Hollywood stars (or 'stars') out there that would, for example, drink liquor out of a dog bowl while playing themselves. The fact that its Bruce Campbell playing Bruce Campbell is the brunt of the movie to such an extent that the rest of it almost comes off like an afterthought; but since most fans will go into this movie wanting that; and Campbell clearly made this movie purely for those people, that was always to be expected. The monster in the movie is a Chinese demon and it really looks ridiculous, but in a fun campy sort of way. The film features plenty of death scenes; although unfortunately most of them are not particularly bloody. I have to say that the film doesn't really capture the manic style of the Evil Dead trilogy (despite featuring some lines of dialogue, actors and scenes from said films) but the film has its own style and it works well. Obviously the story has no depth at all; but it just wouldn't be proper to criticise it for things like that, and overall I have to admit that I really liked this film a lot and I'm sure that my fellow Bruce Campbell/Low budget horror fans will too.