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In many walks of life, a combination of recency bias and genuine progress makes it easy to think that the latest thing is also the greatest thing. However, this thought process doesn't apply to the martial arts movie genre, where a man who died in 1973 continues to be the yardstick all other stars are measured with -- and generally fall short.

Bruce Lee's death at the age of 32 cut short his life but not his legend. It can be easy to forget that his "Bruce Lee era" was just the final, star-making phase of his career. Before breaking through with his English name on "Green Hornet," Lee appeared in 20 Hong Kong movies, often using his Chinese name Lee Jun Fan and stage names like Lee Siu Lung ("Lee Little Dragon"). This means that a true Lee aficionado has plenty of comparatively obscure material to wade through -- from the 1941 film "Golden Gate Girl,...

Bruce Lee was undoubtedly one of the 20th century's most important and influential pop culture figures. Born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, Lee was a prominent child star who appeared in roughly 20 films between the ages of 6 and 20. Lee returned to the United States and enrolled at the University of Washington in the early 1960s. It was at this time he began teaching martial arts. In 1967, Lee founded Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts style. Around this time, Lee landed a starring role on the American television series The Green Hornet.

During the early 1970s, Lee exploded in popularity thanks to his starring roles in Hong Kong martial arts films such as The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and The Way of the Dragon. In 1973, Lee starred in the Hollywood-co-produced Enter the Dragon, which became a cultural phenomenon. Unfortunately, Lee passed away at only 32 years old...

Quick Links Game of Death Was the Ultimate Martial Arts Challenge Iron Fist Embraced Classic Martial Arts Films Iron Fist's Lack of Confidence Was His Downfall

Image via Miramax

2017's Iron Fist is far from the top of the list for many fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its Netflix era. The story of Danny Rand leaving K'un-Lun to take back his birthright at Rand Enterprises isn't one that many would be enticed to see out of the gate. But the use of his martial arts skills and the fabled iron fist should've been enough to create a stellar first season. However, the lack of impressive martial arts scenes, a lead that acted more adolescent than many would've liked, and a lack of the iconic Iron Fist suit put the show at a severe detriment that even a more successful second season couldn't fix. Nevertheless, like with all things,...

Starring in a martial arts movie is tough enough, but working behind the scenes as well makes the challenge even more daunting and demanding, and Hong Kong filmmaker Stephen Chow knows exactly how that feels.

Stephen Chow in Kung Fu Hustle / Credits: Columbia Pictures

There’s something impressive about movie projects where the director is also the lead star, and Chow proved this is possible when he helmed 2004’s Kung Fu Hustle, a film he also co-wrote and produced. The filmmaker admitted it wasn’t an easy job, and there were times he felt lost and needed someone to remind him of his mistakes.

Stephen Chow on the struggles of making Kung Fu Hustle

Kung Fu Hustle is both a commercial and critical success, establishing Stephen Chow as a force in the field of acting as well as directing. After the success of Shaolin Soccer in 2001, he was offered a...

Bruce Lee was a famed martial arts expert who completed only a handful of films before his untimely death in 1973 at the age of 32. Let’s take a look back at all 6 of his films, ranked worst to best.

Born in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, CA, in 1940, Lee was raised with his family in Kowloon, Hong Kong. He began appearing in several films as a child, often in small bit roles, but abandoned acting to pursue a career in martial arts.

His hiatus from the screen didn’t last long. In 1966, Lee was cast as Kato in the short-lived television adventure “The Green Hornet,” later making appearances as the character on “Batman.” He played a small role in the mystery film “Marlowe” (1969) as a kung fu fighter who destroys private eye James Garner‘s office before suffering a tragic demise.

Lee became a leading man after returning to...

Mainland born Lo Wei was an actor whose film career flourished after migrating to Hong Kong. After directing “The Black Butterfly” for Shaw Brothers, he followed it up with “Death Valley” starring the same pair of male leads. He is best known as the director who launched the kung fu film careers of Bruce Lee in “The Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury” and also Jackie Chan in “New Fist of Fury”.

Master Chao Yun Yang (Lo Wei) of the Chao Manor in Death Valley is getting old and thinking of retiring. Since he has no children, he wants to give everything he owns to his nephew Chao Yu Lung (Yueh Hua), a righteous swordsman who wields a pair of deadly short swords. Before the opening credits roll, we see him easily dispatching a group of bandits and he even pays for their burial. Furthermore, he also picks up a cowardly lone traveler,...

We here at IndieWire love watching films on actual film — and cities like New York and Los Angeles, where repertory cinema is thriving, provide no shortage of opportunities to do just that. Scoping out selections in both major metropolises, we’ve compiled a list of the best screening options for the upcoming month, which include retrospectives on beloved auteurs featuring multiple 35mm prints, as well as 4K restorations of classic films that shouldn’t be missed.

In keeping with our appreciation for the theatrical experience throughout the country and world, IndieWire also gives a special shoutout to The Brattle Theatre of Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as some of its stellar curation over the next month. Keep reading for our picks.

New York Film Forum ‘Blacula,’ William Marshall Courtesy Everett Collection

In anticipation of the new 4K restoration of Jean-Pierre Melville’s WWII French resistance drama “Army of Shadows,” which will...

When Bruce Lee died under mysterious circumstances in 1973 at age 32, the actor and martial artist left a hole in the action star firmament that seemed irreplaceable. That did not stop the Hong Kong film industry — and the rest of the world, for that matter — from trying anyway.

As Lee’s final (complete) film “Enter the Dragon,” released just six days after his death, became a worldwide box office phenomenon, “Bruceploitation” was born, enlisting look-alike performers to replace and imitate the trailblazing martial artist on screen. Decades after these copycat films deceived viewers — while still delivering some genuinely thrilling fight sequences — Severin Films is releasing “The Game of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection Vol. 1,” a compilation of 14 titles starring Bruce “impostors” like Ho Chung Tao, who went by the name Bruce Li, Ryong Keo (Dragon Lee), Chang Yi-tao (Bruce Lai) and Wong Kin-lung, who to this day goes by the name Bruce Le.

Pluto TV, Paramount’s free streaming service, has revealed its May highlights. The Pluto TV May 2024 schedule includes Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month programming, more anime content, new channels, and new film additions.

Pluto TV is the leading free streaming television service, delivering hundreds of live linear channels and thousands of titles on-demand to a global audience.

The Emmy Award-winning service curates a diverse lineup of channels in partnership with hundreds of international media companies. It offers a wide array of genres, languages, and categories featuring movies, television series, sports, news, lifestyle, kids, and much more.

Pluto TV can be easily accessed and streamed across mobile, web, and connected TV devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Pluto TV’s growing international footprint extends across three continents and over 35 markets.

Pluto TV May 2024 Programming

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, And Pacific Islander Heritage Month

To pay tribute, Pluto TV...

This article contains massive spoilers for "Monkey Man."

The medium of cinema is brilliantly, endlessly malleable. It's an art form able to communicate so many perspectives, stories, emotions and the like, yet there are some genres that feel especially inherent to the medium. Action is undeniably one of these; even the most basic, average action movie combines elements of sound, cinematography, actors giving performances that are equal parts physical and vocal, music, choreography and more. In other words, it takes every element available to the filmmaker to construct a convincing, engaging action sequence, something that can't be exactly replicated in, say, a song, picture, or painting.

Perhaps this is one reason why so many action films dabble in myth: the very construction of an action film requires the establishment of a hyper-reality, so it follows that larger-than-life themes, tropes, and traditions would fit inside such a world. This is a...

Dev Patel in Monkey ManImage: Universal Pictures

Dev Patel did his homework. In front of an eager, humming South By Southwest crowd on Monday night, Patel nervously took the stage at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas, where he thoughtfully laid out the many, many influences that went into his directorial debut,...

Bruce Lee was a martial arts polymath, incorporating various styles into his fighting repertoire. The impact of Lee's martial arts scenes on cinema and fighting styles is undeniable and far-reaching. Lee's creation of Jeet Kune Do showcases his ability to adapt and innovate in the world of martial arts.

Bruce Lee practiced several martial arts styles over the years. Having acquired an interest in martial arts at a very young age, Lee spent most of his life developing his skills as a fighter. While most martial artists tend to devote their time to mastering a single way of fighting, Lee always evolved, picking up moves, stances, and ideas from other styles. Unlike the biggest actors in the martial arts genre, Lee never had a black belt and only spent a very short period as a student in a martial arts school.

Despite that, Bruce Lee is still renowned as a...

Dev Patel in Monkey Man Image: Universal Pictures Dev Patel did his homework. In front of an eager, humming South By Southwest crowd on Monday night, Patel nervously took the stage at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas, where he thoughtfully laid out the many, many influences that went into his directorial debut,...

Arrow Video is excited to announce the January 2024 lineup of their subscription-based Arrow platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

Arrow kicks off the New Year on January 5 with a deep dive, courtesy of the star of The Stylist and After Midnight as well as the director of 12 Hr Shift and Torn Hearts.

Brea Grant Selects (UK/ Ire/ US/CA): “I am thrilled to be teaming up with Arrow to share some of my all-time favorite horror movies with you. From the delightful to the horrifying, these movies remind me of why I wanted to make movies in the first place.”

Titles Include: Ringu, The Stylist, The Leech.

Also on January 5, audiences in every territory can discover a new short homage to the Spaghetti Westerns of years gone by.

They Call It… Red Cemetery (UK/Ire/US/Can): Among the crosses of an old cemetery,...

Bruce Lee's impact on action cinema is still felt today, yet Hollywood never fully embraced martial arts movies after his death. Martial arts movies remained a big business in Asia, but in the U.S., major mainstream releases rarely focused on martial arts as their main theme. The structure of Bruce Lee's movies borrowed from James Bond, which made it difficult to combine martial arts with the boom of sci-fi action movies in the 1980s.

While Bruce Lee’s fame made it seem like martial arts movies were ready to become a mainstream phenomenon, there is a range of reasons that this trend never really took off after his untimely death. Lee was a one-of-a-kind star. The actor’s movies brought martial arts to the mainstream and changed the history of the action genre in the process, influencing most of the biggest stars in martial arts cinema history during the decades after his death.

Mason Lee, son of director Ang Lee, has been cast as Bruce Lee in the upcoming biopic and has undergone five years of training to perfect his fighting style. Producers conducted a worldwide search for actors to play Bruce Lee but found no one as compelling as Mason Lee, who is described as a "spitting image" of Bruce. The extended development process allowed the producers to train Mason Lee in various martial arts and turn him into a "stone-cold killer" capable of mimicking Bruce Lee's signature moves.

Lawrence Grey, producer on the upcoming Bruce Lee biopic being directed by Academy-Award winner Ang Lee, says their leading man has been training for five years to perfect Bruce’s fighting style. Officially announced in November 2022, it was revealed that not only would the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon director be helming the as-yet-untitled biopic, but he also cast his own son Mason Lee as the legendary martial artist.

Ang Lee's upcoming Bruce Lee biopic will largely focus on the period around the making of Lee's iconic film "Enter the Dragon." The film will explore the "incredible amount of drama and conflict" in Lee's life during that time, using it as the axis for the movie's narrative structure. "Enter the Dragon" solidified Bruce Lee's place as one of the greatest martial arts performers and grossed $400 million worldwide, making it a significant part of his legacy.

Ang Lee’s upcoming Bruce Lee biopic revolves around the making of one of the martial arts legend’s most iconic films. He died tragically young at the age of 32, but those years were all he needed to establish a cinematic legacy that has inspired multiple generations of performers and filmmakers. Now thanks to the Oscar-winning director of Life of Pi, iconic martial arts performer Lee will finally receive the biopic treatment, with...

The fight scene between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in "The Way of the Dragon" is considered one of the most iconic martial arts showdowns in film history. It was filmed illegally in the Colosseum in Rome, with Lee and his crew having to bribe officials and pretend to be tourists to sneak in cameras. While the real-life fight between Norris and Lee remains a mystery, they were friends and trained together, which likely contributed to the authenticity of their onscreen battle. The intense choreography and the grand history of the Colosseum added to the excitement of the fight. Chuck Norris gained popularity as an internet punchline and meme icon, thanks in part to his role in "Walker, Texas Ranger" and the Conan O'Brien show's recurring segment featuring clips from the show. The Chuck Norris Fact Generator, which exaggerated Norris's abilities, further solidified his iconic status.

In 1972, a Bruce Lee vs.

Hot on the heels of their first collection of Shaw Brothers movies, Shout! Factory’s Shaw Brothers Classics Vol. 2 continues the ongoing, multi-label effort to restore and release notable entries in the Hong Kong studio’s vast catalog. As it did with their previous collection, Shout! limits the selections for this second box set to a concentrated period of the studio’s productions. Whereas the 1967-69 range of the first box showed the studio frantically capitalizing on the breakout success of The One-Armed Swordsmen with a slew of like-minded wuxia films, the broader selection here among the first half of the ’70s finds Shaw Brothers both setting and chasing after trends.

Shout!’s first volume demonstrated how the Shaw Brothers studio made so many functionally identical movies, between the revenge-based plots, sword-based action, and reused sets, that within two years of The One-Armed Swordsmen’s paradigm shift, the house brand was already getting stale.

Bruce Lee is the most enduring icon of the martial arts movie genre, and every fight scene in his filmography is full of amazing fighting techniques. Bruce Lee first took up martial arts as a youth in Hong Kong, studying the art of Wing Chun kung fu under the legendary Grandmaster Ip Man. Lee would later collect techniques and fighting theories from a wide range of different martial arts to create his own fighting philosophy, which he would dub Jeet Kune Do, or The Way of the Intercepting Fist.

Lee would then bring his martial arts mastery to the film industry, first breaking out as Kato on the TV series The Green Hornet, and headlining Hong Kong martial arts films like The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and The Way of the Dragon. The posthumous release of Bruce Lee's enduring martial arts classic Enter the Dragon also cemented him as...

Bruce Lee may only have lived to the age of 32, but he made an impact on cinema which few people have come close to. He also left it with a massive problem. Thanks to films like The Big Boss and Fist Of Fury, he was already a big star in Hong Kong before he got the call from Warner Bros. which would make him an international megastar. He could fight, he could act, he was bursting with charisma – but six days before Enter The Dragon was released, he suffered a cerebral oedema and died.

It was a tragedy for Lee’s family and friends. It saddened his established fans and the wider martial arts community. Beyond that, something else happened. Millions and millions of new fans, all around the world, began demanding to see more of Lee. The studios with rights to his work quickly responded. Hastily dubbed Hong...

Clockwise from top left: John Wick: Chapter 2 (Lionsgate), Enter The Dragon (Warner Bros.), Rush Hour 2 (Warner Bros.), Bloodsport (Warner Bros.), Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (Disney) Graphic: AVClub Hollywood was not ready for Bruce Lee. When Enter The Dragon hit theaters 50 years ago, in August...

Clockwise from top left: John Wick: Chapter 2 (Lionsgate), Enter The Dragon (Warner Bros.), Rush Hour 2 (Warner Bros.), Bloodsport (Warner Bros.), Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings (Disney)Graphic: AVClub

Hollywood was not ready for Bruce Lee. When Enter The Dragon hit theaters 50 years ago, in...

This month marks 50 years since Bruce Lee’s sudden death at the age of 32, and likewise the semicentennial anniversary of his highest-profile feature, Enter the Dragon. Released by Warner Bros. on Aug. 17, 1973, director Robert Clouse’s action film stars Lee as a Shaolin monk recruited by British intelligence to compete in a martial arts tournament and track down a crime boss named Han (Shih Kien). The stakes are raised when Lee learns that the man who killed his sister is working as a bodyguard for Han.

Before Enter the Dragon, Lee was known for playing Kato on the 1960s ABC series The Green Hornet and Batman, and for starring in several kung fu films in the early 1970s, including The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972). But it was Dragon — his second Hollywood movie after a small role in 1969’s James Garner-led Marlowe — that became his signature title and made him a global icon.

The greatest tragedy of Bruce Lee’s all too short life was that he didn’t live to see the premiere of Enter the Dragon. Lee died on July 20, 1973. Enter the Dragon was released six days later.

Four years prior, Lee made a vow to himself that he titled “My Definite Chief Aim.” Handwritten in cursive with his characteristic flair, he wrote “I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid Oriental super star in the United States. I will give the most exciting performances and render the best of quality in the capacity of an actor.” Throughout his career in Hollywood, Lee struggled to make his way, fighting against prejudice and exclusion at every step, in hopes of reaching his goal. And yet he never lived to see the breakthrough success of his masterpiece.

Enter the Dragon was the 13th highest grossing film in North America in 1973, but it...

Enter the Dragon, released 50 years ago, remains the definitive martial arts film and a true landmark movie of the early '70s. Bruce Lee's popularity was already growing before Enter the Dragon, thanks to his success in Hong Kong and his role in The Green Hornet. Enter the Dragon broke down cultural barriers, featuring an Asian hero as the lead in a major Hollywood production, paving the way for future Asian action stars.

The 1973 Bruce Lee movie Enter the Dragon is 50 years old, and it still stands as the definitive martial arts film. Enter the Dragon follows Bruce Lee in the role of the Shaolin monk Lee, who is recruited for an undercover operation into a martial arts tournament hosted by a reclusive Han millionaire (Shih Kien) suspected to be the head of a drug-running and prostitution empire. Lee agrees to take on the assignment, with his real motivation...

In director Chad Stahelski's eyes, the entire John Wick franchise is indebted to Bruce Lee's legacy.

Speaking with Empire to memorialize the 50th anniversary of Enter the Dragon and Lee's untimely death, Stahelski recalled the impact Lee's performance had on him as both a stuntman and filmmaker. "He understood storytelling. He got how to take a fight and put story beats within the choreography. He understood more than just martial arts and philosophy; he understood cinema," he said, adding, "Go back and watch his fights — he's saying a lot in there! It's easy to say, 'Oh, yeah, Bruce was great at fighting,' but if you go back and watch what he's doing in those fights, you'll see the acting moments in there too. I think that's underestimated about him."

Related: John Wick 4 Outranks MCU, Fast X in Popularity, According to Study

Another component that made Bruce Lee such an icon,...

Director Chad Stahelski believes that the John Wick franchise owes a debt to Bruce Lee's legacy due to his understanding of storytelling and ability to incorporate acting moments in his fight scenes. Stahelski highlights Bruce Lee's on-screen persona, describing it as a combination of innocence and arrogance. He praises Lee's vulnerability, which influenced other actors and franchises like John Wick. Despite his untimely death, Bruce Lee's impact as an influential action star and his role in popularizing martial arts films in the West cannot be underestimated. His legacy continues to inspire modern films and TV shows, including the John Wick franchise and the series Warrior.

In director Chad Stahelski's eyes, the entire John Wick franchise is indebted to Bruce Lee's legacy.

Speaking with Empire to memorialize the 50th anniversary of Enter the Dragon and Lee's untimely death, Stahelski recalled the impact Lee's performance had on him as both a stuntman and filmmaker.

Bruce Lee wanted Japanese action star Shintaro Katsu to star alongside him in one of his films, but it never happened due to Katsu's contractual obligations. Katsu, known for his samurai films, was idolized by Lee for his fast movements and exciting on-screen choreography. Lee believed that a battle between him and Katsu in a film would solidify his position as a superior martial artist and take Fists of Fury to another level.

Bruce Lee wanted another popular martial arts actor to face him in one of his movies, but it never happened. The action star is known for popularizing Kung Fu in Hollywood, and his short career forever revolutionized the film world. Lee had several on-screen battles with famous martial artists over the years, many of whom were his real-world students. However, one of his idols never appeared in a Bruce Lee film, despite the actor's hope that he would one day.

Bruce Lee's career in and out of Hollywood revolutionized the martial arts film genre. Before he emerged as a worldwide star, these sorts of action movies certainly existed, but they were of an entirely different flavor. Lee brought several unique factors to the films he played in that had never been seen before, especially by Western audiences. This ultimately led to a massive shift in how Asian actors were seen in films and how the world thought of martial arts in general.

Lee was born in San Francisco, California, but raised in British Hong Kong, so he was raised in a multicultural and multilingual environment. This had a significant impact on his career and is a major part of why the martial artist was able to connect with a variety of audiences. Still, his early career in Hollywood was full of supporting roles—something that was highly frustrating to Lee.

This article contains spoilers for Warrior season 3 episode 6.

When it comes to Bruce Lee Easter eggs, Warrior has been cunningly hiding them in plain sight.

From the first season, there were nods like the tong man named Bolo (Rich Ting), a reference to Bolo Yeung who played the villainous killer with the Herculean physique (also named Bolo) in Enter the Dragon. Similar acknowledgements permeate the series, all the way to season three where one of the locations is an ice factory, just like the setting of The Big Boss. When the lead character Ah Sahm strips down to a white wife-beater T-shirt, it evokes Bruce Lee’s bicep revealing attire in The Way of the Dragon. Keen-eyed fans of fight choreography spot quick references to Lee’s timeless action scenes. Some Warrior fight sequences contain sequences that lift directly from Lee’s films, reimagined to fit in the series. The...

To celebrate the release of the Bruce Lee at Golden Harvest – available on 4K Uhd and Blu-ray July 17th from Arrow Video – we have a limited edition long sleeve yellow & black branded t-shirt up for grabs!

This definitive collection, featuring exclusive 4K restorations, hours of brand new bonus features and previously unreleased footage – including the extended Mandarin Cut of The Big Boss, now ten minutes longer than any version ever released on video worldwide, and the never-before-seen ‘log fight’ from the original Game of Death shoot – is the ultimate tribute to Bruce Lee’s enduring legacy and fruitful collaboration with Golden Harvest.

When former child actor and Hollywood TV sidekick Bruce Lee returned to his native Hong Kong in 1971 to star in two films for fledgling company Golden Harvest, movie history was made thanks to one of the most iconic partnerships between star and studio that cinema has ever seen.

Darius Daulton Jackson has seemingly deleted all traces of Keke Palmer from his Instagram account after publicly shaming her online.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Jackson deactivated his Instagram account Wednesday following the backlash he received for calling out his partner, and upon his return fans pointed out that photos of Palmer had been removed. Photos of their newborn son, Leodis, however, remained on his grid.

The drama began Wednesday evening after a viral video of Palmer in a see-through outfit at Usher’s Las Vegas residency show over the Fourth of July holiday surfaced online.

Jackson seemingly shamed Palmer for wearing the sexy fit, in a tweet that featured a viral video of Palmer and the singer embracing while the R&b singer serenaded the “Nope” actress with his hit, “There Goes My Baby.”

“It’s the outfit tho.. you a mom,” Jackson tweeted alongside the clip.

It’s the outfit tho.

Throughout the 1970s, Bruce Lee made a significant impact on Hollywood by being a leader in martial arts films, however, his illustrious career probably would not have worked in the modern day. Due to changes in action movies, fight scenes, and technology, a career like Bruce Lee's would definitely have trouble taking off today, or even happening at all. Therefore, no matter how talented a martial artist was, they may never reach the career heights that Bruce Lee did in his time.

Although Bruce Lee had a variety of supporting roles in the U.S. including The Green Hornet, the martial artist truly made a name for himself when he starred in five feature length Hong Kong martial arts films. In order, he appeared in The Big Boss, The Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon, and The Game of Death. Despite the fact that Lee...

Bruce Lee would utilize techniques from a wide array of different martial arts throughout his film career. Lee's legendary status as a martial arts movie icon has its foundation in his childhood, having studied Wing Chun under the tutelage of the famed Ip Man. As an adult, Lee would bring his skills as a martial artist to movies and television, achieving his first big success as Kato on The Green Hornet, before appearing in several kung fu movie hits in his native Hong Kong. Though Lee sadly passed away just before the 1973 release of Enter the Dragon, the film would become a towering martial arts classic.

Lee's success in martial arts films lies in his deep knowledge of different martial arts forms. Lee would come to the conclusion that no one martial art has a monopoly on combat effectiveness, leading him to research many different martial arts and distill them...

Get ready for more emotional content. The legendary film that brought martial arts king Bruce Lee to the worldwide spotlight has been remastered for a whole new home viewing experience. Enter the Dragon is celebrating its 50th anniversary. And to commemorate the occasion, the first Hollywood-produced martial arts film is getting an upgrade in picture and sound quality with a brand new Bluray release from Warner Bros. Blu-ray.com has released details on the 50th anniversary 4K edition of the martial arts phenomenon.

The special features and technical aspects include:

4K Restoration Of The Film Hdr Presentation Of The Film New Dolby Atmos audio track Two Versions: Original theatrical version and special edition version Introduction by Linda Lee Cadwell Audio commentary by Paul Heller and Michael Allin Optional English Sdh, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature

The synopsis per Blu-ray.com reads,

“Five decades following his untimely death,...

A singularly wacky moment in film history is poked in “Enter the Clones of Bruce.” It surveys the years immediately following Bruce Lee’s untimely 1973 death, when the sudden international thirst for martial arts movies that he’d awoken could seemingly only be slaked by the man himself — or by a host of imitators who popped up under lookalike pseudonyms.

David Gregory’s documentary won’t convince most viewers that the resulting flood of opportunistic cheapies are worth more extensive investigation. But they’re certainly cheesy fun in excerpt, and interviews with surviving participants provide an entertaining window into an anything-goes heyday for Hong Kong cinema. Premiering in Tribeca’s midnight section, this high-kicking flashback should appeal to the same fans who previously enjoyed such prior psychotronic excavations as “Not Quite Hollywood,” “Electric Boogaloo” or this director’s own prior investigations of cult figures Al Adamson and Richard Stanley.

When...

Also new this weekend: Disney’s ‘The Boogeyman’ and Paul Mescal-starring musical drama ‘Carmen’.

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse leads this weekend’s new releases, hoping to catch audiences for Sony at a wide release of 674 locations.

The computer animated sequel to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse sees lead character Miles Morales now aged 15 (voiced by Shameik Moore) and pushed to take greater risks to protect those he cares about, grappling with a villain who can jump between dimensions, and his crush, a Spider-Woman from a different realm, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld.

The voice cast also includes Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez,...

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” made a splashy debut at the U.K. and Ireland box office, topping the charts with £5 million ($6.2 million), per numbers from Comscore.

The film accounted for 49% of all ticket sales across the three-day weekend, according to Disney.

In its second weekend, Universal’s “Fast X” held strong with £2.2 million in second place for a total of £10.2 million. In third position, in its fourth weekend, Disney’s “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” collected £1.5 million for a total of £31.6 million.

Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” earned £292,155 in fourth place in its eighth weekend for a total of £52.2 million. Warner Bros.’ “Hypnotic” rounded off the top five, debuting with £217,252.

There were two more debuts in the top 10. Sony’s “Sisu” bowed in sixth place with £144,567 while National Amusements/Vue’s concert film “Tomorrow X Together World Tour – Act: Sweet Mirage – Live” debuted in...

Bruce Lee's legacy as a martial arts legend includes many iconic moments from his film career. When it comes to revered stars of the martial arts movie genre, Bruce Lee stands right at the top as the leading man of The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon, and Enter the Dragon. Bruce Lee tragically passed away in 1973 at just 32 years old, but his legacy stands strong decades after his death through both his teachings and philosophy of martial arts and the iconic martial arts films of his career.

Part of why Bruce Lee continues to stand out so much as a martial arts icon is his enduring image as a near-invicible warrior, exemplified most famously by Lee's cries of "Wahhhh!" in fight scenes. With so many amazing martial arts fights in his filmography, there are also no shortage of iconic individual moments in each of Bruce Lee's five movies.

Even though The Green Hornet is remembered as Bruce Lee’s breakout role, the actor was actually quite concerned about the series. Starring Van Williams as the titular protagonist, the ABC superhero series saw Bruce Lee take on the role of Kato. In the show, Kato is the sidekick of the Green Hornet and the chauffeur of the hero’s civilian alter ego, Britt Reid.

Conceived in the mid-1960s as a show intended to build off the success of Batman, The Green Hornet wasn’t a massively successful series, but it was an important stepping stone for Lee, who was a long way away from becoming a martial arts superstar at that point. Prior to landing the part in the ABC series, Lee had a background as a child actor in Hong Kong but had yet to find any work in Hollywood or the TV industry in the United States.

There are a number of James Bond movies that take advantage of other media to boost their own success. The franchise is one of the longest-running film franchises of all time, and its sheer popularity is not the only reason for this. The producers have had some additional tricks up their sleeves since the early days of the franchise.

The 007 series has always managed to stay relevant throughout time, from 1962 when Bond first came onto screens with Dr. No, to the present day with No Time To Die. The franchise has changed and evolved over time, and it's done so effectively. Some Bond films have been better than others, of course, but the producers have always utilized the right tactics to ensure the series stays relevant and interesting.

Related: The 3 James Bond Movies That Saved The 007 Franchise From Dying

From Russia With Love (North By Northwest)

North By...

Bruce Lee fights many memorable villains in his filmography, with many of them being incredible martial artists themselves. While Bruce Lee began as a child actor in Hong Kong, he began to rise to greater prominence in the late '60s with his role as Kato on The Green Hornet. Bruce Lee later achieved greater notoriety through his roles in movies like The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and The Way of the Dragon, though he sadly passed away before the release of 1973's Enter the Dragon, which launched him to worldwide fame.

Bruce Lee's five martial arts films have elevated him to become the greatest legend of the martial arts movie genre. Of course, achieving such status is impossible without overcoming some very challenging and formidable villains, and those faced by Bruce Lee are highly revered martial arts masters themselves. Here are the 13 martial artists who portray the villains of Bruce Lee's filmography.

A role in The Sand Pebbles would have completely changed Bruce Lee’s acting career. Released in 1966, The Sand Pebbles was one of many projects Lee expressed an interest in. During this period in Lee’s life, the actor faced a great deal of difficulty in getting his Hollywood movie career off the ground. Ultimately, Lee was able to star in only one American movie (Enter the Dragon) before his death in 1973.

For Lee, the 1960s was a time when acting gigs were hard to come by. His efforts paid off in 1966 when he landed the co-starring role of Kato in ABC’s The Green Hornet, but the series didn’t immediately lead to more opportunities, nor did it last long. Lee was out of work again when the show was canceled after just one season. For a few years, Lee stuck to bit roles and appearances in TV shows like Longstreet.

A famous scene in the Bruce Lee martial arts classic Enter the Dragon is based on a real-life Japanese legend. After building himself into a star in Hong Kong with movies like The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and The Way of the Dragon, Bruce Lee finally got his big break in Hollywood as the eponymous hero in 1973's Enter the Dragon. Lee would sadly pass away before the movie's debut, but Enter the Dragon would become an international phenomenon and posthumously made Bruce Lee into a martial arts movie legend.

With Bruce Lee being the leading man in the Enter the Dragon cast, the movie is also a deeply philosophical movie about the nature and meaning of martial arts. One of many scenes to exemplify this is Lee's encounter with the belligerent Parsons (Peter Archer), who challenges Lee to a fight while the two are on a boat traveling...

Several well-known martial arts stars have gone up against Bruce Lee in his movies. In spite of the actor completing only four martial arts movies, Lee is responsible for a long list of memorable movie fight scenes. Most are known just for Lee’s part in them, but a few also feature other famous kung fu movie actors.

Like so many other early entries in the kung fu movie genre, Lee’s films weren’t heavy on actors with martial arts experience. In movies like Enter the Dragon and Game of Death, he hired fellow martial artists like Bob Wall and Dan Inosanto to appear in his movies as his opponents, but the main roles were filled by key studio players, rather than high-profile martial arts stars. That’s not altogether surprising, though, considering that the genre was still young in the early 1970s when Lee’s movies were released.

The legendary Bruce Lee set the bar for martial arts films, and there are many fight scenes since his time that have risen to the standards he set. Bruce Lee first gained attention through his role as Kato on The Green Hornet, and later grew into a rising star in his native Hong Kong with kung fu movies like The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and his directorial debut The Way of the Dragon. Though he tragically passed away just weeks before the release of 1973's Enter the Dragon, the movie became an all-time martial arts classic and forever after cemented Bruce Lee as a legend.

Bruce Lee also set a whole new standard for fight scenes in martial arts films during his time, and it is one that sits at the pinnacle of on-screen fight choreography. With such a powerful example set by Bruce Lee, many filmmakers and martial...

Bruce Lee's 1971 movie The Big Boss exemplifies his on-screen talents due to how much Lee elevates the film. As one of the all-time greatest legends of martial arts, Bruce Lee made immeasurable an impact on martial arts films. Lee is known throughout the world for such kung fu classics as Enter the Dragon, The Way of the Dragon, and Fist of Fury, while The Big Boss is also an important part of his legacy.

Before The Big Boss, Bruce Lee had been a child actor and previously appeared in the American television series The Green Hornet as Kato, but The Big Boss was his first big break as a leading man. The Big Boss would become the biggest Hong Kong movie hit ever at the time, and made Bruce Lee into a huge local icon (despite his well-known dislike for the term "star".) The Big Boss' success is that...

Bruce Lee's first Hollywood movie role was actually Marlowe, not Enter the Dragon. Enter the Dragon is renowned as the movie that turned the Hong Kong star into an international icon. And while that certainly was the film that earned him that reputation, it wasn't his first experience with a Hollywood production.

Between 1964 and 1971, Lee lobbied for roles in Hollywood movies and American TV shows while living in the United States. He co-starred in ABC The Green Hornet's show in the mid-1960s, but the series only lasted one season and did little to boost his profile. It wasn't until Lee was making movies in Hong Kong that American movie studios finally began to take notice of his talents. After starring in three Hong Kong martial arts movies, Lee was brought back to Hollywood by Warner Bros. to make Enter the Dragon. The movie became Lee's first and...

Metal Gear is notorious for its expansive cast of characters, although some of its playable characters are more interesting than others. With a complicated body of lore, Metal Gear has frequently switched perspectives and settings over its 35-year run. Even though the game sticks to a small cast of rotating protagonists, almost every Metal Gear main series title has a different protagonist from the last.

[Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Metal Gear series.]Although the mechanics of the series remain largely the same in their focus on stealth, Metal Gear's playable characters vary greatly in their abilities, designs, and motivations. The series explores the traits that make for a better video game spy: Solid Snake’s honor, or Big Boss’ natural skill. For a series with an emphasis on tactical gameplay and engaging narrative, that can make all the difference. These are all of Metal Gear's main series playable characters, ranked from worst to best.

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