Bruce Lee, My Brother

[GeneChing]

Kin plan to produce Bruce Lee bio-pic (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060723/ap_en_mo/people_lee)
Sun Jul 23, 3:12 PM ET

HONG KONG - Bruce Lee's family plans to produce a film on the late martial arts star, the first such movie it has actively supervised, the Chinese company making the motion picture said Sunday.

The film, which will be made by the Lee family and the Beijing Jian Yongjia film company, will be based on an upcoming biography of the late actor by Lee's brother, Lee Chun-fai, Beijing Jian Yongjia said in a statement.

"Bruce Lee died young, but stories about him haven't stopped surfacing for 30 years. A lot of them were rumors fed by rumors and exaggerated. Bruce Lee's family didn't make its opinions known because they understood people's passion about Bruce Lee," the statement said.

"As the members of the Lee family enter old age, to let people know the true story about Bruce Lee, Lee Chun-fai assumed responsibility and carefully organized materials kept by the family, writing the biography 'Bruce Lee,' a real and little-known true story," it said.

The book will debut on Nov. 25, Bruce Lee's birthday, and Beijing Jian Yongjia will produce a series of films, TV shows and documentaries based on it, including a movie titled "Bruce Lee," it said.

The Chinese news Web site Sina.com reported Sunday that Hong Kong comedian
Stephen Chow of "Shaolin Soccer" fame is a likely lead actor and that the film is budgeted at $12.5 million, with filming possibly to start early next year.

Hong Kong native Lee died in 1973 at age 32 from swelling of the brain. He is known for films in which he portrayed characters that defended the Chinese and working class from oppressors.

The announcement of the film came on the 33rd anniversary of his death.

[The Xia]

This has potential. It seems that most believe the mythical Lee presented in "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story". All of us Kung Fu freaks know different. I wonder if they are really going to stick to the truth. It would be great to see a more accurate account of his life. I wonder how the fans would react to what really happened though...like the mythical version of the Wong Jack Man fight is something that everyone seems to love citing.

[thedoodey]

not to slam this film project already, but what does Lee Chun-fai know about bruce? the majority of lee's life was spent in america, away from his immediate family. i question lee chun fai's credibility, and have an itchy feeling that this is just a flimsly attempt to profit off the fact he is bruce lee's "brother." the mention of bruce lee enthusiast stephen chow does bring back some trust in the film though, being who he is, his admiration for lee will hopefully b a positive influence in the production of the film

[jethro]

I have heard interviews withthe write of Dragon bruce Lee story who said that he hasd written to be like Ragin Bull but the project was teken away from him and it turned out how everyone saw it-- A show you watch at an amusement park. And Stephen Chow, I am sorry, I know he can act, BUT
THAT WILL NOT WORK!. Now if he played Unicorn Chan's character, I think he could pull it off quite nicely.

[The Xia]

Yeah casting on this project should be interesting. If they are going for realism, I wonder who'd they pick for these roles. Besides Bruce you've got Yip Man, Wong Jack Man, Linda, etc. I wonder who'd be best for those roles...and most important of all, who'd play a young Chuck Norris :p :D

[The Willow Sword]

Hey But was not the Movie "Dragon "The bruce Lee story" based mostly on Linda Lee(his wife) book "Bruce lee, The man only i knew?"

i mean who else would know Bruce lee personally than his wife Linda? I mean i think that the movie the dragon was very accurate and very true. I mean i think it was awesome that Lee was pursued by a demon and that the demon actually came to lees first school and shattered the glass door like that.

and you can definately tell when you watch "enter the dragon" and the scene where he is in the hall of mirrors that Lee was teleported to the demon world and had to face his inevitable future and kills the demon with a pair of nunchaku. ( i mean the serious look on his face in that movie. )


TWS:D

[jethro]

he actually went at that demon with a sword in real life. But they gave him numchukas to give it that movie flash.

[GeneChing]

here we go again...

Kungfu star Bruce Lee's new movie to be shot (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/21/content_11741960.htm)
www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-21 08:08:22

BEIJING, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-six years to the day after martial-arts film legend Bruce Lee died, a Beijing-based movie company announced Monday, that it would work with Lee's family to produce a movie portraying "the truest Bruce Lee" for his fans worldwide.

Robert Lee, Lee's younger brother, will be the movie producer and his older sister, Phoebe Lee, will also help in making the movie, a news Web site Zhejiang online reported Monday.

It is the first time that Lee's family has authorized a movie about the legendary star.

Last year, a Bruce Lee's 40-part television series was aired on the Chinese mainland. The latest movie about the star was made 16 years ago in United States.

"The movie will have three episodes describing the star's youth, his martial-arts film time, his great success and unexpected death," Robert Lee said at the movie's kick-off ceremony held Monday here.

"There are many books or movies about my brother, but I think they are not even close to truth. I want to make the movie of a true Bruce Lee and then I have no more regrets in my life," 70-year-old Phoebe Lee said.

The first part of the series will be shot next year, which will premier November 27, Lee's birthday.

The production company says it has prepared four years for the movie. It did not reveal any candidates of the movie director and actor.

Born in America in 1940, Bruce Lee had his first performance onscreen during childhood. He then became an outstanding martial artist and star of Kung fu movies, bringing Hong Kong films worldwide attention in the 1970s.

Lee made 46 Kungfu movies. He died at age 32 in 1973, while starring and directing the movie "Game of Death" in Hong Kong.

[MightyB]

A couple of years ago, there was some discussion going on about releasing a new Bruce Lee movie that was supposed to be animated in the style of Beowulf. Whatever happened to that?

[GeneChing]

Another singer turning martial actor.

Bruce Lee film casts rising star as kung fu legend (http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2010/06/21/bruce-lee-aarif.html)
Last Updated: Monday, June 21, 2010 | 11:01 AM ET

An up-and-coming Hong Kong singer and actor has been tapped to portray Bruce Lee in a film focusing on the martial arts legend's youth.

Producers of Bruce Lee: My Brother's Story announced Monday that rising star Aarif Lee (no relation) has been cast in the lead role.

The 23-year-old Lee, who has been mentored by veteran Cantopop singer and actor Leon Lai, released his debut album in 2009 and appeared in his first film — the drama Echoes of the Rainbow, which won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival — earlier this year.

Lee's turn as a high school track star in the 1960s-set Echoes won accolades and earned him the 2010 Hong Kong Film Award for best newcomer. He is also set to appear in the not-yet-released Hong Kong film Frozen.

The young performer paid tribute to a statue of Bruce Lee on Hong Kong's waterfront during a press conference Monday. He told reporters that his preparation for the project included watching the kung fu icon's films and practising his wing chung fighting style.

The movie is set to explore Bruce Lee's life before he became famous.

Filming on Bruce Lee: My Brother's Story is set to begin shortly, with funding from studios both in Hong Kong and on mainland China


* June 21, 2010, 12:00 PM ET
New Bruce Lee Biopic Will Focus on Early Years (http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/06/21/new-bruce-lee-biopic-will-focus-on-early-years/)
By Dean Napolitano

A new Hong Kong movie on martial arts star Bruce Lee will be filmed later this month to coincide with the 70th anniversary of his birth. “Bruce Lee, My Brother” will cover Lee’s teenage years in Hong Kong — where he trained in kung fu and worked as a movie actor — leading up to the time when he departed for the U.S. in 1959 at age 18.

New Hong Kong film star Aarif Lee — who isn’t related to Bruce Lee — will play the legendary kung-fu master. Aarif Lee shot to fame early this year for his role in “Echoes of the Rainbow,” a poignant story about a close family struggling to make ends meet in 1960s Hong Kong. The film picked up four trophies at the Hong Kong Film Awards in April, including best newcomer for Lee.

“Bruce Lee, My Brother” is a co-production from Hong Kong’s Media Asia and Chinese partners. The film has a tentative release date for November in Hong Kong, mainland China and other Asian markets, timed with the date of Lee’s birthday on Nov. 27. It isn’t yet clear if the film will get a U.S. release.

There’s been growing interest in the legacy of Bruce Lee, who died at age 32 in 1973, including a tribute at the Hong Kong International Film Festival in March that included Lee’s wife and daughter.

Media Asia is a major Hong Kong production company with a long string of hit movies, including the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy that was remade into the Academy Award-winning film “The Departed” from director director Martin Scorsese

[GeneChing]

Since 2006, this thread has been titled "NEW Bruce Lee movie" but now I'm changing it to 'Bruce Lee, My Brother's Story'


A Glimpse into film on Bruce Lee (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/entertainment/2010-07/21/c_13407936.htm)
English.news.cn 2010-07-21 13:59:14

BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhuanet) -- A press conference was held Monday in South China's Guangzhou to promote the film "Bruce Lee, My Brother's Story," from Hong Kong director Wilson Yip, which is based on the kung fu star's early years, QQ.com reported.

Along with director Yip, cast members Aarif Lee, Tony Leung, Christy Chung, Michelle Ye, Heung Kam Lee, Gong Mi and Xie Tingting also attended the ceremony. Bruce Lee's older sister and younger brother also appeared.

July 20 was also the 37th anniversary of Bruce Lee's still mysterious death. People have remained divided as to whether Lee died from illness or murder.

The film has been a work in progress for four years, and is expected to premiere in November.

Aarif Lee, who plays the kung fu star in the film, resembles Lee and donned Lee's classic costume. In order to portray this character, the actor has trained intensively to develop a muscular physique. However, Aarif admitted the most difficult part for him was not the kung fu sequences but the dancing.

Executive producer Manfred Wong revealed that the film, more than 100 minutes long, selects moments from Bruce Lee's boyhood, and that they are also planning a sequel about the legendary star.

Hong Kong film stars Tony Leung and Christy Chung play Lee's parents in the film. As Bruce Lee fans, the stars said they were honored and excited to be involved in such a film.

The film was authorized by Lee's family. After four years of preparation, the cast and crew vowed to present audiences with the kung fu star's real experiences. They also revealed that the film includes some never-before-seen stories from Bruce Lee's life.

Filming began early this month and is set to be finished in August.

Born in the U.S., Lee is considered one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century. He was found dead in Hong Kong on July 20, 1973, at the age of 33.


Leung, Chung join cast of Bruce Lee, My Brother (http://www.screendaily.com/territories/asia-pacific/leung-chung-join-cast-of-bruce-lee-my-brother/5016265.article)

22 July, 2010 | By Liz Shackleton

Tony Leung Ka-fai and Christie Chung have joined the cast of Hong Kong studio Media Asia Film’s Bruce Lee, My Brother, which is being made to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the late action star’s birthday.

Leung and Chung will play the parents of Bruce Lee in the film, while singer-songwriter Aarif Lee plays the action star who passed away in 1973 at the height of his popularity. Leung most recently starred in action epic Bodyguards And Assassins, while Chung is known for her erotic roles in Pan Nalin’s Samsara and Nonzee Nimbutr’s Jan Dara.

The $4.5m (HK$35m) project is co-produced by Media Asia Films and mainland Chinese firms J.A. Media, Beijing Antaeus Film, Beijing Meng Ze Culture & Media and J Star Group. Raymond Yip Wai-man is directing with Manfred Wong producing.

Shooting will be finished in late August and the producers have set a tentative release date of November this year in China and Hong Kong.

[TenTigers]

"Lee made 46 Kungfu movies. He died at age 32 in 1973, while starring and directing the movie "Game of Death" in Hong Kong."

46???? Boy, I would love to see the other 42.....

[Faruq]

This has potential. It seems that most believe the mythical Lee presented in "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story". All of us Kung Fu freaks know different. I wonder if they are really going to stick to the truth. It would be great to see a more accurate account of his life. I wonder how the fans would react to what really happened though...like the mythical version of the Wong Jack Man fight is something that everyone seems to love citing.

Are you saying he wasn't a great fighter? I had always wondered. Things like the last paragraph of this wiki entry don't help:

"Lee was involved in competitive fights, some of which were arranged while others were not. Dan Inosanto stated, "There's no doubt in my mind that if Bruce Lee had gone into pro boxing, he could easily have ranked in the top three in the lightweight division or junior-welterweight division."[36]

Lee defeated three-time champion British boxer Gary Elms by way of knockout in the third round in the 1958 Hong Kong Inter-School amateur Boxing Championships by using Wing Chun traps and high/low-level straight punches.[37] Hawkings Cheung, his fellow Wing Chun street fighter, witnessed the event. Lee knocked-out Pu Chung, a Cai Li Fo fighter, in the roof tops of Hong Kong in a 1958 Full-Contact match. The match was refereed by Wong Shun Leung.[38][39]

The following year, Lee became a member of the "Tigers of Junction Street," and was involved in numerous gang-related street fights. "In one of his last encounters, while removing his jacket the fellow he was squaring off against sucker punched him and blackened his eye. Bruce flew into a rage and went after him, knocking him out, breaking his opponent's arm. The police were called as a result."[40] The incident took place on a Hong Kong rooftop at 10 P.M. on Wednesday, April 29, 1959.[41]

In 1960 in Seattle, Lee backfisted and broke a man's nose after Lee saw him harassing a Chinese girl while Lee was taking a walk. This fight was witnessed by James DeMile in 1960.[citation needed]

In 1962, Lee knocked out Uechi, a Japanese black belt Karateka, in 11 seconds in a 1962 Full-Contact match in Seattle. It was refereed by Jesse Glover. The incident took place in Seattle at a YMCA handball court. Taki Kamura says the battle lasted 10 seconds in contrary to Harts statement.[42] Ed Hart states "The karate man arrived in his gi (uniform), complete with black belt, while Bruce showed up in his street clothes and simply took off his shoes. The fight lasted exactly 11 seconds – I know because I was the time keeper – and Bruce had hit the guy something like 15 times and kicked him once. I thought he'd killed him."[43] The fight ended by Bruce knocking Uechi the length of the gymnasium.[44]

In Oakland, California in 1964 at Chinatown, Lee had a controversial private match with Wong Jack Man. According to Lee, the Chinese community issued an ultimatum to him to stop teaching non-Chinese; when he refused to comply he was challenged to a combat match with their top fighter Wong Jack Man.[40] Wong had mastery of Xingyiquan, Northern Shaolin, and Tai chi chuan while being a direct student of Ma Kin Fung. The arrangement was that if Lee lost he would have to shut down his school, if he won then Lee would be free to teach Caucasians or anyone else.[40] Wong denies this, stating that he requested to fight Lee after Lee issued an open challenge during one of Lee's demonstrations at a Chinatown theater,[45] and that Wong himself did not discriminate against Caucasians or other non-Chinese.[46] However, contrary to this claimed motive is the signed formal letter manifested by Dan Chan with signatures by the martial art community, including Chan and Wong, as a petitioned document by the community does not correspond to the motive of responding to an open challenge.[original research?] "That paper had all the names of the sifu from Chinatown, but they don't scare me." — Bruce Lee[47]

Wong and witness William Chen stated that the fight lasted an unusually long 20–25 minutes.[48] Individuals known to have witnessed the match included Cadwell, James Lee (Bruce Lee's associate, no relation) and William Chen, a teacher of Tai chi chuan. According to Bruce Lee, Linda Lee Cadwell, and James Yimm Lee, the fight lasted 3 minutes with a decisive victory for Bruce. "The fight ensued, it was a no holds barred fight, it took three minutes. Bruce got this guy down to the ground and said 'do you give up?' and the man said he gave up." — Linda Lee Cadwell[40]

Wong Jack Man published his own account of the battle in the Chinese Pacific Weekly, a Chinese-language newspaper in San Francisco, which contained another challenge to Lee for a public rematch.[49] Lee had no reciprocation to Wong's article nor were there any further public announcements by either, but Lee had continued to teach Caucasians.

Lee's eventual celebrity put him in the path of a number of men who sought to make a name for themselves by causing a confrontation with Lee. A challenger had invaded Lee's private home in Hong Kong by trespassing into the backyard to incite Lee in combat. Lee finished the challenger violently with a kick, infuriated over the home invasion. Describing the incident, Herb Jackson states,

One time one fellow got over that wall, got into his yard and challenged him and he says 'how good are you?' And Bruce was poppin mad. He [Bruce] says 'he gets the idea, this guy, to come and invade my home, my own private home, invade it and challenge me.' He said he got so mad that he gave the hardest kick he ever gave anyone in his life.[50]
Bob Wall, USPK karate champion and Lee's co-star in Enter the Dragon, recalled one encounter that transpired after a film extra kept taunting Lee. The extra yelled that Lee was "a movie star, not a martial artist," that he "wasn't much of a fighter." Lee answered his taunts by asking him to jump down from the wall he was sitting on. Wall described Lee's opponent as "a gang-banger type of guy from Hong Kong," a "****ed good martial artist," and observed that he was fast, strong, and bigger than Bruce.[51]

This kid was good. He was strong and fast, and he was really trying to punch Bruce's brains in. But Bruce just methodically took him apart.[52] Bruce kept moving so well, this kid couldn't touch him...then all of a sudden, Bruce got him and rammed his ass with the wall and swept him up, proceeding to drop him and plant his knee into his opponent's chest, locked his arm out straight, and nailed him in the face repeatedly." — Bob Wall[53]"

[GeneChing]

I'm not changing the thread title again until I hear more...:rolleyes:

New biopic 'Bruce Lee, My Brother' explores kung fu icon's life in Hong Kong before stardom (http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i4HRH04vR6Vo9Fw26QAiTCm1eNIQ?docId=4958264)
By Min Lee (CP) – 13 hours ago

HONG KONG — Bruce Lee's path to stardom and his early death is a familiar story. Less has been said about the early days of the young man who would grow into a global kung fu icon and model of Chinese ethnic pride.

A new $4.6 million Chinese-language production scheduled for release two days before what would have been Lee's 70th birthday on Nov. 27 aims to fill the gap. Drawing from the memories of Lee's siblings, "Bruce Lee, My Brother" traces the actor's life growing up in Hong Kong before he left to study in the U.S.

"Many people know about his movies and his fighting philosophy after he became famous. But very few people know about his family, his parents, his first love, what he did on movie sets as a young actor," producer Manfred Wong told The Associated Press.

"This production offers a new perspective to understanding a person. We see someone who is real and fragile. The Bruce Lee we see in his films is deified," said Wong Yiu-keung, head of the Hong Kong Bruce Lee fan club and an adviser to the film.

Lee honed his craft as a martial arts instructor in the U.S. before making his debut in the short-lived TV series "The Green Hornet." Struggling to break into Hollywood, he returned to his hometown Hong Kong, where he catapulted to global fame with hits like "The Big Boss" and "Fist of Fury" before passing away in 1972 at age 32 from swelling of the brain.

"Bruce Lee, My Brother" tells the story of the years before that.

Audiences see Lee courting his first love interest, launching his entertainment career as a popular child actor and pained by a childhood friend's drug addiction. He flashes his ballroom dance moves, starts training in the Chinese kung fu style of wing chun and takes part in an inter-school boxing competition.

Cast in the lead role is Hong Kong newcomer Aarif Lee, who is not related to the late actor. The sharp facial features of the 23-year-old singer-songwriter who hails from a family of mixed Chinese, Malaysian and Middle Eastern heritage make him a credible stand-in for Bruce Lee, whose mother was part German.

The shoot was partly a history lesson for the young actor, who was born some 15 years after the death of the character he portrays. He said he knew little about Lee before taking on the role except that he was an "amazing fighter," but he came away from the production admiring Lee's "multifaceted" personality.

"He was a very charismatic young man when what most people know about him was his fighting. But actually there's much more of Bruce Lee," Aarif Lee said.

The production was based on input from Lee's younger brother Robert and his two older sisters. Lee's daughter Shannon Lee and widow Linda Lee Cadwell, however, were not involved and there have been suggestions of interfamily controversy.

Shannon Lee didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment sent through the Bruce Lee Foundation, where she serves as president.

[GeneChing]

Okay, I'll change the title of this thread once more...:mad::rolleyes:

'Bruce Lee, My Brother' Tracks Star's Early Life (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bruce-lee-brother-tracks-stars-48920)
4:55 AM 11/24/2010 by Karen Chu

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/2010/11/bruce_lee_my_brother_2010_a_l.jpg
Aarif Rahman stars as Bruce Lee in "Bruce Lee, My Brother."
Hong Kong Stars Life Recalled in Siblings' Memories

HONG KONG – Authenticity is the heart and soul of the new biopic Bruce Lee, My Brother, the early life story of the man who had put Hong Kong action films on the map, director Raymond Yip told The Hollywood Reporter.

As the film’s title declares, Bruce Lee, My Brother pieces together the superstar’s childhood -- Lee would have turned 70 on Sunday -- and young adulthood from his surviving siblings’ memories. Lee’s elder sisters Phoebe and Agnes, along with eldest brother Peter – who passed away in 2008 – served as consultants for the biopic, while his younger brother Robert was one of the film’s co-producers.

“It was a challenge for us to create authenticity in the film,” Yip said. “The project has been in development since 2006. The Lee family supplied us with all the details and the tidbits of their family life. So we took great care to be loyal to the truth and avoid anything that felt fake, which made it rather difficult for us in terms of creating the structure of the script. But the Lee family was very pleased with the result, especially with how close it was to what actually happened.”

The biopic took years to put on the screen, not least because of the obviously difficult task of finding a young actor to play the role of the iconic megastar. “We’ve been on the lookout for a possible candidate all over China since 2008, but no one could capture the Hong Kong spirit of the young Bruce Lee,” Yip explains. Thanks to the writer-director team of Alex Law and Mabel Cheung, who invited the film’s producer, writer and director Manfred Wong to a screening of their opus Echoes of the Rainbow, the search for a perfect match to play Bruce Lee was over.

Aarif Rahman, a 23-year-old singer-songwriter who made his acting debut (and stole the show) in Law and Cheung’s film, was locked in as the young Bruce Lee. “Including Lee’s brother Robert, we were quite amazed by how much Aarif resembles Bruce. No one can say for sure whether an actor really embodies Bruce’s spirit except for his family. So it was a go from then on,” Yip recalled. The film began pre-production in March to push for a November release, in time for what would have been the pop culture icon’s 70th birthday.

The Hong Kong-born Rahman, of Malay-Arab-Chinese ancestry, will have to shoulder any potential sequels for the Bruce Lee life story said Yip, who doesn’t rule out further retelling of the later chapters in the martial arts master's, such as his time in Los Angeles and his return to Hong Kong to make the Golden Harvest films that made him a global screen legend.

“We certainly hope to continue telling Bruce Lee’s story, but it depends on how this one is received, especially on the public reception of Aarif as Bruce Lee. Lee was a legendary figure. Who plays him in the film is the biggest issue for us as filmmakers. But I have faith in Aarif,” Yip said.

Produced by Hong Kong’s Media Asia, Beijing Antaeus Film, Shanghai TV Media, Beijing Meng Ze Culture and Media, and J’Star Group, the HK$36 million ($4.6 million) biopic has been snapped up at this month’s AFM by distributors in over 10 territories, including Japan for over $1 million.

Although the biopic tracks the early life of the kungfu master from the moment he was born in San Francisco, to his Chinese opera actor-father Lee Hoi-chuen (played by The Lover’s Tony Leung Ka-fai) and Eurasian mother Grace (played by Jan Dara’s Christy Chung), old Hong Kong plays a role as the film’s biggest co-star. The film shows Lee and his friends as fixtures in the mid-century Hong Kong film industry, a chance for the filmmakers to recreate the studios of the former colony's first golden era of Hong Kong cinema, reenacting scenes from famous films of the age. “Bruce Lee grew up on soundstages. But the films-within-a-film were also a way for us to recapture the collective memories of the Hong Kong people,” Yip said.

Bruce Lee, My Brother opens on November 25 in Hong Kong and China.



Needs a kick (http://www.todayonline.com/Entertainment/Movies/EDC101124-0000028/Needs-a-kick)
Movie review: Bruce Lee, My Brother / PG, 129min
by Lynette Koh
05:55 AM Nov 24, 2010

http://imcms2.mediacorp.sg/cmsfileserver/showimageCC.aspx?300&450&f=2150&img=2150_312980.jpg&h=300&w=450
If you're thinking of watching Bruce Lee, My Brother for a good dose of Jeet Kune Do-style martial arts the screen legend was known for, here's a word of advice: Don't.

The beatings in this film, which chronicles Lee's early years, are mostly administered by his father, popular Cantonese opera singer Lee Hoi Chuen (Tony Leung Ka Fai).

Still, the film's premise seems like a good idea - in theory.

Co-directed by Manfred Wong and Raymond Yip, it's a loose account of the action star's growing-up years in Hong Kong in the 1940s and '50s, based on the recollections of his younger brother, Robert.

Unfortunately, Lee as a young man (Aarif Lee) simply does not seem very interesting at all. He seemed to have spent most of his time horsing around with a group of friends in scenes resembling a cross between a boy band music video and Fighting Spiders.

The problem is not with the actors: Newcomer Aarif does a decent job in conveying the martial arts legend's charisma and confidence. The rest of the cast also delivers solid performances.

However, the film tries to touch on too many things and ends up as a disjointed series of events. It never delves too deeply into any one facet of Bruce's life. He's supposed to a popular actor but the filming scenes simply serve as an excuse to introduce characters from Hong Kong cinema's golden age, like classic film actor Shek Kin. Likewise, the love interest of a teenaged Bruce appears out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly.

Such a revolving-door cast of characters, set against a distracting backdrop of the Japanese, then British, occupations, simply did not engage us, we started checking our watch around the 100-minute mark.

In the film, Lee's father often says that all he wants is for the family to be zheng zheng qi qi, which literally means "tidy".

One wishes that the film had been just as neat. Lynette Koh

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

[GeneChing]

If the WSJ says it's so, it must be...:rolleyes:

* November 26, 2010, 7:01 AM HKT
Talking Movies: Echoes of a Kung-Fu Master (http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2010/11/26/talking-movies-echoes-of-a-kung-fu-master/)
By Dean Napolitano

http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-LA746_brucel_G_20101125024415.jpg
Aarif Lee, who stars as the young Bruce Lee in an upcoming biopic.

Aarif Lee became one of Hong Kong’s hottest stars this year after appearing in the local box-office hit, “Echoes of the Rainbow.” Now he’s poised to raise his international profile by taking on the challenge of playing legendary kung fu star Bruce Lee.

“Bruce Lee, My Brother,” which opens this week around Asia, focuses on the iconic action star’s teenage years and family life in Hong Kong, where he first trained in martial arts and worked as a child movie actor.

The 23-year-old Aarif Lee began his career as a singer-songwriter, releasing his first album last year. But his acting career took off when he was cast in “Echoes of the Rainbow,” a sentimental drama from director Alex Law about a working-class family in 1960s Hong Kong. The movie became an unexpected hit and picked up four trophies at the Hong Kong Film Awards in April, including best newcomer for Mr. Lee.

Q. How did you prepare for the role of Bruce Lee?

A. I watched three of his movies, “The Way of the Dragon,” “Enter the Dragon” and “The Big Boss.” That was to pick up on how he presents himself when he was older. Although I am playing him when he was young, the director and I wanted to have a hint that even when he was young, he already had Bruce Lee trademark characteristics.

Q. What kind of fight training did you get?

A. Kung fu masters taught me wing chun and free-fighting for two months. And I had to do a lot of fitness training to make sure I could pull off the moves.

Q. What was the reaction from Bruce Lee’s siblings to your portrayal?

A. Robert Lee (Bruce’s younger brother) told me: “Don’t impersonate” him. Get into his world and try to understand what Bruce Lee is about. The first time I met his elder sister, Phoebe, I could tell she wasn’t really interested. But after watching some early scenes she came up to me and said: “I like the way you way played Bruce. I think it’s accurate.” And that gave me the confidence to power on through the rest of the film.

Q. You have a degree in physics from Imperial College in London. How has that helped your career?

A. Doing a hard science degree really trains your brain. It’s brain gym — working out on a daily basis. It’s really good for critical thinking and analyzing.

[GeneChing]

You've got to watch the video for this to make any sense... or not...

Nov 24, 2010
Singapore's Bruce Lee (http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_606866.html)
By Elrica Tanu

FROM his simple white T-shirt, and black track pants down to his Kung Fu shoes and white socks, 31-year-old IT sales manager Thomas Hay certainly got his idol Bruce Lee's iconic look right. And he has the moves to boot.

The Taekwondo-trained Hay won a Bruce Lee look-alike contest held at The Heeren Shops last Saturday with his martial arts performance based on a fight scene in Bruce Lee's movie, Fist of Fury.

The contest was held in conjunction with the new movie Bruce Lee, My Brother, which will open on Thursday.

Hay chose to perform the famous scene where Bruce Lee's character, Chen Zhen, defended the honour of all Chinese by defeating the Japanese who insulted them by calling them 'weaklings' or 'sick men of East Asia' because he felt the scene covered most of Lee's signature moves.

Eight contestants gave their best impression of the late martial arts icon. Most performed martial arts sequences, while others imitated his voice.

[GeneChing]

So...who will get the first review here on this one? :rolleyes:

Bruce Lee lacks punch at China box office (http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/bruce-lee-lacks-punch-at-china-box-office)
http://www.filmbiz.asia/media/2010/11/30/19/16/36/527/bruce_lee_my_brother.jpg?m=resize&o[geometry]=500x1000&s=75679dc491b623ec
By Stephen Cremin
Wed, 01 December 2010, 11:16 AM (HKT)

Bruce Lee, My Brother (李小龍, 我的兄弟) made just RMB8.5 million ($1.3 million) at the box office in China over four days on release last week.

The biopic about the early life of the martial arts legend is directed by Hong Kong's Raymond Yip (葉偉民) and Manfred Wong (文雋). Yip and Wong collaborated earlier this year on sleeper hit Lost on Journey (人在囧途).

Brother was bested by two foreign films on their second week in cinemas, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 with RMB84 million ($12.6 million) and Resident Evil: Afterlife with RMB46 million ($6.9 million).

The two big-budget fantastical films, which are dominating cinema screens across the country, have grossed RMB165 million ($24.7 million) and RMB114.5 million ($17.2 million) respectively.

Brother, which opened on the 70th anniversary of Bruce Lee's birth, chose not to push back its release date and join the long queue of Chinese films trying to negotiate an increasingly competitive releasing calendar.

Several Chinese-language films open this weekend including Kevin Chu's (朱延平) comedy Just Call Me Nobody (大笑江湖) on Friday 3 Dec and Chen Kaige's (陳凱歌) drama Sacrifice (趙氏孤兒) on Saturday 4 Dec.

Wuershan's (烏爾善) The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman (刀見笑), which had been scheduled to open on 25 Nov, will now coordinate its local release with its international distribution in 2011.

[edward]

interesting

trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esbB0GEDcbI

fight scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_435m-WoJY

[GeneChing]

Bruce Lee fans won't get kicks from new biopic (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B90TM20101210)
By Maggie Lee
Thu Dec 9, 2010 11:57pm EST

HONG KONG (Hollywood Reporter) -The great martial arts star gets upstaged by studio sets in "Bruce Lee, My Brother," a biopic centered on Lee's childhood.

Anyone raised or interested in Hong Kong won't want to pull their eyes off the exquisite production design, which captures the colony from the '40s to the '60s. But period atmospherics and a pageant of who's who in '60s Cantonese cinema are hollow stand-ins for true insight into how Lee's childhood impacted his character formation and lifelong quests in martial arts and filmmaking.

Buyers from over 10 territories reportedly scooped up the title at the American Film Marker in Los Angeles before its November release in China and Hong Kong -- a sign that worldwide fascination with the star hasn't subsided since he passed away in 1970. So the likelihood of a sequel is high, even if the direction and writing make the film the least exciting among a slew of homages marking Lee's 70th birthday.

At least, viewers can enjoy the dynamic presence of Aarif Rahman ("Echoes of the Rainbow"), who is arguably the most charismatic impersonator of the star to date. The rest of the cast is also excellent.

The film, co-directed by Manfred Wong and Raymond Yip, is narrated by Lee's brother Robert, on whose book the film is largely based. Robert also appears in an introduction with elder sister, Phoebe. Both stress that unlike previous biopics that portray Lee as a legend, this is a more personal account that also preserves their family's history. Maybe that's why the recalled events have scant entertainment value, even though theirs is surely no ordinary family.

Lee's father, Hoi Chuen (Tony Leung Ka Fai), is a renowned opera star married to Grace (Christy Chung), a Eurasian from a wealthy family. She gave birth to Bruce in San Francisco while Hoi Chuen was on a performing tour in 1940. In 1941, the Lees move back to his ancestral mansion in Hong Kong just before the Japanese occupation.

The resplendently lit and decorated interiors overflowing with authentic looking period props help one visualize Bruce Lee's childhood spent in the company of a traditional Chinese household of 30 members. However, neither his naughty pranks as a boy nor his penchant for street fights as a rebellious teenager are depicted with enough verve. His two smartass sidekicks are unlikeable at best, a plain nuisance at worst. His love problems with the daughters of two famous actors are even more lackluster.

Lee's experience as a child star might have provided a key to understanding his aspirations in the film industry. But instead of exploring how he coped with celebrity status from a tender age, the directors are content to recreate a few scenes from his classic films like "The Kid" and "The Orphan" (albeit done in stylish, authentic-looking black-and-white).

More realistic representations of slapdash filmmaking conditions in '50s and '60s Hong Kong would have provided a more solid background to his upbringing. In fact, child stars were notoriously abused, notably his co-star Bo Bo Fung (a Hong Kong equivalent of Shirley Temple), who makes a fleeting appearance. It would be fascinating to know if he suffered a similar plight.

Likewise, instead of probing what the period's top actors and directors taught him about acting, filmmaking or life, particularly how his father's opera and film background influenced him, all one gets is an Altmanesque presentation (without his wit) of cameos of screen luminaries impersonated by veteran actors -- like a dash through the Hall of Fame of early Cantonese cinema, which means very little to the uninitiated.

What really makes Lee's fans wring their fists in fury is the episode when he becomes the disciple of Wing Chun master Ip Man. This could have been the dramatic turning point when he discovers martial arts. One learns that Lee was highly theoretical, philosophical and iconoclastic in his approach to martial arts, so did he challenge what he was taught? Frustratingly, one never sees that process; one doesn't even see Ip Man's face, just his silhouette.

The last 40 minutes see a sudden spring into action, first with Lee facing off the police superintendent's son Charlie Owen in an intercollegiate boxing match, then with clash against gangsters to rescue his best friend Kong from drug addiction. The finale features a chase scene over tiled rooftops but, again, the spectacularly wrought set completely covered in scaffolding eclipses the actual action.

"arguably the most charismatic impersonator of the star to date"? I beg to differ. N!xau was the best ever in Crazy Safari (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53290&highlight=safari&page=2). ;)

[GeneChing]

Thu, Nov 25, 2010
Bruce Lee's legend is alive and... dancing? (http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20101125-249070.html)
By Tay Yek Keak

http://news.asiaone.com/A1MEDIA/news/11Nov10/others/20101125.100337_101125-brucelee.jpg

BRUCE Lee was a cha-cha dancer?

He was apparently pretty good at it too.

Because in the new movie - Bruce Lee, My Brother - the Little Dragon of the brawl-room is such a nifty dancer in the ballroom that he even won a dance competition.

The film features Lee (played by newcomer Aarif Rahman) as a cheeky bad boy in Hong Kong in the 1950s, just before he left for America to become the Greatest Martial Arts Star Ever.

The young Lee is restless and irrepressible as he gets into trouble with just about everybody - his parents, girlfriend, and especially nasty triad gangsters.

But that dancing angle is fascinating.

Imagine if he'd stayed in Hong Kong.

He might've made Dance Of The Dragon, instead of Way Of The Dragon.

Wait, wasn't Dance Of The Dragon a Fann Wong movie?

Sorry, I'm digressing.

Anyway, the Bruce Lee legend is digressing too - actually, it's transforming.

I guess it's to be expected when a popular guy dies too early (Lee conked off in 1973, aged 32).

Lee, however, is something special.

He's the one and only true international icon of the martial-arts world.

I'm not talking gongfu of the Jackie Chan comedy kind or Jet Li wushu type.

I'm talking Superman gongfu which inspires some fella watching Fist Of Fury from Ghana to Geylang to come out of the theatre thinking he can whack any 369 punk into calling 999.

That's what Lee stood for.

But now, in Bruce Lee, My Brother, is the dragon a contender for Dancing With The Stars?

Here's how it is with legends: We take a piece of his history here, snatch a bit there, claim some other part, and, like a pastry chef, come up with our own colourful concoctions to re-mould, revive and then cash in on.

Part of the success of the Ip Man movies was due to the Bruce Lee factor as Lee was the most famous student of the Wing Chun master.

In Donnie Yen's first Ip Man flick, Lee came to him as a ****y young boy.

In Bruce Lee, My Brother, audiences meet Lee as a ****ier young man.

Yen played Chen Zhen in Legend Of The Fist, the colonial hero Lee made famous in Fist Of Fury.

And Jay Chou will be starring as Kato in The Green Hornet, the chauffeur-a**kicker Lee made famous in the 1960s American TV series.

Dancer, driver, kid, young punk.

The new Little Dragon has been transformed to suit anyone's fancy.

No surprise, as the old one isn't here to kick anybody to the hospital anymore.

Of course, we all knew Lee was a Cha Cha Champ. That might be the only authentic part of this biopic. :rolleyes: