Oct 30 2008 Sam Jackson Playing Badass Again? Sho'nuff
Oh, brother. Someone made the mistake of briefly remembering the 1985 cult film The Last Dragon and now it's being willed into modern remake. The original director's son is producing alongside the RZA, and now Samuel L. Jackson has gotten involved:
Jackson will play Sho'nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, a role played in the original by the late Julius Carry, whose spiel included asking ego-driven questions like "Am I the baddest mofo lowdown around this town?" Each time his gang of thugs answered, "Sho 'nuff!"The updated plot will be along the same lines of the original, centering on young martial arts student Leroy Green in his quest through the streets of New York to achieve the highest level of martial arts accomplishment, known as the Last Dragon. Those who achieve the high ranking possess the Glow, making them the greatest fighter alive.
It's becoming more and more obvious that Samuel L. Jackson's only stipulation for taking a role is that he gets to play it as a goofy, exaggerated version of himself. Just look at this clip of the original Sho'nuff. This couldn't be a more Sam Jacksoney role. This role is a pair of sunglasses and a backwards newsies hat just waiting for his bald head to fill in the gaps.
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Jul 7 2008 The RZA Prepared to Unleash Some Martial Arts on You MoFos
As reported by Billboard and since confirmed by CHUD, RZA has written a martial arts movie, and will be directing the film, titled The Man with the Iron Fist, with the help of Eli Roth. Normally news of a rapper making a film would be disconcerting (see Fred Durst's Longshots trailer, if you're willing to use the term "rapper" loosely), but RZA has extensive knowledge and long-standing love for classic martial arts cinema, and he's been studying filmmaking under the tutelage of Quentin Tarantino, so there's some hope. Plus, Eli Roth gives it his dubious endorsement:
Yes, it is true. RZA's script is amazing. He has been studying directing with Tarantino for years. and he's really ready to get behind the camera. His impact on rap music and hip hop culture cannot be measured, and he's ready to add his own unique style and vision to the world of film. This movie will have everything martial arts fans could want, combined with RZA's superb musical talent. This project has been his dream for years, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. And fans should know that yes, there will be blood... This ain't no PG-13.
Of course, while this may prove a decent effort, my favorite rapper-directed martial arts film will forever be Philthy Phil Philips' 1995 masterpiece, City Dragon. If you have yet to behold this cinematic fusion of rap, kung fu, abortion issues, and workplace sexual harassment, you should pick it up at your local dollar store DVD rack, where it is widely available. Or at least watch the scene below the cut, in which MC Kung Fu is forced to unleash his nunchaku wrath on some dudes after they ruin his ice cream.
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