Today’s Rant No. 36: Brandon Lee Edition

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ltural pioneer who helped popularize martial arts and improve the way in which Asian characters were portrayed in Hollywood films. If you have not watched Bruce Lee’s signature movie, “Enter the Dragon,” then do it today. It was his first and sadly last American-produced film before his death in 1973. He was 32 years old.</li><li>Like myself, Brandon Lee was a San Francisco Bay Area native. He was born Feb. 1, 1965, in Oakland. After he died, he was buried next to his father in Seattle’s Lake View Cemetary. I have always wanted to visit the Pacific Northwest, particularly the Seattle area, but have yet to do so. It looks so beautiful and peaceful in photos I have seen. Lots of greenery and open land. I would love to drop by the Space Needle and perhaps even Mt. Rainier. Of course, I would also go to Lake View and pay my respects to the Lees.</li><li>There is reportedly a reboot of “The Crow” being filmed with Bill Skarsgard as Eric Draven, the same role Lee had played. As a fan of Lee, I support the reboot. After all, movies are movies. The film industry is a business. As long as the reboot has a good cast, quality acting, and its plot makes sense, then why not? I believe if he were alive, he would have supported it as well.</li><li>Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot, and director Joel Souza was wounded by live rounds two years ago while filming on the set of the

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movie “Rust.” The rounds were discharged from a firearm used as a prop by actor Alec Baldwin. This tragic incident naturally brought back memories of Lee’s death due to similar circumstances. “Every single time I’m handed a gun on the set … I look at it, I open it,” said actor George Clooney in an interview on the podcast “WTF with Marc Maron” shortly after the “Rust” incident. “I show it to the person I’m pointing it to. I show it to the crew. Every single take, you hand it back to the armorer when you’re done, and you do it again. And part of it is because of what happened to Brandon.”</li><li>If Lee had lived longer, maybe he would have ventured into non-action films. For example, he would have been a good Tom in the romantic comedy “Last Christmas.” Or perhaps he would have continued to do action films. How about the role of Neo in “The Matrix” series? A part in “The Expendables” alongside Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren? The father of Shang-Chi in … well … “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings”? It is sad to ponder what might have been. After all, he died two weeks before he and fiancée Eliza Hutton were set to marry. Besides an actor and husband, he also might have been a father at this point in his life. I can only hope his loved ones cherish the happy memories they had created with him in his short time on Earth. May be rest in peace.</li></ul></article></body>

Today’s Rant No. 36: Brandon Lee Edition

Photo by Thao LEE on Unsplash

Since this year marks the 30th anniversary of the death of actor Brandon Lee, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on his life and career. He was one of my favorite actors when I was a kid. Hence, I was of course devastated when he was fatally shot while filming on the set of “The Crow.” He was 28 years old. I believe he would have achieved longevity as an actor had he lived longer. With his charisma, handsome looks, and martial arts talent, he certainly would have earned numerous starring roles and awards during his lifetime.

“Rapid Fire” is my favorite Lee film. Yes, the plot is predictable and follows the formula of other action movies of that era. But his quality acting and fighting skills still make the film worth watching. While I like “The Crow,” I feel like his tragic death overshadows the film and makes it difficult to enjoy.

Lee is the son of legendary actor and martial artist, Bruce Lee. The latter founded the Jeet Kune Do martial arts philosophy and served as a cultural pioneer who helped popularize martial arts and improve the way in which Asian characters were portrayed in Hollywood films. If you have not watched Bruce Lee’s signature movie, “Enter the Dragon,” then do it today. It was his first and sadly last American-produced film before his death in 1973. He was 32 years old.

Like myself, Brandon Lee was a San Francisco Bay Area native. He was born Feb. 1, 1965, in Oakland. After he died, he was buried next to his father in Seattle’s Lake View Cemetary. I have always wanted to visit the Pacific Northwest, particularly the Seattle area, but have yet to do so. It looks so beautiful and peaceful in photos I have seen. Lots of greenery and open land. I would love to drop by the Space Needle and perhaps even Mt. Rainier. Of course, I would also go to Lake View and pay my respects to the Lees.

There is reportedly a reboot of “The Crow” being filmed with Bill Skarsgard as Eric Draven, the same role Lee had played. As a fan of Lee, I support the reboot. After all, movies are movies. The film industry is a business. As long as the reboot has a good cast, quality acting, and its plot makes sense, then why not? I believe if he were alive, he would have supported it as well.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot, and director Joel Souza was wounded by live rounds two years ago while filming on the set of the movie “Rust.” The rounds were discharged from a firearm used as a prop by actor Alec Baldwin. This tragic incident naturally brought back memories of Lee’s death due to similar circumstances. “Every single time I’m handed a gun on the set … I look at it, I open it,” said actor George Clooney in an interview on the podcast “WTF with Marc Maron” shortly after the “Rust” incident. “I show it to the person I’m pointing it to. I show it to the crew. Every single take, you hand it back to the armorer when you’re done, and you do it again. And part of it is because of what happened to Brandon.”

If Lee had lived longer, maybe he would have ventured into non-action films. For example, he would have been a good Tom in the romantic comedy “Last Christmas.” Or perhaps he would have continued to do action films. How about the role of Neo in “The Matrix” series? A part in “The Expendables” alongside Sylvester Stallone and Dolph Lundgren? The father of Shang-Chi in … well … “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings”? It is sad to ponder what might have been. After all, he died two weeks before he and fiancée Eliza Hutton were set to marry. Besides an actor and husband, he also might have been a father at this point in his life. I can only hope his loved ones cherish the happy memories they had created with him in his short time on Earth. May be rest in peace.