My Name Is Bruce (DVD, 2009)

EVIL DEAD's Bruce Campbell continues his reign as B-movie king with this comedy where the actor stars as himself--or at least a version of himself. In MY NAME IS BRUCE, the actor is called upon to save an Oregon town from a destructive demon, but he realizes that his movie monster-fighting skills may not cut it in the real world. Campbell also directs and produces, and of course there's room for frequent Campbell collaborator Ted Raimi to make an appearance or two., First there was THE SEVEN SAMURAI, then THE THREE AMIGOS, and now the one and only Bruce Campbell, perhaps the most dashing savior of small towns the silver screen has ever put forth. MY NAME IS BRUCE follows our hero, B-movie icon Bruce Campbell, as he rescues the small mining town of Gold Lick from the rampaging Guan Di, a Chinese god of war and protectorate of bean curd (no kidding), seeking revenge for the death of 100 Chinese miners in the town a century before. With references to Campbell classics throughout, MY NAME IS BRUCE is a post-modern meta-movie for cult cinephiles and Cheez Whiz-huffing lowest-common-denominators alike. It's schlock moviemaking at its transparent best, built on a solid foundation of low-grade special effects, no-name actors (although Ted Raimi, brother of Sam Raimi, does make an appearance), shamelessy sophomoric humor, and buckets and buckets of blood. That said, the only thing harder to miss than Campbell's chin is the gleefully arched eyebrow that fuels his performance. Directed by the legend himself, MY NAME IS BRUCE is a playful hyperbolic send up of Campbell's career, mocking both the films and the fans that create such a figure, while likewise poking fun at the absurd amount of hubris one amasses--and subsequently survives on--after appearing in such classics as CAVE ALIENS I, II, and III (or in reality, the EVIL DEAD trilogy). MY NAME IS BRUCE perpetuates the legend of one of Hollywood's most enjoyably strange figures, and takes aim at the bloated edifice of movie stardom itself.