RIP Run Run Shaw, 106, billionaire movie and TV mogul, credited with the invention of Kung Fu films. He and his brother, Run Me, left China in 1927 to get away from the political unrest. These were not their birth names, of course. They were a family joke. In Singapore they began their entertainment careers in theater, producing plays on a rickety stage on which the lead actor in the first fell through the boards. When the audience laughed, they wrote the fall into the script. When the Japanese invaded, the brothers buried their gold, jewelry and currency in their backyard. They dug it up after WWII ended and financed their incredible run in world cinema. Five Fingers of Death (1972), their most famous production, is considered a classic of the genre, dubbed Chop-Socky by certain writers. It is rated 7.3 of ten at IMDb. I haven't seen it. I prefer the more polished work of Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and especially Zhang Yimou, Hero (2002) and The House of Flying Daggers (2004), two of world's great film-makers. I suspect both men were influenced by the films the brothers financed. The pair distributed approximately 800. Fans flocked to them, frequently to lampoon the content. Run Me died in 1985. Run Run continued the business. Even in his 90s he would attend premieres with a young actress on each arm. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for philanthropy and even hailed for it by the communist regime in China. When asked which was his favorite film, he said: “I particularly like movies that make money.” (I believe this is the first time I’ve adapted from the NY Times, article by Jonathan Kandell.)
I went out into the sub-zero polar vortex for my regular constitutional at 6AM. The last five blocks were brutal, directly into the wind. I put my gloved hand in front of my face. Man! I spent the time I normally would at the book shop pulling up the last bit of the rug that covered most of my large studio, dislodging the thin strips of wood that held it in place at the walls, sweeping, then vacuuming the dust, then washing the area, then moving the furniture back into place. What fun! I made a Lone Ranger-type mask out of an old T-shirt. I thought I was eliminating dust by getting rid of the carpet. Now I wonder if I've only created more. Am I feeling it in my throat or is it my imagination? The next step is removing the stains with paint thinner, then I'll clean the floor with bleach. After that I'll see how it looks before I do anything else. What do I do if the winter remains harsh and I'm stuck indoors? I don't want to rush the proofing of my rock n roll epic, Rising Star. There is one thing my life certainly does not lack - eye strain.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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