Saturday, Aug 27 • 9:30 pm
The Grand Illusion is going to blow the roof off their University District home when they launch Kung Fu Clubhouse (KFC for short), their new late-night martial arts series co-programmed by André Couture and Edwin Bailey. First movie up? 1978’s Drunken Master, starring Jackie Chan.
In describing KFC, Couture said, “We haven’t seen a series that focuses on global martial arts films yet. Beyond the Chinese and Hong Kong classics, there’s a lot more out there that we want to celebrate. We just want everyone to have fun. We’re not snobs or gatekeepers here. We’re going to get weird with it where we want to.”
When asked why they chose Drunken Master, Bailey explained, “It’s a stone-cold classic of martial arts cinema that made Jackie Chan a household name and helped introduce the legendary director/choreographer Yuen Woo-ping to the world. It’s one of those quintessential old-school kung fu comedies where nearly every trope of the genre is represented to perfection, and more importantly, it’s just as fun to watch as it is influential!”
“It introduces this chaotic yet balanced way of fighting that still feels fresh for new audiences,” Couture added, “and its genius use of humor is the glue that binds it all together.”
“Plus,” Bailey continued, “it gives us an excuse to do a one-two punch of following the original up with Drunken Master II, a personal favorite of mine, as our second screening in September!”
Full disclosure: I volunteer at Grand Illusion. It’s 100% run by volunteers, and everyone should volunteer there.
