BLVD. WARRIORS (2012) directed by Rene Carson : Trailer

August 27th, 2011 by Mr. C


“I am not teaching you anything.
I just help you to explore yourself.”
– Bruce Lee

I wanted to flashback to a documentary film that I neglected to mention on my initial writeup of Ric Meyers’ Kung Fu Extravaganza program at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con. The trailer of BLVD. WARRIORS was previewed at the startup of Ric Meyers’ program and it really brought back some great memories of the 1970’s & 80’s kung fu craze! Rene Carson (Director/Writer/Producer) of the film recently provided us with some awesome still images and information about the film which got us all excited about this project again! I’m not sure if I can wait till early 2012 for the release of it! The trailer opened up with something very familiar & soothing to the ears!
Fans of the Drive In Movie Theatre on WNEW’s Channel 5 in the NYC area which aired from May 1981-July of 1988 will instantly recognize this intro and be transported back to a time when Saturdays 3pm were golden! This 2 hr time slot would be booked with a colorful demonstration of high flying martial artists with a tunnel vision for revenge in the name of brotherhood & morality to protect their families, community, & honor. When I watched the trailer for BLVD. WARRIORS, it conjured up that same type of feeling and nostalgia. Blvd. Warriors documents the tale of how martial arts and asian culture would impact the lives of blacks and urban Americans alike. Inner city folks that joined the military would get stationed in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, & Vietnam. When they came back to the States from service, they were armed with a whole new philosophy in fighting, mentally & physically. In parallel, asian martial art movies shown in grindhouse theaters in poor to working class communities and films that aired on public TV like the ones promoted by Drive In Theater provided another outlet for our youths to digest a new culture in the arts that would eventually manifest itself onto other avenues of expression. The important thing to note is that urban americans now had something positive to grasp in the form of asian fighting arts which would be the vehicle that they will use to aspire for something better in their lives within the turbulent cloud of social, economic, political, & family duress. City life & everyday survival tactics coupled with a militiary background and martial arts thrown in the mix would be a heavy source of discipline leading to a righteous path of self discovery. This documentary serves as a way to celebrate these local urban warriors who took this vehicle to a higher level and being the pioneers that they are, they propagated their teachings through their martial background whether through dojos, temples, or films to help inspire people in other fields such as music, dance, the arts, education, & other countless forms of media. This movie would also pay homage to the old school martial art films and the artists/actors who indirectly sparked a bonfire of hope for their fans giving them something to cheer for when everything else around them looked bleak. Many a breakdancer, hip hop artist, movie director, actor, blue collar worker, corporate mogul, and the average Joe & Jane were influenced one way or another by the asian fighting arts movie craze! I know that’s what got me into the weekend warrior training mode at the time. Other good examples where musicians utilized kung fu culture into their realm includes hip hop groups like the Fu-Schnickens and the Wu Tang Clan hailing from the slums of Staten Island, NY with which the members of the Wu affectionately dub SHAOLIN as a synonym for Staten Island! Wu Tang Clan’s classic debut album, “Enter the Wu-Tang – 36 Chambers” including the song “Da mystery of chessboxin” is clear evidence that the fusion of hip hop with kung fu is a key ingredient to their magical elixir! RZA, a founding member of the group has made it well known that Bruce Lee was a tremendous inspiration in his creative endeavors!

Trailer of BLVD. WARRIORS


The trailer of this film revealed eye opening movie clips and interviews from some of the most well respected martial artists like Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite), Grandmaster Ron Van Clief (The Black Dragon), Grandmaster Ronald Duncan (The Way of the Winds/Ninjitsu), & Sifu Carl Scott (Soul Brothers of Kung Fu). Images of Bruce Lee, Cheng Pei Pei (Come Drink With Me), Wang Yu (One Armed Swordsman), Etsuko Shihomi (Sister Streetfighter), Gloria Hendry (Black Belt Jones, Hell Up in Harlem), Lo Meng vs Wai Pak (5 Deadly Venoms), Lo Lieh (5 Fingers of Death), & Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill) would provide a kickass picture worth more than a thousand words! Stills of the Paramount Theater in Newark-NJ, Fox Theatre, & The Pagoda in Chinatown from the teaser trailer further wet my appetite for this film! An interview with Grady Hendrix, an asian movie historian and co-founder of Subway Cinema in NYC will also be an invaluable resource added to this melting pot of wandering warriors!

Rene Carson (Director) is targeting to premier BLVD. WARRIORS at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2012! We’re hoping to get a glimpse of this documentary shortly thereafter!

This project was solely an entity of passion fueled by Rene Carson. He produced this film without any studio financing or support, completely based on his own interest in the subject. You can clearly feel that passion seep through to the viewer upon watching the trailer which makes us anxious to see the entire feature!

As a last statement, I can attest that BLVD. WARRIORS will not just appeal to urban folks! It will also get some of us eclectic suburban creatures, pretty jazzed up too! From the immortal expressions of Bruce Lee, “WATTAH” *While swiping the nose with my thumb* !!

~Way of the inspired fist~

*ALL images in this post provided by Rene Carson

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Posted in movies, mr. c | Comments (6)

6 Responses to “BLVD. WARRIORS (2012) directed by Rene Carson : Trailer”

  1. Martin Says:
    August 27th, 2011 at 3:19 am

    This looks great Mr.C, can’t wait to see it.

  2. dbborroughs Says:
    August 27th, 2011 at 5:06 pm

    Wow. this looks way cool.

  3. Mr. C Says:
    August 27th, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    @martin – me too. seems like all of us into this genre can relate to the story.
    @dbborroughs – the trailer is a big tease. Show me the goods! Looking forward to it next year.

  4. Rene Says:
    August 27th, 2011 at 9:15 pm

    Thanks so much for this, our first official press for the film! I’m very excited to share my project with everyone!! Many blessings.

  5. eric Says:
    August 27th, 2011 at 10:23 pm

    As the narrator of this film I can personally testify that director Carson’s vision of the martial arts craze will conjure up fond memories for one generation and create new fans for another.

  6. eric Says:
    August 27th, 2011 at 10:40 pm

    Director Carson’s vision will create a new generation of martial arts fans

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