RZA SHILLS FOR “ONG-BAK”

Late last year, Magnolia Pictures’ Eamonn Bowles sent me a DVD screener of Ong Bak: Thai Warrior with a note that read: “Tony Jaa is the next Bruce Lee.” Bold words, indeed, but when I watched the film, I understood why. Jaa, the star of the Thai blockbuster import, pulls off some of the illest moves ever put on film.

If you don’t believe me, just ask Wu-Tang’s RZA, who’s been promoting the film on cable TV commercials and also hosted the film’s premiere on Wednesday night in New York (it opens today.) I asked Eamonn how RZA got involved. “His manager approached us, because he was such a huge fan of the film and was interested in getting involved and potentially re-scoring it,” says Bowles. “We didn’t have enough time to re-open it for a new score, but we had RZA host screenings, film wraparounds for our trailer, and do national TV and radio spots. He really hit it off with Tony when they met in November and he’s been championing the film tirelessly.”

In addition to the film, devotees of all-things Wu should pick-up want to consider buying the the long-awaited, recently-released Wu-Tang Manual. Here’s the publisher’s description: “Written in a style that is at once personal and philosophical, The Wu-Tang Manual unravels the intricate web of personalities (and alter egos), warrior codes, numerological systems, and Eastern spiritual ethics that define the Wu-Tang dynasty. Packed with information that reflects the breadth and depth of the RZA’s – and rest of the Clan’s – intellectual interests and passions, The Wu-Tang Manual is divided into four books of nine chambers each, for a total of 36 chambers. All together, the book provides the breakdown of essential Wu-Tang components, from basic information about each of the nine core members of Wu-Tang Clan to deeper explorations of the key themes of the Wu-Tang universe, a dictionary-like Wu-Slang lexicon, and an entire section of lyrics with densely annotated explanations of what they mean.”
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