BLADE Sets Special “CAN I KICK IT?” Screening Event In North Carolina For October
Shaolin Jazz and 3 Chambers Fest are continuing their CAN I KICK IT? series next month at the Cary Theater with a special presentation of Stephen Norrington’s 1998 hit film, Blade. Tickets are available for fans in the area of Cary, North Carolina looking to attend the performance on October 11 at 7:30pm EST (doors will open a half hour earlier).
The titular Dhampir himself launched on the pages of Marvel Comics in 1973 from creative duo Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan. Norrington directed the film from a script by David S. Goyer, starring Wesley Snipes in a modernized version of the character that saw him quest to hunt down vampires with the aegis of grisled outlaw, Whistler, played by the late Kris Kristofferson.
Hot on the heels of his mother’s presumed killer, Blade unearths a conspiracy by the ambitious vampire Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) to awaken the Blood God. With the help of a hematologist caught in the crossfire, Blade sets out to put an end to Frost and his mercenaries once and for all.
Combined with the film’s high-energy EDM soundtrack and kinetic fight scene execution with Snipes in his prime, Blade also marked a milestone in evolutionary film tech through its applications of “bullet time” visual effects.
The film’s box office success following its release from New Line Cinema led to two more sequels through 2004, and a short-lived adaptation produced for Spike TV starring Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones. Jurassic World: Rebirth and Alita: Battle Angel actor Mahershala Ali was cast for the role in a planned reboot announced back in 2019 which remains yet to come to fruition, while Snipes himself was able to eke in some extra screen time for Shawn Levy’s Deadpool VS. Wolverine among a bevy of cameos.
Blade will be scored live (scene-by-scene) by Shaolin Jazz co-founder DJ 2-Tone Jones, who will mix elements of funk, soul, hip-hop, rock, and more. 2-Tone will also use an array of techniques and sound bites to accentuate different moments in the film ranging from aggressive fight scenes to subtle love scenes.
“This isn’t just playing a DJ set during a movie. We incorporate the music with the movie so you can still follow the plot and hear the dialogue. You might have one scene using a song with lyrics and another using instrumental beds underneath. It’s weaving music over and under the film audio, just scoring the film, scene by scene,” said Jones.
Shaolin Jazz and 3 Chambers merch tables will be on hand with apparel items and more. Visit the official website for the Cary Theater for details.
Lead image: New Line Cinema/Photo by Ryan Brown
