THE LAST DRAGON Glows With Free Can I Kick It? Screening At The UNCSA Film Symposium Next Friday!
Live scoring film duo Shaolin Jazz is hosting a screening of Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon as part of the ongoing Can I Kick It? series. The film culminates another in a slate of events this year in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the iconic Michael Schultz-directed urban martial arts fantasy adventure starring Taimak, Vanity, Christopher Murney, Leo O’Brien, and Julius Carry.
Can I Kick It? is headed by Gerald Watson and DJ 2-Tone have been delivering intersectional performances of live hip-hop in their cinematic presentations of throwback and modern classics since 2011, with films like Enter The Dragon, Gremlins, Kill Bill, The Raid, Batman Ninja, House Of Flying Daggers, and Blade to name a few. The event is free and open to the public and kicks off on November 7.
Read on below for the rest!
Prolific Live Film-Scoring Duo Celebrates 40 Years of THE LAST DRAGON at UNCSA Film Symposium
Winston-Salem, NC – UNCSA Filmmaking Symposium and Shaolin Jazz will present a special CAN I KICK IT? presentation on Friday, November 7th at ACE Main Theatre, located on the UNCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St. in Winston-Salem, NC. They will screen the 1985 martial arts action comedy THE LAST DRAGON, starring Taimak. This screening will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of this iconic film, but with the added twist of a live music soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
Martial arts expert Leroy Green (Taimak) seeks to achieve the ‘final level’ in his craft – the level beyond the dragon, beyond excellence. On his quest, Leroy falls in love with a beautiful singer and video disc jockey, Laura Charles (Vanity). Together, they confront a power-hungry record producer bent on revenge against the young singer, as well as a bloodthirsty egomaniac determined to fight and permanently defeat Leroy. This romantic story centers on the life and death struggle between the love of power and the power of love. Leroy must ascend to the final level, but can he protect Laura’s life at the same time?
At the event, THE LAST DRAGON 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.
DJ 2-Tone Jones, says “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.”
The event will take place on Friday, November 7th at ACE Main Theatre, located on the UNCSA campus, 1533 S. Main St. in Winston-Salem, NC. Doors open at 6:30 PM. The film (with a live music soundtrack by Shaolin Jazz’s DJ 2-Tone Jones) will begin at 7:00 PM. There will also be a post-film discussion with Shaolin Jazz. This event is free and open to the public. For more information on this event, visit: www.uncsa.edu/filmmaking/symposium.aspx
