A crime against art itself

Oh, I love this: My Name is Bruce is a low-budget movie starring low-budget superstar Bruce Campbell as Bruce Campbell, a cowardly actor forced by his fans to fight a real demon.

It's all very self-referential, but the result isn't smug. What comes through is the fan love: This is a movie made for and by people who love Bruce Campbell, a sort of horror response to Galaxy Quest. It's cheap and crappy and adorable.

At this point some readers are saying: Yes, that makes sense. Of course Bruce Campbell should play himself in a low-budget horror comedy, and it would be very bad and very likeable. The rest are saying: Who the hell is Bruce Campbell?! There is little middle ground here.

Actually, the first group aren't saying "yes, that makes sense". They're saying: I've heard about this movie for two years. Why wasn't it released on DVD before this week? I don't know. But it's here now.