"The Karate Kid" Review

The year? 1984. The movie? The Karate Kid and the freakin' sweet crane kick! I was only 3 years old when the movie came out; but I remember the film's cultural impact of the thereafter. I do remember the sequels (even the God awful 4th film "starring" Hilary Swank). So, now it's 2010, originality is all but dead in Hollywood and the dawn of the reboot is upon us. In comes The Karate Kid (2010).

The trailers look awesome, the cast was satisfactory, how about the movie? Likes and dislikes, comin' right atcha.


What I liked about the movie:
Jaden/Jackie

I thought Jaden Smith was a good actor before this film, but after? He is a great actor. The son of Will and Jada is such a commanding figure onscreen for such a little man. I was drawn to his character, felt his pain, cheered for him, laughed with him. The little guy is great! Smith plays Dre Parker, who moves to China with his mother, played by Taraji P. Henson. Following the basic story arc of the first film; Dre gets harassed by the local bullies and Mr. Han teaches him Kung Fu. Dre must showcase his Kung Fu at a tournament in the climax of the film.

Jackie Chan plays the updated version of Mr. Miyagi, formally portrayed by Pat Morita. The updated Mr. Miyagi is Mr. Han, the handy man at Dre's new housing complex. I have to say this is the most emotional role that I have ever seen Chan in. He is a man who has a tortured past he can't shake. Chan plays it with such sincerity, I was really moved by all the dramatic moments in the movie.

The chemistry between Smith and Chan is just fantastic. You felt the two genuinely cared for each other. The characters needed each other equally. This could have gone horribly wrong by the way. It could have turned into a sad sap story, but it didn't. There was just the right balance of sap and Kung Fu.

The Kung Fu

The movie was originally titled "The Kung Fu" kid, and I kind of wish it would have stayed that way. I know the reason for keeping the title the same as the original, Marketing. There really is a difference in the fighting styles of the two films. The fighting is a lot of fun to watch; its fast, includes both punches and kicks and is a delight on film. I especially liked how the movie explained Kung Fu's history and its interpersonal benefits. The tournament is a fitting finish to the training that Mr. Han and Dre have put in.

China
The major difference between this modern telling and the original is its location. China is shown so beautifully in the movie. The cinematography by Roger Pratt is breath taking and I really want to visit China now! China is shown while Mr. Han takes Dre all over to teach him the message of Kung Fu. This includes an awesome montage on The Great Wall of China.

The Score
I love when a score to a film gets me on the edge of my seat, this one did just that! James Horner wrote an incredible score that got my heart pumping during a chase scene, got me to cheer during a fight sequence and got my throat to swell up during a comforting scene.

The Director
Harald Zwart really did a fine job on the movie. The action, comedy, pacing, editing and the aforementioned score were all successful in my opinion. Zwart helped with the scope of China throughout the film. He took the camera to the streets where you could see how narrow ally ways were; he also showed how crowded parts of China are with wide shots of shopping areas, etc. The costume choices were believable and relatable. I think he did the best job possible.


What I didn't like:
Taraji P. Henson
Wow, I did NOT expect that performance by Henson, really I didn't. She got a lot of attention for her Academy Award nominated role in 'Benjamin Button', I even liked her in Smokin' Aces, but man she is so bad in this movie. I am dedicating this paragraph to how bad she is. She tried too hard to come off as the "tough mom", which did NOT work at all. She tried too hard to bond with Jaden Smith, which she could not sell to the audience. Even something as easy as cheering for Smith during the tournament was bad, over done, just bad! She is the ONLY thing I didn't like about the movie, did NOT see that coming.

Overall the movie was a nice treat at the movies. I gave The A-Team a positive review and didn't think 80's reboots could strike gold twice in the same summer, I guess I was wrong. Jaden Smith is going to be a big star some day and I think that's becoming more and more obvious with every movie. It was great to see Jackie Chan in a more emotional role than the usual action/comedies we're used to seeing him in. The change of location was great! China was beautiful in every frame; and the score was a treat for the ears. I know I went late to this movie (it's been out almost a month), but this was definitely one case of better late than never.

"She's Out of My League" DVD Review

I'm gonna bet She's Out of My League is the best movie comedy of the year... that you HAVEN'T seen. 'League' was one of the best comedies I have seen in a long time. I wanna dive right in.

The movie stars Jay Baruchel as Kirk. Kirk has low self-esteem and is an under-achiever. He had aspirations of becoming a pilot, but ended up working with the TSA with 3 of his loser buddies. He lives at home with his mess of a family and drives a p.o.s. Dodge Neon.

A twist of fate, and a returned cell phone later, he starts dating Molly, played by the beautiful Alice Eve. Molly is the opposite of Kirk in that she's got a great job, a great place to live and connections all over Pittsburgh. Hilarity ensues when the two start to get serious and each person's insecurities come to the forefront.


What I liked:
The Characters
Baruchel is one of the most talented young actors in Hollywood in my opinion. He is a scene stealer in Knocked Up, held his own with the best of 'em in Tropic Thunder, and is turning a lot of heads in the upcoming The Sorcerer's Apprentice. He knows how to play neurotic, which his character Kirk is in League. Kirk is lovable, he's the loser we root for in chick-flicks, we want him to win.

Molly is kind, sweet and really likes Kirk. She's got some issues just like Kirk. For example, she hasn't told her parents she quit being a lawyer to do event planning. These flaws make Molly's character feel more relateable. But had the movie made her out to be a perfect 10, we wouldn't care about her at all.

One of the many great things about The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up were the supporting characters (Baruchel being one of them in Knocked Up). League is no different; Kirk's family members are classic! His dad is as close to mentally retarded as you can be without being diagnosed, his brother is a wanna be macho man, his sister in-law to be makes fun of him, and his mom is as sweet as apple pie.

Kirk's friends are the ones that steal the show in this movie. Stainer is the loyal, idiot friend with a cover band. Jack is the good looking guy with all the nonsense advice about women. Then there's Devon, played by Nate Torrence. Devon is the married, goof ball friend that you just love, no matter how annoying he can be. Torrence plays the part PERFECTLY... and remember this, Disney's Aladdin, when you watch the movie, so funny!

What I didn't like:
Sub-Plots
I hate discussing plots during reviews, but these really bugged me. There were sub-plots involving Kirk's ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend that just didn't work. There were laughs at their expense, but they took away from the story more than they added to it. Same goes for the family's big trip, also pointless. I understand the writers needed to setup a dramatic climax, but there were so many ways to do it without going down the ridiculous route. The movie is realistic for 90% of the movie, with things that the audience can relate to, and then it just sputters towards the finish. Normally when I like a movie I just tell you guys "it's OK, it's not a big deal"; not this time... why take a chance at ruining the movie with one over-the-top gag.


Overall the movie is, as it's title character is, an under-achiever. The movie grossed 45 million dollars on a 20 million dollar budget. This may sound like a lot, but compare that to mainstream hits like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up which grossed 177 and 219 million dollars respectively. Either way, go see the movie! It has a lot of things the made the aforementioned movies a huge success; a great cast, great characters and one-liners galore. Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve shine in this crowd pleasing gem.

Blu-Ray disc special features according to BestBuy.com: Deleted scenes Extended ending Blooper reel Devon's dating show-a hilarious "do's & dont's" guide to dating for guys Commentary by director Jim Field Smith.

Milla Jovovich Wardrobe Test for The Three Musketeers movie

I don't know how they do it, but we LOVE IT... /slashfilm got a picture of Milla Jovovich's wardrobe test for the upcoming The Three Musketeers film. We've been posting about the movie for a few months now, but this is the first peek into the design of the film. Also it's important to note that the pictures were taken by Jovovich herself. You can see she was taking the pictures on her camera phone. Here are 2 of the pictures, click the /slashfilm link for the rest.

Jason Momoa as Conan, cool!

Just because it's a cool picture/poster of Jason Momoa as Conan.  Enjoyment for the eyes.

Remember that talk about "The Last Airbender" sequels? Yeah, probably not

UPDATE: The Last Airbender opened to the tune of 40 Million dollars, second behind Eclipse. The experts are predicting a sharp drop off in business for next week.

Every once in awhile I go back to some of our older posts just for kicks. Just to re-evaluate my writing style, see if old rumors ever came true, etc. Well I stumbled across this beaut; a posting about how The Last Airbender was actually a trilogy and how the three films would NOT be filmed back to back.

Here is the quote from poducer of The Last Airbender, Frank Marshall. That post was on July 2nd, 2009, exactly a year ago today:

We’re shooting them one at a time, because they’re being written one at a time. [M. Night Shyamalan] is now working on the script for the second movie, but he hasn’t had time to write the second or third ones. He’s looking at the arc of all three. One of the things we’ll be doing is using the sets, ships and elements for each different nation in this film and incorporating them into movies two and three. We’re not waiting. There just isn’t enough time. Night will finish this movie, then the script and then we’ll prepare for the next one. I think it’ll probably happen over six years.

You might be asking yourself, "why is this so absurd"? Because of The Last Airbender's reviews and potential flop status, that's why. The movie is out to a terrible start in the early numbers. And as far as critics are concerned? 8% with over 100 critics writing into Rotten Tomatoes.

I'm not trying to be mean to M. Night Shyamalan, I'm really not. In fact, I am a big fan of his OLDER work (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs). And I hate prejudging a film before I go see it, but this one seems to be universally hated. Maybe it's because it is based on prior works, maybe it's because the story doesn't translate well from cartoon television series to film, or maybe M. Night Shyamalan's script/directing suck. I hate to be the barer of bad news, but his movies have gotten progressively worse after Signs. Oh well, I'll rent it from Redbox for a dollar and hope for the best!

"With great power, comes great CASTING" Andrew Garfield IS Spider-Man

Tiny Update:  Here's what Webb had to say after I posted:
"Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor's work understand his extraordinary talents.  He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker."

Marc Webb and Sony Pictures have been hard at work trying to find the right man for the new Spider-Man job.  It's a tough task if you ask me.  Casting the lead in a superhero franchise film is much harder than we could ever imagine.  Looks, acting chops, bankability, all the above must be taken into consideration.  So who will play Spider-Man in the new 3D version?  Andrew Garfield.

Bet you've never heard of him huh?  Well I have and I love his work.  He was fantastic in Boy, A and he was great in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.  Apparently he's been turning heads at Sony for awhile now.  His work in the upcoming The Social Network has Sony giddy in their boots, according to an article in the LA Times. 

I approve of the casting decision, because I believe Garfield will capture Peter Parker's sensibilities and vulnerabilities of being a high schooler with such great power.  The argument all day today is that he's too old (26) to play a high school kid.  I disagree.  I think he looks the part, and will bring out the emotion that Toby Maguire was so good at doing in the first trilogy.  Kudos to director Marc Webb and Sony for getting this one right!

So bad it's good... Corky Romano

Ok, so everyone seems to love our "You Know What's A Good Movie?" series of posts (I'm basing that on the number of hits those posts get).  I wanted to try a new series of posts, this time a bit different.  I want to talk about movies that are so bad, they're actually good, you know what movies I'm talking about.  These posts wont have a connection between them, it's just for kicks.  These kind of movies start out as box office failures, but eventually become cult classics.  In some cases they're so bad, they're successful because of it.  Let's begin with the first movie in our line of posts... Corky Romano. 

The movie was released in 2002 and stars Chris Kattan.  It was his first leading role (unless you count Night at the Roxbury).  The movie co-starred Peter Falk as the head of the Romano crime family.  There are three Romano sons: Peter Berg plays the pretty boy, tough guy, who can't read, classic!  This is before Berg was making 200 million dollar movies like Hancock and the upcoming Battleship.  The second son is played by the great, gone too soon, Chris Penn.  Penn plays the muscle of the crime family, who also happens to be gay, hilarious!  Such a funny and unique way to portray the mob.

Then there's Kattan, he plays the odd man out of this family.  He's a veterinarian who has no business being in the business of crime.  He's a good-hearted, happy-go-lucky kind of guy.  His license plate says "Corkstr" for cryin' out loud.  But when the family calls on him to go undercover and steal back evidence from the cops, Corky agrees.

The movie is funny, to me anyway; but it is so bad.  The situations Corky is thurst into are ridiculous.  For example: he has to sell a gang of white supremacists that he wants to join their crew?  He has to translate between two drug lords who speak two different languages?  The gags are pretty generic and just-don't-work. Remember Blue Streak starring Martin Lawrence and Owen Wilson?  Same concept except Lawrence is a strong enough comedian to carry the load with great support from Wilson.  And that movie wasn't over the top.

That's another problem with this movie; it isn't trying to be a spoof, it's trying to be a bona fide comedy.  Well they spend so much time making fun of gangsters and police, we don't know what to think; and everything is over the top, everything.  Then there's the purely ridiculous; Corky shoots a gun uncontrollably but saves a dog and disarms a perp all at the same time?  C'mon, I have limits as a viewer you know.

Falk, Berg and Penn are so funny in this movie.  It's worth mentioning that any of the three of them are funnier than Kattan in the movie.  The way Berg's character has to hide that he's illiterate is so funny, and is done really well.  Same goes for the "wink wink" moments when we realise Penn's character is gay, awesome.  Falk's in his deathbed and is still telling the three of them to stop fighting, and he does so with power, loved him in this movie.  He has a quote that had me rolling:

My son, he's a fruit and I don't care who knows it.  The other one, he can't read a stop sign, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 The movie came and went and did very poorly at the box office (23 million sounds better than it really is).  The characters were great, the acting was hilarious (minus Kattan), and the story was unoriginal at best.  I still like the movie and throw the DVD in once every year or so.  What do you think?  Is this movie so bad it's good in your opinion?  Let me know.  I'll try to do more of these as time goes by, suggestions?  Email me and let me know.