To Start this blog off I am intending on writing about a few movies I've seen one too many times. My first endeavor is to write about my favorite quadrology of films: "The Karate Kid" series. And yes I am intentionally leaving the Jackie Chan 2010 movie off the list. I don't hate it but this blog will only recognize the "Miyagi" Karate Kid movies.
I'll begin with the Original...the most awesome...
The Karate Kid
As Barney Stinson once said "Hey, The Karate Kid is a great movie. It’s the story of a hopeful, young karate enthusiast whose dreams and moxie take him all the way to the All Valley Karate Championship. Of course, sadly he loses in the final round to that nerd kid. But, he learns an important lesson about gracefully accepting defeat.”
As I heard that I had an epiphamy. Of course the movie is more about Johnny than it is about Daniel. I mean, how does Daniel's character change? He goes from a guy who gets his ass kicked daily to a guy who can probably, if given the time to get into that ridiculous crane technique position, may be able to kick the actual karate kid in the mouth. Then Daniel-san can wash and wax his dirt bike and paint the guys house so he'll like him. Johnny Lawrence learns that this dork actually fought well enough to earn his respect and that his own teachers ways were a path to losing. Daniel is the same at the beginning of the movie as he is at the end except a little less feeble at fighting.
As I heard that I had an epiphamy. Of course the movie is more about Johnny than it is about Daniel. I mean, how does Daniel's character change? He goes from a guy who gets his ass kicked daily to a guy who can probably, if given the time to get into that ridiculous crane technique position, may be able to kick the actual karate kid in the mouth. Then Daniel-san can wash and wax his dirt bike and paint the guys house so he'll like him. Johnny Lawrence learns that this dork actually fought well enough to earn his respect and that his own teachers ways were a path to losing. Daniel is the same at the beginning of the movie as he is at the end except a little less feeble at fighting.
I love this movie and despite it's cheesy and awkward romantic moments, The Karate Kid is a classic of the 1980's. If ever you've come across this movie on TV and not stopped for at least a five minute blast of childhood nostalgia, you have no soul and should be decapitated. Yes, decapitation seems a large penalty for not liking this movie but if you have no soul, should I really take any chances?
The film opens with a trek across the country in a constantly not starting Brady like station wagon, packed with all the earthly possessions of Daniel and Lucille LaRusso. They land in sunny Los Angeles and a morose Daniel meets his first friend, ummmm the guy with the "Makin Bacon" shirt of two pigs having relations who other than getting Daniel to the beach is pretty much useless to the film. After playing a horrible game of soccer at the beach, a bonfire party leads Daniel to chat up Elizabeth Shue's Ali (of Adventures in Babysitting and being Melrose Place's Andrew Shue's sister fame) setting the course for the rest of the film. You see, Ali (Elizabeth Shue) is Johnny's ex-girlfriend and while they have hit a rough patch, he's hoping that by shoving her and breaking her radio she'll take him back. Beginning with this fateful night on the beach and his groin swelling affection for Ali, the gang from Cobra Kai beat Daniel 5 ways to Sunday until Mr. Miyagi gets involved and everyone signs up to be a part of the All Valley Tournament. As Ali and Daniel get closer with adventures at "Golf N' Stuff" and Miyagi trains Daniel to wax his car and paint his house, The Cobra Kai learn karate. As Daniel and Miyagi go fishing and catch flies with chopsticks, Johnny learns valuable ways to pull Daniel's still beating heart from his chest. The tournament offers the best music montage of the 80's to Joe Esposito's "You're The Best" and well I don't want to ruin it for you newbies to The Kid but Daniel's "I don't know what I'm doing" approach to karate really flummoxes the other combatants.
The Karate Kid has it's flaws. Like why a kid from New Jersey owns a Dan Fouts era San Diego Chargers jersey? Or why does Daniel's Mom move to California to become a waitress at a Chinese food restaurant? No waitress jobs in New York? They say she's working for a computer company but she's folding napkins at the restaurant across the way from the Cobra Kai dojo...what's that all about? Or why do Ali's parents push the obviously abusive Johnny on Ali while they can see Daniel really has the "I can't believe this girl lets me kiss her" love in his eyes? Daniel not only wouldn't shove Ali or break her radio, he physically couldn't. Or why no one has ever protested the elderly maintenance man beating up high school kids. No flaw is more troubling than how Daniel spends half his time preparing for the tournament while basically being a indentured servant to Mr. Miyagi and the rest training by himself after Mr. Miyagi gets really drunk and passes out for the next two weeks. Or why the mentally challenged guy from L.A. Law spends his weekends drinking on other people's cars and calling Asian people "slopes"?
The film opens with a trek across the country in a constantly not starting Brady like station wagon, packed with all the earthly possessions of Daniel and Lucille LaRusso. They land in sunny Los Angeles and a morose Daniel meets his first friend, ummmm the guy with the "Makin Bacon" shirt of two pigs having relations who other than getting Daniel to the beach is pretty much useless to the film. After playing a horrible game of soccer at the beach, a bonfire party leads Daniel to chat up Elizabeth Shue's Ali (of Adventures in Babysitting and being Melrose Place's Andrew Shue's sister fame) setting the course for the rest of the film. You see, Ali (Elizabeth Shue) is Johnny's ex-girlfriend and while they have hit a rough patch, he's hoping that by shoving her and breaking her radio she'll take him back. Beginning with this fateful night on the beach and his groin swelling affection for Ali, the gang from Cobra Kai beat Daniel 5 ways to Sunday until Mr. Miyagi gets involved and everyone signs up to be a part of the All Valley Tournament. As Ali and Daniel get closer with adventures at "Golf N' Stuff" and Miyagi trains Daniel to wax his car and paint his house, The Cobra Kai learn karate. As Daniel and Miyagi go fishing and catch flies with chopsticks, Johnny learns valuable ways to pull Daniel's still beating heart from his chest. The tournament offers the best music montage of the 80's to Joe Esposito's "You're The Best" and well I don't want to ruin it for you newbies to The Kid but Daniel's "I don't know what I'm doing" approach to karate really flummoxes the other combatants.
The Karate Kid has it's flaws. Like why a kid from New Jersey owns a Dan Fouts era San Diego Chargers jersey? Or why does Daniel's Mom move to California to become a waitress at a Chinese food restaurant? No waitress jobs in New York? They say she's working for a computer company but she's folding napkins at the restaurant across the way from the Cobra Kai dojo...what's that all about? Or why do Ali's parents push the obviously abusive Johnny on Ali while they can see Daniel really has the "I can't believe this girl lets me kiss her" love in his eyes? Daniel not only wouldn't shove Ali or break her radio, he physically couldn't. Or why no one has ever protested the elderly maintenance man beating up high school kids. No flaw is more troubling than how Daniel spends half his time preparing for the tournament while basically being a indentured servant to Mr. Miyagi and the rest training by himself after Mr. Miyagi gets really drunk and passes out for the next two weeks. Or why the mentally challenged guy from L.A. Law spends his weekends drinking on other people's cars and calling Asian people "slopes"?
These flaws aside the point of the movie is that it teaches us all that indeed "Daniel" can beat Goliath. That heart and belief in oneself is as important as skill and strength. Not only those important lessons but the lesson that losing does not make you the lesser competitor as proven by Johnny's handing Daniel the trophy. After hating Daniel for no other reason than he stood up for the girl Johnny was supposed to be date raping this simple act shows the way that Johnny has grown. Now if only he could ditch his haircut and get a good job. It shows that the "No Mercy" style of the Cobra Kai dojo, embodied by sensei John Kreese, is not the way to succeeding but to douchebagery of epic proportions. Seriously, why do people allow this man to teach their kids to grow into douche bags who beat up on smaller children, shove their girlfriends and throw people off of cliffs? You can see the moment of clarity in Johnny Lawrence's eyes as Sensei Kreese tells him to "Sweep the leg, Johnny." At that moment, Johnny realizes that all he's learned was wrong. As hapless Cobra Kai #3 yells "Get him a body bag! Yeahhhhhh", Johnny learns a valuable lesson and it is my belief that he loses the match right there. It's the only explanation for that ridiculous kick working.
So is the Karate Kid a great movie? Probably not but I'll tell you that it is a great movie to grow up on. Watching it now, I am thrown back to being a child in my living room, watching Daniel-san learn and then attempting my own half hearted off balance crane kicks. It helped me to believe that good can triumph over evil and maybe evil can learn something in the end as well. I love this movie and as it ends with Miyagi and Daniel-san victorious in the middle of the mat, Miyagi smiling at his student, I get a little bit of my childhood back. And that alone is worth stopping on TBS or AMC when it is on and reliving a timeless classic. That and a chance to hear "You're the Best" , while attempting full grown adult crane kicks makes watching the original Karate Kid always worth it.
Memorable Quotes:
"Must be take a worm for a walk week!" - Hapless Cobra Kai #3
"Wax on, wax off" - Mr. Miyagi
"Called Crane Technique...if do right, is no defense." - Mr. Miyagi
"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" - Lucille LaRusso to Ali's parents.
"Sweep the leg." - Sensei John Kreese
"Get him a body bag! Yeahhhhhhhh" - Hapless Cobra Kai #3
The Prestigious Mr. Unhappy awards go to:
Hapless Cobra Kai #3 - Immortal Line reading of "Get him a body bag!" It is up there with "Rosebud" and "Heeeeere's Johnny."
Johnny Lawrence - for teaching Justin Bieber how to do his hair.
Johnny Lawrence - Biggest Douche in cinema history.
Lucille LaRusso- Most Ineffective Mom award
Mr. Miyagi - for getting hours of physical labor out of a child and claiming it was "karate training."
Mr. Miyagi - for plying Daniel with alcohol while toasting his dead wife and son.
John Kreese- for teaching generations of children to beat their inferiors until they are near crippled.
Ali - For just looking pretty and getting angry all the time.
Daniel-san - The best "taking a beatin" award.
Net Box Office: $90,815,558
Mr. Unhappy ratings: 4.5 out of 5 Unhappy faces...
Up Next:
The Karate Kid Part II: Okinawa Style
No comments:
Post a Comment