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back2themax · 3 years

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Karate kid part II review -

So this movie is…. Decent? Like it’s not bad but it’s definitely not as good as the orignal. I don’t any sequel can do that. However I think it did have genuinely great moments that make it worth a watch, even if it drags in certain places. As they really chose to me romantic subplots more major plots in this movie, and that’s where it really tends to drag.

The good-

One of the highlights of this movie is that Daniel and Mr.Miyagi don’t suffer from the usual slump of sequels, typically the charecter’s will be written out of charecter , their potential wasted and so on. However they are just ss strong as the first movie. They’re characters remain intact and their relationship, if anything is stronger! They both still get some really good lines in too. I think this is mainly do to it being a trilogy, it’s three parts to one story. Not all disjointed trying to recapture something

I like how it takes place literally directly after he wins the tournament. It allows to see a aftermath thag most properties will just gloss over. I also love that Daniel is shuffling? Basically dragging his leg in a way, I do think it healed but I think it’d be a cool detail If he just… had a weird walk ever since? Also allows for Kreese to be even more of a manic?

He’s very “don’t you see?! Don’t you get it? IM THE REAL VICTIM HERE” *Currently choking a 17 year old to death*

Also Mr. Miyagi just honking his nose will never not be funny to me.

I love that it’s implied Daniel will come over purely to bitch, he just kicks in the door YOU WILL NOT BELLLLIEVE THE DAY IVE HAD. Also forever living for the very very 80s prom suit. However kinda weirded out? The moment is hysterical but it feels very unlike Ali?

“How come every time I feel bad you got work for me to do?” “Cosmic coincidence”

A refugee from Fresno 💕 the fact that not only was he going to let Daniel stay for the summer but that he would get his own full on little guest house?!

Both Daniels “your more important then anything to me” speech and his one about his dad?

“Dunno, never been attacked by tree”

“How new?” “About ten seconds

“Focus” “alright, what are you gonna do?” “Pray”

seriously there’s some great lines in here

I like how the movie is really one mainly for charecter development and their bond? To learn way more about Mr.Miyagi and some good general wisdom as always. It also further establishes Daniel as genuinely being just a good kid, sure he’s stupid sometimes(which he acknowledges) but he usually means good. I love that.

The meh-

When I tell you how fucking frustrating Sato and his nephew are? Just hard headed people in general. Do not get me wrong, he does serve as a great antagonist when it comes thing things ramping up and ramping up and ramping up but he’s so one track it’s kinda hard to redeem him? Like he just turns around “I’m good now :)” ??? Idk I would have liked one more scene.

Are we completely ignoring His wife from the first movie? That he did marry at all (it seams much more focused on if SHE did or not). Like don’t get me wrong it’s a interesting plot point but I feel it sort of takes away from the point made in the orignal about his wife and son. Daniel is the son he never got to have. Now they do at least, in this movie, very much play on to how Mr.Miyagi is very much a father figure to Daniel and I love that.

Also the love side plot is more THE plot… which the scenes are still adorable but at least in the first one their scenes would be spaced out with SOMETHING going on besides a guy coming around and wrecking things every once and awhile. There was a bunch to potential that they really went no where with, like again there’s so many great scenes with Daniel and Mr. Miyagi even Kumiko but they needed- something to happen.

I said it before but to much Kid not enough karate. Again I was mostly fine with this NOT being about training or them fighting, as that’s not really the point or principles Miyagi teaches- because it’s learn so you don’t HAVE to fight. Defense only. But I want- something to happen, they are give 3 days, which is WAY less then 2 months and somehow it feels longer. I’m not needing a fast paced movie Im not needing drawn out fight scenes just- a bit more then shoving THIS HUGE STORM AND A FIGHT INTO THE LAST TEN FUCKING MINUTES? These two things should be huge points in the movie but they are instead literally shoved in last minute. Im not kidding his fight is the last 8 minutes of the film, 5 of which are him absolutely getting his ass kicked. Which, again I would not mind if there was more then one fight and it happened in the first? Idk it just- it felt like it was a afterthought “oh oh yeah karate uhhhhhhhh the nephew comes back for revenge!” It’s just not it 😔

Great potential but a lot of it was underutilized , good interactions and strong charecters really save the movie

#80s movies #the karate kid #the karate kid 2 #the karate kid part ii #daniel larusso #mr. miyagi #johnny lawrence #john kreese #Sato karate kid #karate kid 1984 #karate kid 1986

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capitanogiorgio · 4 years

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Daniel and Football

So this is just a bit of fun and me linking to of my passion: football (soccer) and Karate Kid. Mainly because a) We see Daniel playing football several times in the first movie b) He is of italian descent and, although we don’t know how close he is to his roots, football is a very popular sport in Italy (probably one of the most popular if not the most).

Based purely on a screen test done by Ralph Macchio when he was 18, I would also headcanon that Daniel’s family (grandparents maybe, I was leaning towards Lucille’s side but that could be both Lucille and Daniel’s dad’s side as well) comes from Naples, southern Italy. Which, you’ll see have its importance.

Lucille and Daniel’s dad both supporting the SSC Napoli (Naples’ main club) and passing it on to Daniel

Daniel and his dad playing together in the park or with the whole extended LaRusso family in the street where they live.

Football being one of the things Daniel and his dad bond over and hence why he keeps playing after his dad’s death even though the US has not been known for its football as a nation, and especially at the time (except the New York Cosmos with their stars but most of them came after Daniel’s dad’s death)

Lucille and her husband cramming into an italian-owned pizzeria, with a radio and managing to find a channel covering the 1968 EURO. Daniel’s dad jumping with him in his arms when Italy finally wins the Euro

The whole LaRusso family having a crush on Dino Zoff, goalkeeper extraordinaire (MAYBE Daniel cries for days when Zoff leaves Naples for Juventus, in Turin, northern Italy)

The 1970 world cup. Italy seen as one of the favourite only to fail in the final against Brazil. Daniel only has fuzzy memories of it but he remembers how he had been so heartbroken and his parents so disappointed.

Games his parents tell him about. A couple they were able to see live the only time they were able to come back to Italy.

Daniel kind of becomes a fan of the NY Cosmos with Pelé and then Beckenbauer, players he only read about in some magasines

He sneaks out once with his cousins to go catch the game against the Los Angeles Aztecs because there’s George Best on the other side and he wants to see how he plays so badly.

Many, MANY, opinions in the LaRusso family about football and the Italian national team. Daniel argues in italian, he’s very opinionated.

Daniel singing Fratelli d’Italia with passion, trying to sing louder than the rest of his family. It never fails to bring a little tear in Lucille’s eyes.

Italy 1982. ITALY 1982. Daniel would be ECSTATIC. The team being doubted everywhere but Daniel believes. Zoff is 40 but he’s still the best, and maybe there aren’t any Napoli players but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t even care Paolo Rossi’s on the team. He’s fed up of all the crushed hopes and he’s sure it’s gonna be their world cup.

Daniel cheering like a madman after every single Rossi goal. Daniel cheering when Scirea controls the defense like it’s nothing.

Daniel skipping school for the final, the only time Lucille allows it and they all cram to the same pizzeria except they know have a TV with the RAI channels and thus showing the final.

Daniel being unable to sleep at night because all he can see is the three goals and the team giving his all and they’re WORLD CUP WINNERS BABY

1984. Maradona to Naples. Daniel can’t believe it. He wishes his dad could be there to see. To see one of the best player in the world join their club. Lucille finds a light blue t-shirt and knit a number 10 in the back to offer Daniel. It’s not much but that’s all they can afford and Daniel loves it

Daniel loves and cherish Ciro Ferrara even though he too, like many others, left for Juventus. He loves him dearly.

After meeting Miyagi, I’m sure he would be a bit curious about japanese football. And when Kazuoyoshi Miura is loaned to Genoa in Italy, he can’t wait to tell Miyagi. Miyagi probably has no idea who that is but Daniel would be really excited and try to keep up with his career (and he’s still active professionally today, aged 53)

When Hidetoshi Nakata joins Serie A, Daniel chooses he’s one of his new favourite players.

The 1994 world cup. THE 1994 WC. And the final was in Pasadena... AND OF COURSE DANIEL IS THERE. Daniel followed the team bumpy’s start before Roberto Baggio wakes up. And Daniele Maldini is all gracious and style and maybe Daniel crushes on him even though he doesn’t play for Naples.

So Daniel managing to get tickets for the final thanks to Mr Miyagi making him a gift and he goes with his mother obviously. And they both have Italian jerseys on, ones family brought with them from a recent trip to Italy and they have painted their cheeks as well and they’re SO into it. And then the game. 0-0, extra time. And then the pens and it’s like 1990 all over again. Daniel talks about Baggio’s cruel miss for days (months even)

2006 is his revange and he’s also super emotional because he cheers with a 4 year-old Sam who barely registers what’s happening and it makes him think of the Euros and World Cups he followed with his dad and the ones his dad tells him about.

He watches the 2002 World Cup in Japan with Miyagi.

He goes out of his way to get tickets to see Andrea Pirlo play with New York City when he joins the MLS.

He’d fight Alexi Lalas in a heartbeat

Daniel still practicing sometimes, some juggling here and there or with Louie (and maybe Anoush who could be convinced to be dragged for a bit of men bonding time over football).

Anyway, Daniel loves football, and that’s one of his link to his italian heritage and I wish CK could show a bit more of this

#The Karate Kid #Cobra Kai #Daniel LaRusso #listen they showed me football you're gonan get football #headcanons

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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The Weekend Warrior Movie Preview November 27, 2019 – KNIVES OUT, QUEEN AND SLIM, THE TWO POPES, 63 UP

You might notice that this column is no longer called “What to Watch This Weekend.” There are reasons for that I will not go into in much detail right at this time. I’ve always considered myself an original and when I recently learned the title had already been used long before “I came up with it,” I had to change gears and go back to a more familiar title. I have a feeling that few people read this column each week to even notice the difference.

Of course, Disney’s Frozen 2 will win the weekend, but the big new release has to be Rian Johnson’s KNIVES OUT (Lionsgate), which has such a to-die-for cast, including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield and many more. You can read my review of that here, and obviously I’m very bullish on recommending this to people since it’s such a fun whodunit, much better than last year’s Murder on the Orient Express. I really hope this does well since it will allow Johnson to keep making cool and original movies like this.

The other movie opening this weekend is Lena Waithe’s QUEEN AND SLIM (Universal), directed by Melina Matsoukas (who directed that long-form Beyoncé music video), and starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith.

I wasn’t going to review this, but I might as well use this space to talk about the problems I had with the movie. I feel I might be mainly on my own with this one, but it reminded me so much of Moonlight, a movie I was pretty non-plussed by, yet that not only went to the Oscars but won Best Picture that year. Huh.

I feel like Queen and Slim is another example of a movie that will be pushed for its SJW message even if the story has so many issues that I’m shocked so many people are overlooking them. The essential premise has Kaluuya and Turner-Smith as a couple who meet on a Tinder date, she a defense lawyer whose client has just been sentenced to death. After an awkward meet-cute at a diner, they drive off but are stopped by a police officer. One thing leads to another, the officer ends up dead, and the defense lawyer decides, “We should make a run for it,” and that’s exactly what they do.

That’s one of the big problems I had with the movie and it continued throughout, which is why I think this movie should have been called “Bad Decisions: The Movie,” because these are clearly two smart individuals, yet they are constantly doing really stupid things, which makes it really hard to root for them. On top of that, I wasn’t too impressed by Matsoukas/Waithe as a filmmaking team, as the movie had a lot of beautiful shots but really didn’t have much of a flow, making Matsoukas’ music video background far too obvious. It’s very typical of a new filmmaker wanting to create this beautiful-looking movie and losing sight of the actual narrative storytelling, which isn’t great. And then there’s the message Waithe is trying to drive home, clearly inspired by #BlackLivesMatter, but it just goes completely overboard at times, and no one in this movie acts like normal people might act in order to resolve their issues.

In other words, Queen and Slim is trying to be an arty film in what is a business where movies that cost a lot of money need to make that money back, and I see this as a pretty big risk on Universal’s part for a movie that just isn’t that great.

You can read about how the above movies might fare at the Thanksgiving box office over at The Beat.

LIMITED RELEASES

There are, thankfully, a fewer number of limited releases this weekend, the big one being Netflix’s THE TWO POPES, starring Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, which is absolutely fantastic. Directed by Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles from a screenplay from Anthony McCarten (Darkest Hour). Basically, it’s about the relationship between Popes Francis (Pryce) and Benedict (Hopkins) as the latter is being criticized for allowing Catholic priests to get away with repeated sexual abuses against young parishioners. I saw this movie quite some time ago, and I really need to see it again before writing any sort of review, but it will probably be in my top 25 mainly for the amazing script and the performances by the two leads. This will open in select cities on Wednesday and be on Netflix December 20, and maybe I’ll have a chance to rewatch so I can write more about it at that point. Regardless, it’s another movie opening this weekend I recommend seeking out.

Opening at the Film Forum on Wednesday is Michael Apted’s excellent doc 63 Up (Britbox), the culmination of the 56 years he has spent following the lives of a number of British kids from different classes over the course of their lives. I’ve loved this series since I first discovered it, probably around the 21-Upyears, but it’s amazing how every seven years, you can revisit these people and learn more about them. There are a few of the subjects that you’ve begun to really care about, but at a time when class struggles play such an important part in the conversation and films like Parasite and Knives Out (see above) and M. Night Shyamalan’s new series Servant, it’s amazing to watch this venerable doc series in that context. I’m not sure if Apted will make it seven more years to make 70 Up, but if not, this is a fine conclusion to his masterful masters thesis. 63 Up will open at the Landmark Nuart in Los Angeles on Dec. 6 before hitting Britbox.

Getting a week-long run in New York and Los Angeles starting Friday is Ladj Ly’s intense police thriller LES MISERABLES (Amazon), which is France’s selection for the Oscar’s “International Film” category, and it’s an amazing film that follows a group of cops trying to cover up the shooting of a kid from the projects. Like many police dramas, it involves a rookie who is thrust into this world of crime, and I’ll definitely have more to say about this before its official theatrical release in January.

Also getting a qualifying run in New York and L.A. this week is Emily Taguchi and Jake Lefferman’s documentary After Parkland (ABC Documentaries/Kino Lorber), which I somehow have missed so far, but I’ll probably have a chance to see it in 2020 when it’s getting its official release. As one can gather from the title, it’s about a number of families from the Marjory Stoneman Dougle High School trying to get through the Parkland shootings that left 17 dead.

STREAMING AND CABLE

Before we get to this section, I want to give a quick shout-out to VitalThrills.com who have an absolutely amazing Streaming section that you should be using as a resource, since it’s quite complete, maybe the best one on the internet?

If you’ve been putting off seeing Martin Scorsese’s 3-1/2 hour THE IRISHMAN, because you feel that’s too long to be sitting in a movie theater, it’s now on Netflix so you can watch it over and over, stopping and starting whenever you want. Happy?

While I’ve mostly been using this section for Netflix stuff (because it’s the only streaming/cable company that sends me regular PR), I’m excited that M. Night Shyamalan’s SERVANT will be debuting on Apple TV+ on Wednesday (today!), and that will be another darkly funny thing to watch with the family after Knives Out. You can watch the first three episodes, but I wrote a review of the first half of the season, which you can read here.

French filmmaker’s animated I Lost My Body will hit Netflix this Friday with its amazing story of the romance between a pizza delivery guy and a librarian, based on Guillaume Laurant’s novel “Happy Hand.” Also, Mati Diop’s Cannes-winning film Atlantics, which I STILL HAVEN’T WATCHED!!! Will hit the streaming network on the same day, so I’ll stop having excuses for not having seen it. Also hitting Netflix Thursday is the holiday comedy HOLIDAY RUSH, starring Romany Malco, La La Anthony, Sonequa Martin-Green and the legendary Darlene Love.

Also, Disney+ will be adding The Wonderful World of Disney Presents the Little Mermaid Live! to its library on Wednesday as well as Pixar’s Cocoon Friday, along with the fourth chapter of its ongoing series including one you might have heard of called The Mandalorian.

REPERTORY

METROGRAPH (NYC):

The Metrograph once again wins the Repertory Wars this weekend. Its Noah Baumbach Residency continues this weekend with the filmmaker’s 2010 film Greenberg and 2017’s The Meyerowitz Stories, both starring Ben Stiller, as well as screenings of Working Girl (1988), Pauline at the Beach (1983) and Five Easy Pieces (1970). (I don’t think Baumbach will be at any of these.) The annual Holidays at Metrograph series begins this week with 1934’s The Thin Man, Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and the 1940 film Remember the Night this Friday and Saturday. Filmmaker Whit Stilman will be back at the Metrograph, once again showing his 1990 film Metropolitan (another Metrograph holiday mainstay) on Sunday, and he’ll also introduce a screening of 1998′s The Last Days of Disco. Welcome To Metrograph: Redux will screen George Cukor’s 1950 film Born Yesterday, Clint Eastwood’s 1995 film The Bridges of Madison County (with screenwriter Richard LaGravanese introducing the screening Saturday night) and David Lean’s 1945 film Brief Encounter. Late Nites at Metrograph screens Terry Zwigoff’s 2001 film Ghost World, starring a VERY young Scarlett Johansson, while Playtime: Family Matinees will screen the appropriate Miracle on 34thStreet, the one from 1947.

ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE BROOKLYN (NYC)

Next week’s Terror Tuesday is Charles B Pierce’s The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972) in a new 4k restoration with a QnA with Pierce’s daughter moderated by Mohawk director Ted Geoghegan, then the Weird Wednesday is Liam Neeson in Sam Raimi’s Darkman (1990) in 35mm. (The latter is a fantastic film if you haven’t seen it yet.)

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

Today’s Weds. Afternoon Classics matinee is Samuel Fuller’s 1959 film The Crimson Kimono and Friday’s “Freaky Fridays” offering is David Cronenberg’s Existenz (1999). The weekend’s “Kiddee Matinee” is Jon Favreau’s Elf(2003), starring Will Ferrell, and Saturday’s midnight is a repeat of David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. Otherwise, it’s mostly screenings of Once Upon a Time … in Hollywoodthis weekend.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Opening this week is a 70thAnniversary 4k restoration of Robert Hamer’s Kind Hearts and Coronets, starring the great Sir Alec Guinness in 8 roles! Also this week, you can see a 4k restoration of the 1951 comedy The Man in the White Suit (on Weds and Sunday), as well as the 1955 film The Ladykillers, both directed by Alexander Mackendrick and also starring Guinness. Another repertory film getting a few screenings this weekend is the 1951 film The Lavender Hill Mob (another Guinness film!) and Carol Reed’s The Third Man from 1949 will get a full-week 70th anniversary presentation. This weekend’s Film Forum Jr. is To Kill a Mockinbird… ookay. On Sunday, you can see the 1975 Hal Ashby classic Shampoo in a single screening, and then on Monday night, there’s a single 35mm screening of Masaki Kobayashi’s 1964 film Kwaidan, based on four ghost stories by Lafcadio Hearn, introduced by Monique Truong, who has written a book about Hearn. Oh, it’s also over 3 hours long.

AERO (LA):

The AERO’s “Happy Thanksgiving 2019” movies include Planes, Trains and Automobiles on Wednesday, Singin’ in the Rain on Friday, and Saturday is a triple feature of “Satirical Cinema: Using Comedy to Underminte Hate” of Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator (1940), Mel Brooks’ The Producers(1968) and Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit… yeah, one of these movies doesn’t match up to the others, and also isn’t really repertory. Sunday is a Charlie Chaplin double feature of City Lights(1931) and The Circus (1928). Tuesday’s “Christmas Noir: A Hardboiled Holiday” matinee is Blast of Silence from 1961.

EGYPTIAN THEATRE (LA):

Friday is a “Black Friday Double Feature” of mall-related horror films with Chopping Mall (1986) and Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge (1989), and then Saturday is an all-day The Lord of the Rings trilogy starting at 1pm.

MOMA (NYC):

The newly renovated museum continues it’s “The Contenders 2019” series, but Modern Matinees: Iris Barry’s History of Filmwill continue through the week, as well. Vision Statement: Early Directorial Workswill return on Monday with Julie Dash’s 1991 film Daughters of the Dust, then Darren Aronofskiy’s Pi(1998) and Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali(1955) on Tuesday.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

If you want to find me this weekend, I’ll be spending a lot of time up on the Upper West Side (MTA-permitting) for the continuing “Relentless Invention: New Korean Cinema 1996-2003” for a bunch of movies, including Bong Joon Ho’s 2000 debut Barking Dogs Never Bite. You should also check out Varda by Agnès while you’re up there.

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

“The Collected Terrence Malick” continues this weekend with screenings of some of Malick’s more recent films: Voyage of Time: Ultra Widescreen Version, The New World: Theatrical Version (Friday) andLimited Release Version (Sat.), as well as Voyage of Time: Life’s Journey on Saturday, and then the “Brad Pitt version” of Voyage of Time on Sunday. Also, Malick’s classic The Tree of Life will screen Friday and Sunday.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

Weekend Classics: May All Your Christmases be Noirwill screen The Night of the Hunter (1955), Waverly Midnights: Spy Games screens Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) in a 4k restoration, while Late Night Favorites: Autumn 2019 will screen… I can’t even. It’s movies they’ve shown a dozen times or more… Matt Zoller Seitz’s “Movies with MZS” continues next Tuesday with a screening of Moonstruck with screenwriter John Patrick Shanley.

QUAD CINEMA (NYC):

Thursday/Thanksgiving is your last chance to see Buster Keaton’s Battling Butler (1926) and The Navigator (1924) from out of the Cohen Films vault.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

Continuing its Nicolas Cage series by screening 1989’s Vampire’s Kiss in 35mm on Weds, Friday and Saturday nights, plus another screening of Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) on Sunday.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART (LA):

This week’s Friday midnight is the uncut version of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1990 film Santa Sangre.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

On Sunday, you can take the family to a matinee of Muppet Christmas Carol.

That’s it for this week. I’ll be taking a week off from the Box Office Preview over at The Beat, but the Weekend Warrior (sigh) will be back here with all the limited releases kicking off December.

#TheWeekendWarrior KnivesOut QUeenAndSlim TheTwoPopes 63Up Movies Reviews

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