Topic: The Movie Thread

I saw JoJo Rabbit last night and thought it was fantastic. Funny, with a heartfelt story at its core and full of brilliant performances. Then see that there was a load of controversy when it was released regarding the way it portrayed Hitler, Nazis and the holocaust. One critic even gave it a zero. Sigh. Do people not know satire when they see it? I've not checked but The Death of Stalin dealt with something similar and I do not recall seeing as much controversy around it.

@LN78 Glad it is not just me then lol. Taika Waititi is fast becoming one of my favourite directors along with a few others in their infancy such as Jordan Peele, Ari Asta, Robert Eggers, Mike Flanagan, Jeremy Saulnier and S. Craig Zahler that I'm always keen to see their films.

On the advice of a friend, I finally got around to watching the original The Karate Kid and the first few episodes of Cobra Kai. I can see why this property is such a cult hit: it takes something small, like a conflict centered around a few people in a karate dojo, and blows it up into something grand, a fable about life, honor, good, evil, etc. The climactic crane kick that Daniel uses to finish off Johnny in the championship at the end of the first film has something of the operatic quality of Luke Skywalker destroying the Death Star by firing proton torpedoes into its exhaust port.

Cobra Kai amusingly deconstructs elements of this mirror universe while still maintaining the core spirit that made the original film so beloved. The ideological and narrative simplicity of the original conflict is in the past, but memories of it still burn in the hearts of the people directly connected, so it casts a complicated shadow on the present.

Maybe it falls apart later on, but I'm really enjoying it so far.

@Ralizah When we were talking about 80’s movies not holding up to today’s standards, The Karate Kid is one that I agree does hold up better than most. The bullying and coming of age story are as relatable now as ever. The crane kick is definitely iconic, and I’m sure it doesn’t hold up under scrutiny of someone who actually knows anything about karate, but it’s a pretty cool ending.

@Th3solution
Definitely true! I was one of those 80's kid who had a real facination with the karate kid movies! I even had a karate kid 2 poster on my bedroom wall. I felt like Daniel was me. I too suffered from bullying almost constantly. It got physical too. I still have lead from a pencil in my knee where a kid ran up and stabbed me in the kneecap. Cyber bullying ain't nothing like the real thing. I was afraid to walk home from school by myself. I eventually got bigger and the bullying stopped but you might say the karate kid movies helped me cope. That and gaming as well. I took mr. Miyagi's lessons to heart and just like he says "Fighting always last answer to problem." I've basically followed that my whole life.

@RogerRoger
All three movies and Cobra kai are on Netflix now so if you really wanna dive in there's that. The second one is pretty good too but the third is where it started going south. It's not terrible but definitely the lowest point of the series. Scratch that, The fourth one is the worst. Yes there was a fourth one. More of a soft reboot though with a girl instead of Daniel.

@Ralizah @Zeldafan79 @RogerRoger @LN78 Looks like maybe I should take a look at the Netflix show. It sounds like a much better alternative to the reboot we got with Will Smith’s son a few years ago — I know I watched that movie but I’ve completely forgot much of anything about it and recall it being quite average and unnecessary.
As for the sequels, I agree with Zeldafan that the TKK2 was actually pretty good, but the third one was fairly lousy.
As with most classics, the original trumps them all. (Well... excepting Star Wars.)

@LN78
Cobra kai is definitely a good example of how you revitalize a long dead franchise! I'd love to see Elizabeth shue return to the fold but in what capacity that would make sense I'm not sure. I didn't mind Hillary swank but that movie with her was pretty dull. I hear the guy Daniel fought called Chozen from KK2 is possibly going to be in season 3.

@RogerRoger Small world. There is a reasoning to my watching TKK now, though. Apparently the movies are leaving Netflix soon, so I decided to watch it while I had the opportunity. Which led to the discussion about Cobra Kai.

@LN78 That seems like an easily avoided mistake in the script, doesn't it? I didn't really think about it, though. I doubt most people did.

@Th3solution I will say, the movie ends VERY abruptly after that iconic scene. It just... stops. It was quite jarring.

Anyway, yeah, as someone with zero childhood nostalgia for this film, I'd still recommend Cobra Kai. Even if you're not a huge TKK fan, it's a fun drama series.

@Ralizah I might just check that out. And I might try to watch the films again before they leave Netflix. I wonder who outbid Netflix for them ... Amazon Prime?
As far as the ending of the first movie — I’ll have to watch it again to confirm my memory, but yes, I recall it ending abruptly. Nevertheless, I seem to remember that (I guess I should spoiler tag for those who haven’t seen it) as they are hoisting Daniel up on their shoulders and and the celebration ensues, you can hear Johnny say to Daniel “You’re alright Daniel” in a congratulatory moment of contrite deference. This moment was so brief you almost miss it if you’re not watching closely and I always felt like Johnny’s epilogue / redemption arc should have been highlighted more. Nevertheless, the beginning of TKK2 corrects this issue quite well as it picks up right after the tournament in the parking lot.

I’m curious to see how the Netflix series paints the rivalry. Obviously the true villain is the Cobra Kai Sensei (I forget his name), so I assume the show focuses on him as the antagonist

@Th3solution Yeah, the bit where he praises Daniel is utterly lost amidst the din. It was pretty clear he was horrified by what John Kreese wanted him to do, and I do think he was hugely impressed with the way that unfairly hobbled Daniel eked out a win with that crane kick. Although it's awkward in the context of coming immediately after him and his homies kept trying to destroy Daniel's knee.

EDIT: Looked up the scene in TKK 2 that you brought up. It's a bit...

John Kreese was painted as a powerful figure in TKK, but here he just seems like a run of the mill guy with an anger issue. Also, this scene worries me about Daniel. Why would he expect his sensei to straight up murder a dude in cold blood in the middle of a parking lot?

@LN78 Makes sense, considering how it provides a sort of closure to the central ideological conflict of the film. I wasn't aware the same director did Rocky!

@RogerRoger OK, so, to update you, I'm now seeing people on different gaming forums discussing this franchise. The more time goes on, the more I become convinced that free will is an illusion and modern societies are moving toward a form of explicit group consciousness.

Tomorrow Never Dies (Blu-Ray)

The Premise - Elliot Carter is a global media mogul who makes the news, quite literally. With the launch of his satellite news network quickly approaching, he attempts to instigate a military confrontation between the UK & China, and of course his new station will have the scoop before anyone else. It's up to film's most famous super spy James Bond (teaming up here with Chinese femme fatale Mai Lai) to cancel the show.

The Takeaway - This is the epitome of popcorn entertainment. It has nothing particularly deep to say (outside of maybe an OTT parody of cable news/Rupert Murdock) and there's some suspension of disbelief, but it's simply a fun time. The opening sequence at the black market arms deal was cracking (especially the moment where Bond ejected his attacker into an enemy jet), it had possibly the most tricked out car chase in the franchise, and the motorcycle chase was fun too. I also liked the tension between the Chinese & British militaries, giving it that element of international tension that makes the best Bond flicks.

The Package - Like the other Bond films I have this one is full of special features. Not that I'm going through all of them, but it has the Theatrical trailers, cast & production photos, commentaries, and more. The menu (shared across all the Bond films, I believe) is probably my favorite one, too.

@RR529 I’ll forever be annoyed about the Tomorrow Never Dies theme being given to Sheryl Crow instead of the others up for it like Pulp, Marc Almond and Saint Etienne. Pulp’s one was really good and retitled ‘Tomorrow Never Lies’ for release. Don’t get me started on Spectre eschewing the Radiohead theme in favour of Sam Smith 😂

@nessisonett I've been wanting Muse to do a Bond song for years now cos I think they'll make an awesome song. But EON seem to just want whoevers popular right now. Having said that I think Billie Ellish's one is pretty good, it's quite sombre for a typical Bond song.

@AdamNovice Not a fan of Billie Eilish’s one but to be fair, all her success is completely down to her brother’s production. Remove his distinct style and you’re left with yet another mumbling voice. Muse are one of those bands I loved when I was 12 but rather quickly grew out of so if they’d done Quantum of Solace’s theme I’d have been right on that.

Akira is getting 4K release in UK cinemas and IMAX.

@JohnnyShoulder Such a shame we didn’t get the 2020 Neo Tokyo Olympics for real. This looks proper cool though, I’d see it in IMAX.

@nessisonett That might be the film that gets me out of cinema hibernation. One of my first manga films I saw and most definitely my favourite. My little teenage brain did not know what to make of it! Totally blew my mind.

Anybody here Bill and Ted fans? I haven't seen the new movie yet but i definitely will have to check it out! I remember seeing Bogus journey in the theater when i was 12! I know it's a cheesy buddy comedy but being an 80's kid I've always had a soft spot for these movies. Those guys always put a big stupid grin on my face and you just feel better about life somehow after watching them. Anybody with me on this?