Ciao, cinemaphiles!
This week Ian and David discuss The Karate Kid!
There was much painting of fences and waxing of cars this week as Ian and David emerged with tennis elbow and a torn meniscus in each shoulder to get out on the mat and fansplain this movie with one awesome leg sweep!
Thanks for listening.
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We just finished watching Season 2 of Cobra Kai so it was good timing that you Fansplained The Karate Kid this week. The series uses clips from the movie in a really smart way to show how events in your formative years can influence your future choices. I remember a comic strip once had a kid character making a “flashback reel” so he can use it in a movie when he grows up. The series is kind of like that for the Karate Kid cast. I heard the series also uses footage that DIDN’T get into the original cut to show more of the tournament from Johnny’s perspective – especially a close-up of that final (illegal!) kick to the face. That sets up middle-aged Johnny as a more sympathetic character.
Should Danny have played that prank on Johnny in the washroom? Nope. But it’s good story-telling to have Danny escalating the feud. In Cobra Kai, Grown-up Danny is portrayed as being equally to blame for rekindling his rivalry with Johnny which makes for a more complex and balanced story.
I remember being really impressed with Pat Morita’s dramatic acting chops after only seeing him on Happy Days. That drunken anniversary scene is so moving and, as strong as he is in the rest of the movie, that’s no doubt what clinched the Oscar nomination for him. Martin Kove’s Sensei Kreese deserves a lot of credit for creating a great villain. Personally, I think Kreese was an egotistical sociopath before he went to Vietnam. People like him tend to gravitate to fields where they can dominate and manipulate others: the military, sports, politics…