The Karate Kid...lets discuss the greatness.

Ralph was my second celebrity crush (the first being Danny P. from Who's the Boss). The muscle T shirts, the bandanas, the sweat, ay ay ay...

One of the most disturbing things Morita did shortly after KK came out was appear in Night Patrol, the world's worst attempt at a Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker film knockoff ever, as a pre-teen female rape victim (this was done by having him just appear as himself, but with a dubbed-in squeaky voice...and this was meant to be a COMEDY).

That's very creepy, I've never heard of that movie.

Also - Cruel Summer is not at the date place - it's on Daniel's first day at his new school as it's daytime and the sun is shining (DYS!)

Favourite bit - Must focus danielsen. Best karate still inside. I still use this as a motivational line. I do not motivate many people, but it makes me feel good.

The IMDB entry

A 'celebration' of sorts

I never am able to fully enjoy that crane move because, I mean, how did he do it? First off, it's virtually a physically impossible move to begin with (don't tell me you all haven't tried it, whether as a kid or drunk, two weeks ago, at a party. You know you have). Secondly, his leg is like BROKEN or something, I mean he's limping back all over the place and totally hobbling on his way back to the fight and obviously can't put pressure on that leg. So suddenly he can land on it with the FULL FORCE OF HIS BODY and kick another person in the face? How does it work!!!

more karate kid greatness: when daniel wins the tournament elisabeth shue comes out for the loving embrace and just fucking towers over tiny ass ralph maccio.

http://www.ec.com.my/webproxy/nph-proxy.pl/010110A/http/whatever-dude.com/wdimages/dposts/kkid5.jpg

(and checking the above i found this: http://www.cyberkwoon.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9397&view=next which is like ilx meets cobra kai...)

http://sports.espn.go.com/page2/movies/s/simmons/020830.html

Alcoholism? No idea. I'm reading about it now.

Cobra Kai is fun & worth tr time imo

It can get as confusing as any soaper (who's changed sides now, etc.), but if you accept it as a soap version of what happens when you get your favorite characters from the films together, it's fine.

I never thought I'd say that William Zabka is a better actor than Ralph Macchio.

the friends Daniel made in the first ten minutes of the film kinda wound up being absolute lamestains huh. i was thinking it'd be awkward to live in the same apartment complex as the dude who abandoned him facedown in the sand, all the way over the hill from Reseda. wonder how he got home.

for years I thought the scene at the dance/Daniel getting beat up while trying to escape was towards the beginning of the movie. years later I learned it was because mom/dad started the tape much too late when recording it off of TV. I'd never even seen the Elizabeth Shue scene on the beach until I was 30.

still no better moment for my money than Daniel winning and Miyagi smiling like a proud father seconds after. even though doing the crane IRL would have resulted in Johnny side-stepping and Daniel falling on his ass

"no can defense the move that is telegraphed for about ten seconds before you execute it"

regarding Cobra Kai, the last two seasons were disappointing to me. they always had a soap opera feel, but they've at times felt like wheel spinning. there's only so many seasons of "we have to take down XXX, leader of Cobra Kai" I can take. I'm a much bigger fan of the more interpersonal stuff, like Johnny's relationship with his kid, Tory's rough life, etc.

I do appreciate that the series ultimately uses a HK cinema approach in where reality is eschewed and people take off fighting at a moment's notice to defend honor, get vengeance, or protect their families.

still lol at the advanced skills the kids all learn in like 3 months. I did Tae Kwon do for three years and all I learned were forms and the sparring was always shitty

I still need to get around to season 5 of Cobra Kai ... the momentum seemed to wane during season 4

the martial arts scenes in this franchise have never been very good, even by US movie standards, but realism would contradict the musical-comedy rules of a universe where teenagers spontaneously start brawling instead of singing and dancing

the funniest and most realistic aspect of the show is the older guys who are super serious about karate trying to deal with the incomprehension and impatience of family and friends

hah yes!

that one post-hospital scene where Daniel talked about "Cobra Kai can't get away with this" and Amanda said OMG WILL YOU STFU ABOUT KARATE RIGHT NOW, i wanted to stand and applaud

My first Cobra Kai episode was the country club party where Daniel, Daniel's wife, Johnny, and Alli kick it over vodka martinis.

loved taht one. but I'm a huge Shue fan

yeah loved that one

Zabka is reliably dirtbag comedy gold all the way through, I love how much he leans into the dumbness

I guess playing Johnny's terrible stepdad wasn't his last onscreen role, but it was nice to give Ed Asner a sendoff in something I was actually watching not just to see him.

yeah agreed!

tbc I love how Daniel, Daniel's wife, Johnny, and Alli kick it over vodka martinis despite drinking martinis with vodka in them.

lol

Elizabeth Shue being 60 (soon) trips me out.

Maybe not as much as Ralph Macchio being 22 years old when the movie was filmed, and Randee Heller (who played his mom) being 36.

There was only a 3 year gap between Karate Kid III and My Cousin Vinny, but I remember when the latter came out thinking "Ralph went away and got old!"

I enjoy the weird out-of-time quality of the original Karate Kid... maybe it's remembered as classic 80s film now, but it feels like it could have been set anywhere from like 1946 to 1996, some smeared out American adolescence from the end of WWII to the World Wide Web

the end of Karate Kid III, with the little hand drums? unforgettable. no quality judgment one way or the other, i'm just never going to forget it.

i think the hand drums was Karate Kid 2

that sounds right though i haven't seen it since i watched in the theater back in '86. pretty memorable.

i do love how Kreese was apparently teleported in from another movie, probably rated-R, where he was playing an evil henchman. Absolutely one of the most absurd characters to ever appear on screen, contextually speaking. but...

https://c.tenor.com/2NwXxMMYhXYAAAAd/tenor.gif

The first movie has many merits, but it's hard not to laugh at how out of shape and awkward both Macchio and Morita look throughout. Daniel's training between the start of the movie and the tournament appears to result in zero improvement in his fitness, and Morita looks soft and cuddly in every scene except for the 20 seconds or so where he's doubled by Fumio Demura.

Another gripe: we're told that Miyagi has been living in California for more than 40 years, but his Yoda-like pidgin English is supposed to be both plausible and hilarious ... this aspect of Morita's schtick wasn't funny then and hasn't aged well.

I'll admit to having a little personal animus toward the film because it marked a transition in how people in the US perceived teaching and learning martial arts. The kids in The Karate Kid are 20-somethings playing high school students, but the target audience was younger, and after the movie's success there was a big expansion in the number of commercial martial arts schools aimed at children, along with a corresponding decline in the interest and participation of adults. The martial arts world has changed a lot since 1984, but if you say "karate" to most people in the US today, their immediate association is with the place Mom takes Mason on the afternoons he doesn't have soccer practice.

I enjoy the way Cobra Kai leans into that absurdity, but it would be funnier if all the karate students were played by under-12 child actors.

Another gripe: we're told that Miyagi has been living in California for more than 40 years, but his Yoda-like pidgin English is supposed to be both plausible and hilarious ... this aspect of Morita's schtick wasn't funny then and hasn't aged well.

*cues Japanese flute*

the bonzai techniques in this film can also be applied to manscaping