The Karate Kid (1984)

Kate says out of all the movies on this list, The Karate Kid (and Star Wars) are the two where I actually pretended to be the main characters in my childhood role-playing games. That's right! I wanted to be a Jedi and do the crane technique (I didn't want to actually take karate; I just wanted to do the crane technique; I can remember standing in our family playroom, practicing.)

That being said, I remembered almost nothing about the movie except the crane technique. Things came back to me as I watched, such as the shower costume and Daniel sanding the floor, but mostly, the whole movie was a big, fresh surprise.

Speaking of which, I was bemused by how good Ralph Macchio is in the movie. He was a HUGE success at the time, especially as a "teen" heart-throb, and I admit I'd unfairly filed him in the "bad child actors" category of my brain.

But he actually makes the role work. And he's appealing. Not his looks (I outgrew my "pretty boy" phase fairly early anyway; sorry, Leonardo!) but his husky voice and deadpan jokes. I didn't remember the movie being so funny! I got an especially big kick out of the mom with her broken-down station wagon.

Setting aside all the 80's cliches, the plot is quite coherent. It is your classic sports movie, but it has more meat to it than many sports flicks. New kid in town + new girlfriend + new father figure + sports tournament makes for a solid 2 hours. And the girl-boyfriend relationship is refreshingly normal in its progression. (I like how Daniel is a normal, imperfect kid with a bit of charm and a lot of fundamental kindness--though now and again, his 23-year-old mature self shows though; few teenage boys are quite so quick on their feet when it comes to verbal displays of affection) .

So I rather enjoyed seeing this movie "new".

And, boy, don't we all wish we had a Pat Morita in our lives?

Mike says the crane technique may have been the one thing every kid in the 80's had in common. As a kid, I loved this movie! but I'm not sure I entirely understood it. I think I've beat the whole "Wow, this movie is so full of 80's cliche's!" horse just about to death so far on this list, so instead we'll just talk about the film itself.

What I appreciate about this movie the most is that it respects the viewer enough to take its time with the set-up, and it really works to make the premise believable. For instance, Miyagi befriends Daniel long before the whole karate training happens, and already cares for the boy, which is far different from what I remembered as a kid: Miyagi jumping into the fray and saving Daniel right away.

I also like that Miyagi isn't starting from scratch with Daniel. He's a kid with SOME background in Karate already, and he's established as a competent (perhaps even talented) athlete. While we all seem to remember the training and the fights from the film, the tiny moments sometimes get lost: Miyagi drinking and thinking of his family, Daniel running in the shower costume, Miyagi throwing down the challenge for the tournament.

The film also has a strong moral of the importance of the Teacher, and what is Taught. A good, wise teacher will produce good students; evil teachers, well, obviously, will produce bad students.
 
(My Karate Kid themed birthday.)

As a Behavioral Therapist, I'm constantly looking for ways to teach my kids in natural and practical ways. As such, I really have an appreciation of Miyagi's methods (and a sneaking admiration of how they benefit himself as well as Daniel). The cool thing is there is actual logic behind his methods. By having Daniel go through repetitive motions, he's honing Daniel's reflexes and muscle memory. Very cool stuff!

The film's plot and script are solid. It's a solid film, and no wonder it was such a hit. I think perhaps the most surprising thing is how well the recent remake with Jackie Chan really captures the spirit of the original. But, I won't begrudge anyone for preferring the original. Now, excuse me, I need to go exercise to an 80's rock ballad.

Brick Review

Mike says I've seen Brick possibly more than any other movie I own, and I own many. My opinion, therefore, is obviously and absolutely biased toward this film. So, take this review with a grain of salt.

Brick re-imagines classic hard-boiled film noir in a modern high school setting. While I'm sure this sounds awful, the final results are impressive, mostly because of just how perfect a fit the two genres ended up being for one another. The hard-boiled detective is a teenage loner (who excels in his advanced English class) . The criminal underworld in which he delves is the drug traffickers of the school, and the career opportunist police chief is the assistant principle.

For what it is, Brick succeeds on every level. The dialog is crisp, fresh and inventive, while still being reminiscent of classic noir. The acting is fantastic, and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt is just phenomenal. The plot and story are tight and well structured, with only one minor hole (which I may mention in the comments).

The atmosphere and setting of the movie are also great with that foggy blue color permeating the film and at just the right moments. The use of silhouette and lighting is spot on. The music of the film is haunting and perfect.

Like I said, I love this movie, and if it has any flaws, they are very hard for me to see.

My love for the film stems from a couple things: first off, as I gushed about above, I feel it is amazingly well made. Second, I love the whole idea and approach of the movie: reinvent something old, taking the best from then and now. I think Brick succeeded in this more than any other movie in recent years trying the same thing (anyone seen DiCaprio's Romeo & Juliet?).

As a fan noir, I think the film captures the moods and the tones of noir, without them feeling tired and rehashed, or overdone.

The thing I love about noir, especially hard-boiled noir, is the idea of a normal man going out and actively facing his problems, trying to stubbornly bring justice to the situation. It's compelling to see these rock hard men face things that bring them to their knees... and yet they don't give up. They persevere, even when their victories are often bittersweet.

Brick is such a story; and even more impressive, it tells this story about a young man making these choices and facing these hardships far earlier than he should have to. For me, it's plain incredible to watch.

Kate says if you want to understand Brick think Joseph Gordan-Levitt as Humphrey Bogart in Maltese Falcon.

Okay, there you are. 'Nuff said.

It does work, believe it or not. We're talking dreamy empty high school landscape rather than a black & white gritty city, but the atmosphere is the same.

I will state, up-front, that drugs bore me, but, as in the Maltese Falcon, the focus is not on the crime but on the power politics and power-politicking characters that surround the crime. There's also a startling Heathers' quality regarding the language where nouns are used as verbs and verbs as adjectives. The language is less aggressive than in Heathers but quite effective.

The teen angst is also surprisingly bearable, mostly due to Brendan's characterization as a savvy and ruthlessness operator (again, think Bogart). As in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the kids are really adults who keep the trappings of childhood but behave as if their actions have terrible consequences--and they do.

This makes it film noir, of course, but every now and again, the film noir is cut by some truly funny stuff, such as Mom serving orange juice and the table lamp in the van (I really love the table lamp in the van) plus the postcard snap of all the Outsider-type boys in their white t-shirts. In fact, if there had been more of these tidbits--which are pretty subtle--the film would have coasted from film noir to film spoof: less Bogart and more, well, Heathers.

Part of me wished this had happened, but the other part of me thinks the director was right to rein himself in (it must have been tempting; he obviously knows his genres!). He had a choice, and he went with Bogart. (I'm very thankful he avoided Outsiders). This creates a very different film from most teen-oriented remakes.

By the way, I want to give Gordon-Levitt kudos not just for Brick but for this quote:

My favorite kinds of actors are the chameleons, like Daniel Day-Lewis or Peter Sellers, people like that. To me, the highest compliment you can pay to an actor is, "Man, I didn't recognize you."

I agree; chameleon actors are some of my favorites as well. (Can I just tell you have much I love David Marchiano?) I'm not sure Gordon-Levitt will ever be completely unrecognizable, but I think he has that chameleon factor. I wouldn't have slated him for Bogart in a million years (but then, who would have pinpointed Bogart for Bogart?). Without a convincing Bogart, Brick wouldn't work. Gordon-Levitt is so convincing, you forget that he's supposed to be convincing you. That doesn't happen very often.