Movie Bum

The Karate Kid

2010-07-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Movie remakes are a dime a dozen these days and when I heard that one of the classic movies that greatly influenced my childhood was getting a retouch, I admit I was quite apprehensive. The Karate Kid although not really as action packed and flashy as the recent martial arts movies was one of those old movies that stick in your mind. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel san and the whole “wax on, wax off” thing are forever carved on our brains and doing a reboot that will not live up to the original Karate Kid will forever destroy this franchise. So when I watched this movie, I was ready to karate chop some bums already and was not really up for giving it a chance…gladly I was mistaken with my assumptions.

This is actually the first karate kid movie that stars an actual kid, Jaden Smith (who gave a worthy performance on The Pursuit of Happiness and is Will Smith’s son) stars as the main character Dre Parker… who with at start of the movie we see moving to china with his mom. This is of course the original karate kid formula where an American is thrust into an environment that introduces him into an Asian culture and highlights the contrast between his original and current world. Taraji Henson plays his mom who delivers the standard role but can get quite annoying with her voice.

The real stand out here would be Mr. Han, played by Jackie Chan to perfection, who better to step into the role of a master than the legendary Jacky Chan himself. His character although has a similar job like the original Karate Kid’s Mr. Miyagi, has a much more deeper storyline and is a broken character. While Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi was stoic and calculating, Chan’s Mr. Han is reluctant and battling his own demons as we later realize in the film. The chemistry between Jaden and Chan is there and is pretty good, gone are the wax on, wax off days of the old and is replaced with the jacket on, jacket off exercise.

This Karate kid is aimed at a younger audience as evident from the soundtrack and the general cast, but Jacky Chan steals every scene he is in. He is believable as a broken handy man who is also a master martial artist. The training scenes echo some classic scenes on the old karate kid but Jaden who is just a little kid performs really well. You will believe that this kid can kick some bums. The movie itself is not all about the action but more on the relationships and how an outcast kid gains respect while learning values along the way.

Personally I enjoyed this movie and Mr. Miyagi would be proud that his legacy is carried on with respect and with high regard. The only gripe I have with this karate kid is the title itself. “Karate” is a Japanese word which is a type of martial arts developed in Japan, while this whole movie is set in China and the kid learns Kung-fu so I can’t wrap my mind around how the writing staff figured that out. But all in all it was a good movie, some poignant moments mixed with action and some laughs.

Teaser for Inception, The New Movie From Chris Nolan!

2009-08-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

We all know Christopher Nolan by now i hope, He is the director of the hugely popular reboots, Batman Begins & The Dark Knight . Inception is his latest movie, and it sports a stellar cast comprised of Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy and Michael Caine.

Described as a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind from "Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan. Nolan wrote the original screenplay and hopes to shoot the sci-fi action film in the summer for a release during summer 2010.

Here is the teaser for this movie,can't wait what he has in store for us this time.

Teaser (8.24.09):
QuickTime/Flash Player, Various

TOP 10 Movies This Week

2009-08-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

Taken From comingsoon.net

TW= This Week
LW= Last Week

TW	LW	Title	Studio	Weekend	Theaters	Total	Week
1	-	Inglourious Basterds	Universal Pictures, The Weinstein Company	$37,602,000	3,165	$37,602,000	1
2	1	District 9	TriStar Pictures (Sony)	$18,900,000	3,050	$73,491,000	2
3	2	G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra	Paramount Pictures	$12,500,000	3,953	$120,531,000	3
4	3	The Time Traveler's Wife	New Line Cinema (Warner Bros. Pictures)	$10,025,000	2,988	$37,448,000	2
5	4	Julie & Julia	Columbia Pictures (Sony)	$9,000,000	2,463	$59,288,000	3
6	-	Shorts	Warner Bros. Pictures	$6,600,000	3,105	$6,600,000	1
7	5	G-Force	Walt Disney Pictures	$4,205,000	2,561	$107,315,000	5
8	7	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	Warner Bros. Pictures	$3,515,000	1,936	$290,275,000	6
9	8	The Ugly Truth	Columbia Pictures (Sony)	$2,850,000	1,971	$82,887,000	5
10	-	Post Grad	Fox Searchlight Pictures	$2,800,000	1,959	$2,800,000	1

James Cameron's AVATAR

2009-08-23T02:41:00.001-07:00

The trailer for this movie just came out, and i must say i am not that impressed. It looks like grown up smurfs to me, but see for yourself. This movie will come out December 18, 2009. Many people also keep confusing this movie with M. Night Shyamalan's "Avatar: The Last Air Bender"

Trailer:

QuickTime/Flash Player, Various

Up, Up and Away!

2009-08-23T01:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday i met up with an old boss for some busniness matters and he invited me to come along for lunch and a movie with his team, i learned the movie was Up. I was not really interested in a kid movie, but was i really wrong for judging it as a kid movie. Here is where i really start giving out some SPOILERS, so turn away now if you have not seen the movie...

From Disney•Pixar comes "Up," a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

That summary is an accurate description of the movie but believe me that you will leave the theater a little happier and content than when you came in. The theater we watched in had small chairs and small make up mirrors for kids set up just outside the doors which is understandable since most who were watching brought their kids there. The movie intro was a Pixar Short titled "Partly Cloudy" which i am not gonna spoil for you, but ties in with the main movie theme of being in the clouds.

The movie starts with the love story of Carl and his wife Ellie, and the audience went from happy to sad in a span of 15 minutes or so,i don't know how they did it but they managed to fit carl's whole life in that time and it was nicely done. It tugged at your heart with just the right amount, this was my first inkling that this movie is for all ages and not purely for kids. Flash forward to Carl who is now old and alone in a changing world around him. He is confronted with a situation which pushes him to decide to go for the dream of Ellie sending him to an adventure of his life, accompanied by Russell, an innocent enthusiastic wilderness explorer, who for a really young guy holds his own emotional burdens.

The two embark on Carl's mission and form an unlikely friendship, meeting lots of interesting character's along the way. Talking dogs, an obsessed explorer, a big bird and some squirrels. The Whole house floating with with only balloons supporting it does not really occupy your mind, its the belief that something fantastic like that could happen.

Amidst its fun and wacky, really funny story ( the theater was roaring with laughter most of the time), some serious underlying themes are infused in the movie. Up tells us that when our love dies, it does not mean we sit around a die ourselves. It is phrased simply that when an adventure has ended, it is only right to take on a new adventure, it teaches us the importance of letting go and accepting new things in our life. So if you have not guessed it by now, I loved the movie and recommend it to all of you. Not just for kids, But adults alike, it is a rare gem that enriches your veins and makes you believe again, scratching of some cynicism on that old ticker of yours.

9 out of 10 thumbs up, yeah i know i got ten thumbs.........

Trailer:

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iPod Video, Zipped