Put Your Jacket On....

The 1984 Karate Kid has become a cultural icon, and the story line has been used for million times. A kid, bullied, helped by an old guy happened to be karate expert, the kid learn to be tough, entered the tournament, fought his nemesis, and won it...It's like the fairy tales in a modern way, and for teenagers indeed. Back then, it is hard not to like the classic version, where it glorified courage, honor, and of course, getting a hot chick in the most stylish way, showing off the crane kick. Pat Morita, with his role as the notorious Mr. Miyagi, since then has been a iconic figure in Hollywood.

Now, the 2010 Karate Kid basically is using the same old recipe, but instead of karate, they change the setting into China, where the kid learns Kung-Fu. I still find it silly that the movie title was not changed into Kung Fu Kid, since the title and the whole story was totally irrelevant, but this is Hollywood, and I guess this is the way to attract the old 80's generation to watch it. The producers made a bold move to choose Jaden Smith (Will Smith's kid) as the new karate, ups...kung fu kid, not just because he's BLACK (believe me, commonly it's kinda hard for Hollywood to promote black people as an action figure), but also the new character will become much YOUNGER than Ralph Macchio. Another interesting cast selection was Jackie Chan as the kung fu master, since he has been very very poor on choosing the script in Hollywood these days. So, will the new Karate Kid will actually be that good for the new generation? Oh hell yeah...(believe, I didn't even see this coming).

Dre (Jaden Smith), is moving out to China with his mum (Taraji P. Henson). Apparently, cultural shock and a couple of jet lag has made things from bad to worst for Dre's first day in Beijing. His show off attitude toward a cute girl, Mei Ying (Wenwen Han) doesn't make Cheng happy, who happens to be very good in kung fu. Beaten up like a sack, Dre has just started his nightmarish days. Until one day, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) an old mechanic guy, helps him out from being cornered by Cheng's group. Desperately, Dre begs Mr. Han to teach him not just to fight, but importantly, to defend himself. He declined at first, but after failing to make peace with Cheng's master, Han decides make Dre his apprentice, since the kid is challenged to join a kung fu tournament. From there, the story embarks not just on teaching martial arts, but also on how the mentor and the apprentice shares and learns about family and how to move on with life (halfway in the movie, Mr. Han will eventually share his sad story, a bit tear jerker actually). Afterwards, the movie will roll up until the climatic tournament fight...one thing for sure, no crane kick in the end....

Before I went to see this, I believe this must be the worst of summer movies. After How to Train Your Dragon, every movie which came out looked decent, or even worse, and I ended up miss some of them. What a relief to say that this one finally comes out to be different. The positive thing about this one is that The Karate Kid seems to detach itself from the original. Since this remake is so damn good, it feels like a stand-alone title. All the original components are still there, which we rarely see in the past few years.

The cast also gave an a good show, especially Jackie Chan, because I think this is the first time he acts according to his age (read: OLD). His character taps into true emotion and I got to see another side of Chris Tucker‘s Rush Hour sidekick. Jaden Smith still lives under his dad's big name, but by looking his preparation for this flick, I say he does a pretty good job (I mean, learning martial arts isn't supposed to be easy rite?). Some of the his lines were dreadful, some of the jokes were crispy, but for some scenes, he can also show the emotional side. Dre's love interest, played by Wenwen Han also steals some scenes with her cuteness, but still, seeing a black and Chinese kid get along each other (once again) is a brave portrayal by the director.

Another good thing about The Karate Kid is the China scenery, which is portrayed well on showing how Beijing looks like, and also the people activities. I just came back from China couple of weeks ago, and seeing the Beijing landmarks just made me think, "Man, I've been there !". So, for the common viewers, it is also a good chance to see what kind of a city Beijing is.

My only concern is the fighting scenes. The Karate Kid, in my opinion is quite a bit of violence for kids. All the hits and kicks received by the kids made me cringe...Dude, landing on concrete, hard blows to the limbs, and even harsher blows to the face, man...that will make you bleed and won't wake up easily....But then again, this is fictional, so these little actors are taking a licking and keep on ticking. Mums and Dads, be careful not to let your kids do those things at home.

Overall, 2010 Karate Kid is a very satisfying update of the original, a little slow in the middle but the ending has people standing up and clapping. As far as remakes go, it's not the best, but it's definitely a worthy effort and a fine display of Chan and Smith's skills, both as dramatic actors and action ones.

My Rating : 8/10

It's official. I'm in love with Summer!

TOM: "I love her smile. I love her hair. I love her knees. I love how she licks her lips before she talks. I love her heart-shaped birthmark on her neck. I love it when she sleeps."

It's just sweet, and so true. I know not many guys would like to admit those things outspoken. But, in many cases, these are mostly what guys feel like when they are crazy in love (it's an "absolutely true" for my case). (500) DAYS OF SUMMER gives us something fresh about romantic comedy. Instead a linear story with gimmicks and predictable plot, this movie tries to tell us what happens with Tom and Summer within this 500 days period of love story. It goes forward and backward, and some recording of their childhood memories for the opening title. Nevertheless, we can always expect some different moods between each scenes, where in one period you get the happy moments, then it continues with sad and depressing time, and so on. In short, I've never seen a romantic comedy to be filmed ala Pulp Fiction style.

The story begins on the 488th day, if I'm not mistaken, where it shows Tom and Summer are sitting on the bench, holding hands, and with a big diamond ring in Summer's finger. Then, the scene changed to the day (i forgot which one) where Tom broke with her, and in his miserable moments. Afterwards, we're back at day 1, which is the day when Tom met Summer for the first time, and how the elevator scene opened the door for Tom's feeling that he got a crush for the girl (thanks for the Smiths). It looks silly, but I know the feeling when someone has a similar taste or hobbies, it's like opening a new channel for communications and conversations, especially in the case where a guy meets a new cute chick. Because afterwards, you can even ask for her number, or even ask her for a date for no sweat, since now you have something in common. Well, that's what happened with Tom and Summer, whereas they were getting closer and began their romantic relationship (it started with a kiss in the photocopy room). However, as it occurs in many relationships, one of them is not looking for something serious, well on the other hand, although he didn't admit it, he felt like he's dating with his soul mate, the one, the goddess, the future partner of his life. It's not naive, perhaps he's too sentimental, but it happens a lot. Then we can easily follow their stories and love journey, accompanied by nice soundtracks, right until the day 500 it self, where in the end of the day, you'll get the one of the 'slap you in the face' or 'makes you scream WHATTTTT instantly' ending. Or at least, you'll open your mouth.

Yes, it's one of the best kind of its genre for the past few years, and I can even say this one is better than we have for the whole year, right above The Proposal, He's Not Just That Into You, The Ugly Truth, and many other movie. The chemistry between Tom (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and the adorable Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is so unforced, and perfectly blended, especially in their happy moments. Levitt's performance is just natural, with lots of emotional condition which he has to deal with. In one scene we can see him outrageously happy (a blue cartoon bird was also included), and right on the next scene, I believe we just saw a perfect suicidal face. What makes things more interesting, he studied architecture (right on !!!!), but worked in a greeting card company. Nevertheless, he's a guy who still have that hopes and dreams to become an architect one day. When you look at his room, take notice of the chalk board behind the bed, you'll see a really good touch of interior design.

Now, when we're talking about Zooey Deschanel, you can't just ignore that big blue wonderful eyes.It's just so irresistible, it will make you want to stare her in the eyes, and you can't just keep smiling. In the first half of the movie, her appearances was just so refreshing, and it made us curious all the time to see what she would do or say next. She's a mysterious type, but cool, eager to try new experiences, but a bit of self-centered. While on the second part of the film, you can still love her, or even hate her, depends on you point of view. Well, most girls must have their own bitchy moments once in a while, right? Or even once in a 'month'.

One recipe which I think is important to support the whole romantic comedy story is the soundtrack. Remember 10 Things I Hate About You, Vicky Christina Barcelona, Juno, or High Fidelity? All of them have nice and perfectly on the spot songs which eventually enhance the mood. For this movie, I like the opening song "Us", by Regina Spektor, with the dual scene of Tom and Summer's childhood video. Or the IKEA scenes with Feist's "Mushaboom", and the ear catching tunes from Hall & Oates' "You Make My Dreams" when Tom was dancing around the park. And of course, let's not forget the song that started this all, The Smiths' "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want".

(500) Days of Summer is not only cool and fresh, but it also tops my expectation of what this genre should be like. Can't wait for the continuation of the story, but somehow it's like a bad idea. Nevertheless, I'm perfectly enjoying this one. It's worthed to watch it twice though, and you can enjoy watching Zooey's blue eyes for the entire time.

My Ratings : 9/10

Notes: The opening narration, "This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story." ==> this one just grab your sudden attention, doesn't it?