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Mike4785
Reviews
Highway to Heaven: Code Name: FREAK (1986)
Excellent
This is, in my opinion, an extremely well-written and well-performed episode. I can only find the smallest of complaints ("Dr. Smith" describing a simple computer log-in by saying "Program in your name") as I find this episode to be one a highly laudable and relevant treatment of the "young prodigy" theme. Jeff Davis, who was "unknown" on screen at the time, seemed to be custom-made to play this part. At the time I thought they must have sought an actual prodigy for the part rather than using a trained actor. The drama works really well. Very nice characterization of "Chris Gunn" - trying to fit in at college while full of doubt and sensitive to the cues exuded by his "peers." His father's character adds enormously to the drama despite the briefness of his appearances. The episode is extremely well written when it comes to building the characters and revealing their concerns and conflicts. The average person may think this is merely "fine" but for those who have experienced this kind of social isolation, I give a special plus to the episode and rate it as 10 out of 10. Its theme deals with the difficulty (but also the need) to try to bridge social gaps.
The Karate Kid (2010)
Excellent!!!
I have recently been reading about Bruce Lee and martial arts philosophy, and thus decided to see this film when I heard that it was set in China and has Jackie Chan as the kung fu teacher. I had seen the original Karate Kid, which was decent enough in 1984, but was hoping that a new version set in China would be more fresh and sophisticated. I was not disappointed. In fact, the film really exceeded all my expectations.
First, the film is informed by Eastern philosophy. Not all of these philosophic aspects are explicitly explained in the film, so I'm not sure how well they will resonate with viewers who are not familiar with Eastern culture and philosophy, but this is an outstanding treatment of key aspects of the martial arts:
a. It conveys the idea that physical and mental/emotional disciplines are linked. One benefits mentally and emotionally from physical disciplines, but at the same time, one's mental discipline is also a source of physical health and well-being. The two are inter-linked.
b. The benefits of a discipline are not limited only to martial arts. As Jackie Chan clearly states at one point in the film, everything is kung fu. The film draws a parallel between the boy's learning of martial arts and the challenge that another character wrestles with in learning to excel at music.
c. The purpose of martial arts is not for purely external functions (such as beating people up). Rather, a much greater cultural and psychological value stems from the personal insights and growth that the practice of a complex discipline encourages. We see this occur throughout the film, thanks to the film's heavily character-oriented approach to its subject. Also, while the film sets up a self-defense motivation at the beginning, it thankfully doesn't remain fixated on its "villain" character (who seems to actually not be seen for about 45 minutes in the middle of the film) but rather shifts expertly to the deeper character-oriented changes and effects.
Secondly, various elements that paralleled the 1984 film were strengthened by a treatment that was more deeply metaphorical and philosophical (although I was also deeply impressed that many of these philosophical elements were expressed non-verbally, purely through the outstanding talents of the casts, filmmakers, and writers/advisers involved). Thus:
a. those who are already familiar with the 1984 film will still enjoy a fresh treatment of these elements, in the midst of a much stronger relationship between student and teacher and friends (which is another aspect of the more Eastern tone of this film). Rather than a purely self-serving type of training that is "revealed" to be useful for self-defense, this film employs exercises for the "Kung Fu Kid" that are personally relevant to established personality traits.
b. Extra depth is found beneath the surface appearances, as the boy adapts ideas not only from his teacher but also from others, such as a woman with a cobra, and creatively adds those ideas to his style. (Bruce Lee would certainly approve of the films' treatment of the creative and expressive aspects of the martial arts.)
c. The boy learns to convey things non-verbally, and thus sometimes more powerfully. This doesn't refer to applications of brute force (although the honorable uses he makes of combat techniques in the final fights are their own form of expression about restraint and honor, which the antagonist recognizes and respects) but rather to a range of ordinary, peaceful, character interactions, both comical (as with his sudden silence when listening *too intently* to his mother, which unsettles her) and poignant (when the boy is moved by learning about his teacher's past tragedy (which also reveals what both are teaching/gaining from each other), the boy silently goes aside and then offers the handle of training staffs that had previously bound them during a martial sequence - a brilliant metaphor that not only tells of the new purpose the teacher has found *as a teacher* but also of the support provided by the boy in helping the teacher overcome the crippling pain of his tragic human loss from a car accident he had caused.
Third: As required for a character-oriented drama that uses sometimes non-verbal poignant scenes to convey things about the characters' emotions and motivations, the performances were really strong, showing very few weaknesses, and the film was thus emotionally involving and powerful for those willing and able to empathize (and who don't need clichéd macho posturing in the characters).
As for drawbacks and flaws in the film, I can think of very few. I found a scene in which the boy was implied to throw dirty water over the villain to be quite out of place in the emotional and character-based context in which it occurred. And there were some moves in the final tournament scenes that were really too elaborate to be realistic - especially given that the boy only had formal training for perhaps a few months. Also, many tournament sequences were filmed with a shaky camera - perhaps to lessen the forcefulness of some of the combat blows by making them less clearly seen and harder to follow. For these faults, I have rated the film as a "9" rather than a "10." They are pretty minor flaws that I am happy to overlook.
I am also happy that the "villain" was not so one-note as the 1984 character - since he feels some justification for his (admittedly excessive) use of force to encourage the musical success of the girl and discourage the protagonist from distracting and possibly dishonoring her. The fact that the film didn't fixate on the use of a villain is a sign of just how superior it is to so many other "martial arts films." This film is primarily about characters and growth, and martial arts are merely an established means used to promote that growth.
Internet Detectives: Net Bandits (2004)
Cool adaptation!
This is a low-budget but enjoyable adaptation of the short novel by Michael Coleman. Although shot with a negligible budget, and although various parts were played by total amateurs, two of the leads and one of the "villains" are well-cast and engagingly played, and that turns out to be sufficient to sustain interest in this little "virtual adventure" and mystery involving the Internet Detectives. With a script that is extremely well adapted (by then teen-aged director Eric Wotila) from the published book, the film is well-paced and edited enough to allow interested viewers to overlook weaknesses in acting and budget. Fans of the books should definitely try to see this film!!!