Channel Larry (EDIT: Channel Awesome renamed to just Nostalgia Critic)

[Spark Of Spirit]

Watch Karate Kid Part 2. It adds to the original really well.

The new one is just a rehash.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Watch Karate Kid Part 2. It adds to the original really well.

The new one is just a rehash.

I disagree completely. Really, people never want to admit it, but even as someone who enjoys the original Karate Kid, its not by any means a well-made film. The NC hit the nail on the head with how the over-the-top elements of the film took you out of the experience. Its more like a poor man's version of Rocky when you get down to it, but people let nostalgia make it think its a masterpiece. Also, the 2nd film adding to the 1st film is not a very good argument since the first film should really be able to stand on its own. And rehash or not, the NC also had a point that the original was filled to the brim with cliches to begin with. Also, I've seen the 2nd film recently, and despite the fact that I actually (personally) like it better than the 1st film (yeah, I know that I'm alone on that one), it still suffers from quite a few of the same problems, though I have to give it credit for being a much less cliche story.

On the other hand, the new film really actually could have been better if it wasn't holding itself back trying so hard to emulate the cliche elements of the original story. Jaden Smith sucked, IMO (I'm definitely not as lenient towards his performance as the NC was), but I do feel that the "writing" for his character was handled better than the original film (though, Macchio's performance really nailed his character, which is why it comes off much better overall), which the NC pointed out in how he seemed to "get" his teachings better than Daniel did in the original film.

And as for Mr. Miyagi, while he's certainly a more iconic character than Mr. Han, I have to also agree that Mr. Han was a much more interesting character, precisely because of his flaws.

The remake is a rehash in terms of story, but that applies for pretty much all remakes. But in terms of execution, its honestly a better-made film, IMO, due to being much more consistent and with a bit more complexity to its characters. This is coming from a completely neutral perspective, since I don't think that either of the 2 films are great, but I think the fact that I wasn't so nostalgically linked to the original film helped me appreciate the remake, more.

Plus, while I haven't had the opportunity to see that many, I LOVE old-school martial arts films, and I really do feel that Jackie Chan being the mentor in the new film really means a lot due to his particular filmography (and I'm not talking about the shitty American films that most people seem to know him from). Though, to correct the NC on one point, JC doesn't really know real martial arts that well. He specializes as a stage performer, and he's more of a comedian among martial arts stars because his gimmick back in the day after the wake of Bruce Lee was adding an element of comedy into his performances and his fight scenes. While I'm not a fan of him, Jet Li actually is someone who knows a good deal about real martial arts in real life, as well as Donnie Yen.

[Avaitor]

Is it just me or does the Critic pick new films a lot more than he does older ones? I mean, besides Karate Kid 2010, he also chose Prince of Egypt over 10 Commandments, Eddie Murphy over Jerry Lewis, and Jackson's LOTR over Bakshi's.

Some of these I understand, but since he's the Nostalgia Critic, you'd expect him to go with older films a little more. This does show Doug's ability to do serious film criticism and is a nice change of pace from his usual works, which is good. These videos aren't as funny as his usual ones, which is why their mileage varies. Every once in a while, they're really interesting to watch.

[Avaitor]

This one's for Desen.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'm too lazy to link to it right now, but in case anyone hasn't seen it yet Doug has done a video with a list of his top 15 comedic influences. I can't remember the entire list now, but I do remember that I liked most of what was on his list, like Dave Chapel, Bill Murray, Mel Brooks, and so on, but the most important thing is that his list also included Animaniacs, South Park, the Goofy and Tom and Jerry cartoons died for a single spot, and Daffy Duck was #1 on the list, and I don't think that anybody in their right minds can disagree with that.

[Avaitor]

I hate Monty Python with a fiery passion, but it's a great list.

Tons of good stuff on there, and a lot of his listings make sense.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Hmmmm....I've always enjoyed Monty Python, personally, but it was never something that I quite loved as much as most people seem to. In terms of British comedies, though, I have definitely seen much better, but I still must admit that MP has given my my laughs when it counts.

[Foggle]

I wouldn't say Monty Python is overrated or bad, but I would say that's it overplayed. Jokes stop being funny when you hear them over and over and over and over and over.

[Avaitor]

Well, MP has been hugely overplayed to me before I watched any of it. After seeing the movies and a bunch of the show, I just didn't get it, and the fact that I still see Python referenced everywhere annoys me greatly.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I don't know, I've never seen it being so hugely popular that its referenced just about everywhere. Actually these days its not talked about all that much anymore.

As for not getting it, that's fine, since comedy or any other genre can mean different things to different people. I'm sort of the same way with Kevin Smith movies in how I still can never really "get" them, in that I still can't understand their appeal. Just for the record, though, that doesn't mean that I think that they are bad, but I just really don't see the entertainment value from any of his work myself, personally. Well, I have seen him do some stand-up before which was actually pretty funny, I believe, but I don't think he does it that often to begin with.

[Foggle]

I like some of Kevin Smith's movies; the ones with more focus and actual storylines (no matter how stupid they may be), especially Dogma and Chasing Amy. Never really saw the appeal in stuff like Clerks, though.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Sounds like me and Beavis & Butthead. It's just something I just plain don't get, even though I've tried.

Clerks' appeal to me has always been about how I related to the main characters. If you don't relate, I can't see how you would enjoy it.

[Avaitor]

I guess it just depends on the people you know. Monty Python and Kevin Smith are pretty popular with nerdy people, like who I hang out with, but your average Joe probably doesn't give either one of them much of a thought.

Oh, and I've been wanting to make a thread about Smith, but I don't like how I make almost every thread on the movie board. I was going to discuss how progressively worse he is getting with his Q&A's, in that he can spend plenty of minutes on one subject, alternating between random points that go nowhere.

He's been like that since his earliest ones, but he's become a lot worse ever since he became a stoner. The Showtime special was especially pathetic.

[Spark Of Spirit]

He's repeating material a lot, too.

[Avaitor]

Yep.

You know what, fuck it. I'll make a thread now.