The Karate Kid (2010); family action drama film review

French poster artwork for the family action drama film The Karate Kid.

Cultural Convergence by Linh

Almost 30 years ago, the world was introduced to the film The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, which was so popular it spawned The Karate Kid parts two and three. The original film had a feel-good quality with a mix of comedy and drama. The latest re-make of The Karate Kid is a misnomer, as it does not feature much Karate. It does have plenty of Kung Fu action and simplified Chinese philosophy combined with drama and comedy. Interestingly, the Chinese name for this film is The Kung Fu Dream that contrasts the concept of The American Dream as it is more about spiritual enlightenment of the self rather than capitalist pursuits and materialism.

Moving away from Japanese Karate to Chinese Kung Fu, this re-make has enough to qualify as an impressive adaptation of the original for a new generation of film-goers. A sequel of this re-make is already slated for release in 2013 or 2014, with Jaden Smith possibly to return as the protagonist.

TEACHING TECHNIQUE: Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) puts Dre (Jaden Smith) through rigorous Kung Fu training in the film The Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.

The story line is similar to the original, but this time, the main character is much younger, is an African American and is taught Kung Fu to build mental and physical strength and self-belief so that he can overcome his fear of being bullied and gain respect from his rivals. In this film, Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) is a bright, funny and affable 12 year old from Detroit, whose mother Sherry (Taraji P. Henson) accepts a new job in China. Dre reluctantly moves with his mother to China and they stay at the Beverley Hills apartments in Beijing.   

There is nothing much in Beijing that interests Dre until he meets a girl named Mei Ying (Wen Wen Han) at his new school who plays the violin.  His interest in Mei Ying causes the local bully Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) and his gang members to start bullying Dre and brutally bash him. Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) the resident maintenance man is the only one in the building who can speak English and Dre befriends him after Mr. Han helps him fight off the school bullies. After failing to convince the local Kung Fu instructor Master Li (Rongguang Yu) to keep his students, including Cheng, away from Dre, Mr. Han unwillingly enters Dre into the Kung Fu Tournament.

FLEXIBILE FORM: Dre (Jaden Smith) practises his high kicks in the film The Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.

Jaden Smith bears a remarkable resemblance to his father Will Smith (who also produced the film) not just in his comedic style but also in his delivery of speech. Jaden possesses a unique sense of dance style and energetic enthusiasm, and has come a long way since his appearance alongside his father in the film The Pursuit of Happyness as the toddler with wisdom beyond his years. Jaden trained every day for four months to learn Kung Fu with the film’s fight co-ordinator Master Wu. He is convincing and his agility and technique is amazing for someone quite young.

Jackie Chan plays the laconic Mr. Han, with his usual charismatic charms and comic peculiarity. Chan has appeared in more than a hundred films, and his character in this film is one of his most sombre and darker roles. He can still pack a powerful punch despite his advancing years, and together with Jaden Smith, they make a formidable pair.

FUN FRIENDSHIP: Mei Ying (Wen Wen Han) and Dre (Jaden Smith) become good friends in the film The Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.

The supporting cast is fabulous with Oscar nominated actress Taraji P. Henson as Dre’s mother, Sherry, who immediately embraces the Chinese culture and gets the chance to show her comedic talents as the comedy relief in the film; young Zhenwei Wang as Dre’s antagonist and bully, Cheng, gives a strong performance where he can instill fear in his opponent with just his eyes; WenWen Han is gorgeous and sweet in her role as Dre’s love interest Mei Ying, and enthralls with her dance skills and violin playing.

 

JACKET JEDI: Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) helps Dre (Jaden Smith) apply his 'jacket routine' to Kung Fu in the film The Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.

Cinematographer Roger Pratt makes the panoramic views of the Great Wall of China and the Wudang mountains breath-takingly spectacular, adding background beauty to the Kung Fu training scenes between Mr. Han and Dre. The music score by James Horner brilliantly captures the serenity and emotions of young Dre as he learns and improves his Kung Fu skills, also providing an appropriate sound bridge connecting the two cultures.

The tediously repetitive routine where Mr. Han orders Dre to take his “Jacket on, jacket off, drop it, pick it up and hang it up” is similar to the original film’s “wax on, wax off” technique from Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita). Other similarities are easily picked by fans of the original film, such as the ‘catching flies with chopsticks’ or Mr. Han’s ‘secret shame’ scene.

FACING FEAR: Dre (Jaden Smith) tries to focus on his Kung Fu instead of his fear in the film The Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.

The Karate Kid is a tale of an outsider wanting to fit in or belong and be liked by his peers but must fight to win their respect. There seems to be an obvious attempt in the film to highlight the positive aspects of China’s cultural and social vitality, but steers clear of any political or human rights issues condemned by democratic societies. The Karate Kid re-make is an enjoyable film that is moving and funny; but will either delight or disappoint fans of the original.

HYPNOTIC HOLD: Dre (Jaden Smith) concentrates on controlling Cheng (Zhenwei Wang) through hypnotism in the film The Karate Kid. Image: Columbia Pictures.

Director: Harald Zwart

Writers: Christopher Murphey (screenplay), Robert Mark Kamen (story)

Cast: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, WenWen Han, Zhenwei Wang , Rongguang Yu, Zhensu Wu, Zhiheng Wang, Luke Carberry, Cameron Hillman, Bo Zhang, Shijia Lü, Jared Minns, Ghye Samuel Brown, Ji Wang, Rocky Shi, Tess Liu, Xu Ming, Harry Van Gorkum, Geliang Liang, Xinhua Guo

Producers: Jerry Weintraub, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz, Dany Wolf, Susan Ekins, Han SanPing, Solon So

Original Music Composer: James Horner

Cinematographer: Roger Pratt

Film Editor: Joel Negron

Production: François Séguin (Production Designer), Second Chan (Art Director)

Costume Designer: Han Feng

Languages: English, Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles

Running Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes.

 

Date Night (2010); comedy action film review

Poster artwork for the comedy action film Date Night.

Marriage Mender by Linh

Date Night is the film that masquerades as a romantic comedy before unveiling its more chaotic and dramatic nature.  The film centres on a married couple from New Jersey with children, named Claire Foster, a bored wife, and her boringly predictable husband Phil Foster. One night they decide to spice up their love life by going out on a dinner date together. After failing to make a booking at a posh restaurant called ‘Claw’ in Manhattan, Phil eventually accepts a booking under the name of Tripplehorn. This leads to mistaken identity, a wild chase through the streets of Manhattan from corrupt police officers, seeking assistance from a former military officer who works in security, and a dodgy district attorney.

COUPLE CRISIS: Claire (Tina Fey) and Phil (Steve Carell) phone home in the film Date Night. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.

On the surface, Date Night is a lightweight comedy driven by a predictable plot involving car chases, gunfights, some shady characters and a crucial USB flashdrive. Under this formulaic veneer belies a more meaningful message of communication and understanding in relationships. Sometimes it takes a jolt to the system to act as a reminder to show appreciation and patience, such as the frantic fear Phil and Claire experience in one night of madness and mistakes.

Date Night has more to it than the average romantic comedy; even the stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey, throw in more than a few funny lines and some hot moves in an impromptu pole dancing performance. The leading cast convincingly manages to make the uncomplicated plot interesting but the supporting cast and cameos sustain the entertainment factor.

EVADING ENEMIES: Claire (Tina Fey) and Phil (Steve Carell) narrowly escape the corrupt cops in the film Date Night. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.

Steve Carell gives his usual schtick in a performance better than most of his other comic roles, with Phil Foster as the goofy tax consultant-turned-hero who surprises when you least expect; 30 Rock star and writer Tina Fey adds her subtle comic flair to Claire Foster, a suburban house wife/realtor in need of stress relief, only to find her stress-levels hitting new heights while on a nightmare date with husband Phil; Mark Wahlberg is cool, composed and the token eye-candy as Claire’s former client, Holbrooke Grant, who appears topless in every scene; Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson is excellent as tough-talking and no-nonsense Detective Arroyo.

The cameo appearances lift the comedy bar for the film with James Franco as the scam artist named Taste, and Mila Kunis as his partner in crime, Whippit; Ray Liotta is suitably unyielding as mobster Joe Milletto; Jimmi Simpson, best known as the creepy and sinister Lyle the intern on The Late Show with David Letterman, and rapper Common, play corrupt cops Armstrong and Collins, respectively, who are fun to watch as their guns and police training fail them in capturing Phil and Claire.

POLICE PLEA: Claire (Tina Fey) and Phil (Steve Carell) seek help from Detective Arroyo (Taraji P. Henson) in the film Date Night. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.

Director Shawn Levy has a knack for comedy and his verve adds to the film’s overall effectiveness. Oscar-winning cinematographer from South Australia, Dean Semler skillfully captures the film’s car chases, the cabbie crush scene and the night club atmosphere with his keen eye for detail and action. Date Night is a fun and satisfying serve of silliness, but with heart and hilarity added to the mix. Great out-takes and bloopers appear during the closing credits and if you stay until the end of the credits, you’ll get a special treat in the form of Carell craziness and Fey funniness.

CLIENT CALL: Claire (Tina Fey) and Phil (Steve Carell) ask Holbrooke (Mark Wahlberg) for a favour in the film Date Night. Image: Twentieth Century Fox.

Director: Shawn Levy

Writer: Josh Klausner (screenplay)

        

Cast: Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P. Henson, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Mark Ruffalo, Kristen Wiig, Leighton Meester, William Fichtner, Ray Liotta, Olivia Munn, Will.i.Am, Jimmi Simpson, Common, J.B. Smoove, Bill Burr, Jonathan Morgan Heit, Gal Gadot

Producers: Shawn Levy, Josh McLaglen, Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr., Tom McNulty, Billy Rosenberg

Cinematographer: Dean Semler

Original Music Composer: Christophe Beck

Film Editor: Dean Zimmerman

Production: David Gropman (Production Designer), Dan Webster (Art Director), Jay Hart (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Marlene Stewart

Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008); fantasy drama film review

Poster artwork for the fantasy drama film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Ageing Youthfully by Linh

Director David Fincher and screenwriter Eric Roth have created a visually sumptuous film with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to the extent that it hardly bears any resemblance to the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story upon which the film is based. With so much artistic licence and time taken to bring the film from the page to the screen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button could be regarded as a contemporary re-telling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story.

Eric Roth, who wrote the screenplay for Forrest Gump, has brought the same elements of historical events, interesting additional characters and tragi-comic moments to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. There are numerous alterations made for the film, with only the title and the extraordinary condition of ageing backwards, linking the film to the book.

BABY BEN: Benjamin Button as a new born baby on the steps of the nursing home in the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Image: Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers.

The film is set in New Orleans, Louisiana with Benjamin Button born in 1918 on the day the Great War (World War I) ended. It was a joyous moment in American history, but not so for Benjamin who was born looking all wrinkled, with arthritis and dementia; the doctor describes him as a septuagenarian in a baby’s body, and his father abandons him on the steps of a nursing home. He is taken in by Queenie, one of the nurses at the aged care home, and she raises him as her own child in the midst of the plethora of quirky residents in their twilight years.

Although he fitted in physically and was happy and felt safe, Benjamin still feels lonely. He immediately falls in love with the five year old Daisy who befriends him despite her Grandmother’s disapproval. Throughout the years of Benjamin’s life, he experiences the joy of love, the sadness of death, he inspires and touches the lives of people whom have gone on to accomplish personal achievements.

WALK LIKE A MAN: Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) encourages seven year old Benjamin Button to take his first steps in the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Image: Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers.

A truly magnificent cast is assembled for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and they all bring something special to their characters. Brad Pitt was a curious choice but a fine one for the lead character. Pitt is transformed onscreen using CGI and special effects make-up to achieve the ageing process of the body. In the earlier scenes, his cracked and quivery voice is convincing as an elderly man, while in the later scenes Pitt aptly brings the voice to a deep and smooth baritone.

Benjamin Button doesn’t seem to do much in the film, and those he meets in his life tend to be more active and energetic than he. Perhaps that’s the reason Pitt downplays the character and delivers a very passive and gentle performance of a man whose quiet dignity and gentle understanding of humanity is endearing.

Cate Blanchett beautifully portrays the lover and mother of Benjamin Button’s daughter with passion and spunk. Blanchett radiates warmth, charm and grace as she twirls or leaps across the screen in her scenes of dancing in the moonlight, on stage at New York’s Majestic Theatre and at dance auditions. She is a competent dancer and her interpretive style has smooth fluidity and is beguiling. Blanchett also ages in the film and is seen as a twenty-six year old to an 89 year old with extensive special effects make-up on her face, neck and hands.

British actress Julia Ormond plays Benjamin Button’s daughter, Caroline, aged in her forties and nursing her dying mother at a New Orleans hospital as a violent storm approaches the city. Although Caroline doesn’t appear much in Benjamin’s life, Julia Ormond gives her character a commanding presence in the majority of the film as she reads aloud Benjamin’s diary to her mother.

Other standout performances of note include Taraji P. Henson as the irrepressible and loveable Queenie; Jared Harris is fittingly jolly and whose laughter is contagious as the tattooed Captain Mike; Tilda Swinton, who looks a little like Cate Blanchett, is marvellous as the married woman, Elizabeth Abbott, whose affair with Benjamin is sweet but short-lived; and little Elle Fanning as the seven year old Daisy is so adorably convincing.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button contains many curious moments that would be easily missed if viewers weren’t attentive. Some of the curiosities include the appearance of time pieces throughout the film (watches, clocks, calendars, dates in Benjamin’s diary), why Benjamin’s narration regarding the birth of his daughter turns from third person to the second person – “She was perfect”…..“I left before you got to know me”, and how Benjamin was never seen writing in a diary or even seen with his diary, yet the entire film is structured according to the thoughts and events of Benjamin’s life. 

Obviously, the answers are explained in the film, metaphorically, visually or through character observations. It’s almost impossible not to be affected by the sheer beauty of the film’s productions and dream-like quality. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button allows us into the life a man who takes every opportunity to live life to its fullest and not waste a moment.

It also reminds us that life and time are so precious, that unlike money, it cannot be saved up and be spent later. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. A brilliant film and Oscar-worthy for its direction, screenplay and performances.

TIMELESS TALE: Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) and Daisy (Cate Blanchett) form a strong bond in the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Image: Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers.

Director: David Fincher

Writers: Eric Roth (screenplay), Robin Swicord (screenplay), F. Scott Fitzgerald (short story)

Cast: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Elias Koteas, Elle Fanning, Jason Flemyng, Jared Harris

Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Jim Davidson, Ceán Chaffin, Marykay Powell, Peter Mavromates, Tommy Turtle

Cinematographer:  Claudio Miranda (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composer: Alexandre Desplat

Film Editors: Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

Production: Donald Graham Burt (Production Designer), Michele Laliberte, Kelly Curley, Tom Reta, Randy Moore, Scott Plauche (Art Directors), Victor J. zolfo (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Jacqueline West

Running Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes

Curious Comparisons:

Book: Benjamin Button is born in 1860 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Film:  Benjamin Button is born in 1918 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Book: Benjamin Button is born with sparse, white hair and a long smoke-coloured beard, and could speak fluently and coherently.

Film: Benjamin Button is born looking runt-sized, excessively wrinkled, fragile and crying.

Book: Benjamin Button’s mother is only mentioned briefly in the first chapter and described as being ‘healthy’ after childbirth.

Film: Benjamin Button’s mother died shortly after giving birth.

Book: Benjamin Button has a son named Roscoe who resented him for his youth and is embarrassed to be seen with his father.

Film: Benjamin Button has a daughter named Caroline whom he never really knew.

Book: Benjamin Button’s father raised him as best he could, just as he would if Benjamin were not ageing backwards.

Film: Benjamin Button’s father abandoned him and left him at the nursing home because he thought his child was a monster.

Book: Benjamin Button’s father is named Roger and is president of Roger Button and Co., a successful wholesale hardware store.

Film: Benjamin Button’s father is named Thomas and is owner of Button’s Buttons.

Book: Benjamin Button’s lover (he meets while in college) whom becomes his wife is named Hildegarde Moncrief.

Film: Benjamin Button’s lover (he meets her as a seven year old) whom becomes the mother of his child is named Daisy.

Book: Benjamin Button’s life ebbs away in a baby’s crib.

Film: Not telling. Go and watch the film.