KarateKid Tagged Articles at Cinematical

If recreations aren't your thing and you've always wanted to own a genuine piece of Blade Runner history, today is your lucky day ... but it's going to cost you. Christie's Great Estates has announced that Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House (also known as The Blade Runner House), is officially up for sale. There is a $15 million price tag on the house, but the cultural landmark is still a bit of a fixer-upper, and renovation costs are estimated in the millions. Ennis House was built in 1924, but despite being one of the most famous landmarks in L.A., keeping the house standing has been proving more difficult over years.

Since it was first built, Ennis House has been crumbling thanks to earthquakes and rainstorms, but the movie landmark has been under the protection of a trust (whose members included Diane Keaton) for years. But when the expense of maintaining the house had become too much, the trust finally made the decision to sell. The trust's president was quoted as saying, "We've made a lot of progress, but a private owner with the right vision and sufficient resources can better preserve the house than we can." (Check out images of Ennis House below)



Ennis House has served as a backdrop for plenty of movies and television shows over the years, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Black Rain. Although, acting as the stand-in for the famed Replicant hunter's apartment was what put the home on the map for most movie buffs. $15 million is a little out of my price range, but I do wonder who will manage to snag the house first? Will it be a fan of architecture, or one serious sci-fi collector?

After the jump: a collection of Ennis House's greatest hits on the big screen.

Like it or not, the Karate Kid reboot continues to fight its way forward. First came Jaden Smith, then Jackie Chan, and then a spanky new name in The Kung Fu Kid. Now The Hollywood Reporter's Risky Biz Blog reports that the the film is getting some Happyness in the form of screenwriter Steven Conrad. Yes, the same man who wrote little Jaden and Papa Will's Pursuit of Happyness.

Chris Murphy was originally slipped into the screenwriter gig, but now Conrad has taken over the story. Instead of fightin' in the U.S. of A., the action travels overseas to Beijing, where a young kid named Dre (Smith) moves with his single mom (Taraji P. Henson ofHustle & Flow and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Beyond the culture shock, this tyke must deal with jerky little bullies -- ones who will probably get a taste of justice after the kid finds a fighting mentor in a man named Mr. Han (Jackie Chan).

Conrad must be working fast, because the project will start filming next month. Now the only question that remains: what tone will this have? Feel-good teen fare? Sappy melodrama mixed with tormented tykes finding inner strength? Could it possibly have a whiff of humor a la The Promotion?

Erik Davis ordered me to come up with a new approach to summer movies, and he demanded that the concept be intelligent, engaging, and jam-packed with vowels and consonants. (One out of three isn't bad.) And since I'm a childish movie nerd who had a deep affection for all things nostalgic, my first idea was "Hey, let's have the writers pick their favorite 'movie summer' and write a piece about it." And since my next eleven ideas stunk, he said "Ugh, fine. Do your Favorite Summers thing. But don't forget the vowels."

Nearly all of the Cinematicaleers will be penning their own pieces, but since I like to lead by example (when I'm not leading by guilt), I figured I'd get the ball rolling first. (Special thanks to Box Office Mojo for displaying OLD release dates in very handy fashion.) Also, for the sake of this series, let's say "summer" counts as "May through August," even though May is technically spring and part of September is definitely summer.

5/4 -- The Bounty // Breakin' // Hardbodies // Sixteen Candles -- So which one of these would be the big "Iron Man" release? We got Gibson and Hopkins in a nautical remake; a whole lot of pop-lockin' looneys; a leering sex comedy that helped to kill the sub-genre of mid-'80s sex comedies; and the directorial debut of one John Hughes.

5/11 -- Firestarter // The Natural -- Robert Redford knocking the cover off a baseball and Drew Barrymore immolating George C. Scott. Now THAT's summer!

5/18 -- Finders Keepers // Making the Grade -- A pair of justifiably forgotten farces, yes, both of which I saw theatrically.

5/23 -- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom -- Even back in 1984 Indiana Jones demanded his very own weekend ... one that starts on a Wednesday, no less! I distinctly remember seeing this on the afternoon of opening day, and while I was waiting for Mom to come pick us up, there was a woman BERATING the box office girl. Honest! Something about the heart-tearing scene had upset her small child. And just like that, the PG-13 was born.

From the get-go, the new Karate Kid film was going to be different. Ralph Macchio was traded in for Jaden Smith. Then Mr. Miyagi was traded in for Jackie Chan, thrusting the project into a more kung fu state of mind. And now, well, it sounds like Columbia Pictures is listening.

According to an interview with 3 News (toward the end of the interview), the film is no longer called Karate Kid -- Chan says it's now Kung Fu Kid. I'm thinking they should've decided this from the get-go and saved us all some energy. While the idea still doesn't appeal to me, it's a lot more palatable to say that you're taking the basic idea and going in a totally different direction, rather than throw fans of Daniel Larusso and Mr. Miyagi into aggravated hissy fits. Then again, there's a good possibility that this only came about because the legions seemed quite unthrilled with the news (even if it's insanely obvious to most of us that no one can replace Mr. Miyagi).

But there you have it -- the themes will be the same, but it won't be anything like the film we remember, and presumably, it won't step on the toes of the classic that many love.

But, what say you?



[via First Showing]

We wondered who could possibly fill Mr. Miyagi's shoes in the new Karate Kid remake, and now the news is officially here. The Hollywood Reporter posts that Jackie Chan is in negotiations to take the part. So, barring failed talks, we'll soon see Chan waxing on and waxing off. Can't say it's much of a surprise. Chan is old enough to look like he's been around the block, and he definitely has the chops to kick some Karate Kid ass into shape. Whether he can look unassuming and weak, as Erik pointed out, remains to be seen.

In less thrilling news, a director has finally been picked -- Harald Zwart. While he's far from a Hollywood abomination, his resume doesn't inspire much confidence: One Night at McCool's, Agent Cody Banks, and The Pink Panther 2. So I'm betting we'll get one of those fluffy family features that does alright at the box office, but doesn't inspire much critical love or lasting fandom. I mean, the last one had the guy behind Rocky. (Okay, okay, John Avildsen was also the guy behind A Night in Heaven, but it was the '80s. I'll give the dude some benefit of the doubt since he went on to helm Lean on Me and The Power of One.)

So, does Chan fit in the Miyagi mould, or are you officially steering clear of this remake?

Every once in awhile my friends and I find ourselves all wrapped up in some absurd film-related conversation on a topic that probably doesn't deserve more than three minutes, let alone an hour. Since this happens regularly in my neck of the woods -- as I'm sure it does for several of our other writers and readers -- from time to time we're going to unload a Stupid Movie Question to see if you either know or might want to discuss the answer. And yes, since the holidays have slowed Hollywood to a crawl, we have the time and space to introduce new and exciting features like this one.

SO, here's a topic my friends and I discussed on more than five occasions -- with the latest conversation taking place this past weekend in my living room over a round (or three) of spiked Eggnog. In the original Karate Kid, during the beach scene, Daniel and Ali are flirting while bouncing the soccer ball back and forth between each other. Remember this scene? Okay, now right before Johnny and his crew race down on their motor bikes, Ali -- for whatever absurd, nasty reason -- takes the soccer ball and kicks it toward the water. Now, if her and Daniel were having such a good time, why on earth would she do this since in no way does she appear to be playing a joke. In fact, she looks pissed off when she grabs the ball, turns and punts it toward the ocean ... on purpose! Yeah, thanks Ali!

Stupid Movie Question: Why does she do this? Was there another scene that was shot and subsequently cut from the film that explained her motivation here? Did she spot Johnny racing down? Because these characters literally go from laughing and flirting big time to "let me get rid of this kid because he's annoying the hell out of me." What do you think?

Look, the original Karate Kid is one of those films that stays close to my heart at all times, and I totally see how you all would feel disgruntled after hearing the news that Jaden Smith (aka Will Smith's kid) will be starring in a remake. Good news is they're changing it up and setting the flick abroad, however the central concept (of a bullied boy who learns life lessons from an eccentric karate mentor) will remain the same. If Smith's kid has half the charm and charisma of his pop in a leading performance, this could turn out to be a reasonably successful re-launching for the younger tweens.

Right now, we're not sure whether they'll be using the name Mr. Miyagi (as played by Pat Morita in the original Karate Kid franchise) for this new film. Assuming they are, though, who do you think should play him? Defamer threw up a pretty funny list of suggestions today that includes Nicolas Cage, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson ("I want this motherf**king wax ON and OFF my motherf**king CAR"). Of course, most will also throw Jackie Chan's name in, though Miyagi was always a great character because he looked so unassuming and weak. Chan could play eccentric, but would he look the part?

I'm completely up in the air on this one. What do you think: Who could play Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid remake?

Will Smith is certainly prepping his son for superstardom. Jaden Smith starred with dad in The Pursuit of Happyness, grabbed an Amulet, signed on for The Day the Earth Stood Still, and is now definitely taking on the world of the Karate Kid. At this rate, he'll hit the big leagues a good decade before his pop did, although nothing quite compares with starting your career as the Fresh Prince.

Just over a year ago, there was a rumor that the project was coming together, and all these months later, it's now been confirmed by Variety. The untitled remake is being penned by Chris Murphy, with plans to shoot next year in Beijing and other cities. Not much is being said about the plot, but it looks like this is merely taking the theme of the film, rather than the story. It's leaving the confines of the US, has got a much younger star, and "will borrow elements of the original plot, wherein a bullied youth learns to stand up for himself with the help of an eccentric mentor."

Are you into a 10-year-old karate kid standing up for himself in Beijing? Weigh in below!

If only Akeelah and the Bee had existed when I was in the third grade. While most kids had their feel-good, underdog movies about basketball and little league, there wasn't much to encourage and inspire those of us who were physically inept and a little bit brainy (aside from some R-rated sex comedies celebrating super-nerds). The best thing about Akeelah is not that it merely empowers smart kids, though; it is that, unlike the majority of sports films, the film doesn't suggest that spelling has some kind of transcendental importance. It has its own equivalent of the big game, a national bee held in Washington, D.C., but the film is more concerned with the process of getting there, and it treats the finale like a pageant rather than a competition. While most underdogs seem to climax at the end of their films, the underdog of Akeelah and the Bee simply makes passage to the next part of her life.

Akeelah (superbly played by Keke Palmer) is an underdog both because, at 11-years-old she is on the younger side of spelling bee contestants, and also because she comes from a very poor district in South Los Angeles.  Although she is shy and often embarrassed about being the smartest kid in class, she is convinced by her principal, Mr. Welch (Curtis Armstrong) to participate in their school's first spelling bee. She wins the simple event and is offered coaching by Welch's friend Dr. Larabee (Laurence Fishburne), a strict older man who begins their first session together by denying Akeelah the use of "ghetto talk." He then proceeds to teach her linguistics and literature, subjects that Akeelah initially thinks are a waste of time when she should be studying actual, specific words. Like an academic version of The Karate Kid, the film treats Larabee as a literary Mr. Miyagi, building up the girl's strengths without her first realizing it.