Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
190 - The Next Karate Kid (1994)
94 Plays4 months ago
“Never trust spiritual leader who does not dance.”
This week, we’re celebrating 40 years of Mr. Miyagi by going back 30 years to the great Pat Morita’s final foray as the wizened karate teacher with this 1994 spin-off. As Stephen and Tucker try desperately to avoid talking this movie, topics include why certain Muppets don’t show up anymore, potential forthcoming theme months, the early careers of Hilary Swank and Walton Goggins, and so much more!
Check us out on the following social media platforms as we wax [philosophical] on AND off:
- @Disenfranchpod on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Letterboxd, and YouTube.
- Email us your thoughts or requests to [email protected]
- Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
- Find Stephen at @ChewyWalrus on Bluesky, Instagram, and Letterboxd.
- Check out Stephen’s first novel - Check In, Check Out - on Amazon, now available in paperback or ebook: https://amzn.to/44idk8y
- Find Brett at @sus_warlock on Letterboxd.
- Find Tucker at @icenine09 on YouTube and Instagram and @tuck_mugs on Instagram.
- Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus content, including bi-weekly episodes of What Are We Watching? at https://patreon.com/Disenfranchpod
- Watch our big screen debut in Circle City Supernatural from our buddy J.P. Leck! You can either buy it on BluRay through his website, buy/rent it through Amazon Prime, or watch it free with ads on Tubi!
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:20
Speaker
I'll say good for you. You want me to wax what? Off now? Oh, okay.
Introduction to the Podcast and Topic
00:00:27
Speaker
Well, anyway, this is the disenfranchised podcast, that podcast all about those franchises of one, films that fancy themselves full-fledged franchises before falling flat on their face after the first film. ah I am your host, Stephen Fox. Where are they joining me? As always is my young grasshopper, even though he's older than me. It's Tucker. Hey, Tucker. Hi, Stephen. How's it going? It's going. How are you? I'm OK. I've just been sitting here going left to circle, right to circle, left to circle, right to circle up. Down. I've been doing all that stuff, painting fences, waxing floor cars, sanding floors. Oh, I'm just wondering when it's going to come in to play in my karate training.
00:01:16
Speaker
I, you know what, I think patience is, is the key in in all of these areas. should I guess so. I mean, I hope so. That crane kick dude. For your sake, don't we all? Can we just skip ahead to the crane kick? Don't think I didn't immediately notice her sweep the leg in the first fight scene she has in this movie. Don't think I didn't notice that. ah Anyway. Yeah, they're gonna need a body bag. no our Our other co-host, Brett Wright, is currently on a trip to a monastery. Hopefully by the time he gets back, he will be able to roundkick to Okinawa, like he promised.
40th Anniversary of The Karate Kid
00:01:51
Speaker
At any rate, we are here ah in celebration of the 40th anniversary this week of one of the great films of, ah honestly, of all millennials or Gen X's lives growing up in the early 80s. 40 years old this this week,
00:02:07
Speaker
ah The Karate Kid, starring Pat Morita, Ralph Macchio, and directed by John G. Avelton. However, that movie got sequels, so we can't talk about it, but what can we talk about instead, Tucker? Well, the first one is the first the first karate kid. The premise is what if there was a karate kid? And so they were used a very simple, straightforward premise. They used up Ralph Macchio. All right. And so they were like, what if there was a karate kid? But it was a straight up girl. And so we are what? A goodgogo good girl. What? What?
00:02:45
Speaker
if Call back to off my conversation. um Right, I was gonna say, that was something we were not talking about when we were recording.
Introduction of 'The Next Karate Kid'
00:02:55
Speaker
We are watching the one movie where the main character never closes her mouth, the next karate kid. 1994 is The Next Karate Kid, directed by Christopher Kane, written by Mark Lee, and starring Noriyuki, excuse me, Pat Morita, Hilary Swank, Michael Ironside, Constance Towers, Chris Conrad, Arsenio Trinidad, Michael Cavallari, and Do My Eyes Deceive? I'm gonna take that again. They do, yeah, I guess.
00:03:31
Speaker
Do my they really do in this case? Yes. Do my eyes deceive me or is that blink blink checks notes? Walton Goggins. Yeah, dude. It's a little baby welding goggles. What a cast. What a what a picture. And boy, it sure is something. Look, look, I like Hillary Swank. I love boys don't cry. You've seen boys don't cry, Stephen. I have and I need to.
Hilary Swank’s Breakout Role
00:04:00
Speaker
Shit. That's one of the one of the best performances from anybody that I've ever seen is Hilary Swank in that movie. She just she won deservedly won an Oscar for it. She acts her fucking pants off.
00:04:15
Speaker
Well, maybe not in that movie because then you'd see her fake penis, but it's a really good movie. It's really good movie. And it's it's one of those early films that was kind of before its time to a lot of people like myself who were ignorant to the struggle of the queer community. Seeing that movie kind of helped me to understand that, you know, that maybe they don't have it so great sometimes. You know, right. Right. It's a really good movie, but it's a fucked up movie. But like in not in a weird way, you know, like this is reality. These things happen and you have to watch it happen. And.
00:04:57
Speaker
shame on you if you ever thought that it was okay to be mean to a queer person because this is what they go through. And it's a really eye-opening, at least then it was an eye-opening film, not so much now, I guess, but then, like in the 90s, like we were just going on about our business, like nobody had a care in
Queer Representation in Film
00:05:14
Speaker
the world. Like a straight white people, we didn't know that everybody else was suffering, you know? We were just having a great time. how would how How could we know? How could we know that life wasn't great for everyone that was that didn't look like us? How could we know? um I mean, I would say there are other there are definitely movies that kind of raise social consciousness of certain aspects of the queer community. I would say boys don't cry. Definitely one um the crying game for. Oh, yeah. Another one. Yep. Like just ah but again, in and in the 90s, these things seemed radical, which is weird because they existed like forever. it's It's just kind of one of those things like
00:05:55
Speaker
I don't know. Like, we needed stuff like that to break into the mainstream for us to start for cishet people like you and me to start paying attention, I think. Well, when you see movies like Boys Don't Cry and The Crying Game and a couple others that I can think of right now, it makes you as an ignorant, straight white person in the 90s. It makes you realize that the reason that you don't see a lot of people like this is because they are deeply underground because they are afraid for their fucking lives. because they have to be right and that's why you that's why you don't know that they're there that's why you don't know they're having a not having a good time because they're staying away because they're literally afraid of you right and that's movies like that especially in the 90s that that woke your boy up for sure for sure
00:06:40
Speaker
And I think one of the benefits of movies like that now is now we're starting to see
Authentic Representation in Films
00:06:45
Speaker
representation. We're seeing people within those communities representing themselves as opposed to a cishet person like Hilary Swank representing them, which again, no no shade or disrespect to Hilary Swank. But yeah, like it's it's good to see people within those communities being able to represent themselves is all I'm saying. Yeah, dude, shout out to I Saw the TV Glow. Hell yeah, loved that movie. Even though I even though i did not like that movie, like I respect what it was doing and ah the the person who plays the gal in that movie who also played ah Ted's daughter in Bill and Ted. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I knew I recognized her for something. Fantastic actor. I love them so, I will watch anything they're in. And like I said, I don't i did not particularly care if I saw the TV glow, but I respect what it was doing.
00:07:37
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. Whereas I thought it was pretty good, man. I thought I liked it a lot. and You and every mother motherfucker thought it was fantastic. And I was just like, I don't get it. Well, you know, it's OK. It's okay it all good, man. Not everything is for everybody. That's OK. Not everything's for everybody. It's all right. Anyway, the reason I brought it up is because I really I really like I like Hilary Swank. You know, yeah, I like her, but she's not good in this movie. I, this is her breakout role for good or ill. And I think maybe ill, but this is kind of her big breakout. Yep. Yep. You want to know something wild for me? That this is something I realized as I was watching this movie. This movie comes out 10 years after Pat Morita's one and only Oscar nomination for the original Karate Kid. And five years before Hillary Swank's first Oscar win for a Million Dollar Baby.
00:08:38
Speaker
That is wild to or not from I'm sorry for boys don't cry. Boys don't cry. Sorry. Let me know the babies later. Boys don't cry. Like, fucking bizarre. Like, both of the leads of this movie are Oscar caliber actors. But they're not giving Oscar caliber performances here. They're really not. No, yeah I mean, like Pat Morita is basically playing a character, a character of Mr. Miyagi in this fucking movie. Yeah. Yeah, look, I love Pat Morita as well. I think he i off mic. I described him as an international treasure.
00:09:14
Speaker
um So like I love Pat Morita, always have, always will. The man was was a just, by all accounts, just an incredibly sweet man. um this is This is not his best work. Again, i i so I still like him, and I have so much goodwill for Pat Morita, it extends into this movie. But yeah i I think the problem is not so much he and Swank, so much as it is the script for this movie.
00:09:45
Speaker
is, um let me see. It's 100% the fucking script. this It's bad. If you had it in the room with you, you would have to hold your nose because it smells so fucking bad. This is one of the worst scripts that I've ever seen put to film.
Hilary Swank’s Early Career
00:09:59
Speaker
Yeah. This is Hilary Swank's second movie ever, and her first lead role. Do you know what her first movie ever was? First theatrically released film?
00:10:15
Speaker
I feel like I do, but I can't think when you say it, I'm gonna be like, damn, I knew that. It is another movie we could potentially cover on this podcast, but probably won't due to the obvious associations with someone who has recently ah come to be revealed as a terrible person. Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yes. Yes, I like that movie and I like that show and Joss Whedon can go fuck himself. um It's not going to keep me from enjoying. He and there's someone else that's going to keep me from enjoying the show, not Joss Whedon. Steven knows who the fuck I'm talking about. Sure does. That's all we're going to say. JP Leck knows who the fuck I'm talking about. Yeah. Y'all just have to guess. I'm not saying a fucking word, dude. That motherfucker can suck a fuck. I'm sure he probably has.
00:11:05
Speaker
probably does regularly. Yup. Anyway, anyway, next karate kid. Yeah, anyway, this is this is her like, there are a couple TV movies in there. But like theatrically released films is the second one she was in. um And her first starring role and for better or worse, her her break. This is like her big break. And after this, she starts landing more roles. But yeah, no, I which I again, wild. Like this movie has so few like name actors in it. um Like you've got your big three and then our boy wall. And like that's ah about it. Like in terms of like people who kind of kind of broke out and made a made it big. I mean, there are some other people like just working actors like Constance tower, ah Constance towers, excuse me, Chris Conrad, Sonny Trinidad, like
00:11:56
Speaker
fine fine actors, but not anyone that you're gonna be like, oh yeah, Sonny Trinidad's in this movie. That's probably really disrespectful to Sonny Trinidad, and I'm sorry. I'm sure Sonny Trinidad is a lovely person, but in the context of that movie, of this movie, fuck off. Yeah, he passed away in 2003. It's basically what we're saying. Oh, RIP, but fuck off in this movie. And he' is he's also in future episode of this of this podcast, ah The Shadow. 1994's Alec Baldwin film, The Shadow. winner When are we doing that? Because I have been waiting, since that movie came out, I've been waiting to see it. But I always have an excuse not to. we I still really want to see it. So when are we doing that? I want i want to pencil it in as a theme month with some other pulp hero movies, like ah like the loanne one of the cup maybe a couple of those Lone Ranger movies. um Sure.
00:12:51
Speaker
like you do like I do you know how I like to do um I'm trying I'm looking at the schedule here and we've got so many like months where there's like one or two things that would keep us from doing a full theme month and we should have saved Green Hornet and phantom for that month but then we had that 89 Batman inspired shit Yeah, the studios didn't know what part they were supposed to take from that. Exactly. And they got it completely, which is the funniest fucking thing to me. We did.
Past Podcast Highlights
00:13:18
Speaker
We did. I know. I know. Well, we had crazy Green Lantern was, I think, on the schedule. And then we did like I think we did Green Hornet right after it because they're two green superheroes. I think was a rationale, if I'm not mistaken.
00:13:34
Speaker
ah So you're right. There are some that we probably should have said, yeah, we did Mystery Men, Green Lantern, Green Hornet, and we closed out that month with the tension. It was TMNT, Mystery Men, Green Lantern, Green Hornet. So I think we kind of like back fell backwards into like a like yeah comic book movie. But A double half theme month. Yes, a double half, exactly. um yeah But yeah, I want to do that as a theme month. The first available theme month that I have right now outside of in October, because we don't have anything on the schedule for this October. Oh, but that's spooky month. It is. We got to do some shit for that. Exactly. You know what we could do?
00:14:15
Speaker
um We can talk about this off mic. This is not a non-mic conversation, but we can fudge it. I can make it work. Yeah, yeah, I'm into it. Right on. Okay. Sooner than later, please, because I still am just itching. I've been itching for like 25 years to watch The Shadow Man. I mean, it's not that itchy. I very easily could have watched it at any time. You still can. This is true. You still can. I still can. To be fair, nothing is stopping you from watching it.
Excitement for 'The Shadow'
00:14:45
Speaker
It's always right below the last thing on my priority list for about 25, 30 years. yeah It's been just right below that last thing. If I could just do one more thing, it would be watch the shadow. Here's the thing. Never do just one more thing. That's exactly where it belongs on anyone's priority list. If I'm being real honest, but I guess we'll see. i I might fall in love with it. You know, how I do know how you are. But then again, there are movies that I thought you would fall in love with that you absolutely hated, like Howard the Duck. So.
00:15:14
Speaker
Well, Steven, I'm a complicated man. You're something. And no one understands me.
00:15:23
Speaker
Appropriate spot to end that song. Yep. No, perfect. I'm over. No, no. Yeah, no, no, it's none whatsoever. um Anyway, we are here. We're supposedly here to talk about the next karate kid. You can see how excited we are to talk about this movie. And fuck this man. Not a good movie. It's not a good movie. Is it better than some movies we watch for this podcast? Yes. Is it worse than most of them? Also, yes. Look, is it better than Marmaduke? No. yeah Did I enjoy it? Did I enjoy Marmaduke more? Yes. No.
00:15:59
Speaker
Yes. Yes, I did. Because at least it was stupid enough for me to be like, I cannot believe how fucking stupid this is. And that entertained me. This is not that stupid. It hovers right above it to where I just don't give a fuck to the point to where I didn't last watch the last 15 minutes because I just couldn't be I just could not be bothered. So you didn't see Michael Ironside blow up a fucking car. Guess not for challenging ah before challenging a teenage girl to a fight to the death on the docks. I wish, you know, I wish I wouldn't have let that knowledge out because if I have to do the plot for 60, the end of it's going to be like, and then they go to a dance, the end. That's where the movie should have ended. I will concede that. The movie should have ended at that fucking dance. I felt like it was over. That's why I turned it up. It felt, no, it felt. I make my own endings. It felt very over at that point. Look, this movie is almost two hours long and there is no reason for it to be almost two hours long.
00:16:59
Speaker
No, there's no reason for it to exist at all, Steven. Yeah, look, we're going to talk about all of that. And this is kind of one of those early examples of Hollywood trying to shove like sequels and spinoffs down our throat that we didn't really need, not even one of the earliest ones, but one of the one of them like this. This comes out 10 years after the original, like we're really celebrating the 30th anniversary of the next karate kid like it's a It's a fucking bizarre object, honestly, this movie. um Because it it comes out 10 years later. There has not been a Karate Kid film ah since... When did three come out here? Let me... Since 89. I'm gonna say 88. 89. Five years. One year off. Five years. um And it's... Again, like you mentioned, kind of at the top, Ralph Macchio ages out.
Ralph Macchio’s Career Choices
00:17:57
Speaker
He's in his early 30s. They would have had to call it the Karate Man right at that point. and like he that same ring to it He comes out and basically says, I did not want to be the Sylvester Stallone of Karate Kid movies. He doesn't want this to be his Rocky or his Rambo.
00:18:15
Speaker
Um, despite the fact that he's now like working as Cobra Kai, but I think at the time he wanted to branch out and do different things. He'd been doing that for five years because. Well, outside of my cousin Vinny, what does motherfucker do until Cobra Kai? I didn't see him in shit. he He was a part of the Broadway touring company of how to succeed in business without really trying. Cool. I saw that on TV and I was like, Ralph Macchio. Um, I mean, he was probably ratting it like good for him. Like, great. But like, as far as like. when you're like, oh, I don't want to do the next sequel because I want to focus on doing other things in my career. And then there are no other things in your movie career. fact I mean, but here's the thing, like you have to sometimes you have to stop doing the thing you're known for if you want to branch out. And that's a risk because this this thing that you have in front of you, this is the easy money that will keep paying. But do you want to go to your grave only being known as Daniel LaRusso? And so I can sympathize, he's ah he's an artist, he's an actor, he wants to stretch beyond what he's known for and do other things. But sometimes that's successful and sometimes it's not. That's the risk that you have to take as an artist. And I completely agree with everything you just said, Steven. But when you do that, and you fail, so eventually, because you don't have any other option, you go back to the well.
00:19:37
Speaker
the well that you pissed and shit in because you were too good for it all those years back. It kind of it kind of shows where your integrity is at, Joel Hodgson. It also I mean, look, it goes beyond that. It's also that's why I don't like those new MST 3K, Stephen. That's why I can't do that. One of my three IMDB credits is the new i is the new MST 3K, but I can't look, Jonah's great, everybody on the show is great. It's just, I i can't do Joel anymore. The way he exited that series and then to come back to it, like begging for money to make some more, it's like, okay. We're gonna talk about it when when we finally cover MST3K, the movie. Well, we're gonna talk about it next week, actually, because the show might come up. Potentially, because we've we literally have had a late stage and reschedule
00:20:29
Speaker
It's true. It's because D.D., because shit do happen. um But um here's so here are some things I mean, but to your point, like Justin Timberlake did that shit. The Rock did that shit like very recently did that shit, both of them. Like The Rock leaves professional wrestling. I'm too good for this. I'm a movie star now. When is when all the goodwill that he makes as an actor dries up with Black Adam, he's like, what do I do? Fuck it. I'll go back to wrestling. because those people will accept me. Justin Timberlake, you know, finally starts, a career starts not going well. What does he do? He gets NSYNC back together to help his trolls movie. Like, people do this when they, when their their brand needs a recharge. Fucking Ryan Reynolds has been playing the same role for 20 years, 30 years at this point. Look, Steven, if I could just take a few steps back to NSYNC,
00:21:23
Speaker
now like i yeah i'm the one who said it so obviously i agree with you that that that's that shows a kind of a lack of integrity or maybe a a lack of foresight on the part of the person who does the thing where they're like fuck you i'm too good for you oh looks like i'm not i'm back I will give Justin Timberlake a pass just because ever since the album Celebrity, I've been waiting for those boys to get back together and do something because Celebrity, even though I am not a boy band person, Celebrity by NSYNC is one of the best albums ever created by Evolved Humans. And that that's a Tucker hot take right there. So enjoy that. Well, Ben.
00:22:06
Speaker
um Here are some things that Ralph Macchio did in between My Cousin Vinny and Cobra Kai. He did a movie called Naked in New York. He did a okay ah a straight to video sequel to The Secret of Nim called Timmy to the Rescue. He he did an episode of the 1999 Outer Limits. ah He was in the an episode of the TV show Chicken Soup for the Soul. ah He did an episode of Entourage, was in a movie called Beer League. A movie called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are undead.
00:22:39
Speaker
um He was in an episode of Law and Order, Criminal Intent, 11 episodes of Ugly Betty.
Ralph Macchio’s Lesser-known Projects
00:22:45
Speaker
um He did a tv an episode of a TV show called The Whole Truth, a short film called The Ballad of Danko Jones. ah He was in the the Hitchcock biopic, Hitchcock, playing Joseph Stefano. Wait, was that the was that the one with Anthony Hopkins, or was that the other one? Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson. Was there another one? I feel like there was another one that came out around the same time, but I could be wrong because I remember at the time those came out, I remember getting them confused and almost renting the wrong one. OK. He did two episodes of Psych. He was also in Psych, the movie. People love that fucking show. They really do. I don't know any, but like like if you're a fan of that show, you're fucking in it for life. Yeah. The people who love that show fucking love that fucking show. Uh huh.
00:23:37
Speaker
and it's one of them shows And he did a children's film called A Dog and Pony Show, an animated children's film. Oh, no, not animated. Sorry, not animated. Also starring Mae Whitman and Mira Sorvino. And the guy who looks like discount Rob Lowe, who's been tanned a little too hard. um Rob High. I mean, at the he does look pretty high on something. Anyway, H-I-G-H-E. H-I-G-H-E, yes. um But yeah, that's what Ralph Macchio's done. like and And again, I know he's done some theater. like There are other ways for actors to work, but like the Hollywood career wasn't really hitting for him after Karate Kid. I'm sure the way he hoped it would. You could say that for a lot of those brat packers though, including the aforementioned Rob Lowe.
00:24:26
Speaker
Yeah, but it's just really surprising because he he does My Cousin Vinny. And that was I mean, that's not just like a cult classic, but people liked it then. Like, I'm pretty sure it did at least decent at the box office. It did gangbusters on fucking cable. Do you want everybody watch that movie on cable? Do you want me to tell you how much My Cousin Vinny made? Yes, please. I'm getting I'm getting it. i My Cousin Vinny, I watched that one recently, spoiler for an upcoming, what are we watching? That movie flipping rules. I fucking love that movie. My Cousin Vinny, okay, this is a little surprising. It only grossed $52.9 million dollars worldwide. Okay, on a budget of? the On a budget of, production budget, 11 million. So not too shabby. Yeah, did all right. We're not gonna get a My Cousin Vinny 2, though we should.
Success of 'My Cousin Vinny'
00:25:17
Speaker
But see, what surprises me is that that film was so well received, and especially in hindsight, so well received. Marissa Tomei won her fucking Oscar for that movie. Like, come on. Well, and and Joe Pesci and Marissa Tomei are obviously the stars of the show, but Ralph Macchio fucking brings it. He does. You know who else brings it? He is hilarious. You know who I think is the undersung. I will not say unsung because I've been singing his praises ever since I saw the damn thing. But, you know, the judge guy, Fred Gwynne, Herman motherfucking Munster is so ah just fucking perfect. Yes. Yep. Yeah. Sometimes that is better. um Sometimes that's better. I'm sorry. You excuse me. Did you say you? Oh, I'm sorry, your honor. You. the God, that movie rules. I love it.
00:26:15
Speaker
I I drive 10 miles and the accidents change. ah The accidents change from this to I. yeah In miles. Yeah, I believe that in the distance of 10 miles. That's look American dialects are a weird fucking thing. um They really are, which is why I don't know. Every British person's Texas accent sounds weird. um because I don't know any Texans actually sound like that. But that having been said, oh, the sky looks really weird outside Chicago. I'm sorry, that was a weird stand. I just looked out my window and it's like, it's like red and orange, dude. It looks real pretty. I got like a weird like magic hour tint in my room right now. It feels good. It's right about dusk where you are. Yeah, sure enough.
00:27:08
Speaker
Um, but yeah, so, but yeah, no, my cousin Vinny fucking rules. And outside of the Karate Kid films may be the best thing Ralph Macchio's ever done. No, definitely the best, maybe including, uh, I mean, he's also Johnny in, um, the outsiders in 83. That's before Karate Kid, but like, like a lot of his fellow like
Macchio’s Early Career Highlights
00:27:30
Speaker
cut out. What did you say? The outsiders Francis Ford couple is the outsiders. Okay. Okay. Yeah. That's yeah. Francis Ford Coppola's Essie Hinton's The Outsiders. For when you said the name of it, yeah. Oh, yeah. Sorry. um Yeah, no, The Outsiders. um He's in that, but that's the year before Karate Kid. So, like, that doesn't count, um at least in terms of what we're talking about here. That was his big break. It was. That's how he got Karate Kid. I was gonna say, immediately off of that, he gets Karate Kid. Then he does Teachers, the TV movie, Three Wishes of Billy Greer, the movie Crossroads, which I've heard he's really good in.
00:28:07
Speaker
Oh, yes. You've got i is that on our schedule? Can we know that? am I might have to do as a straight up. It may be. It's a Walter Hill movie. You know how I feel. You know how I feel about Walter Hill. I do because outside of like guitar players, because every guitar player has watched that movie and we all love it. ah And outside of guitar players, like nobody really knows about it. If you say crossroads, they think you're talking about Britney Spears, man. Or, you know, I wanted like the best. Go ahead. and I would say I would. We're a little out of sync. Well, like there sometimes there's some lag. Yeah. I'm going to fix it in the edit because I don't know if you know this, but I've been taking a lot more time with the edits recently. I do know. Which is why it was so the episode was so late last week because I was editing until like two in the morning. I started at like eight o'clock. And Zencaster also was pissing you the fuck off, as I recall. And Zit, oh, you look, my buddy Marv has never seen me that mad because he was there when that was happening. And I'm just sitting there staring at Zencaster, just staring at it. And there's no obvious way to do the thing that I always do every week. They changed it so much. It's not even called the same thing. So like what I was but what I need to do is hit new and then episode. Right. New episode. Right. You know how I got to that?
00:29:29
Speaker
written the button i pushed to make a new episode said neither new or episode
00:29:37
Speaker
what did it say instead Tucker ah just ah it was a ah you know process of elimination you know trial and error i eventually found it it was like to ah something like I hit edit a session or something. yeah And then I just randomly hit some other button and it took me to the screen I knew. And I was like, okay, now I know where I am. I can upload this fucking podcast three hours late. You were you were cursing like live it God and everybody in the group chat. like You were like Gary Sinise on top of the the mast in Forrest Gump screaming at the hurricane ah in that group chat, man.
00:30:17
Speaker
because I had spent so much time editing it, right? I was already late, but it was worth it because I had spent so much time editing it and then I don't i don't run into a hurdle, Steven. I run into a fucking brick wall. right A brick wall. I understand. I can't go any further. I can't do the thing I need to do because they changed. I almost started to chat with them. I almost started the chat to be like, hey, hey, dog, hey. But like, especially late at night, it takes him a while to get back to you. And I had to do campground shit. Right. Because I edit this podcast while I'm working my other job.
00:30:52
Speaker
I sit down on the porch of the store and just edit, sitting there waving people as they drive by. This is some real inside baseball shit. I don't know if anyone cares. This is content for you and I, not anyone. Yeah, dude. Yeah, and I need people to know my struggle, dude, because like I've I've always been pretty loosey goosey about this podcast because it works really well that way. But the last couple of weeks, I've been using some some new techniques to really make it seem sound polished and like honestly easier to listen to. And I think I think it's it's a positive thing. I don't know if you've listened to any of it.
00:31:28
Speaker
But it's it's so much more cohesive. Like we're not. We are talking over each other, but we're not because I fix it. Nice. Fix it. That's and that's why you're the best in the biz. Dude, I am now. I never thought that before, but now I can't stop patting myself on the back. We know this it's the second episode in a row. You brought it up. I'm not. I'm about to offer my services. You know, podcast editors make about forty two thousand dollars a year. I look that up. No, I do. I propose nothing at all. $32 an hour, Steven. We have to make that much money in order to pay you that much money.
00:32:04
Speaker
Can you imagine how in debt you would be if you paid me $32 an hour to work on this podcast? Yes, I can. You would never climb out of that debt, Steve. No. Never. Which is why I'm not going to start now. um No, what i what I meant was, like since I'm on this podcast, obviously it's free until we become so rich that everyone can be
Tucker’s Interest in Podcast Editing
00:32:23
Speaker
paid. Correct. But like I thought about maybe like putting myself out there to see if ah you know I could do kind of as a side gig to edit some podcasts. Nice. So I'm kind of, kind of thinking about putting together sort of a demo reel to where I sort of put the, the podcast before I do a deep dive into it, where it just sounds okay. And then an example of when I go in and cut out the overlaps, but still make it like cohesive, because I kind of feel like I've, I've really, really hit on something here, Steven. I feel like I could kind of maybe do this professionally. If I master this thing that I've just discovered. I would love that for you, man. I would love for you to be able to have that as a career.
00:33:04
Speaker
Me too, because I love doing it. I was going to say, like I know how much you enjoy it. like so That's why I do it for free. I know. Because I love doing it. I know you do, man. and would look we ah time audio editing As the podcasters who have been reaping the benefits of that for the last few years, thank you for your service. I offered you didn't ask me. So that's true. We don't have we didn't ask you you. You were just like, ah like Hey, hey, can I, can I take on this really labor intensive thing and just like straight up do it for free for you guys? I don't want to say you guys are doing it bad, but you guys are really not good at this. No, that's, that's seriously why I emailed you the first time. I was like, this podcast is so good, but I could make it at least that sound like garbage.
00:33:49
Speaker
And look, we appreciate it not sounding like garbage. Thank you for your. And as a fan, it was a selfish thing because I just wanted to make it easier for me to listen to. And you can yeah look, there is a, and again, no shade to Brett who was editing a prior. um we he He does not have the audio training that Tucker does. And I edited a few episodes when Tucker was out of commission for a while and Brett wasn't able to. fine and And they're not bad, you guys. They're not great. They're definitely listenable. They're not great, but they're not bad. I even edited like a sound effect at one point. like
00:34:25
Speaker
That was the thing I did, didn't think I could do that. But like, no, do we definitely, is is it definitely better now? Is it a marked improvement? Yes, and continues to get better. And it is all thanks to Tucker. I am leveling up. Okay, the last two years I've been building up XP and now I'm leveling up to like a level three podcast editor. That's right. Tucker cut all this out. Pretty exciting. I will not. No, I didn't think I will edit the overlap, but I will not cut it out We're talking about how great you are. Of course, you're gonna leave that in um yeah Let's do that for another hour and then just forget that we came here to talk about the next the next karate kid That's what we came here to talk about. Thank you for reminding me. ta You know, what else is really cool about me?
00:35:16
Speaker
How much you love the next Karate Kid? like that and No, I fucking hate this movie, Steven. This is terrible. Are you kidding me? This movie is directed by the man who directed Young Guns. How dare you, sir? How dare he? um I'm like, I know the name Christopher Kane from something like I know I've seen that name before. And ah he was the director of Young Guns and nothing else I've ever seen.
Danny Trejo’s Film Appearances
00:35:42
Speaker
Although he did direct the the really bizarre lethal weapon spinoff, Gone Fishing with Danny Glover and Joe Pesci. as she yeah
00:35:54
Speaker
um That's like one of those in the vein of the bucket list. Well, you know, grumpy old men hit and then there were about five other like old movie people we like doing buddy comedies about old people. Yeah. And then it kind of spun off into like you got the more serious actors in there so that they became more dramaties. And now it's come full circle and now it's the old guys do thing that is ridiculous for old guys to be doing like old guys in Vegas.
00:36:27
Speaker
Last words, old guys, old guys are on a boat or like old guys in France. They do the old. yeah Well, that you you get that run of old guy action movies with like red, red. Oh, yeah. Like you got bad grandpa and grandpa. um But I mean, the one with with the fucking God dang Danny Trejo, there's like three of them machete. No, not Machete, Machete, Machete, Machete, Machete. I'm still waiting for the third movie in that. Same. I want to see him go to space with Mel Gibson. Yes. Mel Gibson as it's like, fuck him for being all anti-Semitic and shit. But boy, you get that man in the right movie. I believe everything he does. And it's so absurd that I believe everything he does and Machete kills. So absurd. Like when I'm watching it, it makes sense. But when I look back, I'm like, am I stupid?
00:37:26
Speaker
The man has done so much work. The man does not say no to anything. Literally, if he can do it, he will. That's why he's been in more Muppet projects than anyone else, like any other non-Muppet performer. And because Muppets are mad. Yes, yeah also that. But no, I mean, that is 100... Danny Trejo will be in an upcoming episode of this podcast coming before the end of the summer. That I can promise you. um You got trejo how much we paying him. I mean not the actual actor. He'll be in a movie. We're covering sorry should have clarified I see okay. Oh, I thought we were getting him on I mean He probably do it if we could meet his quote. We're just not big enough to meet his quote. How much young cameo? Oh, I don't know on camel bason and I'm sure he's on cameo Again, the man says no to nothing
00:38:18
Speaker
have we talked Have we talked about cameo getting cameos before? Yes. Are we probably going to do it one day? Also, yes. Yeah, absolutely. I can't wait. I'm trying to see how much he is. I don't know how this night works. He's on the TV show American Gods. Oh, of course he is. That's no that's not surprising at all.
00:38:40
Speaker
I mean, that's just it. Like, I don't know how to even find what movies you're talking about, because Danny Trejo just does. He works all the time. Like, he is never not working. Him and Samuel L. Jackson just keep making movies. Like, all the time, always making something. They never stop. So I can't even, I can't even tell you what thing it is that you're talking about. Cause I don't know. I really don't know. Like, and he said, like if I can do it, I'll do it. Like if it works in my schedule, I'll do it.
00:39:12
Speaker
He's like, whatever you ask, what people ask me to do, I'll do. Like, he's in both of the- Some people just love to work. He's in both of the recent Muppet movies, The Muppets and Muppets Most Wanted. He's also in Muppet Haunted House and Muppet Mayhem, yeah. You mean Haunted Mansion? Yes, that's the one I met. But he's done four Muppet projects, like the last four Muppets, and he was on the show Muppets Now. where he does a cook-off with the Swedish chef making mole sauce. Was that good? Was that good? It was okay. It seems like one of those shows that was real good, but nobody understood it, and I would like it because I would understand it. it if it's the clo it's it It's them trying to do Muppets in a modern context, but in a much smarter way than the ABC show. In a classic style in a modern context?
00:40:00
Speaker
It's like before they got all kidified. They're doing the Muppet show, but they're doing it on like as as like a YouTube channel with like lots of different styles. Right. Modern context. I mean, it's still fairly kidified, but like it's not it's not Sesame Street, though. What was it? Which one are we talking about? We're talking about Muppets now. No, Muppets now. Muppets tonight was the one in the 90s. Of course I remember Muppets tonight. Come on. That one. That was when they were trying to do maybe a semi-adult sort of thing, and I really fucking appreciated it. If you're a human being, take a break from the race. Yeah, of course I know that theme song. Oh, it's the purple guy? Clifford. Do they ever bring the purple guy back? No. Has he been back since that show? Do you know why? Do you know who voices him? Kevin Clash.
00:40:48
Speaker
yeah so And they're not going to cast them. I mean, did you can't do without Elmo, but you can do without Clifford because not many people have a soft spot for Clifford.
00:40:59
Speaker
I do. I know you do. I don't care. to Get somebody else. Get somebody else. People move on. That's how Muppets work, man. It's like cartoons, man. People move on. Somebody takes over. Whatever. Bada-bing, bada-boom. Let's do it. Bring back Clifford. Here's the issue, though, is that people got so attached to the original Muppets. Like, the the original conceit, as Jim Henson conceived it, was that Muppets would come in
Evolution of Muppets Characters
00:41:23
Speaker
waves. As new performers came on, they would introduce their own characters and And it's interesting. The original characters would start to fade to phase out. Like that was the original concept. And the Muppets got so big when they started getting more and more Muppet performers. But so many ah with the exception of like the legacy characters, like when Henson died, they had like Kermit was supposed to take a backseat, Rolfe was supposed to retire outright.
00:41:52
Speaker
but you can't have the Muppets without Kermit. So Steve Whitmire, who up to that point, he'd been brought, he was part of the original Muppet show, but like his characters were like Bean Bunny, Rizzo the Rat, like second gen. He's like the first of the second gen Muppet guys. Then you get like guys like Bill Beretta, who does Bobo the Bear, my least favorite Pepe the King Prawn, um who is my least favorite Muppet. like Those guys start to come on, but there's still that soft spot for the guys voiced by Jerry Nelson and Frank Oz and Dave Goles. Do you know why the Prawn guy is the worst?
00:42:28
Speaker
because he took the spotlight away from Rizzo. like the pra and Pepe the Prawn is not a bad character, but the fact that he was, for some reason, a replacement for Rizzo, like can they not coexist? So here's what happens. He is brought in... he's I think, from what I understand, and I could be very wrong about this, Muppet fans, please do not come at me. I am a i love the Muppets, but I am not deep into the lore, so please forgive me. I believe. I love that this is what we're talking about because this fucking movie fucking sucks. Look, I don't even know what I'm going to put on the show notes. Watch us talk about anything but this movie. Yes. We have to talk about it at some point, Tucker. We have to. Maybe, maybe. We'll do the plot in the last five minutes and then just end it. We've done it before.
00:43:12
Speaker
so Let's do it. um ah Tell me about the props. He's he's paired up. He and I think there was like ah an elephant character or like this kind of mismatch chef team in Muppets Tonight. Like that's who the original pairing was. And. he was apparently very well-liked, that character. I don't understand why I didn't much care for him, but he but he started to make more appearances in things. um yeah And Steve Whitmire then falls out of it, and there's probably a lot of interstitial stuff that I'm missing. Steve Whitmire eventually after
00:43:52
Speaker
I wanna say after the Muppets movie, and I could be wrong about this, Steve Whitmire has actually written and spoken about this quite a bit and I don't have all the details, basically falls out of favor with the Henson family and gets fired by Disney after Disney buys oh the Muppets. The last Muppet thing he works on is the Muppet TV show. And I think it's because he's actually, yeah, the Muppets TV show that comes out in 2015 to 2016. It's the last Muppet project he works on. He is basically the guy who's like, this is not what Jim Henson would have wanted. This is not what the Muppets were. He basically gets fired for standing up for the legacy of Henson and the Muppets. And Disney's like, fuck you, you're gone. And basically, like someone at Disney poisons the Henson family against him, he's out, is is the way he tells it, from my understanding. So his Rizzo is his character.
00:44:45
Speaker
And Rizzo is not a big enough character that another performer is going to come in and perform, so Rizzo now is functionally out and Pepe, as the other small goofy character, is kept in. Look, and that is the damn game. Gonzo continues to grow in prominence, which I love, because Dave Goles is like yeah the guy who's still around. Like Frank Oz won't do it anymore. Jerry, Jerry Nelson's passed away. He's told like so Like, I look, I love Gonzo. He's one of my favorite Muppets. But like,
00:45:19
Speaker
I mean, but but the attachment to the original muppets is why we haven't seen like an influx of new different muppets because none of those, yeah no one really gives them a chance, which I find really frustrating. I look for me, it's it's frustrating for me because I can be of both minds. And I wish everybody else could. Can we keep the old guys around buckets and bring me Clifford? You know, give me more Clifford, man. And like you were saying before about ah Rizzo, I was saying it's a damn shame that that all of that happened because Gonzo is great, but Gonzo and Rizzo are the best pair. They're good. Of any Muppet pair. Yeah. They're not the best Muppets, but they are the best pair. They also get Gonzo and Rizzo together. They're the chorus in the Christmas Carol and they make it work and I cry.
00:46:11
Speaker
I was gonna say, I think that was the first time they had been explicitly paired together. And it worked so well that they just became a team going forward. Like, I think is how that works. it Because they do it again in Muppet Treasure Island. They're just like, well, we'll give these guys functionally the exact same role in this movie too. And Muppets from Space is kind of, we we did an entire episode on Muppets from Space. Go listen to our episode on Muppets from Space. by Yeah, not my favorite, by any means. That could be better. um But there is a movie we watched this week called The Next Karate Kid. Damn. Damn. Bringing it back. I had the science teacher, Steven. You know who else? I had the science teacher. That our trick was if we could get him talking about like current events or anything else, we wouldn't learn shit. No, I had i had teachers like that as well.
00:47:08
Speaker
And he'd be like, well, guys, we're going to learn about somebody, raise their hand. And they'd be like, Hey, uh, how come you wore a blue tie today? Mr. Science teacher guy. And he just, man, this man loved to talk. He loved to tell you about himself and we could go whole week without learning shit. And that's what I'm doing to you right now. steve know I had a Bible teacher like that. We like, I remember one day this, the girl who was. you know, had the reputation in my class raise your hand and goes, I don't understand why sex before marriage is wrong. Two weeks. We spent on that two weeks. Yes. Brilliant. And you all you all bought or you got got a card and signed. for we Thank you for your service. The entire class. you know And every time I would try it, I get a one word answer and he'd move on. So I was like, damn, I need to be more promiscuous. That's my problem. Yeah.
00:47:58
Speaker
There you go. Anyway. Yeah, showing enough ankles, Steven. Something. That's what it is. Anyway, we are here to talk about the next karate kid. Let's just rip the band-aid off. Let's do the plot. For those of you who don't know, this is the part of the show where we at the behest of the coin of justice recount the plot of the film that we are watching in 60 seconds or less. And I do. Tucker happened to have the coin of justice right here. Sweet. I'm going to flip it. You're going to call it. Sure. Tails. Hang on. It didn't actually flip. It just like went up and fell. Fuck a duck. There were tails. It is heads. All right. Well, this is going to be a collaboration then because after I say and then they went to the dance, Stephen, you're going to fill in the blanks after that.
Plot Summary of 'The Next Karate Kid'
00:48:48
Speaker
I already told you what happened in that part. Were you paying attention? Are you ready to collaborate though? Are you okay to collaborate on this? Well, let's do it together. Let's be friends. We'll see. I don't need your help till I get to the dance. That's all. I got the rest of it, okay? Are you ready? I got 60 seconds on the clock. I'll give you the 30 and 10 second warnings as I usually do. Your time starts when you do, sir. Okay, so Mr. Miyagi goes to this thing. I guess he lives with Daniel. Is he living with Daniel at this point? And he's like on vacation? Or is he just saying like he lived with him in the past? I don't know. Anyway, Mr. Miyagi goes to this thing honoring ah Japanese people who fought in World War II. And I love in that scene where the guys like, uh, Japanese people were sure up in internment camps, but we were out fighting.
00:49:36
Speaker
And that's all he says. He doesn't like and say and this is why or like and we forgive or whatever. He's just like he just brings that up. So anyway, ah Mr. Miyagi goes to this lady's house, who's the wife or the widow of the guy, the white guy he served with. And her granddaughter is being a punk ass bitch, like because she said that her parents died. And so Mr. Miyagi takes her to a monastery and sends her straight up karate. And then they go to a dance. Mike Larinside blows up a car and challenges a teenager to a fight to the death. Fuck yeah, dude. And time. Yeah, it is time. Yeah. We did it. High five, Steve. Bam. That was something. God. um I was vamping because I like I didn't care about the plot. I was just trying to hit even the just the most basic part. I mean, while still like thrilling on the shit that annoyed me. So do you know who that guy at the beginning who was speaking was?
00:50:33
Speaker
Nah, who dat? That is a cameo from United States Senator from Hawaii, Daniel Inouye. Inouye. Oh, sweet. Inouye, who was a. ah Like a real and World War II veteran. Yeah, an Asian and Asian senator. So red like, yeah, rad as hell. um And yeah, still a dumb scene, but real rad that he was there. I mean, yeah, it's it's kind of it feels a little hand. It feels like it's supposed it. It feels very hand wavy. um Like, what are they saying? What are they even saying? Because that's all they do is they're like, well, you know, my friends and my family were all in straight up internment camps and I was fighting for the government that was, you know, in ah keeping them in internment camps. Okay, moving on. like It's that 90s thing of we're going it we want to bring it up and we want to create awareness, but not going to offend anybody. We don't need opinions. We don't need opinions on it. We're just going to state the facts and move on. Right.
00:51:31
Speaker
Yeah. Wow. And that's that very much feels it's it's that kind of thing. I yelled at the screen when I watched this and. Then it just moved out of like, OK, all right, well, yeah fuck me, I
Unacknowledged U.S. History
00:51:45
Speaker
guess. I mean, this this feels like the kind of thing that like George Takei would have been like, I mean, we could go further, guys. Can we not go further? Like, yeah why aren't we going further? Like a couple of more sentences. Hello. Because George Takei has talked about his life in internment camps for all been talking about it for a long time at a time when it was not like a popular thing to discuss. He was like, yeah, he kind of brought it into the yeah, he people are aware of it because of George Takei, like, because I didn't look, I don't tell you, man, I went to school in the 90s. I didn't know about that shit until I was an adult. There's a ton of shit that we didn't learn about in school. Like the the the Tulsa riots, like didn't learn about that in school. Like there's all this shit. Yeah. i appreciate There's all the shit that we're like, how did we not know about this? And it's because white people have been telling the history for a long time. And if you're trying to make America look like the heroes of the world, you can't be talking about shit like World War II internment camps and the Tulsa riots.
00:52:46
Speaker
and see that's the worst part because that's how you don't learn from your past correct because if you're more concerned about looking looking good or looking powerful instead of taking account having some accountability for the past and learning from it and changing like that's what you should be getting out of that that's why we should I don't know why I'm saying everybody knows this any sane person knows right what I'm saying right now. I don't know why I'm ranting about it anyway. No, it's big. But I mean, that's the reason that we have MAGA, right, is because shit like that falls through the cracks. People don't know. And it's like, well, I didn't learn about it in school, so it never happened. Like there are people who are like that and people who would rather embrace American exceptionism at all costs.
00:53:31
Speaker
So, I mean, there it is. ah Please don't die. Please don't die doing shots on this podcast. Look, my body hates all of the things I put inside of it. I believe it. i had I have had asthma since I was in middle school, but I have also, so ashamed to admit this, but I have also smoked cigarettes since I was 14 years old. This I knew. I'm not proud of it, but it's something that I do.
00:54:05
Speaker
Um, but my lung, I still, I still cough. Like if I, when I smoke weed, anybody I know that smokes weed, they will tell you that no one coughs as much as I do. And it's the same with liquor. like I have like the most sensitive gag reflex, Steven. And my throat does not like liquor. So I've had to like train myself to not like inhale liquor into my lungs. Every time I take a shot. That's uncomfortable. You ever done that, Steven? Unfortunately, yes. You just can't breathe for a while. right You're pretty sure you're gonna suffocate and die. But eventually you're able to breathe again.
00:54:46
Speaker
Ooh, that's nasty, getting alcohol in the lungs. But anyway, yeah, my body, like the things I want to do to my body, like drink and smoke, my body is not for it. But I do it anyway. It's a bad person, probably. I mean, we all do things we probably shouldn't. um But I mean, for some of us, those some of those habits ah come come a calling, come a reckoning. there cut There will come a day of reckoning. and I mean, I'm, I'm living, I'm fortunately living proof of that, but yeah. You got, you got another chance though, Steven, let's do it. For, for reasons you know, and most people listening don't, but yeah. Let's, let's quit smoking, Steven. Let's do it. Already done, man. Already done. Well, and that, that's why it's so easy. That's why it should be pretty easy for you to agree to quit smoking. Then let's do it together, Steven. Accountability. I've already done, man. Right on. Nice. All right.
00:55:40
Speaker
And accountable now um do you know who they originally wanted to play Mr. Miyagi in the ah first Karate Kid film? Oh, um I'll give you a hint. It's the same person that George Lucas wanted to play Obi-Wan Kenobi. It's the is it the guy that he was on CBS Sunday morning and he's in every movie he's in no big trouble in little China and the Twilight Zone episode where the world have you seen that's why I don't ever so it's even because they banned it but you can get I have the DVD yeah James Hong what no with the it's actually is it George Takei or is it James ho James Hong is the one in big trouble in little China okay okay yeah well I kind of kind of got off on a little
00:56:24
Speaker
i I went in another direction and didn't inform everyone because it happened in my head. I apologize for that. But there's this Twilight Zone episode. Or like this, the Japanese guy is a delivery guy, right? And he's delivering something to this World War II veterans, uh, house. And the World War II veteran is very racist against Japanese people. And he comes up to deliver it to him in his attic and the attic door gets stuck. So they get stuck in there together and they have to like work through their fucking issues with each other. And it's rad as shit. Have you seen that Steve? I haven't, no, but I love the Twilight zone. So good. But no, it was not James Hong.
00:57:05
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, I think that was George Takei in that. And I realized as soon as I said that. Takei rhymes with gay. Yeah, but, you know, before anybody knew how it was pronounced, we said it's a kind. I know. But now we know better. And so we I'm working to be better, Stephen. Bear with me. I just as I grow as a human, he he made T-shirts that said after he came out that said it's OK to be TK. And they had like little rainbows all over him. And it's great. I love it. Happy Pride, everybody. um Yeah, for sure. No, they wanted to Shiro Mafune.
00:57:38
Speaker
from like all those Akira Kurosawa films like The Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Yojimbo, um Hidden Fortress. ah he the problem was is The same problem George Lucas ran into when he tried to cast him in Star Wars. Motherfucker didn't speak English. well So go sometime like they couldn't cast him Paparita audition auditions, but they don't like him ah Because the only role they've ever seen him in is Arnold from happy days And so the producers because they didn't they didn't look I Steven they didn't look I always look I um They they wanted a ah What is it they they wanted
00:58:21
Speaker
They didn't want him because they saw him only as a comedic actor.
Pat Morita’s Casting Struggles
00:58:24
Speaker
So he had a screen test five times before he actually got it. And he only got it because he grew a beard and made himself sound like his uncle. Basically made himself sound, you know, more stereotypically Asian. Ethnic. Right. Yeah. Speaking of which. um
00:58:45
Speaker
They yeah they but actually wanted him to go by Noriyuki Pat Morita in order to make him, even though he'd been Pat Morita for years because his his given name sounded more ethnic. Like, yeah gotta fucking love Hollywood, man. um But I mean, he is Oscar nominated for playing this role in the first Karate Kid film. This is his last time playing it. And he had nominated for an Oscar for the first Karate Kid. Are you kidding me? Yes, that's why I said this movie comes ten, ten years out. Yeah, I don't I wouldn't expect the Academy to recognize a popcorn film like Karate Kid. Well, but I get like, I agree.
00:59:26
Speaker
That's kind of the magic of Hollywood um in the 80s, though, is you also have like you've you're it's it's more in your you're more likely to win or get nominated for something a little weirder like the Kevin Kline wins for a fish called Wanda. Like that's a fucking wire. Yeah, that's right. Right. That's a thing that happened in the 80s. But who won the best supporting actor? And oh, it was a highness nor for the killing fields. um oh nice and Nominated also off of Adolph Caesar for A Soldier Story, John Malkovich for Places in the Heart, and Ralph Richardson for, oh god, future episode of this podcast, cast Greystoke, The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. I don't know what the fuck you just said, little kid. That's trust that's when we could, that is the Christopher Lambare Tarzan movie.
01:00:17
Speaker
Oh, we say Christopher Lambert, I'm there, like sign me up. Yeah, I had a feeling you might be. um Written by the guy who wrote Chinatown. It's a two and a half hour long Tarzan movie. Steven, I've been, Chinatown has been in the back of my mind for about three months now. And here pretty soon, I'm gonna watch it. And I used to have I used to have that and the two jakes, a little known actual for real sequel to Chinatown, the two J directed by Jack Nicholson himself. Yes, I used to have both of those on VHS. Those those were some of the first like real movies that I owned as a kid. I was probably 16 years old and I bought those motherfuckers on VHS and Chinatown.
01:01:07
Speaker
Like what the fuck? How do you make a movie as good as Chinatown? How is that even possible? That you are right are just a vocal um just a vocal fan of the two Jakes is maybe one of the least surprising revelations I've ever heard. Legitimate. Look, I get it's it's not Chinatown like by any stretch of the imagination. No, but the two takes is it's it's something. and It's something something worth watching. I don't know if it's good. I don't know if it's bad, but it's something worth watching because it's I don't even know how to describe it. I don't even know how. But yeah, Chinatown, I've seen the first and third movies in that trilogy, but not the two jakes. The two jakes are the only one in that trilogy I've not seen. There's a third. Yeah, it's called Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
01:01:54
Speaker
Oh, you silly bastard. Get out of here, Steve. No, because I mean that that they're all three of those movies are about like the evolution of Los Angeles and like through various public works. And the third is The Rail Line, which is what Roger Abbott's about. Yeah. And I would say that is definitely like like you could call that like an unintentional trilogy for sure. Yeah. Because you change a few things and like throw in a few references to a few characters in Roger Rabbit. And no matter how silly it is, you can connect it to something. Absolutely. Like Eddie Valiant is is like a lateral move from Jake Giddes. It's Bob Hoskins basically doing Jake Giddes. And I think I'm saying thank you for bringing that connection to my attention because I will now forever consider that a trilogy.
01:02:44
Speaker
I cannot wait, watch them back to back. We bring it up in the, I bring it up in the Who Framed Roger Rabbit episode with our friend Michelle Egan and both Brett and and she were not having it. They were like, no. so So I'm glad you're at least on board for that. I'm way into it, actually, and i'm I'm way into, I'd like to make a day out of it, honestly. You should. Watching all three film. You shouldn't. Because not only do I love Chinatown, and the two jakes intrigues me, I guess is the word to use. That works. How I feel about it. um But to throw Roger Rabbit into that mix, especially as the third film, i I'd be really interested in taking that cinematic trilogy journey, for sure. Be a good time.
01:03:27
Speaker
and out of it And you know what, speaking of movies that you really tried to distract your way through without talking about, um Michael Ironside's in this movie just like he was in Total Recall, which we talked about earlier. Yeah, he's been popping up a lot lately. like my Michael Ironside is really cool, but hey, Steven, you know what, I was wondering, like real hardcore wondering. I i want to talk about Michael Ironside. I'm coming back to Michael Ironside. How well did like, I'm wondering how well does this movie did at the box office? No, we're talking about Michael Ironside first, bitch. How dare you? How fucking dare. See, and you. It's just we've talked about him so much in the last like month and a half. Fair. So much Michael Ironside. But when he. Look, I love him. Attention must be paid. OK, attention must be paid. I concede, Stephen, please. Let's talk about Michael Ironside like swiftly and crush the shit.
01:04:20
Speaker
I fucking love Michael Ironside. I think he is a national treasure. i He is fucking unhinged in this movie. And you don't you didn't even see him at his most unhinged in this movie.
Critique of 'The Next Karate Kid'
01:04:31
Speaker
I didn't, but I will say that he is the only performance in this movie that I thought worked at all. Really? All. He's the only performance in this movie where I was like, yeah, I hate that motherfucker because I believe that he's that fucking grumpy, pissed off old bitch. You know, like I believe what he's throwing at me and I hate that motherfucker. Right. No, I said the only emotional response in this movie is to that character.
01:04:58
Speaker
Yeah, he's he's the worst. He's the fucking worst. And it but it's that it's that thing from the first karate kid where like you want to see that guy get his comeuppance and instead he just gets like the the little joke kind of treatment like Mr. Miyagi just kind of blows in his face. It's like right there, like on his neck. and He says. Yep, it's he says honk actually he says ha yeah, but it's that's probably one of the best things that's ever been committed to cinema is like the recap like in karate kid part two where it expands on that and he honks his nose that's Brings the house down every time Steven. No one will be seated When mr. Miyagi honks Reese's nose
01:05:49
Speaker
But he does it again he does the exact same thing here like after Michael Ironside basically like bitch slaps and everybody in his entire like squad of Johnny Bravo's they're dressed exactly like Johnny Bravo without the sunglasses same haircuts and everything it's fucking ridiculous like when they're like when they first enter the movie like you just see basically they're introduced by their bulges because they're like they're walking down a hallway and the the the doorway is like cutting off the top of their body so it's like pretty much you're just seeing them from the waist down so they're introduced into the movie by their bulges and then they come in and they basically realize they're dressed like Nazi Johnny Bravo's because they're dressed with the tight shirt and the jeans but they've got a they've all got a patch on their arm
01:06:32
Speaker
like a fucking Nazi uniform or something. And that's essentially what they are. They're Nazi Johnny Bravo's there. Because apparently this this public high school is like has a fucking military for their security or something. Yeah, they're they're known. Apparently, that's what the school is known for. Right? Is there their fascist student? enforced police force. Not a thing that I think has existed literally anywhere else. But Michael Ironside is like the power behind the throne. He's got the principle in a chokehold by his like his nuts in a chokehold. Like yeah there is that that man is completely ineffectual and Michael Ironside runs everything. He should have gotten fired years ago for the way he treats those kids and he doesn't. Yeah.
01:07:21
Speaker
Like it's yeah it's absolutely abhorrent. But in the in the final scene, like he has his his like army of Johnny Bravo's basically kick the shit out of the boyfriend character. um And that poor kid yeah. And no, what did he boy literally what did he ever do? Like nothing. This is like the only movie he's ever been in. Well, no, I mean, the character, he's just he's just a nice guy. He's just a nice guy. Yeah. Like, I mean, zero personality, but nice guy. Just like he's- Yeah, have no, I do agree with you. I'm just saying that's what makes like the whole conflict more infuriating is these two people are literally just trying to live their lives even.
01:08:07
Speaker
that's it Yeah, it's all they're trying to do. They're not trying to like getting anybody's way or fuck with anybody or do anything. They're just trying to live their lives. And this weird fucking fascist military organization that's policing the school with its own students as the police are just just fucking with them because they can because they can. Yeah. No other reason. And like their asshole Michael Ironside is doing fucking right along with the cops like with the actual legitimate cops like he's because was like dystopian future shit. Yes.
01:08:43
Speaker
It really, really is. I mean, look, we all know that all cop all like security guards really, and all cops, all security guards want to be cops and all cops want to be soldiers. that's That's the pipeline. So it makes sense that this guy who calls himself Colonel would like try to ingratiate, who basically is a glorified security guard, would be trying to ingratiate himself with the cops. Like it just, it tracks. like the the whole fascist regime there helping itself, like very, and propping itself up, very circular, like an ouroboros on drugs. um But yeah, like, so they're kicking the crap out of this kid. um And then Miyagi and Julie show up, and Julie's like, well, fuck it, I'll fight you. And so the Ned kid like starts off, and she immediately sweeps the leg, immediately fucking sweeps the leg. immediately takes him down. She does like without even any problem. and He like keeps trying to get up and everyone's like go to him and she just dismantles him like the just folds him like laundry and he um and and so then Ironside starts like bullying everybody. He like puts Goggins in a chokehold and throws him at her and he's like no everyone starts backing away and running off and he's like screaming at everyone to kill this girl and he's like, okay, I'll fight you.
01:10:00
Speaker
And so, again, it's like a very kind of brief thing that ends with Miyagi just, you know, blowing in his face and and walking away. and And then he delivers the final line, fighting not good, Julie, but if must fight, win.
01:10:20
Speaker
And then, you know, we get that Bill Conti score comes in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The only good thing about this movie, that Bill Conti score, ooh, sweeps me. Pat Morita and Bill Conti, the like the the two guys who were at who were involved in all four of these movies um like John G. Avildsen didn't come back for this one. Fuck no, I wouldn't either. I tell them to go fuck themselves. I would. I tell them to go back and write a better script, honestly, like, Yeah, like get away from me with that. This script is is ah again, it be it's silly, but not in a fun way. Silly like it's complete like the whole notion of the fascist like cop thing is inherently silly. It's a deeply, deeply silly make that very satirical and funny while still grounding it. This could have been like this is there are not it's not the ideas in this script that are bad.
01:11:13
Speaker
It's the execution of them that are just amateurish, derivative, yes and just fucking garbage, or as they say up here, garbage. This is kind of one of those movies where they really, really, really wanted a new karate kid, but the guy who played the kid is too old. So it this is a spinoff. I would call this a spinoff. I think we need to get into this. because this is You and I had this conversation like prior to recording, but I think we need to get into it on mic. Sure. Because I would call this as a spin-off.
01:11:45
Speaker
i I have agreed with you on this. You have. And one of the reasons I've done some soul searching while we've been doing this episode privately in my heart of hearts. And I think this is a but more than a reboot or a spinoff. It's it's more of a by the numbers sequel. You know what I mean? When I say by the numbers, I do like something like like you're back to the future to where like it's a different circumstance, but you hit all the same notes, something like Ghostbusters 2. Pirates of the Caribbean 2. you hit all the same notes because you know those the notes that work
01:12:20
Speaker
but what differents differentiates this film from those films is those films knew how to change it just enough to make it fresh this movie Yeah, it it can't get out of its own way. No, this movie. All it wants to do is be a new thing and just reference the original and all the beats and original the entire time. And you can't do both at the same time. But if you're talented to do talented enough to do both at the same time, there has to be a balance. And this movie does not have it. Right. This is one of the probably the most
01:12:59
Speaker
boring and just like ah like this movie gives me anxiety it's so bad like I just want to turn it off the whole time not only because it's shitting on the legacy of some movies that I kind of like right and a little bit But that it's right there. This movie should have been a fucking slam dunk. It should have been a like a lob, like a softball pitch. You know, just real easy and right down the middle. Fucking how do you fuck up this movie? Right. How do you fuck it up? Right. But the here it is with every single part of it fucked up. And and again, I think it's the adherence to that.
01:13:40
Speaker
to the original film and the structure of the original film specifically, yeah that really ends up bogging it down. Because, I mean, the only difference is that the the lead is a goo goo goo girl. Like, oh my word. mama how can How can she do karate? she has She has a woman's figure, like, oh my goodness. Yeah. I can't believe it. Like, how how dare, how ever will they respond down at the country club, Agnes? The nerve. If I had pearls, I would be clutching them.
01:14:12
Speaker
Absolutely, the absolute audacity. And it's that kind of a thing. And it it just I don't know, like, does it need to exist? No, it absolutely doesn't. But you you can tell they absolutely want to try to recapture the magic and do something different enough where they can keep this momentum going. Like,
Inspiration for Cobra Kai
01:14:33
Speaker
look, we got three great karate kids. Well, three karate kid films in the 80s. Let's do three more in the 90s. You know, it wasn't bad. It certainly was not on the level that wanted to. And it's not this right. So no, this is this is gutter trash compared to any of the first three movies. Right. Even the one that's not that great. Exactly. And so that's kind of where we're at now.
01:14:59
Speaker
um And and yeah, it's not successful. um Apparently Pat Morita had an idea for one final Karate Kid movie that he was really kind of solo trying to push up the hill ah right up until he died, which was going to be a dying Miyagi in on his deathbed, basically reaching out to Johnny Lawrence ah from the first film. Joey, Joey Lawrence. No, no, no, no. Joey Lawrence is the actor. Whoa, whoa. Six, one. You're right, I'm sorry. I just, I got blossom. You did. No, Johnny ah johnny Lawrence, the the the the Cobra Kai kid, William Zabka, who's like now a doctor and like kind of like teaching him like the right way to do karate, basically. Like that was, that was, that was Marita's pitch. He wanted to do it. And they, I think they used part of that for like an episode of Cobra Kai from my understanding. And and see I think that honestly, if you put the if if you put the idea of season one of Cobra Kai, which was fantastic, by the way, like I said, I think I said this off mic, but I I bailed on Cobra Kai after the big high school lobby fight with like 100 kids karate fighting and the the silly, the ridiculous everybody's kung fu fighting. I'm sorry. No it's karate. It's a different martial art. My apologies.
01:16:24
Speaker
I mean, they were fastest lightning, though, and it was a little bit frightening. But did they do it with expert timing? They did. Okay. Which is surprising, because it's like 100 kids in this school just all doing karate at each other. Amazing how in how yeah how Hollywood choreographers can make that stuff work look good. But that first season of Cobra Kai was very grounded. It's very, it was very much about Johnny's journey as like kind of a broken man, a man who has kind of lost everything and decides to go back to the well and maybe, you know, start up a dojo. And it's a it's a fantastic exploration of that character as an older person. So you tell me it has pathos. It does. It does. But but after that first season, they just kind of decided to throw reality and logic out the window, which is fine. Whatever. Let's get back. That's enough for me.
01:17:21
Speaker
um So in I would love to put that ah those ideas together. Pat Morita were still alive when Cobra Kai came out. That's what I would want to see. I would want to see him training Johnny then under those. circle I don't want to see him as a successful doctor. Fuck off. I want to see him as an alcoholic who can barely afford his fucking rent. Doesn't know where his next paycheck is coming from. Doesn't have any fucking friends because he's burned every bridge. Narratively, that works, I think. literally at the rock bottom. It's exactly who he needs as Miyagi. Yeah. Exactly who he needs. And that's, yeah, that's, that's 100% it. Like, but we'd- Give me that. You know, unfortunately, Pat Morita, no longer with us, had you know, damn passed passed away in 2005, gone but not forgotten. um and In fact, they, they, the creators of Cobra Kai have talked about wanting to get Hilary Swank on the show, cause she's,
01:18:17
Speaker
do it technically part of what they call the Miyagi verse so look I support what they're doing with the show I love that they're bringing back even like the obscure villain from karate kid 3 comes back in Cobra Kai nice like I respect all that I respect what they're doing with it but it's just it's just not for me anymore after the first season it's just not for me it's It seems like it's leaning into its legacy equal status, which a lot of these things do. They basically you start out with something that has pathos and then you devolve very quickly into fanservice. And that's my problem with most legacy equals is eventually it's gonna lose the thing that made it seem very special at first.
01:19:01
Speaker
I'm
New Karate Kid Film Excitement
01:19:02
Speaker
looking at you, Book of Boba Fett. God, that whole show is just fantasy. Look at all this Star War that's come out in the last like 10 years. I will not say all because I still stan The Last Jedi, but like a lot of it, yes. And oh yeah I like that Ryan Johnson one. Of course you do. For sure. But it's right. john Right. You and I, you and I are standing alone on our, you know, our pillars of anti-Star Wars hate in our you, me and our friend, Hope, like all three of us just fuck everyone else. Right. Johnson. Look, I I got the tattoo. So like anything Ryan Johnson does, I'm I'm obligated.
01:19:40
Speaker
obviously right and luckily he hasn't let me down yeah everything he's done since Rick has been phenomenal even even his bloom I was gonna say even his least successful film is still very good yeah it's so good actually yeah it's a kind of a sleeper it's kind of sleeper hit sort of because it's it's real low-key but it's like super duper good it's still very fun though yeah it is it's very very fun I agree Um, but yeah, no, like in that, again, I think that's kind of the problem. I'm curious about this upcoming karate kid film. Um, there, which is, I think supposed to bring the original stuff together with the 2010 remake. Um, you're gonna have Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, basically playing Daniel Russo and Mr. Chang.
01:20:27
Speaker
so excited to give me a Jaden Smith cameo please I'm gonna need that at least maybe 30 seconds of your boy Jaden Smith um I don't know, what I'd like to see it kind of, even though it does exist in this bigger universe, I would like to see it as kind of like a bottle thing. That's what I want out of that. I don't want it to be like weighed down with everything from Cobra Kai. I want it to be kind of, it's still in that universe, but I want it to very much be its own fucking thing. Yeah. I said, Mr. Chang, his character is apparently Mr. Han. I'm sorry. I i saw Chang as I was looking on like a brief synopsis. So my apologies. I've not seen that movie.
01:21:07
Speaker
That's right, Steven. I know you're not racist. Um, so it's a common mistake. People make that mistake. I'll edit this out. No, I won't. Uh, but I really need this to be a bottle thing because there is, there's a good movie there and I want to see it. So hopefully they make the good version right of what they're cooking up there.
01:21:31
Speaker
Yeah, I again, we'll, we'll see the proof is in the the proof. of The pudding is in the eating. So I guess we'll see when it comes out. It was supposed to come out later this year. It's been pushed back to, I think next year. So, um, guess we're, guess we're not going to become there covering the 2010 karate kid until sometime next year. Um, so yeah. Yeah, but I'm into it. You know, who else has got it? Ming Na Wen. Love her. She's great. We know when she was in. She's the voice of Mulan. She's in Book of Boba Fett. She's in Age of the Shield. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She good. She real, real good. We stand. We do. We do. Hey, Steven, would it be too much or maybe too early to ask you to maybe tell us how well this movie? No, we're at a good point now. We can do that.
01:22:21
Speaker
Yes! Anyway,
1994 Box Office Landscape
01:22:24
Speaker
this movie comes out August 12th, 1994, and it does so poorly, Tucker. i I feel I have to tell you this. It does not crack the top 10 for five weeks. It is in theaters. It doesn't even hit the top 15 in the week it comes out. So I have two box offices here I can go through if you will if you permit me. One from the week, the the week it comes out and another from the week it actually cracks the top 10. The first being August 12th, 1994. The second being September 9th, 1994. I have both. um So the number one movie in America on August 12th is in its second week, clear and present danger.
01:23:13
Speaker
Oh, people love that movie. It's that's a Jack Ryan, man. Jack. Yeah, there you go. Yeah. If they ever do enough, there are two of those Tom Clancy movies that we can absolutely cover on this podcast. We've covered one. I've never had. We can cover two more. Look, I've never had any interest in them, so I've never explored them. But I have heard they're real fucking good. Hunt for Red October is a fucking masterpiece. It is a boat movie, though. It's a summary movie, which is even worse. so But you know what? It's real real good. It's the best one. with a bullet. It's the best submarine. Well, and Stephen, my my whole boat submarine movie thing is it's kind of a bit kind of like you're Kevin Costner to where like you don't really have a reason to. It's just it's kind of funny and you like to be sort of a contrarian about things. Sure. Like that's how I am with boat movies, submarine movies. If you show me something that fucking rips, I will not be too ashamed to be like, yeah, that fucking rips. Yeah.
01:24:06
Speaker
So please, give me some hump for Red October. Let's do it. Do I think Kevin Costner's made good movies? Yes, I do. Do I think he's the best thing about any of them? No, I don't. um But yeah, like I'll i'll um look. Is The Untouchables a fucking great movie? Yeah, it is. Yeah. Do I like Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves? You bet your sweet bippy I do. ah Sorry, I want to watch Untouchables right now. Bye, Steven. It's so fucking good. um Number two. don't that's You have to never remind me that Untouchables exists because I was able to control myself then.
01:24:38
Speaker
but I could be weak next time and actually like end the session and go watch it. It's such a good movie, dude. I love it. It's so good. Brian motherfucking De Palma, man. Yeah, dude. Yeah. Just quietly cranking out great movies. um Number two at the box office in its sixth week and heading making its way to like become the number one movie in the country and the Oscar winner for this year, see our previous episode on Forrest Gump. Oh, yeah. Mm hmm. In third place, um one of the three movies that this actor did in the span of two years that made him the highest paid actor in Hollywood, the second of three number. Nope, that's the third. The first, the mask. The second is the mask. The first is Ace Ventura.
01:25:29
Speaker
The third is, the second of them is the mask, which has been in theaters for three weeks, coming in at number three. In fourth place. Somebody stopped him. Somebody, please. I mean, he's smoking. Someone needs to stop him from smoking. We've established that smoking is bad. On this very episode, we have established this. Yeah, we we got real for a minute there. Yeah, that was rad. For real, for real. In fourth place, the Little Rascals. Penelope Spherus is the Little Rascals. That was a big deal. People liked that movie when it came out. I loved that movie as a kid. When that movie came out, I had just turned 11 and for some reason really liked the Little Rascals.
01:26:09
Speaker
There was a good run in the 90s where a lot of like older properties, anywhere from like the 70s to like the 30s were getting these 90s updates that were just all fucking fantastic. We can do a we can do a month of family. And there's we the Beverly Hillbillies, we can do Billie's Penelope's Furious director, that one as well. um In fifth place, another previous episode, it's at number five. It was number five the previous week and it's it's fifth weekend at the box office. It's already made $112 million. dollars stars one of the big It's one of the last films from one of the biggest stars in the world right before he decides to go into politics, directed by the one director who uses him better than anyone else. Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron, true lies. There you go. Nice. Get your your Jamie Lee Curtis in that too. Fucking A. Eliza Dushku, Bill Paxton,
01:27:07
Speaker
According to Randy, that's when she went legit. No, she she went legit in trading trading places. Trading places. Yeah, you're right. Fuck. Edit that out, Tucker. OK, I will. No, you won't. Don't you fucking dare. um Maybe I will. It's going to make me look better. So I probably will. Yeah, that's how I'm making a fool out of you. I know you are. Although at least now you generally will let me know if you're about to do it. ah You didn't used to know. That's true. ah Rounding out the top 10 for this throne. We have in a lot of ways. Yes.
01:27:38
Speaker
I'm
90s Film Trends and Nostalgia
01:27:39
Speaker
rounding out the top 10. We've got the new this week, the first new movie this week. Polly Shore is in the army now, opening to six point like million dollars. I will defend Polly Shore for specific performances, but in the army now, it's not one of them. It's not. It shouldn't be. um I was so disappointed in that movie. He was on a good streak there for a while and then fucking did it in the army now and ruined it. I remember the trailer for that movie was him basically sitting down and the like everyone's getting the army cut and he sits down and goes, just a little bit off the sides, please. And then the shave has had any screams. Like they turn him around and he faze and he screams. Like that that was the trailer for that movie.
01:28:24
Speaker
so Clever. And it's it's one of those like classic like these guys in the army like this guy in the army. Sergeant Bilko fucking did that. Delta farce does that. Right. It's like it's such it's such a fucking like by look it's a good trope if you do it right. But so few people can do is my but is my it's my my point. Stripes does it better than anyone and all the rest of them are just pretending to be stripes. I think it's a good setup, you know? And if you can do something creative and different with it, then you're going to have a successful film. And you're right, Stripes is probably, probably not the only one, but one of the most well known. I would say it's probably the best film. I liked Sergeant Belko. I liked it when I was young. I don't think it'll hold up on rewatch. I really don't.
01:29:08
Speaker
haven't watched in a while to Steven put it on the list so that we can do a we watched it when we were kids and we haven't watched it since let's see if it holds up episode here's here's the thing it's all it's when we can cover so I could absolutely throw it on as a MF and P we we got some spots in the schedule man like we do because you know my aunt used to do the thing where like you worked for a company and you went to the movie theater and they had to let you in for free and like you had a little sheet of paper and you wrote down the audience's reaction to each trailer and what each trailer was and you had a little clicker and you clicked it to see how many people came in and you ah said you compared that with the ticket prices to see if like people were rolling in and shit whatever and
01:29:51
Speaker
I used to go with her every weekend, so I would spend like an entire Saturday at a fucking low Cineplex. Yeah, you like an
Wesley Snipes in 'Tu Wong Fu'
01:29:58
Speaker
AMC or a general cinemas. And it would be for like a whole summer. So I'd be watching some movies multiple times. Mm hmm. And I have seen in about a month, I saw Sergeant Bilko probably 20 times, Stephen. That's a great story. I can't wait to hear it again on the Sergeant Bilko episode. and I had no I and the reason I'm saying it now is I have not watched it since Steven. Right. So please ASAP. I mean, now that I'm thinking about it, I've got to watch it. Brett will like it because it's got Dan Aykroyd in it. So I love that accurate to you. But I have to I have to see it to number one. Like I said, I haven't seen it since I was probably a middle school. And can you imagine unlocking middle school memories?
01:30:45
Speaker
I don't know that I've ever done that. Because I can't think of a thing that happens in this movie, but as soon as I see it... Oh, boy, it's all going to start coming back. It's going to be a whole experience for me, whether it's good or bad. It's going to be an experience. And I can't fucking wait for it. Anyway, what was next on the top? And I was going to say we're rounding out the top 10. So this is the part that should go quickly. And it's not in seventh place. the joel We're not talking about the next karate kid. You know what? I'm tempted to start talking about it again. No. OK, I'm sorry. What Joe Schumacher's what now, Steven? The client. Joe Schumacher is the client in a place the Lion King ever heard of it.
01:31:22
Speaker
Yeah, and I'm one of the few that didn't really like that one. Wow, you're weird. In 9th place, the Nicolas Cage film, it could happen to you. And in 10th place, Angels in the Outfield. That's the one where he gets the lottery ticket and the diner lady, and that one's all right. That one's not bad. That one deserves a rewatch, a reevaluation from people, because it's pretty funny. And honestly, I want to do the next four, because the next four all are bangers, too. lead Speed in 11th, the Flintstones at 12, Four Weddings in a Funeral at 13, and in 14, Tucker, New This Week, the other new movie that cracked the top 15, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
01:32:01
Speaker
Oh, the Australian Tuwung Fu. Yes. Yes. I like as much as Tuwung Fu. I've never seen either. I need to watch both. Though if if I had if there were a gun to my head and I had to pick one, it would be too. I know you think I don't know that Wesley Snipes. Look, you you've seen Wesley Snipes and stuff, right? Yeah. I have never seen a more convincing performance. in the entirety of cinema from any actor, Steven, then the performance that Wesley Snipes gives as a drag queen into Wong Fu. Okay. I've heard he's very good at it. You will gasp, Steven. He's so good. I believe you. And I've heard a lot of people say that is maybe one of the bravest career choices of any any Hollywood star is making that movie at that time.
01:32:57
Speaker
for a star of that stat, because they were offering that to everybody and everybody turned it down and Snipes and Swayze and Leguizam were like, fuck it, we'll we'll absolutely do this. and
'The Next Karate Kid' Box Office Struggles
01:33:06
Speaker
that's And that's not to put down the performances of anyone else in the movie, but just because of Snipes, who Snipes is and who he is in every other film to see him just walk through this, like it's the easiest thing he's ever done in the world, it's it's breathtaking. It really is. That man in that movie... there's Look, there's ah there's a reason he was a star for as long as he was. Shit, he should've... I'm gonna say it, he should've won ah an Academy Award for that movie. His own ego in the IRS completely got in his way. Yeah, and that's sad, but the boy's talented and too long-fu is, if you ever have any doubts, if Wesley s snap Snipes can do anything but action and mug at the camera and say cool one-liners,
01:33:50
Speaker
watch too long for the boy gonna take you to school he's gonna take you to my fucking college he won't get you a job afterwards I was gonna do the second week but Tucker kind of prattled on for a while so I'll i'll make it quick the the the September 9th so five weeks later is when it finally cracks the top 10 I did a word of mouth thing at number seven. It never makes it higher than I know. But this may be released scream. That's crazy. Oh, yeah. Well, it goes up to seven. Yeah, it goes up. It's as high as it gets. The next weekend, it's at nine. The next weekend after that, it's completely off again. Like.
01:34:32
Speaker
No, this movie's not doing well. What do you think it was that gave it the little bump? Did something else come out with one of the main actors in it that was like really popular? I don't think so. Because that's weird. Because it's like not a good movie. No. And it got such an insignificant bump. It's the whole crux of it. So what is it that gave it that tiny bump? And that's the thing. Weird Al didn't do a parody of any song on it, so it's not the Yankovic bump. We know that much. I don't know. What I know is that number one is Forrest Gump is still on the charts and he's in at number one, 10 weeks in. um Now that movie having now made two hundred and almost $250 million, $247.8 million. Natural Born Killers and it's third week at number two.
01:35:17
Speaker
Clear and present danger from one down to three in six weeks. So that meanss movie's made over 100,000 or 100 million. It's getting another another sequel ah in fourth place. Trial by Jury, a movie I have never heard of new this week, ah starring William Hurt, Mike Starr, Bo Starr, Gabriel Byrne. Joanne Wildly, Armando Santi. I know Gabrielle Bernes, but outside of that, I didn't understand any of the words you just said. I was actor-actress names, dude. You don't know Mike Star. You know Mike Star. You just mentioned Dumb and Dumber. You know Mike Star.
01:35:53
Speaker
Mike, he's a- Oh, he's the guy with ulcers and Yeah, he's in everything. He is, he's great. Love Mike Starr. Great Chicago actor Mike Starr. Yeah. In fifth place, The Mask again. That movie's now cracked 100 million as well. ah Milk Money at number six, that's ah down or down from five fifth place to sixth place. I think that's the one where Melanie Griffith is a prostitute. who's, Ed Harris' kids are sad that he's lonely and widowed, so they buy him a prostitute with their milk money. Yeah, that's, and then they end up falling in love with each other, I think. It's got Malcolm McDowell and Haysh. I remember seeing trailers for that. I saw her butthole. Do what? And Haysh. And Haysh. I saw her butthole and three make a psycho. Okay.
01:36:47
Speaker
All right. Anyway. What an odd thing to say. in piece Rest Rest in peace. Rest in peace. Rest in peace.
01:36:59
Speaker
yeah The thing is, you asked me to do the box office like 20 minutes ago, and the fact that we're still doing it, I just shudder to think anyone who looked at the timestamp at that moment and goes, oh, they're supposed to, oh, they're almost done, I wonder how much time, holy shit. And you're like, oh my God, anytime that happens, it's because Tucker just gets on another tangent and cannot contain himself. Tucker forgot his meds and just goes off the chain. No, actually, I think I think I had too much of my meds from being honest. Maybe that's what it is. I might go get some more real quick while you tell me what's next. So the next thing is the next karate kid is next. ah Only in five weeks it's made three million dollars.
01:37:46
Speaker
So nope, not a good, not a good multiplier. Now, this is this is at that time, when this movie came out, I'm going to guess and tell me how close I am, Stephen, I'm going to guess this movie costs about 30 million dollars to make 50 million at the most. No, you're very much on this. You're very 11 more. Really? Yes.
01:38:09
Speaker
I guess. OK, no, no, no, that does make sense. Now that you say that, because you got you got Pat Morita coming back and beside outside of Michael Ironside, these are all unknowns. Right. Yeah. Like yeah this is track this is Frank's second movie, so they can get her for cheap. Every everyone below Ironside in this movie is like a day player, more or less. That's the Michael. That's the Michael Eisner play right there. Yes. That's how he was making money for Disney in the fuckin' 90s with Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures, dude. Correct. He was like, we could spend $10 million dollars on this, make about $100 million, and like nobody would even notice. And if it works, it's great. If it doesn't work...
01:38:48
Speaker
you get something like this. um Well, and if it doesn't work, it's only 11 million fucking dollars, which even then wasn't really a lot to spend on a movie. Right. But yeah, there you are. That's I mean, and then ah eight true lies, nine, the client and 10 Karina Karina. So I mean, there's your top 10. Like it's it's kind of, ah you know, not a not a great time for movies. um The Tomatometer score on this one is a seven.
01:39:18
Speaker
That's the most accurate topotometer store I've ever seen in my life, Steven. A 7%. The critics' consensus, the next Karate Kid is noteworthy for giving audiences the chance to see a pre-Oscars Hilary Swank, but other than a typically solid performance from Pat Morita, this unnecessary fourth installment in the franchise has very little to offer. I completely agree. it's It's the novelty. I would have been meaner, actually. Of course you would. Yes, I agree. You're a miserable cuss, that's why. It's true. I'm a grumpy, I'm a grumpy dude. Like Oscar the Grouch is my favorite Sesame Street character, so that's what I almost tell you. I like slimy. The meta score is 36, based on generally unfavorable reviews from 15 critics. And Tucker, you want to take a stab at that letterbox score?
01:40:04
Speaker
I'm gonna say it's in between 2.4 and 2.9, knowing Letterboxd. You overshot it again, 2.2. Okay. 2.2. That's close enough for me, honestly. like I like to be in there, but if I'm a couple off, i'm so I still consider it a win. So what are so speaking of Letterboxd scores, what are you giving this one out of five, Tucker? Steven, let me tell you. um I think I've got to give this movie Gosh, look, I want to give it two stars, and I want to give both of those stars to Michael Ironside. But, I can't, because the rest of this movie is such horseshit that i can't I cannot live with myself if I give this movie more than a half star.
01:40:54
Speaker
Wow. That's a half a star. That's a half a star, even though Michael Ironside deserves a salute and some respect for doing something with the fucking garbage that he was given, at least making an intimidating, scary, anxiety-inducing character. star I gave it to I gave it to that I wanted to Michael Ironside. I'm so sorry I like you deserve better, but fucking I'm giving it gar I'm giving it a star from Michael Ironside and I'm giving it a star for Pat Morita who I think is just I Mean it again. It's it's kind of audience's last chance to see mr. Miyagi again
01:41:32
Speaker
I want to give it to him for that. It's a toothless Mr. Miyagi, though. He's toothless. The character's toothless. Look, in the first three movies, well, at least in the first two, it's kind of all about him and his past. Like, there's some really fucked up sad shit in those movies. Like, he's talking about, like, his wife and his kid that died and shit. And, like, he's always getting drunk and, like, telling Daniel these stories about how much he loves his dead wife and kid and shit. And it's fucked up. And this movie? Nothing. He's just a silly old man. A sweet, wholesome, silly old man. It's a 90s thing, though. But a fucking toothless version of that character, man. That's very much a 90s thing, though. Like, everything... It's an insult. It's an insult. I gotta say insult. It's an insult. You really hit that second syllable. That was wild. It's an insult to the character. This film is an insult to the character.
01:42:25
Speaker
I'm gonna say, love you Pat Morita, not your fault, you did your best, but this film is a fucking insult to the character. And again, I'm not giving it to the script, I'm giving it to Pat Morita. So, yeah. And look, they're my stars, I can give them out however I want. Yeah, absolutely. That's what I'm saying. Look, we're high fiving right now. You can't see this audience, but we're high fiving like multiple times over and over. Yeah, pretty fantastic. So, yeah, that's that's our episode on the next Karate Kid. Join us next week
Audience Engagement and Podcast Sign-off
01:42:52
Speaker
for a movie that we had to reschedule today because Tucker's like, hey, the movie you wanted to.
01:42:58
Speaker
The movie you wanted to cover has a sequel. It got it earlier this year, and somehow you missed it. And so we're we're changing it up last minute. ah Patrons, I'll let you know here soon, if I haven't already. ah But yeah, um last minute change, last minute. That's the thing we do sometimes when we have to. Such an improvement, too. Such an improvement in my eyes. Yeah. I mean, I'm much more excited about talking about the film we're going to talk about than the film we were going I love the movie we were going to talk about. Like I i had never seen it. It's not great, never had but it's fun. I would recommend checking it out. and I'll recommend checking it out. Maybe we'll maybe we'll do like a Patreon special like episodes that we almost made that we shouldn't have. But now we're going to make them here so that you can hear them. I mean, that would be a good way for us to finally cover the phantasm.
01:43:47
Speaker
That's the actual name of the show. It's like a paragraph. It's like a Fiona Apple album title. Yeah. Like that segment that we haven't been doing lately, but should have been doing from the beginning. So occasionally we do it now. So fuck you. And so go fuck yourself. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, shut up. Sorry. Well, that's what it is. Yeah. We're not we're not that mean to our audience yet. Go fuck yourself. Go fuck yourself. Well, I am, but as a group, we're not. Right. Right. um But yeah, that is our episode. Join us next week. um This has been the disenfranchised podcast. You can find us on a lot of social medias, not all of them, but we're on Instagram. We're on Blue Sky. We're on YouTube, Facebook.
01:44:31
Speaker
um Yeah, I think that's about it, right? Letterbox. We have a disenfranchised letterbox. We do. I basically just rate the movies as we discuss them. So if you want to see. You average them out, right? I do. Literally average them out in real time, yeah. Yeah, dude. I'm way into that. But yeah, so this was like 1.25. So that rounds down to a one. So I put it as a one. Intuit. But yeah, there it is. So so yeah, that join us on letterbox there also. um And what else? Oh, yeah, we also have a Patreon, patreon.com slash disenfranch pod, the official conversation of the disenfranchised podcast. ah You can leave comments there for free. You can subscribe to that feed for free. But if you want to throw us an extra five bucks,
01:45:15
Speaker
um That goes a long way to helping us fund basic necessities of the podcast like our hosting bills And maybe one day if enough of people if we come popular enough to actually like be able to pay us all we could you know Pay Tucker a consummate editing fee Hey $32 an hour. That's the average hourly rate for okay. You're not allowed to spend more than an hour editing the podcast every week. Okay, I OK. No, sorry. Thirty two bucks a week. Every month. Sorry, we don't make enough shit every week. um I take thirty three bucks a month. Yeah, I had a feeling you might. That's a movie and some popcorn right there. Yeah, that's that's something. But yeah, so the gas get me there. Looking forty five minutes to the nearest movie theater. Oh, it sucks. That blows. That really does blow. No, I love the drive, especially late. OK. I like those back back road drives. Yeah, he was you would. You would.
01:46:10
Speaker
um But ah yeah, and um also while you're on the internet, head over to wherever you get your podcasts, Spotify, um Apple podcast, do it right now. Leave us a five star rating and review. and They never do. We'll wait. We'll wait, we will. And when you leave one, we'll we'll read it out. And hey, if you want us to read more things out, write to us, disenfranchpod at gmail dot.com. And you know what usually happens when we get either fan mail or reviews? like we sit here and like we gush over that stuff like we do make you feel so good we love you when you do that stuff you go so much higher in our books of people that we love and respect and we wanna talk about that we wanna to talk about how rad you are
01:46:57
Speaker
and like call you out by name and be like, this is like one of the raddest people we know because they said this. It's true. We want to do that. We want to do that. In fact, you know what? There's some people who just the same people keep commenting on the the Patreon, the official conversation of the disenfranchised podcast, some of the same people. I'm going to start, you know, maybe reviewing some of that. OK, because those people, I'd like to shout them out because they're like three or four people who pretty much consistent consistently consistently on a podcast and not in just a who good job, guys. Wait, which we do appreciate that. Sure. But like they're really, you know, engaging with us about the content. They find that they join in the conversation, which is what that yeah the whole that the whole thing is. So, yeah. Yeah.
01:47:43
Speaker
It's good to have a community like that, and I'd love to grow it because I wish you guys would have had it when I first started listening to the podcast because I'm the only motherfucker commenting on any of that shit. You were just talking to myself. Yeah, like a fucking i like I'm nuts. Mm hmm. I mean, you do that anyway. Let's be honest. No, had some had some good conversations recently about Hearts of Space, about Joel Edgerton movies like. Oh, yes. We've been talking about shit, man. It do happen. I just I want more people to get up in there because I think we could have a really good time and have a lot of really fun conversations about the shit that we're talking about here on the podcast. I want to hear like I'm I'm in love with my opinion for sure. But the only thing that I love almost as much as my opinion is hearing other people's opinions. I think that's just interesting whether I agree or disagree. I want to know all about it. And one thing you can always be assured of if you disagree with Tucker that your opinion is straight up valid.
01:48:40
Speaker
It's gonna be valid as fuck and I'm gonna let you know. He will. Before I tell you why you're wrong. Yeah. Canada test. Is someone back there on the other side of that Canada test? respectfully tell you why you're up. But all that having been said, um please join us there. And yeah, join us in that official comment thread. Rate us on yourre your podcatcher of choice. Send us those emails. um And hey, again, we love you guys. Thank you for listening. We just want to engage with you a little more. um So yeah, help us engage. Help us help you. If you like what you're listening to, let us know.
01:49:18
Speaker
And if you don't like it, tell us how we can improve, you know, respectfully. Yeah. For real, because let me let me tell you, I've been listening to a lot of other podcasts that that are are similarly budgeted, I guess, or have the similar impact that we have. I've been listening to a lot of those lately and none of them. ah To me, none of them kind of match what we're doing. No disrespect to them. but and i But I want to know why, like, if you disagree with me, I want to know why. Because I want to, like, make it better and shit. Like, I have a good time doing this. Steven has a good time doing this. Brett, when he's here, God love him, has a good time doing this. And we just, what makes us the happiest is to, like, make other people interested in what we have to say. right So help us.
01:50:10
Speaker
Help us know how to do that. yeah We just wanna know you.
01:50:18
Speaker
Creepiness over. Continue, Steven. But yeah, anyway, I'm your host, Steven Foxworthy. You can find me on ah Blue Sky on Instagram and letterboxed at chewywalrus. Brett is taking a breather from the socials right now, so don't find him anywhere but letterboxed at sus underscore warlock. Tucker?
01:50:38
Speaker
Uh, I'm still on YouTube and Instagram as ice 909. That's I C E N I N E the number zero and the number nine. Uh, also tuck mugs is obviously still a thing. And I noticed recently that my social media manager, uh, officially changed at some point. It could have been months ago and I just hadn't noticed officially changed the name of the page to tuck mugs because originally it was tucks mugs, I believe. Was it not? And then our but our hashtag or whatever was Tuck underscore mug mugs. So I don't know. It just kind of became. duug He did that a while ago, I think. He just gave it away. shouldha Tucker cut that out. I'll cut that out. Yeah, Tucker. Hey, future Tucker. Cut that out. Thank you. Love you. Bye bye.
01:51:29
Speaker
um So now I did. We did post a little bit of something a couple of weeks ago. But what I really need right now, this is ah this is a call to arms of all Tuck mug fans of all disenfranchised and disenfranchised disenfranchises. Also, those people and anybody listens to any of the other podcasts that we may have, you know, guested it on. And maybe you're here because of that or whatever. Look,
01:52:01
Speaker
I need need I don't want them anymore guys I need guest mugs I need another perspective because I have things in my pocket ready to go but I need stuff in between I gotta have filler and not in a bad way filler like you have on a Nickelback album like the good kind of filler you know the shit that's like it's the good shit but since it is an instagram profile that does self-ublish like i feel like the self-published stuff is kind of the pillar and the guest stuff is stuff in between and like i say not in a bad way but it really is kind of I'm saying it's good and I need it. He's saying this, yeah this filler is killer is what he's, is what he's trying to say. Kill the filler or fill the killer. I don't know. Look, send me guest mugs because not only am I eventually going to run out of mugs moment of honesty, but I'm blake like, like low key. I'm really interested in your mugs. Like.
01:53:09
Speaker
Look, I want to show me your mugs. PM me your mugs. Would you? Yeah. I just want to see some mugs. Do it. I'm not trying to look at your feet. I'm not trying to buy your bathwater. Just show me your mugs. And no, that's not a euphemism. He literally means mugs. No. I mean it. Like the actual mugs, you drink coffee and tea, eat soup out of them, bitches, you know, whatever you do. um want Let me see your mugs. Yeah. Give me the mug. I want the mugs. Give me the mug.
01:53:40
Speaker
That's Tuck underscore mugs on Instagram. I don't know how we devolved into the YouTube classic leprechaun video. I was literally thinking about that as I was driving around. I want to know where the mugs at. I want to be the mug. Give me the mug. I want the mug. Oh, my God. See, my theory is that it's ah a mug on the other branch in the tree. And, you know, it could be a crackhead. You've seen the mug say yeah. Hey, my thanks to SuperMuggs, say yeah. Yeah. Can we see the amateur sketch? Can that be the next TuckMuggs post, like an amateur sketch of a mug? Can we have that? Did you see the the key appeal sketch on that, where they basically recreate that? It's so brilliant. It's so good. The Pegasus? Yeah, the Pegasus. Anyone that's seen the Pegasus, say yeah.
01:54:36
Speaker
Look, listeners, if you have no idea what we're talking about, go on YouTube and look up. I just searched the word leprechaun. It'll probably be the first thing that comes up, honestly. This video is 20 years old. It's so funny. Staple is fantastic. This premium entertainment. I'm going to I'm going to look it up right now. It's from the Antoine Dodson era of premium internet entertainment. That golden era. It's the silver age. No, the golden age.
01:55:11
Speaker
I think it's called Leprechaun in Alabama is what I think it's called. It's in the Mobile Mobile, I would say. Yes. Look up Leprechaun in Alabama, and it's the original Creighton Leprechaun news story from Local 15 News WPM. Oh, you're right, Creighton. Yeah. So there you go. um Yeah, it's it's only two minutes, less than two minutes. So it's it's pretty incredible. There is a 12, 13 minute video called The Real Story Behind the Alabama Leprechaun. So, oh, geez, I don't even want to see that. What the fuck? I kind of do. I'm not going to. I might watch that as soon as we're done here anyway.
01:55:50
Speaker
That's all we have for today. So I am your host, Stephen Foxworthy. This has been the disenfranchised podcast ah for my co-host Tucker and the absent Brett Wright. Until next time. See this, this flute wards off spells. It's the ancient Leprechaun flute from my great, great grandfather. I couldn't even think of anything from next crowded kid. So that's probably for the best. fuck The next karate kid. Nobody gives a shit about the next karate kid, Steven. The end.