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Episode 33: Miami Connection Featuring Michael Darling
36 Plays4 months ago
Chris and Greg are joined by the inimitable Michael Darling to talk about one of the great rediscovered American films, Miami Connection. Tae Kwon Do and Rock n' Roll combine to create pure cinema! We go long on Dragon Sound, the city of Orlando, and the music of Angelo Janotti. Miami Connection-heads, you don't want to miss it, and if you haven't seen Miami Connection, we'll tell you all about what you've been missing. Tune in!
https://www.youtube.com/@michaeldarling9349
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Transcript
Introduction to Podcast and Hosts
00:00:40
Speaker
Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to your favorite bad movie podcast. It's the only podcast that's brave enough to ask the question, if this movie's so bad, why do you like it so much? We're your hosts.
00:00:55
Speaker
My name is Chris Anderson and with me, as always, I have the Jeff to my Yoshida. Mr. Greg Bossy. Greg, how are you doing today? I'm doing all right. How are you, sir? I'm doing okay. My teeth hurt, but yeah I'm doing okay. Good.
00:01:11
Speaker
Listeners, ah if you tune into episode 30, Just Friends, our holiday special, you might've heard I was going to the dentist. Not everything went great, but I'm on the road to recovery. Anna's not here tonight. They had to drop off a foster kitten at the Humane Society. He has graduated and is going to his forever home. Shout out to Victor Hotdog. But boy, that's a tiring day for Anna, so they're taking the night off. Way to go, Victor Hotdog. Congratulations.
Guest Introduction: Michael Darling
00:01:41
Speaker
We do have with us a very special guest. You might know him as the creator of video mixtapes that will consistently blow your mind and ruin your evening. You might know him as the dedicated narrator of the ah Cobalt Internet Theater. But I know him as my friend, Michael Darling. Michael, how are you tonight? Hello, hello. Doing all right. Doing all right. had a Lazy Monday. It's the first to kind of put a date stamp on it. It's a Monday after Thanksgiving. So, yeah, just trying to get back in the game of things. Yeah, I hear that.
Discussion on Miami Connection
00:02:19
Speaker
Well, you chose this week's movie and you chose Miami Connection. Is that correct? Yes, an absolute masterpiece. Miami Connection was the greatest independent films ever ever made.
00:02:36
Speaker
Well, I won't argue with you on that one. Listeners, if you haven't seen Miami Connection, here's just a little short summary to hold in your old brain pan.
00:02:56
Speaker
When Taekwondo themed rock band Dragon Sound land the gig of their dreams, they get more than they bargained for and soon find themselves lost in a criminal world of bikers, cocaine, and ninjas.
00:03:13
Speaker
Fair to say? Yeah, I think so. I mean, technically that's what happens, but one could argue, does anything happen in this movie? That's a great question. I feel like there are lots of events. Oh, sure. well well Well, we'll get to, we'll get to the events, but let's talk about our personal context. Now, Michael, you had initially, uh, when I had approached you about coming to the podcast, you had initially thrown out the apple, which had been taken previously by Justin Reamer, your fellow Angelino. Yeah. Great episode. Listen to that one. And you had a lot of good thoughts on that absurd movie.
Michael's Background and Rediscovery of the Film
00:03:46
Speaker
Well, thank you. Thank you. ah So then you brought me a list of your top 10. And in that top 10, you had the classic Miami connection. what What drew you to Miami connection? What's your background with Miami connection? Well, so Miami connection, we're going to get into the context of this, obviously, but there was a rediscovery by draft house films. And when that was kind of touring the country,
00:04:08
Speaker
I played here at a place called Cine family, which was a great venue until there were like a lot of sexual ah harassment and abuse scandals involved. No shutdown. Yeah. So, you know, one of those places I have mixed feelings about in hindsight because really formative for me, like really formative for me, especially in like what I do in video editing. But also there was a lot of evil shit going on. That's.
00:04:37
Speaker
but I have my own personal evil shit with a video background from my time at Kim's video, but I suppose that's another episode. I'm sure. But the point is, I saw this when it was touring the like, you know, art house independent theater circuit after Graft House films picked it up.
00:04:55
Speaker
And it was one of those things where I like, I knew it was going to be insane, but I knew nothing about it other than like, hey, this is this bizarre 80s relic we've discovered and it's screening. So I took two friends it's telling them, like, I know nothing about this other than it's going to be dumb. And oh it delivered even more than I expected. Like, I was so glad this was one that I first discovered with a live audience.
00:05:17
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. Like experiencing it with other people rocking out the dragon sound is just special. Like it's a film that every time I've taken people to see it or shown it to people, it's just like I'm not telling you anything except for there are there's a Taekwondo rock band and there's motorcycle ninjas. But that's not important. You're just going to have fun. Yeah, it is certainly lots of fun. Greg, what's your background?
00:05:45
Speaker
So ah my so a friend, I know this movie because a friend of mine, I think Tyler like sent me an email or a text was like, we should watch this. And it was a trailer for the movie.
00:05:57
Speaker
ah And there was something about the trailer that made me think and it was also definitely the contents of the trailer that made me think it was a movie that was made to be bad. You know, like movies like we like bad movies, so we made a bad movie and I never liked those movies. I was like, this looks too much like what it's supposed to look like to be a real bad movie. This looks like it's a so I've always kind of written it off.
00:06:21
Speaker
But then over a years, I would just hear more in another context where I'd be like, maybe I misunderstood what I was watching ah in the trailer. And so I was very, very excited to actually see it because I have grown to realize over time that like this is a classic of the genre.
00:06:39
Speaker
Okay. So this is your first watch. Oh yes, definitely. I've never been, yeah. So never been more excited to, well, I mean, I have been very excited, but like this one, it's just fun to see one that I should have seen and just haven't and just like yeah just check a big check mark off the list. God, that's good. So it's a good Sunday morning for me. Uh, yeah, I, I checked this one off my list a couple of years ago at an Anderson family, a Valentine's day screening.
00:07:08
Speaker
That only makes sense. Anna and I will each pick a movie and it's a no veto. You cannot veto the other person's choice. ok And so but our first year that we did it, I think I chose Killswitch. Oh, gosh. I think I remember that actually. Yeah. ah So, yeah, that's that's how we started the no veto tradition. And so I chose this because I had also heard about it, but It always, I'm always more skeptical of these movies when someone else is telling me about them, when I don't find them organically. I always worry that they're gonna be oversold. And so I'm always on my back heel. But this one definitely delivered. oh yeah What was funny is while I was watching or researching this, I realized that I had watched another movie by ah Park Woo Sang before. okay I had watched
00:08:05
Speaker
I watched American Chinatown back in my days of like buying DVDs at the dollar store to find things like this. And yeah, it was not good. Uh, I watched another park Woo Sang movie, uh, in order to, uh, for my research, I watched Los Angeles street fighters. It was not good. Sure. Uh, it's very, it lost the fight with my phone. I could not pay attention to it at all. Yeah. Uh,
00:08:34
Speaker
But Miami Connection, very different from that. So you're telling me YK Kim is the secret ingredient of this movie, basically? I think so. there There was some sort of secret sauce. There was some sort of lightning in a bottle that that as far as I've seen Park saying, never recapture. And maybe part of it was that he seemed to be working on a larger budget here than he normally does. OK. Yeah, I find this interesting.
00:09:02
Speaker
Well, let's let's get into the funding portion of the show. I talk a little bit about how they get ah the money in the context.
Film Production Challenges and Highlights
00:09:11
Speaker
So I'm going to play that context bumper.
00:09:52
Speaker
I gotta say, I'm very impressed we were able to get Sophie B. Hawkins for that. Well, what can I say? We go back. Miami Connection came out in 1987. It was directed by Park Wu-Sang and a little bit by Y.K. Kim. He did some pickups, so he gets a director's credit. ah The tagline, Survival the Ultimate Test. Now, if you had to guess, how do you think the punctuation, how do you think that is punctuated? Oh.
00:10:23
Speaker
So it should be like a colon, I'm assuming, but I'm going to go with like ah ah a OK, Greg's on the board with comma. Michael, what do you think? you know um I feel like it's a period situation after survival. I'm just thinking, like, is there any way to like period splice that in a weird way? And still make it make sense to somebody.
00:10:47
Speaker
Well, I'm just going to go like survival period, the ultimate test exclamation point. You're both way off. It is survival, the ultimate test ellipses. There is nothing between survival and. though Oh, oh. Yeah. OK. Survival, the ultimate test. Survival, the ultimate test. Yeah. Park Woo Sang was born in Gwangju, Korea.
00:11:17
Speaker
ah Throughout the 70s, he directed martial arts films in South Korea with titles like Duel of the Ultimate Weapons, Dreadnought Rivals, Shaolin the Blood Mission, and Kill the Ninja.
00:11:32
Speaker
I personally am not particularly familiar with ah South Korean martial arts films, but my cursory research into what I could find on these, it looks like they're pretty similar to Hong Kong kung fu movies, but with less kung fu and more martial arts that resembled Taekwondo, maybe some Tang Soo Do. Speaking of Taekwondo,
00:11:55
Speaker
star and co-director Y.K. Kim appeared on the Korean talk show Meet at 11 p.m. to promote his book, Taekwondo, Philosophy History Technique by Master Y.K. Kim.
00:12:08
Speaker
okay And this TV appearance convinced Park Woo saying that Park Woo song, I'm sorry, that he wanted to be in the YK Kim business in a small part because YK Kim had at this point established himself in America where every filmmaker dreams of hitting it big.
00:12:28
Speaker
Park was saying had directed Los Angeles street fighters at this point, but it was not a success. I'm going to say either artistically or financially. Sure. And so he needed enough to get a new toehold. That didn't get him anywhere. Now, YK Kim was also born in Korea. He earned a black belt in Taekwondo at the age of 13.
00:12:53
Speaker
He lived briefly in Buenos Aires in New York City, but until 1978 when he moved to Orlando. There he opened his Taekwondo studio, which ended up being the first martial arts world, a franchise that the Orlando Weekly described as the McDonald's of martial arts schools in central Florida. That's quite an endorsement. I mean,
00:13:20
Speaker
Let's face it. If you are in central Florida and you are looking for the McDonald's of martial arts schools. Yeah. You have to go to martial arts world. Now Kim's successful business ventures were probably another reason Park Wuzong wanted to hook up as Kim put up the money for the movie as well. Also ended up borrowing from friends, taking out loans and mortgaging the school and clearing out his savings. Oh boy.
00:13:49
Speaker
Uh, production allegedly went smoothly or at least allegedly no one got injured. So that's pretty good for an independent martial arts film. No, that's okay. Yeah. To be fair, they are professionals. Like it's, this movie does have the energy of like your high school friends making a movie, but the only difference is like, these are actual people who know how to do Taekwondo rather than your high school friends. It's like, all right, well let's just try to do fighting and see what happens.
00:14:17
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, no, the definitely conscripted everyone in this film from his martial arts schools. Everyone in here is a black belt of Taekwondo. Yes, you can tell by the fact that even the club owner knows how to fight. Yeah, that was all giving spin kicks. yeah ah Now the film was screened at Cannes in 1987 for potential distributors. We told Kim that the original ending, I mean, it wasn't like a selected film for Cannes. It was just a screen. It's just so fascinating to me still. yeah I just need to see who won the Palme d'Or in 1987. Who was the competition? like think
00:14:56
Speaker
It would be funny to see, uh, under the son of Satan is the name of the film that won the Palme d'Or, which admittedly I am unfamiliar with. It's with Depardieu. Okay. yeah Great. I bet it's intense. A choice is critics consider highly controversial. Well, I got to say it's a great title. I'll give him. Yeah, I know. Right. Now, uh, the original ending, all the distributors, they said it was a bummer. The original ending Jim just died.
00:15:26
Speaker
Oh, he's on YouTube. And yeah, it's a bummer. Like, I don't think you to cut way ahead of things here, this one would not be nearly as loved if they went with that bummer ending because you need like, this is generally a like a happy, joyful, loving. feel You can't. Yeah. Yeah. I'm dying.
00:15:45
Speaker
I mean, you, unless you did it very abruptly and then it was, but then it would just be another laugh moment. And I think it would ultimately detract from the experience. The ending is very, ah like, sorry, the original ending with him dying is very abrupt because like, okay, yeah should I discuss this when we get to the actual summary? Yeah, that's okay. Yeah. Yeah. yeah let's ah Yeah. But yeah, we'll definitely double back on that because I did not watch the original ending. I'll confess.
00:16:13
Speaker
Uh, so YK, he wanted to change the ending so we could sell the movie to distributors. But at that point, Park Woo Sung had already gone back to Korea. So Kim took it on himself to reshoot the ending. This is how we got his director's kind credit. C.Y. Joe, the actor that played the villain Yoshido, had a scheduling conflict. So Yoshido's final fight scene, uh, Yoshido is played by a different actor, William Ergel, who also had played, uh, Jeff.
00:16:42
Speaker
Wait, that's Jeff under? That's Jeff in there. That's wild. Because of Clark, that doesn't look like Yoshido. Yeah. Hey, that's Jeff. It was Jeff the whole time. What a twist. God, this movie's stupid. I love it. As you might guess, the actors were different races. And so you can kind of tell, you know, especially if you look at the hands or around the eyes. Now,
00:17:10
Speaker
Even with these changes, distributors were still not particularly impressed. Kim was able to secure VHS distribution in West Germany and Norway and a limited run of theatrical releases in the greater Orlando area and allegedly one screen in West Germany.
00:17:30
Speaker
ah He got that ah through a distribution company called Manson International, who mostly worked ah distributing American films in ah and an international scale, ah outside of the States. They had distributed LA Street Fighter, so they had a previous working relationship with Nusang Park. Manson paid out $100,000, a massive loss on the film's budget of $1 million.
00:17:58
Speaker
Now normally this would be the end for an incompetently made low budget martial arts rock and roll movie. Wait a second. this took This was made for a million dollars in 1987. This cost a million dollars. Yeah, this was a million 1987 dollars. I mean samurai swords aren't cheap. Yeah, they got to rent out that nightclub. They had to close down streets.
00:18:19
Speaker
Although they allegedly did not get any film permits, counting on YK Kim being just a beloved figure in the greater Orlando area to keep them out of trouble. Well, there is a credit for the, like, I think Miami or Orlando film commission, um, at the very end. Cause I, cause I thought I had, uh, yeah, Miami Florida of film commission. Sorry, I've got the film in one window on the computer right now. Uh, I had a thought about like,
00:18:47
Speaker
So much of this takes place in which was definitely a botanic garden somewhere in the Florida area. And I just love the image of YK Kim and his friends going to a botanic garden and explaining to the little old lady who works the front desk, like, yes, we want to make this film here and we're going to have a fight scene in the pond area. And her just trying to understand and just, you know, it feels like a beautiful moment in history. I wish I could witness. Yeah.
00:19:17
Speaker
And I think, uh, I also read that that little Creek that they filmed the final fight scene in, they spent a lot of money making sure it was clear of, uh, alligators, despite the fact that alligators had not been, uh, sighted in that area. Okay. So I don't think they use their money well. Yeah, that's fair. I think that's fair to say that would only make sense.
00:19:41
Speaker
Now, uh, it, it sort of languished in obscurity until 2009, when a man named Zach Carlson bought a VHS of Miami connection off of eBay for 50 bucks. And he ended up bringing it to Evan Husney of draft house films, the distribution wing of the Alamo draft house. After several months of negotiations with a frankly skeptical YK Kim, who thought he was being pranked draft house was able to negotiate a re-release of Miami connection.
00:20:10
Speaker
And Miami connection was finally able to connect with audiences. ah like yeah Can you imagine being Zach Carlson and just putting a bit on this thing just cause and then you watch it and you realize what you found? Yeah. Like $50 is a lot for a VHS that you've never seen before. I feel like, but I mean, but he knew, I mean, he's doing the right stuff because it got us to here.
00:20:39
Speaker
Yeah, like you can't get in a lotto if you don't scratch the ticket. That's true. That's true. Yeah. And this is like one of those scratches you buy that has like the million dollar prize if you're never going to win. But in this case, you did. Yeah. Someone's got to win.
00:20:54
Speaker
Yeah, this is what I was looking for when I was buying those dollar store deals to find something like a Miami connection. And it this really is one of sort of my favorite. Well, I'll get to that later.
Miami Connection in the 1987 Action Film Context
00:21:05
Speaker
Anyway, to put a thing in its place, action films of 1987. What was Miami connection competing against? Obviously, you've got predator. Yep. You've got lethal weapon. You've got robocop.
00:21:25
Speaker
You've got Menachem Golan's Over the Top, speaking of the apple. About Golan Globus, like if you told me this was a lesser cannon joint, I don't believe it. Like it seems like a cheapo cannon like Superman IV, which is an incredibly terrible movie. a And yeah, like it has that vibe to it, but no, instead, like there's enough weirdness to suggest like, no, this wasn't made by people who make movies.
00:21:51
Speaker
Yeah, it doesn't have quite the production values of a golem Clovis. You know, like they'll at least have a level of presentability. Yeah, that this does not rise to you. You also got Beverly Hills cop two. You've got hard ticket to Hawaii. And ah you've got if for your animated film fans, GI Joe, the movie, probably the one on this list that this has the most in common with It's also, it's a pretty good year for action film. Yes. Stiff competition. Yeah. But also it shows that there's a hungry market, you know? Oh, that's true. I mean, Mikey Kim knew what he was doing in terms of like the people want action films and I'm a guy who could make one. There's just one problem in that he couldn't make one. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He he had a great idea for a product, but he couldn't actually produce.
00:22:49
Speaker
Well, you guys want to talk plot? Oh yeah. yeah Oh boy. yeah
00:23:36
Speaker
Chris, before you do the synopsis, I just want to throw out a thesis of this movie for myself. Please. OK, so there's this found-footed screaming show that I've been watching since the pandemic called Museum of Home Video that's on its own website, museumofhomevideo.com.
00:23:52
Speaker
that has inspired me in terms of a lot of weird shit that I've been exposed to. So they do a feature called Fast for Peace Theater, where they like where the host takes a two-hour movie that's got some insane stuff, but it's pretty boring otherwise, and condenses down to 20 minutes of pure nuttiness. and its Okay. When I last saw Miami Connection sometime earlier this year,
00:24:17
Speaker
I had the, I finally, like this movie has always been a favorite of me, but it finally unlocked for me that this is a faster piece of itself. It's like a larger work that we are watching only the most insane 84 minutes of. Yeah. mean Which in a way also makes it like Moana too. it It is definitely all killer, no filler. Uh, I cannot argue with that.
Key Scenes and Plot Points
00:24:43
Speaker
Uh, first of all, we open up on a drug deal that's gets interrupted by a group of ninjas. Uh, fantastic way to start a movie. Oh yeah. Uh, you've, you've got ah guys with Uzi's the most eighties gun getting hit with shuriken, the most eighties non-gun weapon. Yeah. Yeah. You've got bags of cocaine hidden inside boxes of instant ramen. Yeah.
00:25:11
Speaker
and the ah ninjas kill everybody and they run off with both the coke and the money. This is all our cold open. Yeah, the thing I love about that cold open is that it feels like so many other 80s movies and it's clearly riffing on Miami Vice.
00:25:27
Speaker
mo You know that you're in for cheapo time because the first kill or like even the first bit of action, it all happens off screen. We're just watching the guys pulling up the coke. And then you hear this scream from off screen. And then you cut to this guy who looks like Michael, Michael Bolton, uh, like holding his neck because he got a shirt crone in it.
00:25:52
Speaker
Yeah, I love so and I love this sort of 80s action movie that incorporates gore aesthetics into it. Oh, yeah, I that's always such a fun combined vibe. ah you know So when you have like this big bright red Herschel Gordon Lewis wound on this guy's neck, like, you know, you're gonna be in for a goofy fun time. Yeah, the gore is legitimately good in this.
00:26:17
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And it comes kind of out of nowhere, which always kind of makes it delightful because like some when it comes back later in the movie is like, oh, yeah, I forgot this was gory in the beginning. Yeah, there's one that is so out of pocket that we'll get to later. So ah we get ah our opening credits cutting between bikers, ninjas and a rock band called Dragon Sound.
00:26:41
Speaker
yeah A title card then reveals that ah despite the fact that the film is called Miami Connection, it takes place in Orlando. To be fair, the title card at the top of the movie is somewhere outside Miami. Yeah. And then then I believe the rest of it takes place in Orlando.
00:26:59
Speaker
yeah I never didn't catch that somehow. Didn't catch that somehow. The French connection doesn't take place in France. You know, it's because they're it's their connection to Miami. Right. I just want to point out, I finally looked it up after all these because I've been watching this movie for 12 years now and 11 actually. But the point is, I finally looked this up. It's about a three to four hour drive from Miami to Orlando. OK. Yeah.
00:27:28
Speaker
Very doable. So think about that when you think about how often Jeff and Yoshido hang out. or That's why they always meet at that biker bar. it's Probably at the halfway point. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because we see Jeff go to the Miami Ninja headquarters.
00:27:42
Speaker
It's true. Every, he does, he does do a lot. He gets a lot of windshield time. And sorry to jump ahead. I'd love that. Yeshido is so invested in how Jeff's sister Jane is doing in college. Yeah. yeah she It's cause he cares about Jeff so much. yeah They're like run's kind of great. I'll be honest. I love you. She do. He's one of my favorite characters. Yeshido is the leader of the ninjas, the ninja in white, and he meets up with Jeff, a local crime boss slash gang leader.
00:28:12
Speaker
Uh, they both have really strong looks, you know, is always wearing these like faded aviators. And it looks great. Jeff has a great beard. Uh, and they're bros, but they're bad guys. So we don't like them. And they go to a local night spot called the park Avenue. Now the park Avenue has a new house band and they're playing all your favorite Taekwondo themed positive vibes, power pop hits.
00:28:40
Speaker
And their name is Dragon Sound. Dragon Sound is composed of Mark, Tom, Jack, John, Jim, and arguably Jane. These characters have the worst names of any characters I've ever seen in any movie. I can't remember a single person's name from this movie. Cause it's like, was it Paul or Tom or Jeff or John? They feel like they're all from an English as second language textbook. Do you know what I mean? Two of them are Paul's notes. Sorry. Two of them are Gospels.
00:29:11
Speaker
And yeah, that's your apostles. Oh, I think yeshio four of them start with Jay. Yeah, it it feels like someone went to like a name generator and was just like, I need American names. It's like John Jeff.
00:29:28
Speaker
Tom, I was like, OK, so to help our listeners as we go through, Mark is played by Waike Kim. He's the one that's basic Taekwondo. He's Korean. He has a thick Korean accent and he has no eyebrows. He's got a very strange screen presence. Oh, you're right. Then you've got Tom played by Angelo Gennady. He wrote the songs for Dragon Sound. He's got a cool mustache and a bullet.
00:29:57
Speaker
Yeah. He looks a lot like John Oates. That's how you can remember that he's John. Oh, I'm sorry. No, it's Tom. I'm sorry. That's Tom. Yeah. That's the goddamn problem with his. neck Yeah. but Also interchangeable. Yes. All right. Tom is Angelo Gennady with a mustache. John is the tall Irish guy. He's got weird teeth and he's dating Jane and he's like seven feet taller. He's very tall. You've got Jack. His parents are Israeli and that's the only thing we know about him.
00:30:26
Speaker
OK, I remember that. and Then you've got Jim. He's half black and half Korean. And ah he's likes to walk around with his pants unbuttoned. Oh, we'll always have to hop in the shower. Yeah. Yeah. And Jane is the lady. There you go. It really is Jane's characteristic, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. And in the man, she dances. Yeah, she sings. She says against the ninja. OK. All right.
00:30:57
Speaker
I would also like to take over about Jeff's beard just because it's a magnificent beard. But it also reminds me, ah you know, in Star Wars and Return of the Jedi, there there's that blonde general who gives the speech to all of the rebels named Chris May Dean. So the story is there.
00:31:15
Speaker
that the actor Dermot Crowley, who plays Crix Maydean, showed up to set clean shaven. And he was told, well, the action figure has already been designed and he has a beard. So next time you watch Return of the Jedi, you'll notice that that beard is just spirit gummed on. Oh, OK. Yeah. So just beard gives me that spirit gum vibe. Yeah, I kind of thought it was fake in a way.
00:31:36
Speaker
That looked real to me. I bought it, but it just because it was the like, there's a lot of strong facial hair. in Yeah. And so I think what it is, is it's, it's not like it looked like it was, it was glued to his face. It was more that it looked so tight in full, like a fake hair does. You know what I mean? It's like, you can't deny the fact that that is hair.
00:32:01
Speaker
You know what I mean? Like, it's like, it's like, I have to say that that looks like hair. And there's something about the fact that it looks so much like hair, and it's so full, that you're like, is that hair real? Does he have that kind of full hair on his beard? Yeah. And it was also very well coiffed. He was really very tight, very tight. Yeah, close to his face.
00:32:23
Speaker
i Frankly, as a mustachioed man, I'd like to know his regiment. No, it'd be great to know. now I also, I do want to say that when I was hearing the opening, the band's opening song about being friends, yeah I was like, did Chris write these lyrics? They seem like something that you would write. Isn't it just like, we like being friends, let's be friends. It's great when we have friends. And I was just like, yeah. But I mean, like.
00:32:49
Speaker
It was really enjoyable to watch everyone just scream their heads off to those lyrics as well. It seemed like Dragon Sound put on a great show. Oh, yeah, people were loving it. I mean, they incorporate Taekwondo into the act. So, you know, that's at least fun to watch. Yeah. Every band needs a hook and Dragon Sound's hook is definitely that they also do Taekwondo. Now,
00:33:15
Speaker
We find out ah when Jeff and Yoshida were in the audience that Jeff is, or Jane is Jeff's sister. Now, after a rousing performance of their hit song, Friends, a song about friendship, they call it a night. ah We then cut to the University of Central Florida, practically a character into itself. yeah Uh, it's got a beautiful campus. Uh, John swings by their competitive computer programming class. I don't know what competitive computer programming is, but they've came fourth place in a recent competition. love the course And it's just like, that's such a funny thing to celebrate fourth place at the international computing competition. Yeah. I mean, they lost out to, uh, you know, the team from Luxembourg. It did look like a team of all women and that's very forward and that's great. Yeah.
00:34:09
Speaker
Now, ah John goes there to pick up Jane, who is his girlfriend. And Jeff is an absolute goober while she's in class, too. Oh, yes. Yeah, he's a bit of a goofy Gus. That's part of John's character. and That's a classic John. Now, Jeff is jealous of her sister's boyfriends, which is both weird and ah the main source of tension in the film. Yeah. Here's the thing. Before Jeff comes and interrupts their not even a date, just hanging out. John asks that thing that, you know, you always ask your girlfriend, like your committed girlfriend. You ask her, I've been wondering, if Jane, I've been wondering about your family. Do you have any family or anybody? Yeah. I mean, they they probably, they was probably love at first sight. This is probably just the second time they're hanging out, but that connection is just so real. That Orlando connection. Yes.
00:35:06
Speaker
Now, ah let's see, we find out that Jeff. Yeah, Jeff interrupts the date and is angered that she has a friend. Yes. We also find out that Jeff is Jane's only family, that she's an orphan, just like every other member of Dragon Sound. Yeah. And now the rest of them all live together in what is arguably a punk house. OK. I mean, yeah, arguably all lot i you know, it smells crazy in there.
00:35:36
Speaker
Oh, yeah. ah Now, ah Jeff rolls up with his crew and he sucker punches John, but then Dragon Sound rolls up and fends them off. You're going to notice that I'm going to be talking about people rolling up a lot. That's because people are constantly rolling up in this movie.
00:35:53
Speaker
Yeah, someone I think it was back on our episode about Brotherhood of the Wolf, where I talked about a bad movie is one where you notice people getting in and out of cars a lot. People are yeah constantly getting in and out of cars. yeah yeah ah So back at the Park Avenue, the former house band shows up and they get into a fight with the owner and they're all doing taekwondo in each other. Love this scene so much. I love it.
00:36:20
Speaker
By this point, we have spent more, like, actually through the first half hour of the movie, we spend more time with the former house band and Jeff, four different guys, but they look very similar than we do with actual dragon sound. And also, I don't think I ever learned the leader of the house band's name. I don't even know if he had a name. I don't think so. I think yeah in the credits, he's probably just credited as like, he is literally credited as old rock band, one word leader.
00:36:49
Speaker
God damn, that is, he was a major character in this movie. yeah He was in like yeah five scenes yeah ah he over the plot. He's one of the main antagonists. Yeah. Yeah. It's true. And he doesn't have a name at all. He's this old rock band later, uh, also on the credit front, Miami drug dealer, John Escobar. So they got an Escobar to play the drug dealer, which nice I think is a nice commitment to the bet. Yeah.
00:37:14
Speaker
Now, uh, let's see. We see ninjas training in a dojo and dragon sound eating at a Korean takeout restaurant. And then they perform their other hit song against the ninja. As they leave the club, the old band, sorry, against the ninja raises a lot of questions.
00:37:32
Speaker
Let's talk against the ninja. I don't want to glaze over against the ninja, please. Against the Ninja is a song about how they are going to defeat the ninja, which implies everyone in Orlando, and I assume also Miami, knows about the ninjas. We will stop their senseless killing. We will end their evil war.
00:37:54
Speaker
Yeah. they're I mean, ninjas were a problem at the time in America. If the films that I've seen or lead me to believe the truth. And I have to respect that Dragon Sound is so brave as to do a call-out song, a diss track, if you will, against the ninja. Yeah. This was the original East Coast West Coast was Taekwondo versus Ninja.
00:38:16
Speaker
yeah I can only imagine that part of the anti ninja animus in this is goes back to a Korean Japanese animus. But uh, maybe I'm not going to look into that too hard because that'll be a bummer real quick. Yep. Uh, it's something that both against Ninja and friends are written by Angelo Gennady who is Darryl Oates, and Kathy Collier, who is Jane. The other songs are written by other people, but the two Dragon Sound songs are written by the actual members.
00:38:56
Speaker
i will yeah the members It's very organic. and I have a lot to say about Angelo Gennady coming up in our segment listeners just as a spoiler. Now, uh, they leave the club and the old band, uh, and about 15 other random criminals, they roll up on dragon sound.
00:39:16
Speaker
Now people are constantly rolling up in this movie. Uh, so they all hop out of their cars and they fight on the night streets of Orlando. They had a very Michael man vibe. I think this is probably where some of that budget went this night shooting, shutting down these streets. But once again, it really like grounded you in Orlando. It felt like I was, yes, I'm in Orlando. The, where they're filming is the truth street station area, which was like a major nightlife district in Orlando at the time. So yeah, that's,
00:39:45
Speaker
Probably cost some money or it probably cost the money and they were doing it like at 2 a.m. 4 a.m. Yeah. Either the way, new night shoots are expensive. And yeah this was a pretty long night fight scene. And Dragon Sound, obviously, they win the fight. They kick the old band and all the criminals. And it's not the night fight scene, too, which is crazy. No. Have we established why or does anyone know? I mean, like so the band wants their jobs, but is that the whole Is that their entire motivation? They just want their jobs back? Yeah, because Dragon Sound makes mu music for kids is what the old rock band leader says. Right, right. Yeah. OK. OK. So the next day back at the Dragon House, Jim gets a letter from the State Department letting him know that is I don't even think it's the next day. I think like oh it's a very nice because we see the car roll up in complete silence at night. And then the next cut is just
00:40:43
Speaker
Jim saying, uh, sorry, I have it here. Uh, yeah. Immediately after the fight. Hey guys, I'm going to take a shower first. And he's wearing his patented outfit of jeans with the zipper undone. So you can see his tidy white days and he's got a towel over his shoulder. Anytime they're at the dragon house, that is what he is wearing. yep He is always about to take a shower. Every scene. Keep that in mind listeners as we progress.
00:41:12
Speaker
Uh, but he does get a letter from the state department letting him know that his father is still alive. And so he is technically not an orphan, but they don't kick him out of dragon sound. It's very nice of them to not do that. This scene is probably the crux of the movie. Cause it's that beautiful, dramatic moment of him just saying like, my mother was Korean. My father was black American.
00:41:38
Speaker
And then just going on about how like they loved each other, but then he didn't stay. And he gave him this photo when she was very sick and dying. And yeah, it's just beautiful monologue. Beautiful. It's on a lot weird scene to include in this movie. It's even absolutely out of place as to the next scene.
00:41:59
Speaker
when they all go to the beach and yeah start trying pick up babe yeah skip shits on the beach to the tune of friends again we get a and re three Yeah, and this one mostly follows ah Tom and Jack, who are clearly the the goofier members of the the Dragon Sound crew. I would try and like map them onto like the Voltron crew so that I could remember their personalities, but they really don't have personalities, per se. They're just five guys. Yeah. Yeah. This is really Tom's moment to shine in this movie.
00:42:40
Speaker
Yeah, this is Tom's scene. He gets to have a little fun. Now, ah meanwhile, the old band decides they need some backup. So they go to Jeff's gang's dojo. It looks like they have a dojo or a gym. They're doing a lot of fight training, so I'm going to call it a dojo. And they ask for his help. Now bafflingly, the old band leader says that if Jeff can get him his old job back,
00:43:08
Speaker
He will both join Jeff's gang and give him all his pay. The old band leader just wants his job for exposure. That's his motivation. He's in it for the music. I like that about him. He feeds off the crowd.
00:43:28
Speaker
Back at the college campus, Mark, John and Jack all practice Taekwondo. They do some forms, they do some light sparring, and Mark does some weapons demonstrations. This scene goes on forever and the music makes it seem like it's supposed to be more epic than it is. Yeah, it's not particularly impressive. In an age where I can see like eight-year-olds on YouTube doing the craziest shit you've ever seen in your life, you know, on ah in a karate gi, this doesn't blow my mind.
00:44:01
Speaker
And a lot of it was like kind of slow. So it was like, watch our specific movements while we do this. So it's like, I'm going to grab this knife. It's going to take us five seconds to do that. And it's just like, OK. Take all those five seconds. Yep. Perfect. It definitely felt more like a karate demonstrate or a Taekwondo demonstration than it felt like a cool martial arts scene in a film. Yeah. Yeah.
00:44:29
Speaker
It's also weird to have that, like, already after we've seen the first fight, because, like, yeah we already know they can fight. Yeah. Structure wise, like, let's put the demonstration earlier so you can see, like, oh, we're going to see them do all of this, like, faster and more intense to use the George Lucas directing style um later on the film. But right now we've already seen them have a brawl.
00:44:51
Speaker
like It to me, it almost felt like I don't like like they were trying to convince us to be like, oh, isn't Taekwondo interesting? Don't you want to try out Taekwondo? Like, look at these. Look at what we did. And, you know, this is how you could pull it off. You could do that, too.
00:45:08
Speaker
Yeah, this speaks to the fast and peace nature of this. like If this were a know ah miniseries that we were watching a cut down version of, it's like, okay, whoever cut this down was like, we'll include this wacky Taekwondo training sequence in this cut down version. But in a proper movie, it just seems so out of place.
00:45:27
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I will say there's one thing that happens in here that pays off later. I'm going to talk more about that later. We're going to put another pin on the board on that one. yeah Yeah. Now, after they've finished their practice, they chat about their dreams for a world tour, visiting all of their ancestral homelands and singing about and practicing Taekwondo. They don't really talk about going to Jim's homeland, but I'm assuming they would go to Korea and not to wherever black Americans yeah I don't know what they would do for his father's side of the family. Yeah. Uh, this contains Mark saying, I don't know. I didn't know that dragon sound was such a international group, which the number of times every member of dragon sound says something about like how they didn't know something about another member of dragon sound. it yeah They still have so much to learn about each other. Now, uh, we then cut to the Korean restaurant where the owner uncle sung kicks the asses of a bunch of dudes trying to dine and ditch.
00:46:24
Speaker
When Dragon Sound show up immediately afterwards, he explains he was able to do it because Taekwondo is a way of life. yeah We'd never see Uncle Sung again. Also, Taekwondo is a way of life. Taekwondo is a way of life is one of the song lyrics from- It's true. I believe it's probably also just a catchphrase around YK Kim's Taekwondo studio. That makes sense.
00:46:50
Speaker
Now as they leave, they find a note taped to the steering wheel of their communally owned convertible. It's from Jeff and he's challenging them to a fight down by the railroad tracks. I think Tom or someone says like, Oh, what is it? Is it a love lever? So obviously improvised by these guys. And every one of it is funny because they just have no game. No. Yeah. They, they are not the most charismatic bunch.
00:47:19
Speaker
So Dragon Sound rolls up to the train yards and there they kick everybody's asses. Then the cops roll up and everybody runs away.
00:47:29
Speaker
This is where I need to talk about costumes for a little bit. Yeah, I think this is a great time to talk about Jeff's gangs. Because they have a lot of great costumes. This is a great time to talk costumes. Yeah, my two favorite gang members first off are the big guy who I've got a lot more to talk about later, and the wiry meth head guy.
00:47:50
Speaker
Oh, yes. Do you mean the one with the mustache or the one with the blonde stringy hair? Oh, blonde springy hair. Yeah, I love that. Okay. I love the three of them together when they would just hang out and chop it up. Those yeah three bros. I would listen to their podcast. and yeah yeah Whenever they're improvising together, it's just glorious stuff. But their costumes. Yeah. The big guy, when we first meet him, he is wearing a noose around his neck, like a necktie.
00:48:17
Speaker
And then the sequence at the biker bar, a woman is pulling him by the news. I love that. Great stuff. And I, I loved the, uh, the dragon sound t-shirts that just had those iron on letters, but like you could practically feel the texture on them. They would also just perform in their Taekwondo uniforms, which if I wanted to see a band and three out of six people who were wearing Taekwondo uniforms, I'd be like, this is incredible. yeah I love that you guys couldn't all get on the same page for this. Especially because they might be incorporating board breaking into their act.
00:48:58
Speaker
Yes, that is one of the five Taekwondo disciplines. oh Yeah, the Dragon Sound shirt rules. Like, I think most of the ones we see in the movie are tank tops, which is even funnier. But like i think wearing Dragon Sound t-shirts designed to look just like the movie one. out night Oh, I'm sure. And every time I see one, I'm just like that person is now my best friend. Yeah. Yeah. And it and it is really like graphic and iconic. It's a great shirt.
00:49:26
Speaker
Yeah. Graphic and Iconic, funnily enough, for something that is really so generic and iron-on. Yeah. but I mean, there was a reason why they chose that font when they were making the iron-on letters, because it was just solid. Yeah. ah The Best Costume Award, though. This is something I had not talked until this viewing. The cops who arrive and are like, uh, we got a deal all about these gangs. They're wearing mismatched uniforms.
00:49:51
Speaker
They are all supposed to be like Orlando Sheriffs or something, but one is wearing a tan shirt, the other was wearing black, and I was i was just like, how? How is this possible that they didn't even get this right? Well, I mean, you could only find one of each, you know? they If they had to the same uniform, they would have used it. They cast the actors because they had those uniforms. Yep. One other costume thing, and this is another thing I picked up for the first time this year, or this watch.
00:50:19
Speaker
When they are in the biker bar, Jeff is wearing a hat that says Colorado Outward Bound School. i I wrote that down. I love that hat. I love that. I was like i like had to pause it. I was like, what does that say? I got to write that down.
00:50:38
Speaker
Well, I will say my favorite costume is Yoshida's costume from this next scene where are he is wearing those faded aviators yeah and like a colorless leather jacket with a white scarf. He looks cool as hell. He's the only person that looks like legitimately cool in the entire movie. Yeah. like i In the tough skies sequence, which is what we're about to get to Yoshida is trying to talk to Jeff about like not even in business, just like,
00:51:05
Speaker
about shit and also that band Dragon Sound. But women come up to him, just start flashing him. He's like, no, no, I'm busy right now. this He is so cool. So yeah, he rolls up with his dojo and they're all on motorcycles, riding around. the The soundtrack is playing a song called I believe Tough Guys.
00:51:27
Speaker
Now, and they're all heading, all heading over to a biker bar and you would think that ninjas and bikers would be natural enemies, but Yoshido just looks so cool. Uh, and he's very confident you buy that they would all just hang out. It works. And Jeff shows up and he hangs out there too. And they sort of catch up and get some TNA as well. Yes. You see a lot of biker babes flashing their breasts of the camera, which is what leads me to believe this was an actual biker bar. and Okay. Yeah. I think that's a good call.
00:51:57
Speaker
I'm sure we'll come up with about this later, but the Orlando Sentinel review mentions at the world premiere screening that there were clean cut executive types and leather grabbed leather guard bikers. The bikers showed their approval at the start of each motorcycle sequence. Nice.
00:52:17
Speaker
So meanwhile, Dragon Sound hangs out around the Dragon House shirtless some more. And then they go and they hang out at college. And then Mark has the bright idea. Let's go get some pizza. Yes. At college where they are all wearing UCF shirts. but Yeah. They'd love UCF. Had to be like some contractual thing with the school. Whereas it's like, all right, you can film here. We just asked that in one scene, you guys are wearing UCF paraphernalia.
00:52:45
Speaker
I'm gonna, or I'm gonna say it's the other way. They were filming there and the UCF was like, oh yeah, this is great. Do you guys want some t-shirts? And they're like, yeah, yeah. Okay. We'll put them on. And then just put them on for that one day when they were filming, then they forgot about it. But they all agree they're going to get some pizza. Uh, unfortunately they leave Tom alone to park the convertible at the pizza place and he gets kidnapped by Jeff's gang.
00:53:09
Speaker
They tie him up and they torture him in another part of Orlando's industrial wasteland. Did they ever mention that he's kidnapped? like Do they ever contact them?
00:53:23
Speaker
all we know they yeah Maybe. OK. Let me give you the timeline. They go to Pizza Hut because I was socially in a pizza hut. Yeah.
00:53:37
Speaker
Tom is still parking the car for some reason. Tom gets jumped and kidnapped. Next thing we see is Tom, now shirtless I'll add, getting yeah tossed into a room at the secret headquarters of um of the villains.
00:53:52
Speaker
And then Jane shows up at the secret headquarters gym or whatever and is asking, asking our three favorite henchmen about Tom, which is very weird to me that this is all happening at once that she is asking about Tom to these guys who hate Tom and his dumb friends, but Then yeah, at no point do we actually get word to Dragon Sound that Tom has been kidnapped. They just show up to the oil refinery or ever to go and rescue him.
00:54:25
Speaker
and yeah And I have to say you don't need the movie to hold your hand. And that's fair. That's fair. That's fair. It just ah this feels like a cut down of a larger piece. Yeah. the truth If this were Miami Connection, the eight episode 1980s miniseries, there would be a whole thing about like, oh, Tom's been kidnapped. We have to go rescue him. Or where is he being held? Et cetera. Yeah. Yeah. I also have to say that when Jane was like, where's Tom? I was like, she's asking for a brother again. I get it.
00:54:55
Speaker
Because that again, these characters just jam together in your brain. Name wise anyway. You're right. That's the only explanation for why she's asking for Tom. She's actually asking for Jeff and no one remembered the names. That would make sense to me. So Dragon Sound rolls up and they kick their asses and they save Tom. But this time Jeff dies in the fracas.
00:55:21
Speaker
There's also an incredible moment of gore in this sequence where Mark hits a guy in the throat with, oh yeah. And then you know not only leaves a big gash, but he starts squirting blood. Yeah. Yeah. He really fucked him up. Now, Yoshida finds out that Jeff is dead and he responds. We must avenge Jeff's death. They will not escape the Miami ninja. Yeah.
00:55:48
Speaker
It's funny that the leader of a ninja clan knows a guy named Jeff. Yeah. And that he's decided to call his clan the Miami Ninja, yeah which sounds kind of like a minor league hockey team. Yeah. Now back at Dragon House, Jim gets another letter about his father. They found him. He's alive. Chris, do you have a sound off of Jim discovering that he's found his father?
00:56:16
Speaker
No, I wish I had pulled some sounds from this for the soundboard, but I did not. I still just have. ah Let's see.
00:56:32
Speaker
So if you need anything from kill switch, I've got you. I as soon as he discovered that his father was alive, I wrote, I hope he doesn't die.
00:56:44
Speaker
of A valid concern. Got good news and I've got bad news. Yeah, yeah, because I was just watching, I was like, just watching as a this seems like the thing that's supposed to make us feel really sad for him when he dies. So I just really hope that he doesn't die. I just don't want him to die. And I will point out, he is once again shirtless, pants unbuttoned, wearing a towel over his shoulder as he goes out to check the mail.
00:57:12
Speaker
Maybe he showers at the same time and the mail comes it around the same time. I have an idea that they just filmed all the home scenes in like an hour. Yeah. And they only had three shirts between them. And usually enough, a U-Haul blanket on the ah Mark's bed. Hey, yeah if you've got it, use it. You know what I mean? It was in the U-Haul that carried the cameras, I'm sure.
00:57:37
Speaker
It sells it as a punk house. Well, yeah, this male scene is possibly one of them. It's one of the highlights of the movie. Oh, it's very good. Guys, I found my father. Oh, my God. I Like he reaches notes that I didn't realize he could hit. Yeah. He's really acting or trying very hard to do so.
00:58:00
Speaker
Yeah, Jim might be the best actor in the movie. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, Joe Snow, uh, Maurice Smith. Yeah. He's the one who's definitely performing more so than anyone else in this film. yeah Other than, uh, see him go as Yoshido. Yeah. He is given more to work with than most of the other characters. It's not like Tom really gets a lot to do. And I sort of feel like they gave him the part because he has more to work with and they're like, you can do it.
00:58:29
Speaker
youre You're the best actor of all of us. yeah like ah So they found his father. Oh, my God. They're going to pull all their cash and they're going to get Jim a nice new suit so he can look sharp when he meets his dad for the first time. Yeah. In other good news, Jane doesn't blame John or the rest of Dragon Sound for the death of her brother. OK. Water under the bridge. Guys, I'd like you to do a little theater for me, please. So I'm going to drop the dialogue in the chat.
00:58:59
Speaker
ah So whoever wants to be Jane, whoever wants to be John, let's just reenact the scene, please. Okay. Greg, ah do you want to take John? Sure. All right. I wish I had some mood music. oh Sorry, I've been gone so long. I had a lot of thinking to do.
00:59:22
Speaker
I'm hurting inside, you know? I just couldn't stay away so long because I love you so much. So sorry about what happened. I felt so bad about that. It's not your fault. I understand. We had to do it. We had no choice. I understand. It's all over now. Boom. There you go. Sows it up.
00:59:50
Speaker
It's funny, when we were watching it, Anna was like, John's going to be in trouble. Oh, no. No, not really. Once again, that is how she responds to the death of her brother who has paid for her nice school and nice dorm that she lives in. Well, he was. Their relationship was not great. So in some way, he was a crime lord. She knew he was going to die.
01:00:14
Speaker
I just sure just saw John saying, I felt so bad about that, about yeah homicide. Yeah. Arguably self-defense manslaughter. It's Florida, stand your ground laws and all that. Yeah, but I don't think this was either of their grounds. No.
01:00:35
Speaker
now ah Jim, Mark, and John drive off to meet Jim's dad. For some reason, Jack and Tom don't come along, which is odd because we're about to have the climax of the movie. ye um This happens when on route, the ninjas roll up on Dragon Sound, to which John responds, ah, ninjas. Chris, I think we put too much Uh, a little pepper on it. I think it was more just like, oh, ninjas. Uh, ninjas.
01:01:13
Speaker
and Classic John. Like my wife is more excited than that when she sees a dog on the road or not on the road, on the sidewalk. Yes. Like if you saw a gang of biker ninjas coming up to you. They're definitely there to beat you up.
01:01:29
Speaker
He definitely sounded like you would say, ugh, traffic. Yeah. Like, uh, this is going to be a, this is going to delay our flight. This is going to eat up another 20 minutes. We might be late. so So they start fighting the ninjas in this sort of little creek. ah Unfortunately, Jim takes a katana to the chest.
01:01:52
Speaker
pretty early on in the fight, takes a huge slash right across the torso, cuts his brand new tie in half, ruins his suit. You really looks pretty fucking dead. This sends Mark and John into psycho mode. John rips. Yeah. John rips his shirt off and he and Mark just start killing Ninja left and right. Like covered in blood at times.
01:02:18
Speaker
Yeah. And and like John gets slashed across the back and that is also pretty gnarly. Yeah. Yeah. And then ah Mark finds ah Jim's body and he starts weeping over it. And John is kicking ninjas away so they don't bother Mark while he's weeping.
01:02:36
Speaker
And he's like dragging him through the river and it's just very oddly harrowing for what we have seen so far up to this point. Yeah. Tonal shift. I also love that John takes off his shirt and Jack is very large, like David Byrne jacket. He takes us off for no reason after getting slashed. Well, you know, he fights better when he's unencumbered.
01:03:01
Speaker
but ah Now one wounded ninja reports to Yoshida, boss, everybody's dead. So Dragon Sound really fucked up these ninja. Yoshida beheads him with a laugh before attacking Mark, who ends up stabbing him in the heart with his own knife. But it's not all over yet.
01:03:25
Speaker
Jim has survived the 16 inch long gash he was given with a ninja sword and the doc at the hospital says he's going to be okay. Jim's father is there and they reunite. Tom isn't there for some reason though. Still everyone is happy and the following words appear on the screen before our closing credits roll. Only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace. There you go.
01:03:54
Speaker
powerful powerful powerful stuff especially after witnessing that spectacle of violence that we just saw yes after seeing 20 ninjas get killed after watching a man covered in blood screaming in a river in slow motion but yeah yeah fantastic moment can we talk like can we talk about jim's dad yes let's talk about jim's dad i don't want to skip over jim's dad he's important Because it's like, you think you've seen every nutty thing this movie can offer you, and then here is an obvious 20-something wearing old age, like not even makeup, just like they put silver in there. Especially because he's talking to an actual middle-aged man, and it's so obvious that something is not right here.
01:04:40
Speaker
yeah and like they He did not bring the level of emotional intensity that Jim was. And maybe that'll be a problem that they'd have to explore further on in their relationship. that's true He was, he was not stepping up to the plate, that actor. I don't think they needed somebody momentous to be Jim senior and they didn't bring it.
01:05:01
Speaker
I also love the doctor saying like, well, the injuries weren't as severe as we thought. So we're sending you home and we're sending him home to your care tonight. And I'm just like, the man was slashed across the chest with a Katana and then dragging dirty river water. Are you sure you don't want to like keep out or watch him for one a night or two? yeah Yeah. And, uh, I think Mark asked him like, are you okay? And just like, it hurts a little bit. Like dog, you got probably at least 70 stitches. Yeah. What are you talking about? It hurts a little. Uh, so we like ending of this. Oh yes. Uh, so it's all the same up until the end, obviously. And in that scene where they're in the car after the big fight and Mark is telling Jim to just hold on. When you get to your father, uh,
01:05:49
Speaker
in the original ending, Jim is clearly about to die. And then I think there's a line of dialogue over footage of an airplane, just like, oh no, Jim ken isn't gonna make it. And that's a plane that his father's on. Oh. Wow. They blew it with that one. They blew it with that one. That's very funny in a vacuum, but would be just such a downer no as opposed to like everything else in this film. And also the ending that we got Because we get Jim's dad. Yeah. And God bless Jim's dad. Yeah. tim yeah All right. Final thoughts. Five star ratings. Who wants to go first? Uh, I guess I will, since this is my pick and yeah, it's a solid five. Like even the Taekwondo bit, like the Taekwondo training bit that goes on a little too long. That's still enjoyable because it's just like, how is this a thing I am watching on film? Yeah.
01:06:49
Speaker
That's fair. How about you, Greg? Where'd you wind up? So I ended up giving this one four and a half. I mean, it's outstanding. It has definitely lived up to all of the hype that I have heard and sort of the the feeling I had. The reason I think it's four and a half is probably because I watched it by myself. Uh, and I think that there are a few sequences that get a little long in the tooth in that they're a little, that they're intellectually interesting. And if I could have talked to someone during them,
01:07:19
Speaker
I would have given this a five, but because I was by myself and because ah it's the holidays and everything is going on, I found myself kind of being like, you have to watch the movie, Greg. Don't forget to watch it. So it's like I got pulled out a little bit. But I mean, like that is the most minor, the most minor of gripes. And it just I'm giving it four and a half just to be a little honest about that. But I think if I'd watched it with others, it would be a five. Don't miss this one. If you like bad movies, it's it's worth your time.
01:07:47
Speaker
Even the things that were a little boring were still incredibly, incredibly interesting. Yeah, I think this, i'm I wound up at four and a half, too. I think this is a favorite ah genre of mine in terms of bad movies. I love Gonzo, independent 80s action movies, you know, all Deadbeat at Dawn, yeah Lethal Ninja, City Dragon. All my favorite heavy hitters are coming from this genre. I have a lot of love for it.
01:08:18
Speaker
But because of that, I also have very high standards for it. And I think the one complaint that knocks it down that half star for me. is that ah very similar to my complaint about the Apple, which is that I wish there was a leading man that was more interesting at the center. oh sure oh yeah i think like if If we had more YK and he had more to do, or if any of the members of the Dragon Sound was like really popped for me, but they all just sort of were kind of bleh.
01:08:52
Speaker
They're more like a stew than a crew, if that makes sense. It's like the flavor is just interspersed amongst all of them. Yeah. I just, I wish that they, they, and they pop so much in those musical sequences. I just, wish yeah they, they had popped just sort of in general. Yeah. The five dragon sign, Jim is the only one with any semblance of a plot or personality. Yeah.
01:09:15
Speaker
Yeah, but still a fantastic film, 100% worth watching. And ah especially the Dragon Sound. And I want to talk a little bit more about Dragon Sound in our first segment. That's right. We're going to be talking. It's the score bumper, but I'm actually not talking about the score.
01:10:21
Speaker
So Angelo Gennady, he played the role of Tom, and that is not his only contribution to the movie. He also wrote the Dragon Sound songs, Friends and Against the Ninja, like Michael was saying. So I was curious what other music by Gennady I could find. Nice. and There wasn't there wasn't much, but what I found was great.
01:10:43
Speaker
Now first I found that Miami Connections cult status did lead the song Friends to be licensed for the video game Far Cry 3, Blood Dragon, and the movie Ping Pong Summer.
01:10:55
Speaker
so my male on interest It's in Far Cry? Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon, you said, right? That's the one. Yeah, so that was like a separate game made in the Far Cry 3 engine. And I think map, but it's like it's more like an 80s action than Far Cry. I've always wanted to play it. I always wanted to play it's got like neon dinosaurs in it and stuff. Well, what else did he do?
01:11:25
Speaker
In the early 90s, he was in a melodic rock band called Big Shot. Big Shot performed in the Orlando area and opened for bands like Foreigner and Blackfoot. Nice. They were signed to Park Records, a CBS affiliate, and even recorded a self-titled album with track titles like Rock This Place and Don't Destroy Our Future. I do have some of Don't Destroy Our Future as our closing credits. Listeners, you definitely want to stick around. I am excited for that. Nice.
01:12:00
Speaker
I like that you're exploring this opera. Yes. Unfortunately, the album did not get released at the time as Nirvana and the alternative rock movement pretty much killed this type of record. A few years ago was picked up and released by a specialty label called Melodic Rock Classics. So you can hear all of Big Shot's album.
01:12:21
Speaker
Now in the late nineties, he also recorded and self released a couple of solo albums. The first titled eclectic acoustic electric. Yes. And the second one called greener shades of smooth. I want to marry both of those album titles. Greener shades of smooth is so good. That's either suck or be awesome. And I'd love them either way.
01:12:50
Speaker
Well, stick around and here, don't destroy our future. And I think you'll know which way it's going to wind up. Now you might think all of this is a little bit depressing, this sort of fun, loving musician, laboring in obscurity, unappreciated in his time. ah But I did find two things that Angelo Gennady worked on that any of us would be proud of to have on our resume. Two contributions to classic works with notable collaborators. One.
01:13:18
Speaker
He played guitar on the Backstreet Boys hit single Backstreet's Back. Wow. Oh my God, that makes sense because they were based out of Orlando. Exactly. Two. He played guitar on Cranberry Blues sung by Brack on Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Very nice. Give it up for Angelo Gennady.
01:13:42
Speaker
yeah I appreciate that there's a Miami connection slash space, yeah space goes coast to coast connection. Yeah. That space ghost is two degrees of separation from YK Kim. yeah Yeah. That's wild. That is crazy. That makes me so happy. Well, do you guys want to play a little game? You bet I do. Oh yeah. All right. Then it's time for a little this, that, or the other.
01:15:12
Speaker
That's right. We're playing this, that or the other. And, uh, we're going to be doing it about the films that were distributed by Manson international pictures. I want to see what other movies someone who picked up Miami connection, what else would they have in their library? Uh, so what I'm going to do is I'm going to give you the title of the film and the year it came out and a brief plot description.
01:15:37
Speaker
And I want you to tell me if that film was made in America, in Canada, or somewhere else. Okay. And is this a buzz in? Yes, this is a buzz in game. You'll buzz in by saying your own name and your opponent will have the opportunity to steal. Oh, good. Everybody ready? Any questions?
01:15:58
Speaker
no i'm good for it Let's play the game. Wait, what were the three choices again? It was America, Canada, or somewhere else? Correct. Okay. Question number one. Murder by phone, 1982. A disgruntled phone company employee invents a device that kills people when they answer the phone. Murder by phone. Michael. Michael? That sounds like Canada, but set in America. Correct, it is Canadian. I'm not quite sure what it said, but it is a Canadian film. Michael is on the board. Question number two.
01:16:38
Speaker
Triangle of Venus, 1978. A wealthy matriarch keeps a close eye on the complicated and often erotic lives of her relatives. Triangle of Venus. Greg. Greg? Somewhere else.
01:16:55
Speaker
Correct. That was German. That was also ah the one porno tape that my dad had in his hidden porno collection. That's up that's really weird. Of course it is. What was it called again? Triangle of Venus. That's so strange. I got to track that one of it down. I think it'll really like scratch a bizarre itch somewhere in the back of my brain. Question number three. Willie Milly, 1986.
01:17:22
Speaker
Tomboy Millie wishes to be a boy as she's tired of her mom pushing girly stuff on her. After an eclipse, she wakes up with a penis. Willy Millie. Michael, ah that is somewhere else. I'm going to guess Eastern Europe. Oh, Greg, would you like to steal? I'm going to say America. Correct.
01:17:46
Speaker
Greg takes the lead. Question number four. Savage attraction, 1983. A horrific love story about an abused wife who learns to her horror that her sadistic husband is actually a fanatical neo-Nazi. Savage attraction. Uh, Greg. Greg. Is it the United States? I'm sorry. It is not somewhere else.
01:18:16
Speaker
Greg, that was Australian. Oh, how about that? Yeah. All right. It's all tied up. Question number five, the glove 1979.
01:18:28
Speaker
A bounty hunter is offered $20,000 for the capture of a very large man who dons body armor and steel pay and steel plated gauntlets for his regular beatings of some unfortunate individuals. The glove starring John Saxon.
01:18:45
Speaker
Sorry, get back one more time. I'm completely sure that plot is a lot. A bounty hunter is offered $20,000 for the capture of a very large man who dons body armor and steel plated gauntlets for his regular beatings of some unfortunate individuals. So yeah. So Greg, Greg, I'm going to say America. Correct. Greg takes the lead.
01:19:15
Speaker
Question number six. Starship Invasions, 1977. An advanced team from a dying far off civilization seeks a new world to conquer and inhabit. Earth. Michael. Starship Invasions. Michael. That is so Canadian. Correct. Michael ties it up. Boy, this one has been neck and neck. That sounds like a hand con up the wazoo.
01:19:42
Speaker
For sure. Well, question number seven, 1985's Star Knight. Princess Alba is abducted by a dragon, but it turns out the dragon is actually an alien spacecraft and Alba falls in love with the humanoid alien inside. Star Knight. Uh, Greg? Uh, I think Michael got that one. Okay. Somewhere else.
Other Film Discussions
01:20:09
Speaker
Correct. That's from Spain. It does star Klaus Kinski. Nice. Good for Klaus. All right. I think that means Michael is up by two. ah Question number eight. The daytime ended 1979.
01:20:27
Speaker
Aliens visit the solar powered house of a middle-class family and the house is suddenly sucked into a time warp that transport it back to prehistoric times. The daytime ended.
01:20:39
Speaker
Michael, correct I think that was on the recent season of more one of the recent Mystery Science Series 3000 seasons. I think that's American point. Correct, that is American. All right, Greg, you still got a chance to save your dignity. Sure. Question number nine. Rolling Vengeance, 1987. A truck driver builds a special Eight ton truck to get revenge against the rednecks that killed his family. Rolling vengeance. Greg. Greg. The United States. Yeah. What can you steal? Yeah, it's somewhere in Europe posing as America. Sorry, that one's Canadian. That one comes from our brothers from the north. I guess I don't have my dignity.
01:21:33
Speaker
Yeah, that's all we can ask for in this life. And yes, the daytime ended was on the Netflix seasons of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Nice. All
Batty Awards Segment
01:21:42
Speaker
right. Well, listeners, panelists, are you ready for the Batty Awards? Oh, yes.
01:21:57
Speaker
Now you're messing with me.
01:22:21
Speaker
That's right. Congratulations to all our nominees. It's the Batty Awards. I think I'll kick us off. My Batty Award is going to go for Best Chekhov. And that's because this time we've got a Chekhov's heart stabbing. This was what I was putting a opinion in earlier. You might remember that Mark was doing a weapons demonstration with John.
01:22:48
Speaker
And in that, he grabbed John's wrist, twisted the knife around, and then stabbed him in the heart with his own knife. The exact move that he uses to defeat Yoshida in the final flight. It's a Chekhov's heart stabbing. When's our best Chekhov?
01:23:06
Speaker
So I have to say that that was also my award. I was calling it the Chekhov's Wheelchair Award for a knife demonstration. But yeah, I remember watching it. I was just like, they're really showing off this knife demonstration for some reason. This is interesting. and Great minds. Yeah. And then he stabbed him in the end. I was like, just like that demonstration. Yeah. All right. I see what you did.
01:23:31
Speaker
So yeah, two awards. I mean, it's, it's that good that we both called it out. Yeah. Fantastic. What about you, Michael? Do you have a bad ear? Uh, yeah. So the one you suggested for me, Chris was something like best hench and watching this, like there's no question. I have to do best hench and it's to the big guy. He doesn't have a name, but he's got a hell of a personality, whether it's a loose he's wearing or, uh, I wrote down a couple of choice lines from him. Let me find it.
01:24:01
Speaker
Oh yeah, when the the older rock band comes in and they're completely bruised up from trying to fight Dragon Sound, he just looks at them and he's like, I told you guys not to not to mess with the Girl Scouts. And then later, when Jane is talking to the Henches about Tom for some reason, he just For some reason, response, I ain't seen nobody since 1962. Oh, I forgot about. Yeah, larry just incredible personality from that guy. Like he seemed like he was having a blast. Yeah, he was definitely making the most of his role as a local shitty henchman. He's a great dude.
01:24:44
Speaker
Well, speaking of great dudes, you've been a great
Promotions and Closing Remarks
01:24:47
Speaker
dude this week, Michael. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank you for using such a fantastic movie. ah You're welcome. Do you have anything to plug? Fantastic. ah Well, I want to just shout out one other thing before plug, which is, uh, in the credits, there were a bunch of bikers credited as, you know, a bunch of ninjas as well, but two of the biker names.
01:25:05
Speaker
Crazy Legs and Crazy Dave. Those are how they accredited, which is, yes, they use actual Miami, Orlando, wherever bikers. Good for them. And these look like outlaw bikers. That was definitely the vibe I was getting from. Oh, yeah. Like a dentist that owned a Harley, you know, these were real one percenters. Yeah. Well, shout out to Crazy Legs and Crazy Dave. Yep. And shout out to you.
01:25:35
Speaker
Uh, yeah, so all I've got to plug is check out my YouTube channel where I've got like a few, uh, longer and short form found footage, uh, uh, mixed tapes. Uh, my most recent project that I did was in October called sitcoms of time forgot, which is.
01:25:55
Speaker
Sorry, sitcoms at primetime forgot, which is two hours of intros to sitcoms you've probably never heard of because they only lasted like one, maybe two seasons. And you can find that. It's fantastic. You got to check it out. I loved it. Thank you very much. And you can find that all on ah YouTube by just searching my name, Michael Darling. And yeah, and I'll put a link in the show notes. Yeah.
01:26:20
Speaker
And yeah, otherwise I'm on blue sky at future has been dot B S K Y dot social. I think is how you do it. Yeah. So I'm there and yeah, that's, that's what I got. No, fantastic. Thank you. Once again, you simply must come back. Oh, we will. I will. Cause you know, friends for eternity, loyalty, honesty. We stick together through thick and thin.
01:26:51
Speaker
Listeners, if you want to stick together with us, why don't you hit that quick subscribe or follow or whatever it is that you've got on your podcast service so that you can find out when new episodes are coming out. Huh? Or you could give us a five stars or a comment or you could even tell a friend the best thing that you could possibly do for a podcast. Tell someone that it's good.
01:27:17
Speaker
And if you want to find us, you can find us at your favorite bad movie pod on Instagram, on Blue Sky, you can find us at favoritebadmovie dot.bsky dot.social. And at YouTube, you can find your favorite bad movie podcast where I've been putting up trailers that I've been been making for all the shows, a nice little one minute clips to get you hyped up and get a good visual sense if you don't want to sit down and watch an entire bad movie. And ah if you want to,
01:27:46
Speaker
I don't know, come back next week. Next week, we're going to have returning guest Noah Fulmore, and we're going to be talking about hackers. Yes. Oh, that'll be fun. It's going to be a blast. And until next time, listeners, be good and don't destroy our future. Goodbye. a Good night, everybody.
01:29:26
Speaker
Destroy our future!