Karate Kid: Legends

My View:  Karate Kid: Legends  (2025)   PG-13   In Karate Kid: Legends, Li Fong (Ben Wang) has been studying Kung Fu under Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Li and his mother are forced to move to New York after a family tragedy uproots them from their home in Beijing. Li tries to fit in, but trouble keeps finding him, and he enters a karate competition to change his path, and Mr. Han arrives to help but sees that Li needs the skill of a karate master. They ask for help from no other than Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). The original Karate Kid (1984) is a favorite of mine, particularly because it gave the world Elisabeth Shue. It was an outstanding against-the-odds, fish-out-of-water story that hit all the right notes and had a tremendous and completely gratifying ending. Following the success of Cobra Kai, the studio decided that the time was right to revive the Karate Kid format, blending the old with the new. For the first two-thirds of the film, this approach works. From watching the trailer (numerous times in theaters), I had no idea how significant a role both Joshua Jackson and Ming-Na Wen had in the film. Jackson plays Victor, a former boxer who now owns a pizza place in the neighborhood where Li and his mother have just moved in. Li makes friends with Victor and his daughter, Mia (Sadie, Stanley), who attends the same school as Li. He gets involved with Victor when he is attacked by some thugs who want the money that Victor owes to the local mobster and LI steps in with his Kung Fu moves to save the day. Victor is so impressed with his Kung Fu skills he begs him to help him train for a fight that he hopes will win enough prize money to get the mob off his back. Li's mother's job as a doctor is the driving force behind their move to New York City. She wants to get Li away from the Kung Fu school that Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) runs and give the two of them a new start, away from something bad that happened to their family (which we find out later). Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ben Wang have fantastic chemistry together, and their scenes are fun, touching and make the first hour of this film work. Sadie Stanley is reminiscent of a young Jennifer Lawrence, with great comic timing and lots of charm. Then, the storyline forces the past to come into the film, with Daniel LaRusso's appearance, and the film begins to unravel. The thing that worked so well in the original was the bonding that went on between Daniel and Mr. Miyagi while he taught Daniel not only how to do karate but also about life and friendship. We don't get any of that when Daniel shows up to train Li for a Karate tournament. The film tries too hard to be light and fun, leading to some cringeworthy scenes of training as Daniel and Mr. Han put Li through the paces. The film attempts to create tension between Mia and Li with a breakup (you knew one was coming from a subway ride away), which is forced and out of the blue. Then we get the tourney, which is completely rushed through, with the fighting sequences over in a matter of seconds, not minutes. There isn’t any tension at all in the tournament scenes, unlike the first film, and the air is let out of any attempt to create some sort of ending other than a happy one. Is Karate Kid: Legends worth seeing? Yeah, I just wish Daniel LaRusso had stayed home in California with Mr. Miyagi’s cars. There is a bonus scene after the first bit of credits at the end.     My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Karate Kid: Legends Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide. 

My View:  Bring Her Back  (2025)   R  Bring Her Back is about Andy (Billy Barratt), who has just lost his father and therefore, he and his younger disabled sister, Piper (Sora Wong), go to live with a foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins), and her foster son Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). From the beginning, things start to look odd, and Andy quickly realizes that he and his sister are in danger. I was excited to see this movie because of the great work done by the Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou in the hit 2022 horror film Talk to Me. Like that film, this one also deals with the occult, but in a much more uncomfortable and gruesome manner. I will warn you I am a horror fan, and I am accustomed to seeing some disturbing content, but I had to look away a couple of times during this film. Sally Hawkins is exceptional in the role of the foster mom, who, from the start, we know is up to no good. However, this film is all about grief and how Laura manipulates the two grieving siblings, ultimately for her own plan. The film feels mean-spirited throughout, and the horror scenes aren’t terrifying but just gross and off-putting, making for a distasteful viewing experience. I was both thrilled and scared by Talk to Me. In their follow-up film, I was just troubled and uncomfortable.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bring Her Back Website  Now playing in theaters. 

My View:  Bono: Stories of Surrender  (2025)  Bono: Stories of Surrender traces the life of rock star Bono from his humble beginnings in Ireland to his international fame as the lead singer of U2. I am a fan of U2, but I am not a fanatic. I think that if you saw in person the performance of Bono's stage play, telling stories and singing bits and pieces of his hits, you would have a great time. Unfortunately, the film lacks the dynamic vibe that you need from an in-person performance. The film gives us brief versions of the classics and too much of Bono playing to the audience with stories that seem meandering and sometimes self-serving. Yes, there are times when Bono sings that you are mesmerized by his stage presence and voice, but I grew tired of the staging and the fact that we often get stripped-down versions of his songs, which seemed too vacant, much like the stage he was on. I think only those who are super-fans of Bono and U2 will be thoroughly entertained. The rest of us desire a bit more.  My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Bono: Stories of Surrender Website  Now playing on the Apple TV+ platform. 

Indiefest:  Tornado  (2025)   R  Set in Britain in the 1790s, Tornado tells the story of a young Japanese woman named Tornado (Koki), who travels the country with her father’s (Takehiro Hira) traveling puppet show. When the two cross paths with a gang of ruthless criminals led by Sugarman (Tim Roth) and his son, Little Sugar (Jack Lowden), Tornado’s father is killed, and she escapes into the countryside. Little does the gang know that Tornado’s father was a Samurai who trained his daughter in the ways of the sword, and she has now vowed revenge. I am a massive fan of Samurai films (I even took a class on them in college), so I wanted to see this film in a theater. John Maclean's film looks gorgeous, and it's clear that he has a fondness for Kurosawa in the way he filmed the sword fights. Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver on character development. The film spends a lot of time with Tornado running away, hiding, and getting people hurt who are trying to help her. Tim Roth talks a lot but rarely delivers any excitement to the role, and Jack Lowden, as Sugarman’s son, mostly broods while hiding behind trees and only gives us a glimpse of why he wants to get out from under his father’s thumb. Despite Koki's impressive swordplay at the end of the film, the battles are all one-sided and short. It’s a long cinema walk for a very short climax for this Samurai fan.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee   Tornado Website    Now playing in theaters.   

My View:  Lost in Starlight  (2025)  PG  Lost in Starlight is set in Seoul in 2050, where Nan-young dreams of following in the footsteps of her late mother and becoming an astronaut. Her mother failed to return to Earth after a mission to Mars, and Nan-young longs to go to Mars, hoping to find a trace of her mother. Jay, a musician, comes into her life just as her dreams are beginning to come true. Will someone who has always dreamed of the stars stay on Earth to be with the one she loves? Lost in Starlight is a brilliant and beautiful love story about two damaged individuals who find each other and then must let each other go to follow their destiny. This is a stunningly visual film with an excellent soundtrack that enables you to fall in love with the two characters as they slowly explore their relationship, all the while trying to overcome the pain of their past. Lost in Starlight is a sweet love story that remains engaging from start to finish, mostly because the two characters are fun to be with, and the love between them feels genuine and authentic. The film is filled with twists and turns as we learn about their pasts, insecurities, and the necessity to overcome them. Ultimately, the two realize that they are committed enough to each other to overcome whatever the future holds. With strong, exquisite animation and a soundtrack that complements the moods of the characters, this is a love story that will touch you and bring a few tears along the way. My Rating: Full Price  Lost in Starlight Website  Now playing on the Netflix platform. 

My View:  Pee-Wee as Himself  (2025)  TV-MA  Pee-Wee as Himself is adocumentary on the life and trials of the beloved creator of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Paul Reubens. This is a fascinating glimpse into the man behind the character he created, which ultimately took over his life. Rubens was an extremely private man, someone who stayed in the closet and sacrificed almost everything, including his love life, to become a character on TV and in films. Directed by Matt Wolf, Paul Reubens did over forty hours of interviews with Wolf, but it was not an easy shoot, as Rubens constantly fought with Wolf over control of the documentary, including continually answering questions with more questions, at times avoiding the subject matter or making Wolf and us having to decide what was truth and what was fiction. From an early age, Reubens had a deep love for TV, particularly shows such as Howdy Doody and Captain Kangaroo. He was an art student who gravitated to standup comedy and improv; at one time, he had many characters that he created besides Pee-wee, and some of them even ended up on The Gong Show, an old, bizarre variety game show, which he and his partners kept winning. When he invented Pee-wee, the character and what Reubens was doing with him took off, and almost overnight, Rubens became famous. But here is the rub: he became famous as Pee-wee, not as Paul Reubens. This, as we see in the documentary, becomes something that Ruebens never got over. Pee-wee, the character, was given all the praise and attention; Paul, the man, was left in the background. And how quickly the world came to judge him when he had some trouble with the law, which the media ran with abandon. I learned so much about Rubens and the sacrifices he made to make the world happy with a strange little man called Pee-wee. What is shocking about this documentary is Matt Wolf had no idea that Paul Reubens was battling cancer (for 6 years) and was as shocked as the rest of the world by his death. That we have this documentary, which gives a glimpse into the strange and wonderful world of Paul Reubens, is a miracle in itself. The fact that we were able to visit Pee-wee's world through his live performances, movies, and TV show is a miracle that will remain a source of joy for years to come.     My Rating: Full Price  Pee-wee As Himself Info  Now playing on HBO Max.

Forgotten Film:  28 Days Later  (2002) R  Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes up in a hospital bed to an empty building. While walking through the empty streets of a once bustling city, he learns that a virus has been unleashed on the world, causing unimaginable monsters. He meets a couple of survivors (Naomie Harris and Noah Huntley) who explain that the virus has created zombies that are out to kill everyone. This horrifying film is about people trying to band together and survive just for one more day. That’s all they can think about; anything else is inconceivable. 28 Days Later was instrumental in creating a new genre of zombie movies and TV shows. The opening sequence is one of the great film scenes, and the final battle is both horrifying and thrilling. The film has a lot to say about paranoia, how we treat each other in times of struggle, and what is amazing, is still relevant today after our struggles in the world of Covid. 28 Days Later is a gritty film that truly gives you chills throughout.   My Rating: Full Price  28 Days Later Info  Available to rent on most streaming services. 

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Karate Kid: Legends: Thanks to the Jackie Chan Stunt Team

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: 28 Years Later (2025) R  Almost three decades have passed since a virus was unleashed on the world. A small island that is connected to the mainland by a causeway has been home to one group that has survived. A father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and son (Alfie Williams) leave the island on a mission to go into the heart of the mainland, and there they discover the secrets, wonders, and horrors of the outside world. Danny Boyle has finally provided us with a movie to uncover what transpired after his horror classic 28 Days Later (2002). And I can't wait to see it!  28 Years Later Website   The film will be out on Friday, June 20, 2025.  

Until Next Time!