In the eighties and nineties, there were tons of movie studios trying their hardest to create their own versions of “Karate Kid.” The movie made Ralph Macchio a star for a while, and helped fuel America’s love for the underdog. So naturally, someone had the bright idea to cast Billy Blanks in a lead role for their own “Karate Kid” movie. Like Macchio, Blanks was a celebrity for a short while before becoming a fitness guru, and here he basically plays Miyagi, except as a washed out janitor for a high school filled with students all of whom look well in to their twenties.
Tag Archives: Martial Arts
Re-Thinking My Stance on "Fight Club"
I remember the first time I ever sat through “Fight Club.” Like many of American audiences I expected an action movie about brawlers and didn’t see this gritty, ugly, and grimy tale about psychos and self-mutilation coming to me. And I hated it. Not just that, but I despised it. And the larger my internet presence became, the more it became something I was largely about. People always questioned by credibility through my hatred for “Fight Club,” and once I even received an e-mail from a reader begging me to post his own review for “Fight Club” on Cinema Crazed since he insisted I missed the entire point of the movie.
And perhaps I did.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995)
It’s kind of sucky that, though “Mighty Morphin” is a solid bit of silly escapism, it’s also a film that promises a lot, but never really amounts to anything, in the end. If you followed “Power Rangers” in the 90’s rabidly like I did, the series was overhauled again after the movie, and everything cool that was in this movie was never featured. Even the cool helmet headlights/scanners. Also, how horrible must it be to live in Angel Grove, eh? Does anyone else suspect this is a hell mouth or is it just me?
Our Top 5 Favorite Power Rangers Series
This year, Power Rangers celebrates its twentieth anniversary. The legions of fans that have been watching since 1993 are reveling in the success of the Saban fueled series that has gone on for many years. Hell, even Shout! Factory is releasing a deluxe 98 disc set featuring the first twenty seasons.
I was fortunate enough to enjoy the craze of Ninja Turtles and watch as Power Rangers was also ushered in to take our attention, and for many years I watched Power Rangers religiously. I still am very fond of the series, and watch whatever iteration is on. It’s always been a fun and exciting bit of fantasy fare for kids and teens, and I may just tune in for the upcoming twentieth season.
Did we miss any of your favorites? Let Us Know!
Mortal Kombat (1995)
After cribbing from the Cronenberg filmmaking handbook in “Event Horizon,” director Paul WS Anderson took the reins of the popular fighting game “Mortal Kombat.” A precursor to his handling of another popular genre game “Resident Evil,” director Anderson handles the adaptation of “Mortal Kombat” much in the way studios enjoy it. He takes a controversial, volatile, and violent video game, and transforms it in to a PG-13 action romp for teenage boys. With “Mortal Kombat” director Anderson almost gets it right. Close but no cigar.
Street Fighter (1994)
1994’s “Street Fighter” represents the mentality of pretty much every studio head. Just throw a bunch of crap on screen and hope the audience doesn’t notice the movie sucks. In this instance “Street Fighter” throws a lot of the characters from the Street Fighter games on-screen and hopes no one notices that the movie is really damn awful. We noticed. Trust me. We noticed. Even at eleven years old I couldn’t understand why this was so bad while the games were so incredible.
Sins of the Dragon (2012)
It’s not often the heart and enthusiasm for a genre can carry over in to an indie production. “Sins of the Dragon” is obviously made by people who have a love for the martial arts and action genre, and thankfully they turn that love in to an entertaining and very creative short fantasy thriller about redemption, and traveling warriors.