Tag Archives: reviews

Karate Kid Legends

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting, as the song goes. But Li Fong (Ben Wang) needs to learn Karate. And that calls for, yes, THE Karate Kid (Ralph Macchio) who points out that Karate and Kung Fu are “two branches, one tree.”

Karate Kid Legends has plenty of karate and kung fu (plus a bit of boxing) but also has family drama, budding romance and the classic face off between good and evil. And there’s the old “fish out of water” element of teenager Li moving with his doctor mom (Ming-Na Wen) from Beijing to New York City. 

Shortly after his arrival in NYC, Li meets a girl, Mia (Sadie Stanley) whose Dad Victor (Joshua Jackson) runs a pizza parlor. Mia’s ex-boyfriend is local karate expert Conor (Aramis Knight) who keeps encountering Li. Conor is the bad guy in this story, the evil to Li’s good. Although Li has promised his mom that he will avoid fighting in his new country, the inevitable occurs.

Of course it’s great to see Daniel LaRusso (Macchio) looking good and agile at age 63. And the all-time great Asian actor Jackie Chan also moving pretty good at age 71. Chan is Mr. Han, a Beijing kung fu coach who suddenly appears in New York to encourage Li to enter the 5 Boroughs karate tournament. 

And, surprise, the final match of that event features Li Fong versus his nemesis Conor. By this time, his mom is fully supportive.

Karate Kid Legends has Gen-X appeal for those who saw the first movie back in the 80s and maybe can even remember some of its lines. And Joshua Jackson was part of the Dawson’s Creek cast back in the 90s. With its robust action, teen angst and energetic music track—though no Carl Douglas—Karate Kid Legends is a fun, fast-paced movie. A tasty treat! Rated PG-13. 

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Novocaine

Jack Quaid has a problem. Or is it I who has the problem?

His highly entertaining new action/adventure film Novocaine is well-crafted and Quaid’s character is developed a bit more than is typical in movies like this one.

But throughout the screening of Novocaine almost every time Quaid appeared onscreen I saw… Bill Hader. They have similar builds, similar hairlines and even some similar facial expressions. Does anybody else have the Hader issue with Quaid or is it just me?

The movie is a treat for fans of violence, chases, gunplay, hand-to-hand combat and all that sort of stuff. It’s a real adrenaline rush. And there are laughs along the way, too.

Nathan Caine (Quaid) is a guy with weird genetic disorder: he cannot feel pain. This has led to some behavioral quirks. He won’t even eat solid food for fear of chewing off his tongue and not feeling it. His only friend is a fellow gamer Roscoe (Jacob Batalon), a guy he’s never actually met except online. 

Nate hooks up with a coworker Sherry (Amber Midthunder) who also has issues from a dysfunctional upbringing. They work at a bank in San Diego where Nate is assistant manager. Novocaine starts out as a sweet romcom.

Then a robbery occurs. The bank manager is killed. Several cops are gunned down. Sherry is taken as a hostage. Nate heads off in pursuit to rescue her—in a police car.

His effort takes him to a commercial kitchen with hot grease and a hot frying pan, a house filled with booby traps and a tattoo parlor where Nate takes on a tattoo artist who is a mountain of a man.

Co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and writer Lars Jacobson keep the momentum going from the robbery to the final face off on the San Diego docks. The work done by the film’s stunt coordinators is impressive.

Hader—um, sorry, Quaid—is good at comedy AND violence and at mixing the two in the same scene. Batalon’s first onscreen appearance late in the movie is a key element in the plot. And Midthunder is revealed to have abilities beyond being just a sweet, demure young babe.

Among the supporting players are familiar faces Matt Walsh and Betty Gabriel as San Diego cops. 

Novocaine is rated R.

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