'80s Movie Montage
Breaking down our favorite decade of flicks. Hosted by Anna Keizer and Derek Dehanke.
'80s Movie Montage
The Karate Kid
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In this episode, Anna and Derek chat about John G. Avildsen's The Karate Kid (1984) with special guest filmmaker Jason Charnick.
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Anna Keizer and Derek Dehanke are the co-hosts of ‘80s Movie Montage. The idea for the podcast came when they realized just how much they talk – a lot – when watching films from their favorite cinematic era. Their wedding theme was “a light nod to the ‘80s,” so there’s that, too. Both hail from the Midwest but have called Los Angeles home for several years now. Anna is a writer who received her B.A. in Film/Video from Columbia College Chicago and M.A. in Film Studies from Chapman University. Her dark comedy short She Had It Coming was an Official Selection of 25 film festivals with several awards won for it among them. Derek is an attorney who also likes movies. It is a point of pride that most of their podcast episodes are longer than the movies they cover.
Jason Charnick is an award-winning filmmaker & native New Yorker now living in Southern California. He has been in the entertainment industry for over 25 years, including a dozen as part of Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions family. He has worked with such high-profile clients as Universal, Warner Bros., Fox, A&E, Comedy Central, Viacom & more. His first feature, the critically acclaimed documentary GETTING OVER, premiered at the prestigious SXSW Film Festival in 2018, and he currently hosts a filmmaking & mental health podcast called HEAD ABOVE WATER as well as pioneering new creative avenues for independent filmmakers in the NFT space with NiftyFilm.io.
Hello and welcome to 80s movie montage. This is Derek.
SPEAKER_00:And this is Anna.
SPEAKER_03:And we are here to talk about 80s movies with montages because we like it.
SPEAKER_00:That's exactly right. I would say we might uh love it, not just like it.
SPEAKER_03:I like it so much that it's it is basically love at this point.
SPEAKER_00:So, Derek, what's the movie today that we're gonna be covering?
SPEAKER_03:As you know, it is the Karate Kid from 1984.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. Karate Kid from the original Karate Kid.
SPEAKER_03:The only karate kid.
SPEAKER_00:I would uh agree with that there.
SPEAKER_03:I I I do not accept the remake. Um I've heard good things about it, and I'm happy. No, not really.
SPEAKER_00:You're just trying to be nice about it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I yeah. I choose to believe that people have also enjoyed the remake, even though it seems very different from the original.
SPEAKER_00:But that's sure. I mean, teach their own.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, they they remade the the poltergeist movie, too.
SPEAKER_00:I don't acknowledge that. Highly unnecessary. Sure, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So yeah, we have we have 1984's The Karate Kid, starring Ralph Machio as Daniel, Pat Morita or Noryuki Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, Elizabeth Shue, Martin Cove as the absolutely insane crease, and a cast of others who I'm sure you're looking forward to introducing and talking about.
SPEAKER_00:That's kind of become my thing. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I don't wanna I don't wanna stomple over that.
SPEAKER_00:Well, okay, look, everybody probably knows the movie, The Karate Kid, but for those of you out there who maybe haven't actually seen the film, Derek, do you want to give a little synopsis of what the film is about?
SPEAKER_03:A synopsis of the karate kid. I would be more than happy to. So let's just get started with this. Sure. This movie starts uh with for reasons unknown to us, they're they're moving New Jersey, right? They're moving from New Jersey.
SPEAKER_00:Daniel and his mother.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, Daniel and his mom move from New Jersey to California. It looks like they really only drive through Arizona for like 30 hours. But what I will say is that their portrayal of driving through Arizona was very accurate because it was incredibly boring and entirely desolate.
SPEAKER_00:It's kind of a low-energy intro.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, no, the it gets you through the uh, you know, those opening credits and such.
SPEAKER_00:I guess it would be fair to say that that is probably the first montage of the film as we're getting into it because they they're cutting across days, if not weeks, of them going from Jersey to California.
SPEAKER_03:Blissfully.
SPEAKER_00:Blissfully, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. So they they get to uh where is it, Resita?
SPEAKER_00:Resita, California.
SPEAKER_03:Resita, California, which uh like we'll talk about this later, but it gets a real bad rap in this movie. Um so they they get to their new place, it's kind of a dump. Uh Daniel, you know, his mom talks up this pool. The pool was I I think it was a sewer, actually.
SPEAKER_00:She the mom is definitely looking at this situation with rose-colored glasses on.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, she's trying to she's trying to pump it up for Daniel.
SPEAKER_00:He's not picking up what she's throwing down.
SPEAKER_03:She's a single mom. She's trying to do what's best for her and her kid, moving across country for greener pastures.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:We don't really know what's going on with any of that. We never do. It's fine.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, she came for a new job, is as much as I think we're ever told.
SPEAKER_03:That's all that's all we know.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So he he finds uh he meets somebody else also from Jersey who tells him they uh should have stayed in Jersey.
SPEAKER_00:Freddie.
SPEAKER_03:Oh no, that's sorry, the old lady. Lucille? No.
SPEAKER_00:Lucille is the mom.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, well, that's not who said it.
SPEAKER_00:I think so.
SPEAKER_03:Uh the old lady from uh Jersey says, You should have stayed in Jersey. Um so, anyways.
SPEAKER_00:That was a great uh great rendition.
SPEAKER_03:I I don't even know who I was trying to do in impersonation. It it's not my my finest. So he he meets one of the uh residents there, Freddie, who's about his same age and seems like a nice enough guy who kind of introduces him to the place and tells him about this cool, super cool, apparently soccer slash boombox party that's happening at the beach later on. And of course, Daniel is only more than happy to uh check it out.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. I mean, basically what's happening here is Daniel quickly finds out that he does not fit into this new world. Um at the beach party, he sees this girl, she's pretty cute.
SPEAKER_03:Elizabeth Shu.
SPEAKER_00:Elizabeth Shu. Allie in the film.
SPEAKER_03:With a with an eye. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And uh and so, you know, like he's thinking initially maybe things are gonna not turn out so bad out here. But then the axe Johnny shows up with his uh karate pails, and basically from there on out, uh life becomes a living hell for Daniel.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, he gets beaten up several times over the course of I I I want to say he was beaten up without mercy, and I think that's very appropriate.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, exactly. So, um, so basically, after this poor kid has just been harassed um by this group, he finally gets a little bit of mercy from his landlord slash.
SPEAKER_03:I think he's the handyman.
SPEAKER_00:I thought he was also the landlord. Is he the landlord? I thought so. Maybe not. I I or I kind of thought of him as like kind of an all-in-one. Like he kind of did it all.
SPEAKER_03:He like he has to afford that other place somehow. So maybe he is uh the landlord and slash handyman slash.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, not sure, but um, but essentially he, you know, has this guy, Mr. Miyagi, um, teach him the ways of karate.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I think it was one of the first things that uh Miyagi has to do to help out is fix their sink. And as he walks in, Daniel is going through his karate routine from a book on how to learn karate, and Miyagi gives him just the most disdainful look.
SPEAKER_00:He's he's a little snobby about the whole thing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, he he is for sure a karate snob at the beginning.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, he he does make several comments throughout the film where like, for instance, even when they I'm getting I'm jumping way ahead, but when we get to the climac final kind of showdown, he makes a point of saying, like, I fought for for my like for my life, not for points. Like, so he's kind of snobby the whole way through.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's true. But he's he's ultimately a real good guy.
SPEAKER_00:He is he's a great, he's a great guy. So so in any case, like we're gonna get into the details, but eventually Daniel hooks up with Mr. Miyagi in terms of him being able to finally have um have the chance to stick up for himself against these guys.
SPEAKER_03:I d I don't wanna, you know, spoilers, but Daniel gets his ass kicked again, and Miyagi actually saves him. Yes, and that's what ultimately leads to him, you know, agreeing to help him to defend himself.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly, exactly. So so this film, you mentioned it a little bit ago, um, 1984. Um, so we right in the middle. Yeah, yeah, right in the middle. Um, and as I like to do, I like to kind of bring up the people behind the scenes that were part of the making of this film. Um, so oh, and you know what? Wanna quickly say that for the first time on our podcast, we have a special guest who we will be um showcasing a little bit later on in the film. And so uh Derek and I are gonna kind of be cutting our conversation short so that we can give you guys more time to listen to our special guest thoughts on the film. And um, with that, we'll be bringing up, you know, again, some of the people who are part of the film, some fun facts, but um to kind of get things started. So this was written by Robert Mark. I'm gonna say his last name is Kamen. Okay. Hoping. Um, so this guy he has uh he has some street cred. So besides Karate Kidd, he wrote Taps. Do you know Taps?
SPEAKER_03:I am familiar with that movie. Yeah. I know I know that it is a movie, but I don't know if I've ever actually watched it.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, okay. Um, and then we're gonna skip ahead to A Walk in the Clouds, very different kind of film with uh Keno Reeves.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, no, that's that could not be more different.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so he's got that under his belt. Um our guest uh brought this one up. He wrote The Fifth Element.
SPEAKER_03:Great movie.
SPEAKER_00:Great movie.
SPEAKER_03:I wish it was from the 80s just so we could do a podcast about it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's fantastic. And then Taken. Isn't that crazy? His uh range. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's he has a very uh particular set of skills. Yeah, exactly. You can say yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So um, and also, so we talk about this a little a little bit later on, but this film has like a really interesting connection to another film that had numerous sequels, and that film is Rocky.
SPEAKER_03:Um maybe too many sequels.
SPEAKER_00:Maybe, maybe too many sequels. Uh so both films were directed by a gentleman named John G. Advilsson. Uh, again, hope I am saying that correctly. And this guy, he's uh he's pretty interesting. He is a man of many talents. Um earlier in his professional uh life, he was a cinematographer.
SPEAKER_03:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:And then he moves over to being a director, and I mean, this is again is a guy who has quite a few big films under his belt. Uh already mentioned Rocky. He did both this Karate Kid, number two, number three. Did you ever see the movie Four Keeps with Molly Ringwald? Uh, I don't think I have. Great film. Okay. Did that one. He did Lean on Me. He did Rocky V. So he kind of skips a couple of the Rockies and comes back. He did uh The Power One. Do you remember that one?
SPEAKER_03:I I'm not familiar with that film. Um I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, okay. Well we'll we'll just go right past that one. And then um and then eight seconds. It it's uh good.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, eight seconds with uh Luke Wilson?
SPEAKER_00:Uh no. Luke Perry? There you go. With Luke? Yeah, with Luke.
SPEAKER_03:I'm just gonna stick with Luke next time.
SPEAKER_00:Um so so he has quite a few undersbell. And actually, what's also interesting about this director, I a lot of directors do this. They may not necessarily get credited on it, but he is also credited as an editor on quite a few of his settings.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, that is interesting.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so not that he necessarily did the editing all on his own, but um he actually did enough that he received the credit for it. So, and that was the case on Karate Kid 2 and 3, 4 Keeps, Lean on Me, Rocky Five. So, like a lot of these films. Um so we have that connection to Rocky through the director of it, but also through the composer. So Bill Conti.
SPEAKER_03:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:He tell me more.
SPEAKER_00:This guy is like John Williams level prolific.
SPEAKER_03:What?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. I believe you.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So did the music for way back in the day, Harry and Tonto. Uh that's a film that Art Carney from the Honeymooners won Best Actor for that film. So Harry and Tonto, he did basically all the Rockies because they kind of use that same music through all of them. So he's credited.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they do, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So all the Rockies, Private Benjamin. I know that you're a big um uh whatchamacallit fan.
SPEAKER_03:It's true, it's true. That that candy bar is a treasure. I'm a huge fan of it.
SPEAKER_00:Um James Bond. You can tell I'm not a big fan.
SPEAKER_03:Oh.
SPEAKER_00:He did for your eyes only.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, that's what I was trying to say. I'm I am not a big James Bond fan, but so he did the score for For Your Eyes Only. Correct.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, that was uh that was one of the I think more acclaimed Roger Moore James Bonds.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, yeah unacclaimed, okay.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I mean, it's all relative, but within the James Bond, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it was it was good. Do you remember way back in the day the television television series North and South? It was like a huge deal, Hadrick Spacey.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, that's back when the TV series had these like events. Exactly. And that's what that was. Brother against brother.
SPEAKER_00:Did exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Um, he did the music for that. Okay. Baby boom, broadcast news, again for keeps. So he has a relationship with the director here.
SPEAKER_04:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Uh, and then like I was mentioning for the director's other films, Eight Seconds, uh, he didn't lean on me as well. So so there we there we have it.
SPEAKER_03:That I mean, that's a lot. It is a lot. I I feel like there's still more that we'll get to later with respect to this particular individual and music and these movies.
SPEAKER_00:You're right.
SPEAKER_03:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:I'm picking up with what you're putting down.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Well, look, before we get too far ahead, I I want to mention that uh that awkward, awful beach party.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, sure, let's go back to it.
SPEAKER_03:That was a montage.
unknown:You're right.
SPEAKER_03:Yes. With some like I'm gonna say that there are two songs in this movie that are pretty high-quality songs, and the rest of the music Oh, okay, no, the rest of the music is is a little rough. Like the the music when they're at the beach party, the beach party montage was kind of I I don't know if it maybe it really actually was the Beach Boys, but it sounded like maybe it was like a Beach Boys-esque type of uh band or song.
SPEAKER_00:I think that was the actual Beach Boys.
SPEAKER_03:Well, then that song's also good. Because I don't want to say anything bad about the Beach Boys, I don't want anyone to get mad at me about that. But the transition from that to like the sinister, like the biker gang with Johnny and his friends all wearing matching Michael Jackson red leather jackets.
SPEAKER_00:It's just so on the nose, it's like, okay, if you guys weren't certain of who the villains were in this film, we're we're gonna really, really make this easy for you.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, because the music was so like over the top, not actually from the movie over the top, but just over the top generally. Uh, and along with like their outfits and like the these these kids, they're like the prototype for an 80s teen movie villain. And you can tell that within like the first five seconds, just like the sneer on their faces.
SPEAKER_00:Everything about their intro is pointing you towards like these are the bad guys.
SPEAKER_03:And so that's kind of like the best thing that comes out of that intro montage. You see that obviously Daniel has that connection with Allie with an eye, but then you also get the um hilarious yet super intense introduction with our villains. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, and actually, speaking of Ally with an eye, a little bit of trivia, the writer of Karate Kid named that character as such after his daughter.
SPEAKER_03:That's that's actually the first time he gets his ass kicked, isn't it?
SPEAKER_00:Yes. And and so, like we had mentioned, it happens several more times. And and just to back up a wee bit, you had mentioned, you know, the main actors who are part of this film and just you know want to give due diligence to each of them. So the lead here, Daniel, is actor by the name of you said Ralph Macchio.
SPEAKER_03:Mr. Ralph Macchio, yes.
SPEAKER_00:And um he he's had a pretty long career. I mean, this is a guy who started in the early 80s. I mean, like once upon a time, he was on the show It Is Enough as a Kid.
SPEAKER_03:I did not know that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I I uh looked that up. So and he was uh, you know, in other films that I think a lot of people would be familiar with, The Outsiders being one of them, which Yeah, no, I definitely remember him from that.
SPEAKER_03:I don't I don't this might be one of your fun facts.
SPEAKER_00:I don't know if I should say this, but um go for it, go for it.
SPEAKER_03:At the time, I mean Daniel's kind of a little guy. Yes, very much so, yeah. It's real believable that he doesn't even have his driver's license.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly.
SPEAKER_03:Right? He was 22.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_03:He was 22 at the time of the filming, and a lot of the cast didn't even didn't believe him. Yeah. Because he he looked he looked pretty young.
SPEAKER_00:He has a baby face, if ever there was one. And I think that in some ways that kind of worked for him over the years. But probably at a certain point, you know, he wants to grow out of those roles.
SPEAKER_03:But but then again, he is also once again Daniel LaRusso in Cobra Kai.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. Exactly. That's what I was just gonna say. So it's come it's come full circle for him. But um, you know, besides the outsiders, he was also in My Cousin Vinny. That's a great film.
SPEAKER_03:That that is an exceptional film, and it's actually a film that I've heard law schools will show their students occasionally because it has a relatively accurate, if not like totally comedic portrayal of courtroom procedure.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that's great. Yeah. I didn't know that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_03:That's that's a real fun movie. I I do enjoy that.
SPEAKER_00:And among his other TV work, besides well, Cobra Kai, I guess you would say is a web series, not TV work.
SPEAKER_03:No, well, because YouTube is its own TV streaming platform now. They have some originals, so I think it's I think it's fair to call it its own series.
SPEAKER_00:He had a stint on Ugly Betty, and also we watched the show for a while, the Deuce. Remember him in the Deuce? Oh, he was a detective, yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I forgot about that because that show was crushingly depressing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So we'll we'll put that aside for now. Quite good, but yeah. It was it was good. Yeah. So and we were talking about how Daniel eventually, after uh getting beat up multiple times over, finally finds some solace in Mr. Miyagi's offer to Well, he kind of forced him, didn't he?
SPEAKER_03:He saves him from getting beat any worse than he got beat, I suppose. And then um, Daniel wants to learn karate because let's face it, he wants to kick the ass of every one of these guys. And Miyagi tells him that's not what it's for, it's for defense. But at this point, I think Miyagi's seen Daniel get his ass beat. I think this isn't an exaggeration 45 times. I think that really happened.
SPEAKER_00:A little bit of an exaggeration.
SPEAKER_03:It's possible, it's possible.
SPEAKER_00:But I you really do feel for this kid. I mean, he and and I feel like it is somewhat realistic to show that he is just getting bullied, and of course, he doesn't want to talk to his mom about it, although she finds out kind of anyway, because how do you keep hiding black eyes and look?
SPEAKER_03:You're not gonna live in the LaRusso household and wear your sunglasses in the house. She she's not Mrs. LaRusso. Yeah, she won't tolerate it. You're taking those glasses off.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So, Mr. Miyagi, this is an actor you mentioned him earlier, Pat Merida.
SPEAKER_03:And famous from happy days?
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Uh famous from happy days. I mean, he also, you know, ha has an extensive IMDB list of credits. And I'm gonna drop on you another little fun fact. Did you know that he was nominated for an Academy Award for this role?
SPEAKER_03:No, I did not know that. That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00:Isn't it amazing?
SPEAKER_03:It's deserved.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely, absolutely. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. And actually, so Mr. Miyagi, he's a really interesting character. Um, he is an American citizen, but um, when he was part of World War II, his wife, uh then pregnant wife, was uh placed in an internment camp. And there is a scene where he is commemorating uh I don't know if it was their anniversary. Yeah, it was the anniversary. Okay. And so unfortunately, both her and their newborn son passed away and he is commemorating this scene. And from what I read, some of the executives attached to this film weren't so keen on this scene because it kind of kind of slows things down a little bit.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, there are a few scenes where I think the bonsai scene also, where there are important scenes to develop this relationship between Daniel and Miyagi. They do go on longer than I think something like that would go on in a movie now. Exactly. In a current movie, for sure. Um I didn't necessarily dislike them. I just noticed that, like, wow, I it's unusual. I'm not used to seeing this, but I kind of like it. And that scene in particular where he's mourning the anniversary, like, I don't think that really hit me with all of the weight that it did this time watching it, because when I was a kid watching this movie, I definitely didn't understand the gravity behind like what happened during that war with the internment camps, uh, so in the executive order and all that. So like watching it now, I'm like, wow, that that's actually like a surprisingly heavy scene in this movie.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, which I really respect the filmmakers for keeping it in, because in retrospect, they believe that not necessarily just that one scene, but that scene in large part is what kind of earned him his nomination. And I would really agree with that. Also, I agree that you know, I can't say we we usually um have a little discussion about this as well. I don't really remember my first time seeing this film. Do you do you have a clear memory?
SPEAKER_03:So, yeah, when I was a kid, I don't I can't remember how old I was when I saw it, but I know that it was available for rent on VHS, and a couple friends of mine a couple houses away had rented it. So we watched it in their living room, and then afterwards we went in the backyard and did a bunch of karate.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, that's a great memory. I wish, I wish I had something that fun to to share. I don't remember my first memory, but I do totally agree with you that obviously for sure I saw it as a child, and I absolutely like that whole scene of him mourning his family went completely over my head.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I I had no idea what was going on, and it really has just been, and you know, like we do with all of our films, we watch it right before we do the recording of it. And especially this last time of watching it, it it really hit me. And it it's really a quite beautiful performance. And like you were saying, sure, some of the scenes go on a little bit with him and Daniel, but it really, really does show how their relationship grows. And actually, more so than in any other time that I've watched it, it was really touching to me, the the depth of their friendship and their love for one another. Like I really believed it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, more than so obviously Daniel needs somebody because of what he's going through with the bullying, and I think Miyagi benefited from that relationship and from that friendship that he developed with Daniel as much as Daniel benefited from meeting Miyagi. Like, there's a whole a whole other like part of their relationship, and uh like that's just a side of the movie that I don't think I even really thought about or considered. And it's one of the more interesting parts of doing this podcast is that these are movies that we've seen obviously when we were much younger, and now we'll see bits and pieces when they're on TV because we still have like a TV-ish kind of service instead of just all Netflix stuff. But sitting down and watching it from the start to the finish lets you kind of like take it in and you see it through just a almost a different person's set of eyes as compared to watching it as a kid. And so it's been a really interesting experience.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and I think the the big takeaway that I took away from the screening of the film. Take it away, is that you you really see, I think, a lot of growth in Daniel. He obviously is kind of he he has moments where he's like almost a little bit whiny. It's like understood.
SPEAKER_03:He is kind of a little shit at the beginning.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's understood. I mean, he's he's been put in a really difficult position. Like that's that's tough to have to get moved cross-country when you're in high school and the the whole bit. So I I understand to some level why he's acting the way he is, and then of course, once he starts getting beat up, it's very understandable, but he's still kind of like a little bit of a wimpy, bratty, whiny kind of kid.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. And yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And as his friendship grows with Miyagi, he really grows, he he really matures through that relationship, and especially in that scene where Miyagi, um, you know, he's had a little bit to drink and he's mourning and the whole bit, and Daniel puts him to bed. It's a really touching scene, and it shows you how Daniel, even though he is still definitely preoccupied with Johnny and all of his buddies and wanting to best them, he is now thinking outside of that more, and he he really cares about Miyagi and wants to make sure that he's also taken care of and that he's okay. So I think that there's a really strong character arc in Daniel, and it's not just about him finding confidence and that whole thing. I think it's about him really kind of like thinking about others outside of himself outside of himself.
SPEAKER_03:Well, it at the beginning he's just getting his ass kicked, and then it it his drive to learn from Mr. Miyagi is really just based on like kind of revenge, or I guess then it goes from revenge to just like literally defense. And then I think like Miyagi tells him this at a certain point that whether you win or lose, you're gonna end up getting their respect, and they'll probably leave you alone after this tournament if you just show up and and fight. And it's just brought up the one time I think maybe it comes up again at the end when he's about to have to um bow out because of the injury, because of the leg sweep. But that part of that I think goes hand in hand with that character's development. He goes from like this kind of whiny kid who's going through a lot when he moves, to being solely focused on just getting back at these guys who are beating him up, to like growing up and becoming more of like a man and less of like a snotty teenager. Yeah. So as as his motivations change throughout the movie, he's able to put more time and effort into his relationship with Miyagi and with Ally with an eye.
SPEAKER_00:Um let's talk about Allie with an eye. What about her? So you mentioned earlier she is played by the actress Elizabeth Shu.
SPEAKER_04:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:And Elizabeth Shu, you know, like again, I think every single film that we've come across, we get these actors that have had these really um I I overuse this word at this point, but prolific careers, and she's again one of them. She was in, she was the lead in Adventures in Babysitting. Great film. She also Are we doing that one? We yeah, eventually we will. Okay. Yeah, yeah. I mean, a couple of these we're gonna eventually be doing. So she did Adventures in Babysitting, she was in Cocktail with Tom Cruise.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's too bad.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, yeah, I mean, yeah. It's not it's anyway. Uh I don't know if we're gonna be doing these because you know my feelings on these, but she was in Back to the Future 2 and 3 because she took over for the actress who did play Marty McFly's love interest in the film.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, okay, yeah. I was thinking Leah Thompson, but that wasn't. That was his mom.
SPEAKER_00:That was the mom, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so yes, you do have. They're not even complicated feelings on the Back to the Future. They're just straight up hate.
SPEAKER_00:I don't like them.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So we're gonna, I mean, it's like if this podcast goes on for like 10 or more years and we just start running out of films, maybe it'll happen. For sure, Back to the Future, the original will, because that is an amazing film, but anywho.
SPEAKER_03:Next on 80s movie montage aliens.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. So uh she's in Soap Dish. And then we have a big departure, and she was in that film leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas Cage.
SPEAKER_03:Hilarious. That was a great comedy.
SPEAKER_00:I think we're thinking of two different films here.
SPEAKER_03:Oh yeah, I'm sorry. I was thinking of something else.
SPEAKER_00:So, I mean, uh incredibly sad, depressing film, but she gives a great performance in it. I think she was I think she might have been nominated for that, potentially. Uh, don't quote me on that. Um, and then you know, she's done some TV, she was on a CSI and that sort of thing. So she's been she's been working um right up until the present. And one thing that also struck me about this film in terms of Allie with an eye.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So, first of all, you have you do have some of the classic cliches. You have, you know, the rich girl versus the boy from the wrong side of the tracks.
SPEAKER_03:They're okay.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, no, go ahead, because I know what you're about to say. Please do.
SPEAKER_03:She lives in Encino.
SPEAKER_00:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03:Uh, parents have a very nice house. I'm I'm guessing that they live south of Ventura, kind of like in the hill area where the homes are a little bit fancier, maybe. Uh, and he lives in Resita. These two cities are adjacent to each other.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, it's kind of hilarious. I guess if you didn't live in Southern California, maybe you wouldn't understand, you know, geographically that there's really not a big difference between where they live.
SPEAKER_03:He probably could have ridden his bike to our place.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, they make it seem like they're literally from different worlds, but um, so that's just kind of a fun little stupid inside like joke for us people who live in Southern California that it's all way over in Rosita. Yeah, it's kind of insane that they come down on him so hard for living in Resita. But um What I noticed with their relationship is that they actually have a little bit of a healthier form of communication than you often see in teenage relationships. Relationships depicted on film. I mean, he apologizes to her for acting a certain way, you know, she apologizes to him. Like they try to communicate with each other, and I actually found that very refreshing.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, they have actually pretty believable like disagreements, or like you know that he's acting unreasonably in a way that's going to upset her, and then he actually apologizes for it.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, he apologizes for it.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I don't know if that's believable or not, but like it it's it's actually like a refreshing way to see people act, you know.
SPEAKER_00:And and especially for, you know, as the years have gone on, you see to just a really egregious extent, especially in teenage films, you know, this trope of miscommunication because they just literally will not say the words to each other that could clear up um uh you know, a pretty significant plot point just by like being truthful with each other. And so I appreciate that in this film they don't have these like really arbitrary type arguments where they can't get past it because they just won't talk to each other. I'm not gonna listen to this right now. Exactly. So so it was actually really great. I I like that.
SPEAKER_03:And uh I mean the the closest they got to that was when he I guess is trying to get into the uh country club dinner and falls down and has food on him, and he had just seen Johnny kissing her.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:That that gets dragged out a little bit, but eventually they still resolve.
SPEAKER_00:Another thing I really liked is that you don't have her being uh occasionally drawn back to Johnny. Like she pretty much hates his guts throughout the entire film. Like there's never a part where she's like kind of wavering.
SPEAKER_03:It's been over for weeks.
SPEAKER_00:It's been over for weeks, which in Teen World is is years.
SPEAKER_03:Weeks? How many is a week? One week, two weeks? It's gotta be more than one week, Daniel. Come on.
SPEAKER_00:I love it. So so I really appreciate that too, is that they don't have her be this kind of like sniveling little, like, oh well, he's still so cute, and you know, like she actually comes down on him for being a bully and doesn't she doesn't want anything to do with it.
SPEAKER_03:She's totally sick of his shit and probably totally tired of being in a relationship with someone who's wholly obsessed with karate. Uh-oh.
SPEAKER_00:Uh-oh. So that brings us to the character of Johnny.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Who is played by William Zabcock? Hope I'm saying that, right?
SPEAKER_03:Let's go with that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So this is a guy that you have probably seen, and this comes up with our special guest a little bit later on. He's kind of your quintessential teen villain for a lot of 80s films.
SPEAKER_03:He has resting sneer face.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, he sure does. He has a look about him.
SPEAKER_03:He if you saw him, you'd be like, this guy He's up to no good. He's probably gonna kick my ass with a spin kick.
SPEAKER_00:And uh so if you didn't know it, people, he was in Just One of the Guys, the the critically acclaimed just one of the guys. Oh, that one. That one. Okay. I'm just kidding.
SPEAKER_03:The Scorsese version.
SPEAKER_00:He was in National Lampoon's The European Vacation. He was he?
SPEAKER_03:Who was he the boyfriend?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, okay.
SPEAKER_03:But everyone in that like I think Chevy Chase is the only same person in that movie.
SPEAKER_00:No, the wife.
SPEAKER_03:Is she oh Beverly D'Angelo? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:She's always the same too. But yeah, the kids like change every single time, it seems like.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um I said back to school. He's uh he's in the second karate kid. I think just.
SPEAKER_03:He is in back to school. We're gonna cover that. And he are. He it's but look, the back to school character is basically Johnny has graduated high school and is now in college.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_03:It's such a smooth transition. He's like the same guy.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Without the karate, he he transferred his karate skills for swimming diving skills.
SPEAKER_00:Gotcha.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Yeah, that's definitely one of your films for sure.
SPEAKER_03:But it's got a lot of problems, but uh it's problematic. It has a montage for sure, and it has a great Lango Bingo moment. With them actually in the movie. Anyways, we're getting too far.
SPEAKER_00:So, and just like we were talking earlier about Ralph Macho, he's also in Cobra Kai because it's kind of a continuation of their true stories. So Which is interesting.
SPEAKER_03:I can't think of any other 80s movie or movie, I guess, that has kind of had like new life breathed into it. Come to the present time.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, I really can't either. Off the top of my head, I can't. But I'm sure that there are plenty of producers and executives and writers out there who are desperately trying to resuscitate other 80s because there's nothing original anymore.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, hey, listeners, for those listening, we'll probably do this later. But what 80s movie would you like to see reimagined as a new series? Let us know.
SPEAKER_00:That that will probably be our CTA, our call to action. You tell us about So thanks. Thanks for that, Derek. So, okay. So let's let's uh let's move it along. We'll get to the climax here.
SPEAKER_03:So I want to see if I uh I I don't I may have missed some notes here. I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00:You don't have to apologize for anything here. So Daniel's training and training and training, wax on, wax off. Uh what are some of the other the with like the painting? He has other commands that he gives.
SPEAKER_03:Paint up, paint down.
SPEAKER_00:Is that what it is? Paint up, paint down. Paint them down.
SPEAKER_03:Show me paint the fence.
SPEAKER_00:Paint the fence. Yes, that's what it is.
SPEAKER_03:But then he's also painting the house. He's he's waxing, he's sanding.
SPEAKER_00:And he's sanding, yeah, yeah. Um so sand the floor. Sand the floor, show me sand the floor, show me paint the fence, wax on, wax off. Those are those are them.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, so this this was actually, I think, the inspiration for threat level midnight when uh Cherokee Jack taught Michael Scott how to uh play hockey by giving him a broom. Oh sweep the ice, and then he just replaces the broom with a hockey stick and he says sweep the ice and he hits like a slap shit out of the.
SPEAKER_00:If you don't already know, uh Derek's my husband, and if you doubly didn't already know, he loves the office.
SPEAKER_03:So There's an Office episode called Threat Level Midnight. You should watch it.
SPEAKER_00:There you go. Yeah. Is it if people aren't familiar with the show called The Office, then I don't know what to tell them because they probably are. So we get to this this big competition where this is this is Daniel's time to wait, do you mean the All Valley karate tournament? That's exactly what I mean.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, perfect.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So this is his chance to finally show his skill. It sounds like a little um, I don't know, when I say like get back at the guys, because it is a tournament. So he's just trying to he's he just wants to win. He wants to, you know.
SPEAKER_03:It would have been really ironic if he gets knocked out in the first round by someone that wasn't even kicking his ass.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly.
SPEAKER_03:Like, well, okay.
SPEAKER_00:That'd be a real interesting take on it. So at this point, Daniel, he had had he already hurt himself? He already had like uh an injury that Cobra Kai was aware of, correct? No, I think he well they just hurt him in the termin tournament, and then as he moved on, they knew that he had this injury.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I think yeah, it's it's confusing because the montage and the music is just so amazing that it's almost hard to pay attention to what's going on. You just get caught up in it and you're like, I don't know. I don't even know what a point is. Like you can punch someone, you can kick someone, I don't know what's happening.
SPEAKER_00:The rules are a little fuzzy.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But uh, but in any case, both Daniel and Johnny continue to advance. We all know what's gonna happen. The finals.
SPEAKER_03:Do they show up in the finals? They show up in the finals, dude. Oh shit.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. So, but here's the thing regardless of when or how it happens, Daniel gets hurt. The the head of Cobra Kai uh Priest.
SPEAKER_03:Which yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Is that how you say his name?
SPEAKER_03:I think so. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So knowing that Daniel has this weakness, tells one of his other guys to use that to his advantage and actually sweep the leg. Yeah. Um but doesn't he tell he tells Oh no, he tells Johnny to finish him. That's that's what he tells Johnny. So yeah, he does tell the first guy to sweep the leg.
SPEAKER_03:Um because the other the other guy uh before him was told to get him out of commission.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And he had a moment of clarity and asked his his uh sensei like what? Tell me to what? I'll get disqualified.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And uh Creese, the lunatic that he is, grabs this kid full in the face and asks him, like, do we have a problem? No sense. Scaring the living shit out of this kid. They're kids, this is like a form of abuse, I think. And uh layers of abuse.
SPEAKER_00:Layers of abuse.
SPEAKER_03:Uh and the kid does it. He like uh cracks his knee, or he definitely there's definitely ligament damage. For sure. Soft tissue damage.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so basically, Daniel he gets 15 minutes to either compose himself and get back in the ring, or he has to why.
SPEAKER_03:Hey, pal, with ligament damage, compose yourself.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, but that's essentially what it is.
SPEAKER_03:Like they're I feel like they had like replacement refs at this thing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, the re the referee of this whole tournament um has much to be desired. Uh is that the right way you say that?
SPEAKER_03:Anyway, I agree with that.
SPEAKER_00:They they weren't that great. So basically, Daniel, Allie, Mr. Miyagi, they go into the locker room, and Dr., you know, he's like, You did well, son, and he walks away.
SPEAKER_03:Some fine doctrine.
SPEAKER_00:And so everybody walks away. Mr. Miyagi is actually about to go as well, and that's when Daniel asks him to do this special Miyagi juju.
SPEAKER_03:It's the magic clap on him.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, he did it earlier.
SPEAKER_03:You know, the clap the hands, rub your hands together, and it's basically like give me all your energy.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and when Daniel earlier in the movie had just like a sore shoulder, he did it and it like instantly cured him.
SPEAKER_03:Well, that was after all of his training.
SPEAKER_00:Right. You know?
SPEAKER_03:He was sore, but it he was upset, and Miyagi wanted to test his training, but before he could, he had to relieve his shoulder pain.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. So uh he knows it's gonna hurt. Miyagi tells him to close his eyes, but he does it, and he's not he's not totally cured, he still comes out limping.
SPEAKER_03:He goes from not being able to uh I guess exist to just not being able to stand.
SPEAKER_00:He's yeah, he he's barrel hanging on, but he comes back to the ring.
SPEAKER_03:He's just standing on one leg.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean it's it's kind of amazing that they let him compete. He's so obviously injured still, but in any case, uh it comes down to the final point, and Daniel does the iconic crane kick. And again, I don't know how this is legal per se, because he just straight up kicks Johnny to the face.
SPEAKER_03:If done correctly, there is no defense. So obviously he did it correctly, and even the refs are like, I can't, there's no defense.
SPEAKER_00:And and there you go, we get our happy ending, and Daniel, he's still in a lot of pain. You see all these people picking him up like you know, he's the man of the hour, and uh, and then you just get that like that nod from Miyagi, that nod we did it, approval, good job, and that is that is it in a nutshell.
SPEAKER_03:That's it. That's karate kid. Thank you, everyone.
SPEAKER_00:So I mean, it's it's an amazing film. It really is. It's actually when we are watching it a lot longer than I remember it being, it's definitely over the two-hour mark.
SPEAKER_03:It is. I think there's there's a lot that we could talk about in it, and I I fear that we may have not completely accurately characterized the last couple of matches as far as the order of injury and such. So, listeners, again, let us know. Please let us know if we got anything wrong. We appreciate that feedback. We're oh we're always open to admitting our mistakes. I'm looking through my notes and I'm like, I don't know about that, but so uh we do have our uh our call coming up. I just wanted to get a few uh a few notes going back a little bit. Just um just thoughts that I had. Random thoughts. Okay, okay. You have more fun facts, and I just have random thoughts. Let's do it. Uh so the entirety of the training period where Daniel is is waxing and sanding and painting, four days. Oh, you counted. Yes, yes, it's brought up, and so he basically learned karate four days. Although they continue to train.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and on the boat.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, the beach or the boat, so but four days, if you want to get the fundamentals of karate, four days and a lot of elbow grease, and you're there.
SPEAKER_00:But he was doing it all a day. Four full days. Yeah, four full days. Okay.
SPEAKER_03:Uh so the whole what goes around comes around uh thing in the in the Halloween high school dance. Yes. What I thought was interesting about that is that we already know that Johnny is kind of a psychopath. But I don't think I understood like the breadth of his depravity until I realized that he's the kind of guy that will go sit on a toilet in full costume. I don't even know, like, he's sitting on the toilet with headphones on, blasting music, rolling a joint. And I think he might be the first person that's ever done that in the history of mankind, because that doesn't seem like a normal thing to do. I there's gotta be a better way.
SPEAKER_00:I'm sure there is, but that is an interesting take on his character. That that was the thing that informed you most.
SPEAKER_03:When I saw that, I'm like, this guy is really bad news.
SPEAKER_00:He's really bad news.
SPEAKER_03:Because no one in their right mind would do that.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, I thought he was pretty bad news when he just for no good reason at all broke Allie's boom box. I thought that was that was pretty lame.
SPEAKER_03:He was pretty amped up then, yeah. Um the dinner scene, we've talked about it a little bit, but in what world does uh a dining room full of adults break out into hilarious pointing laughter at a teenager who's like slipped and fallen. I know. Come on.
SPEAKER_00:It was awful.
SPEAKER_03:That was that was probably one of the not as realistic moments of it might be the least realistic moment in a movie that's probably full of unrealistic moments because it's a movie.
SPEAKER_00:And I also feel like it was it wasn't particularly needed, because I mean, obviously that is a highly humiliating moment for Daniel, but he's been humiliated throughout this film all along. Like he doesn't really need to have anything thrown on top of it. And if that scene was meant to just foster confusion because he sees Johnny kissing Allie, that could have been done, and I mean he could have somehow drawn attraction um drawn attention to himself without he him being necessarily humiliated in the process. So I felt like that was maybe one of the weaker moments of the film as well, because it just it wasn't necessary the way that it was played out.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it was when I watched that as a kid, I'm like, yeah, I guess that could happen. That sounds awful.
SPEAKER_00:So what else do you got for me?
SPEAKER_03:Well, I was wondering if the winner of this all valley tournament gets an automatic invite to the kumite, or if there's still another like selection process, if there's any carryover there.
SPEAKER_00:You you know what? There's actually a little bit of a connection between the Karate Kid and Bloodsport.
SPEAKER_03:There is, and I forgot it. What is it?
SPEAKER_00:It's that Pat Marita is in Bloodsport 2 and 3. At least that that was mine. I don't know if that was yours.
SPEAKER_03:No, no, I didn't I didn't have any others. That's that's not what I was expecting. That seems like uh not a good fit.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I don't, and I mean, obviously I have not viewed Blood Sport 2 or 3, so I have no idea what his role is in either one of them.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:But um, but yeah, small small world. I mean, uh here's here's another little connection, and this is a film that we'll be covering later on. You you picked this up when we were watching it on the last screening. So there is a crossover between Revenge of the Nerds.
SPEAKER_03:Yes, yeah, play it on us. It's Lamar, right?
SPEAKER_00:It's Lamar.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, he's in the uh he's in the tournament, right?
SPEAKER_00:He's in the tournament, so the actor's name is Larry B. Scott. And yeah, so another another little cameo from another 80s film.
SPEAKER_03:What I think is amazing is you can't even tell that he's a nerd in this karate tournament. No, he graduates, he gets out of high school, goes to school, he obviously went through like a lot of changes, and it's it's great.
SPEAKER_00:So, do we have any montages that we've overlooked? I mean, we have the montage of the tournament.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I mean, that's the most unforgettable montage in the entire movie because it has perhaps the best song in the movie. You want to sing a little bit? I don't want to I'll say the the name of it. You're the best around.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I think it's just you're the best, but nobody nobody stops at you're the best.
SPEAKER_03:It's you're the best around, but I guess the Because if you just say you're the best, then it's like, wait, did you mean to say simply the best? No, that's a different song. Yeah. So you're the best, which you know, I I don't now is probably not the right time for the for the training.
SPEAKER_00:For the reveal. We'll we'll reveal it later with our special guests.
SPEAKER_03:We are gonna talk about that with our special guest who uh for those who don't know, depending on whether we've put his name on the uh podcast that you've already clicked on, it's Jason Charnik.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, we've been teasing the special guests. And you might already know it. Close to an hour at this point. So let's so we'll just dive in. So um we are incredibly thrilled and honored to have with us as the very first special guest on 80s movie montage, our friend and filmmaker Jason Charnik, who is a huge karate kid fan. And so we uh talked to him a little bit about his thoughts on the film, why he loves it so much, and also, you know, dove a little bit deeper into some of the more obscure trivia and fun facts about the film. So here we go with our interview with filmmaker and friend Jason Charnik. I am so excited because for the first time on 80s movie montage, we have a guest. And Derek and I can't think of a better person to have on this episode, Mr. Jason Charnik. He hello, how are you doing?
SPEAKER_01:I don't I'm interrupting you while you're touting, touting my she hasn't even started touting yet.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, there is much to tout. Um, Jason, first of all, a very dear friend. We're really lucky to have him on the show, but also he is an incredible filmmaker. He had his own feature doc called Getting Over, which is amazing. It's amazing, guys. Like, go find it. You can find it on like virtually every Jason tell us.
SPEAKER_01:Like, there's like Amazon, it's on Amazon Prime, it's not on Netflix or Hulu because Amazon has a streaming exclusive. Um, but you can get it on iTunes, you can get it on Amazon, you can get it on Canopy if you have a library card. Uh geez, yeah, or you can buy the DVD or Blu-ray on Amazon. Yeah, all over.
SPEAKER_00:Awesome. It's it's really a beautiful film. Derek and I have both seen it and um cannot recommend it more highly.
SPEAKER_01:Um not enough montages, though. It needs more montages. But there's time for what is for them.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, and I didn't even get a chance to say that it it actually premiered at the 2018 South by Southwest Festival, which is like a huge accolade. So, like, we're not kidding, folks. Like, it's a really wonderful film. And um, and yeah, Jason, we we knew that eventually we wanted to have guests on the podcast, but we specifically wanted people who had like a a special connection to whatever film we would be happening to discuss in that episode. And so I have known for quite a while that Jason is a fan of the Karate Kid. Can you back me up on that, Jason?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, I've I the karate, well, the original karate kid, I've never seen the the redo. The only karate kid. Yeah, we don't even think that was that. Right, we'll pretend that but the original karate kid, yes, I've I have always felt it's one of the most perfect Hollywood films ever. So I am excited to talk to you guys about it today. Wow, yeah, like it's it's a perfect film, like it's not like not like an independent film or anything in terms of pure Hollywood studio awesomeness, you know, underdog story, redemption, achievement, all of that. The karate kid is the perfect film.
SPEAKER_00:Perfect. Okay, that's that's some high marks from you. Oh, yeah, absolutely. So this is something that we do um in all the episodes. Derek and I talk about like our first memories of the film. So can you tell us a little bit about what your first thoughts of the film were? Like, when did you first see it? What did you think?
SPEAKER_01:Wow, that's a great question to open up with because I honestly don't think I remember. I mean, it's from 1986, so I was 11 years old when it came out. I don't remember seeing it in the theaters, so I might not have seen, I might have seen it like when I was like 13, 12 or 13, like on HBO or something. I don't remember seeing it.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, I remember seeing it for the first time at a friend's house on a VHS rental.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, probably, you know, pan and scan, you know, 4.3 on a TV set is probably how I first saw it. I honestly can't remember seeing it in the theater or anything like that.
SPEAKER_00:So I mean that's okay. That's honestly kind of par for the course with us. There's very few films that we have distinct memories of, but we wanted to like we always think that that's kind of an interesting starting point because obviously we're all a little bit older now. Um so you had mentioned that uh I don't know if we had already started recording at this point, but that you had like literally just re-watched the film today.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, I have I have it open on my computer right now. I started watching it because I wanted to, like I said, it's been you know, I can't whenever it's on TV, it's one of those movies like when you're going through the channels and there's literally nothing on. Like you're going through the channel, like I no matter what channel it's on, I will, if I'm going through and I just stumble upon it, I'll end up watching the rest of the movie right there. Um probably TPS. You know, or you know, or USA or something like that. Yeah, you know, so like I I'll always catch it, but it's been a while, so I was like, if they quiz me, if I'm gonna be the Karate Kid expert, I need to be on my Karate Kid stuff. So I just whipped it open because I have it on my computer and just yeah, just watched it through again. And it's just I I made it through an hour of it and was like, man, this movie just started. And then I looked at the timer and I was like, I've been watching this for an hour, like it's so tight, it's just so tight. Like the scenes are so tight, their scenes are so it's surprising because you don't think about it with the karate kid because it's not, you know, it's not high Shakespeare, it's not, you know, you know, a Martin Scorsese, it's like the godfather or something like that. But it's definitely like the classic like underdog story, and it's so well acted. Like I as I was watching through it, I came to the scene where um it's in the beginning, Daniel had gotten his ass kicked at one point, you know, by the five guys. It was like the second of the like four initial times that he had gotten his ass kicked, and and he throws the bike, he throws his bike into the um into the dumpster behind the house, and like and and his mom comes back from work, and just the way like she's like, what's going on? He's like, like he gets he doesn't realize that she like is there, and just the way he goes like nothing, you know, like nothing like like it's just so like I'm right there with him. Like, you don't wanna people are bothering you at school, you're not gonna tell your mom about it, all this shit's going down, and like the way they're talking, like the way they're arguing about like you never asked me to move to California. And like as I was watching it again, I'm like, fuck, these two are acting the fuck out of that scene, and then the directing in that scene is also awesome, too, because the camera's on them as they like go to their apartment and they walk by the pool, and then the camera just kind of pans to the left, and Mr. Miyagi comes out, and you're like, oh shit, he was listening that whole time.
SPEAKER_00:That's actually a really beautiful scene. Like, that's like a perfect scene to pull out of the film to talk about, and totally agree with you. I was actually surprised because when we re-watched it the other night, I I mean, again, we wouldn't be doing this film if we didn't love it. It was Derek's pick. Gotta give credit to Derek. It was my pick.
SPEAKER_03:I yeah, it was it was technically, it was technically your pick.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, but um, but that scene's-If it's the karate kid, it picks itself.
SPEAKER_03:Well, that's that's why I say technically, because one of us is gonna pick it up.
SPEAKER_00:You're doing it say that you picked this one.
SPEAKER_03:I'm like, okay.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, exactly. But that scene when he just says over and over again, like, I just want to go home, I just want to go home. Like, I really felt that it was like like you are just like your heart's breaking for him because you can see how difficult this is for him right now.
SPEAKER_01:And nobody asked him, like he said, he's like, like, you didn't ask me if I wanted to move out to California. It's not like he's a four-year-old kid, right? He's like, you know, he's like in high school, he's like 7, 16, 17, 18. Like, it's actually he's at least under 18 because of the tournament. So he's like 17 years old, and like he just moved him from New Jersey to Resita, California. He just got his driver, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Well, look, he just got a driver's license one, and also I feel a little bad for Rosita because they really get dumped on quite a bit.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, they do, and I didn't know Encino was such a fancy place to live. So you know, oh I'm sorry, Encino, man. I live in Resita.
SPEAKER_03:The cities literally border each other right there. You know?
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so Jason, so you're watching it today. Yes. Did you have any like new insights into it? Any new feelings? Was it just reaffirming of like what you already felt about the film? Was there anything that like anything new that came to you in this like most recent screening?
SPEAKER_01:Specifically new. Well, the one that as I was watching, so and and and it kind of answers itself later on, but I had kind of forgotten. So like there's the scene where he just you know, Johnny's rolling his little joint in in the high school bathroom at the toilet. You know, as as one does, you know, in in 1986, right now, like it could just be like he would just go to the store and he's like, I need five more minutes to roll a single joint. I don't know what the fuck I'm doing.
SPEAKER_03:All in the toilet while wearing headphones.
SPEAKER_01:You know, so he so it's when yeah, and then Daniel like you know dumps the water on him with the hose, and then he runs out, and then he gets his ass kicked by all five of them, and they're all in their makeup, and as they're kicking his ass, one of them is like, Johnny, leave him alone, he's had enough. Yeah, and as I was watching that again, I was like, which one is that? Yeah, like because they're all wearing the makeup, and they're all such douchebags, yeah, like they're all such total dicks that it's like I as I was I kept watching, I was like, I don't know who which one that was, you know? So, and actually later on in the tournament, I assume I think it's the guy that like when he first sweeps the leg and hurts him, and he the first thing he does after he hurts him, he goes over to him and says, Oh Daniel, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do it. I think it was that guy, but like they never actually answer that question. So that was just like an initial, you know, like I don't think I ever really knew who that guy was. You know, but other than that, like I'm um like I've seen it so many times that like I'm doing character's mannerisms as I'm watching it. You know, like they they go into Mr. Miyagi and Daniel go into the the dojo to tell um to tell Creese, you know, to like cool it for a while and we'll do it at the tournament. And then he like make Mr. Miyagi goes one more request, you know, nobody touches him while we train. And Chris like he raises his finger up, and I remember like he's like, Oh, you're a pushy little old man, aren't you? And I was like, I like that. I like that. And I was like, I remembered exactly like how he lifts up his finger and he's like pointing at him, like, oh, you're a pushy old man. And I was just like, Yeah, just you know, it just gets you just gets you going.
SPEAKER_03:You know, let me let me ask you a question about Freddie. I'm curious about what your uh what your opinion of Freddie is. And Freddie Fernandez Freddie is.
SPEAKER_01:Do I know what Freddie is? Why do I feel like this is one of those softball questions you might be teaming up with? Freddie Fernandez, who plays his best friend in the movie. Here's my here's my here's my story for you guys, and and I know you've heard the story before, but the you know, I want to share it with the audience.
SPEAKER_03:So, first of all, I didn't know that this was about to happen.
SPEAKER_00:So this is this is like that orchestrated. And I didn't even like I didn't like tell him this and tell him to pretend like he doesn't know, so this is just all very kids-made.
SPEAKER_01:I'm gonna lay some tidbits on you right now. So, Freddie Fernandez, who plays his best friend, and and quite frankly, like they call him his best friend. He's really just his neighbor because like they meet when they first move in. Well, and they kind of become friends, but then like when Daniel gets his ass kicked at the beach for the first time, like Freddie's friends are like, Where'd you meet this yokel? You know, he just got his ass kicked on the beach, and like Freddie doesn't go to console him or anything, he just kind of turns around and walks away with his other friends. So, like, they're not best friends. This guy's just his neighbor. You know, I don't think they're actually friends at all. But the same guy that plays Freddie Fernandez in the movie, his name, the actor's name is Israel Warbe, J U A R B E, and I always remembered this. This because that's how my brain works. I see something like I look something up on IMDb and I remember who it is. The same guy who played the uh hotel like delivery guy in Beverly Hills cop two years earlier when uh he puts the banana in the tailpipe, and then Axel Foley gets away. Did you not know that? So when Axel Foley sneaks sneaks behind uh you know Rosewood and Taggart outside of the Beverly Hills hotel and puts the banana in the tailpipe, and then they can't take away, the guy that delivers the shrimp salad sandwich across the street is Israel Warbe, the same guy that plays Freddie and Karate Kid two years later.
SPEAKER_03:And he looks back at you know, he he sees Eddie Murphy shoving the bananas in the tailpipe and gives him the link, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, exactly. He's like, I know what you're doing, comment on it with you there, guy. You know, so and and and those are like his two biggest roles ever. He ended up becoming a documentary editor later on. Like I when I was uh looking for editors for my film back in 2012, I just I don't know how I had found it out, but at some point I had found out like on IMDB or something that he was like a documentary editor. He hasn't done it in a few years because I looked it up as we were talking about you know coming on the show. I looked up to see what he had done lately, but I guess he hasn't cut a movie in a while, so I don't know uh what he's doing. Um, but yeah, Israel Larbey plays both Freddie Fernandez and you know Beverly Hills cop delivery shrimp salad sandwich guy.
SPEAKER_00:If he is still like working exclusively on docs, like you know that they can, you know, documentarians usually have to work on a longer time frame.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, he could very well be working on a movie now that like he's been working on for seven years.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, possible. But Derek, isn't that an amazing fun part?
SPEAKER_01:It is now you're gonna watch the back for Beverly Hills Cop, and we can we can exactly and then you can just flip it.
SPEAKER_03:I mean, the reason I was asking was about this like him being his best friend, and really he was just a neighbor. And and really when I when I was watching it, I thought this kid's sole reason for existence is to say things like, So, where'd you come from? Hey, why are you here? Hey, you know what? I know where there's this great party that will really help get this movie going. Why don't you come?
SPEAKER_01:And then I'll kind of just tap out after that and let everything else happen around it. Yeah, he kind of disappears a little bit, doesn't he? His work was done. Yeah, he served his purpose, I suppose. And I don't really think like he's not at I think you know what? And I had not, you know, I hadn't paid attention to the final um the whole tournament. I think Freddie's at the tournament. I thought so. I I we paused it. I thought, like, is okay.
SPEAKER_00:Did he show up at the tournament? Yeah, uh, while we were watching that last time, Eric was asking me, I was like, No, no, no, that's on him. But if you guys both think it was him, then maybe it was him.
SPEAKER_01:Someone will look like that was there deleted scenes on the Blu-ray or something, but like he definitely doesn't have lines if he's in the tournament scenes, like he doesn't have any lines, he's just like there. Because what else are you gonna do when you live in the valley but go to a karate tournament?
SPEAKER_03:Golf and stuff.
SPEAKER_01:And by the way, can I just say now, just in case I don't, I I forget to say it later on, in the tournament scene, the referees are fucking can I curse two by the way?
SPEAKER_00:Like Mark, well, it's we're past that point, Jason. We're not gonna keep you out, yeah. Please go ahead.
SPEAKER_01:The referees suck balls so much, and I don't understand where all these adults came from. You have a group of high school kids that are bullying the fuck out of this one guy, and none of the adults do anything about it. Anything.
SPEAKER_03:Look, man, you know, like is uh is a cruel sport.
SPEAKER_01:I guess you know, I suppose like so, like in their in the in the very first beginning of the tournament, and he's about he's getting ready and he's about to come out, and one of the cobra guys comes in there, and they almost like start a fight right there in the locker room. Yeah, and the guy is like out of his mind. He's like, come on, come on! I'm like, first of all, relax, 17-year-old kid. Like, are you bleached hair?
SPEAKER_03:Bleach haired keeper seven.
SPEAKER_00:No, I thought it was the other guy with like the flared nostrils throughout the whole movie. Like he's seriously, I don't know the difference between the reflect poorly. I don't know the difference between like psychopath and sociopath, but he's one more both of those.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I can't go into that, but so he's like, so here you have this psycho kid who's like wants to start a fight in the locker room. The referee comes in and he's like, save it for out there, guys, break it up. I'm like, that's all you're gonna do. Like that's a pretty 80s thing for for a coach to say start a fight, like like like you know, and like the whole Cobra Kai thing is no mercy. So, like, if you hit him and you get the point, you have to follow up and keep kicking his ass. But the referees are never are like, can you not kick somebody's ass or can you not punch someone straight in the nose? And I'm just like, guys, uh it's a good, it's a good point.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, so I don't know, maybe you can answer this for us because actually this was something we were asking each other when we were watching it. What what are the rules? Because it seems like it's perfectly fine to hit someone in the face, which is I don't think you're allowed.
SPEAKER_01:That's like I don't know like the specific rules of like the like and first of all, they don't know the rules either. Like it's up to Allie, played by the wonderful Elizabeth Shu to tell him what the rules are because she used to date Johnny Lawrence. So, of course, she knows what the rules are because like he was probably like hanging out when they were dating, like he probably never shut the fuck up about karate. They go out on a date or something, and and like he just yaps about Cobra Kai, probably. So she knows all the rules, like you get like a half a point in a sternum and stuff like that, but you're not allowed to just like deck someone in the face, but they do that, and then the rep is just like that's a warning, don't do that again. I'm like, you just let a 17, you just let people beating the shit out of each other. What's the point? Yeah, also I don't know. I'm not a karate kid.
SPEAKER_03:So that is great insight, though. I had never considered the like I was always wondering, how does she know every goddamn rule to this competition? Because she used to date John Lawrence and he liked a lot of that shut the hell up about it. I thought there was like a pamphlet or something.
SPEAKER_01:You know, because why would yeah, why would she know? Like, she just knows because like he's the guy. So I don't know. I just every time I watch it, I just I'm I'm just consistently, constantly like reminded about how ridiculous the adults are in this movie.
SPEAKER_00:You know, or yeah, that's exactly my point, is that like that's how Daniel wins. He basically does a kick to the face, straight to the face, straight to the face. So I'm like, what are the rules of this? I don't understand.
SPEAKER_01:You know, I like and he's probably on it, like Mr. Miyagi's like you know, hand clapping is amazing, but let's be honest, he probably broke his leg right there. So he's you know, and like nobody's actually like getting him real medical attention or anything.
SPEAKER_00:It's like when he actually wins the tournament and they pick him up. You can see he's like still in real pain.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, like I mean, which is you know, for Ralph Macchio, good good acting on you, man. But like his leg is probably fucking snapped.
SPEAKER_00:His karate is probably over at this point.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, it's not, there's sequels.
SPEAKER_00:Well, he's I had almost a learned he has to learn some new tricks. Okay, so so here, okay, perfect segue. I don't think you guys realize the the real like multiple links between the karate kid and Rocky. Do you know what I'm talking about, Jason? Oh I do not. Oh well, here we go. So we're gonna we're gonna drop a little knowledge here ourselves.
SPEAKER_01:The original Rocky, Rocky one, uh yeah, or just Rocky in general.
SPEAKER_00:So not only is Rocky and the Karate Kid directed by the same guy. Yes, John G. Abbotton. There you go. They have the same composer, Robert Mark Cayman?
SPEAKER_01:No, that's the screenwriter. Bill Conti. Bill Conti. Okay, right. There you go.
SPEAKER_00:Yep. And on top of that, what?
SPEAKER_03:Oh, I'm just I'm just not sure where this is going. I wonder where this is going.
SPEAKER_00:So, Jason, I know obviously I know you know this. What's like the most famous song-ish, tagline-ish from the Karate Kid?
SPEAKER_01:You're the best. There you go. Nothing's gonna ever keep you down.
SPEAKER_00:That's exactly right. So, okay, so I fibbed a little bit ago because you're like, is this only about Rocky One? It's not just about Rocky One, but so it was written by Joe Esposito. Do you know what film that song was originally written for?
SPEAKER_03:Whoa! That would have been amazing.
SPEAKER_01:I would have loved to see that, Rocky.
SPEAKER_00:What did you say, Jason?
SPEAKER_01:I don't know. I I always just assumed it was for the karate kid.
SPEAKER_00:What's the song that is most well known for the Rocky series?
SPEAKER_01:Um uh yeah, the the the Rocky song. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:I have the Tiger. Oh, okay, I have the Tigers where that's it is Rocky III, though. Yeah. I was gonna say like yeah, like I'm flipping a little bit. But you're the best was originally supposed to be the song for Rocky III, and then they decided to go with I have the tiger instead.
SPEAKER_03:Whoa. Right? It makes a lot of sense because it does make a lot of sense. Apollo Priest says I have the tiger, baby, like a million times. What else was he gonna say? You're the best around baby a million times? That would make sense. No idea.
SPEAKER_01:Isn't that that's a good little tidbit? Yeah, here's another little tidbit since I'm looking at the IMDB page. Robert Mark Hayman, who wrote The Karate Kid, is I am from the Bronx, New York. He is from the Bronx, New York.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that's a great little that is a great Jason Charnik fun fact.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that doesn't mean anything to anyone else. But did you know he also wrote Lethal Weapon 3 and The Fifth Element?
SPEAKER_00:And Transporter. Yeah, he he's uh he's got some pedigree going there.
SPEAKER_01:And taken. So this guy's written some. I always knew he wrote some movies, but he's written some big movies and he's from from the old neighborhood, so even better. Yeah, nice.
SPEAKER_00:Well, Jason, thank you. So honestly, this has been so much fun for us to have you on this show.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, no, this is this is great. We'll have to uh maybe like record like a two-hour long like live commentary or something.
SPEAKER_00:We'll have like there's so much more.
SPEAKER_01:There's just so much more. There's just so much more.
SPEAKER_00:Well, on that note, Jason, um, definitely like give us a heads up of what is going on in your world right now.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, sure. Well, in addition to watching the Karate Kid, I have my own podcast. I have a podcast called Head Above Water, it's uh focused on filmmakers and mental health, which is, you know, in these uncertain times important now more than ever. Um and we're gonna be returning with some new episodes shortly. You can find them at headabovewaterpodcast.com. You can also see, like I said, getting over is available now. You can go to gettingoverfilm.com to get links to where you can watch that online. Um, you can also find me on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram at The Real Charnik, um, because everybody else is a fake Charnik. Um, just Twitter and Instagram, the Real Charn. Facebook is just Charnik. Um, look me up, follow me, drop me a line, say hi, tell me what you like about the movie, what you don't, love to hear from you. And yeah, so I got my flicks out there and working on a podcast, Head Above Water, and that's what we got going on right now.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, definitely people uh watch, getting over, and listen to Head Above Water. They're both excellent. So, Jason, thank you again, buddy.
SPEAKER_01:And uh, from now until whenever we're allowed to leave. First of your guest spots, I'm sure. Awesome. Looking forward to it.
SPEAKER_00:So, guys, that was our really fun chat with Jason Charnik. He's awesome. He's uh he is awesome indeed. And like we had been mentioning, please go and watch his film Getting Over. And he also has a really incredible podcast called Head Above Water, so have a listen when you get the chance.
SPEAKER_03:We were fortunate enough to see his film Getting Over uh at his premiere in Long Beach with uh Jason was present and his uncle was present as well. And who's a significant part of the film. He he is, and it was like all joke, it was a deeply moving movie. It was it was so very well done. I have no qualms recommending it to anybody. It's it's just a great movie, and Jason is a great guy. We're lucky to have had him on our podcast.
SPEAKER_00:I couldn't agree more on all accounts. So Derek, husband of mind. Oh yeah, I have a question for you.
SPEAKER_03:Okay.
SPEAKER_00:Would you watch this film again?
SPEAKER_03:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, easy enough.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I have no qualms with watching this. I feel like some of the movies that we've watched have like real problematic components to them. And I feel like this movie has relatively less of it. And in fact, they actually acknowledge some problematic things in as much as Miyagi talks about his experience with his wife. So um no, it it actually holds up pretty well, and I think like it's a good uh representation of like this 80s, like almost cartoonish villain, but it's it's a good movie, and I think it holds up well. It doesn't have like some of the same really bad issues that Bloodsport had and still has. And like I promise at one point one of my movies will not be a martial arts-based movie.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, speaking of, we actually did get a comment from one of our listeners who uh Mike from Clover City who apparently uh took issue. I don't I don't totally remember saying this during Bloodsport, but apparently I had um I I kind of made the connection between Blood Sport and the Karate Kid.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:And apparently that was perhaps not a justified comment that I had made.
SPEAKER_03:So we'll have to go back to the tape, but I know that you're not the biggest fan of Blood Sport. I can't disagree with you there.
SPEAKER_00:So, but in any case, here's my takeaway from it. We had a listener, and I just really appreciate Mike's input and hope that he will continue to listen despite our differences of opinion, perhaps, on some of these films. So really appreciate your comments, Mike, and uh keep listening away and feel free to hit us back with any more feedback you have.
SPEAKER_03:And if you have any feedback on Bloodspore 2, 3 or any other sequels, I have not seen them. So I will I'm more than happy to listen to any uh input you have on those.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and as far okay, so as far as it goes for me for Karate Kid, it's definitely a film that, okay, I can't say that I would just sit down and make a you know choice to watch it to the exclusion of doing anything else, but it for sure will be a film that if I see it on TV or whatever the case may be, I'll have it on while I'm on my computer or whatever, you know, whatever's going on. So it's definitely one of those films that, you know, is like great background noise.
SPEAKER_04:Sure.
SPEAKER_00:So so that's how I feel about it. And you, my friend, brought up a really cool ask of our listeners, and that are there any other 80s movies that they love that they would love to see these characters in the present day and what's happened to them since the time frame of that film.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I I'm trying to think of any others right now that would make for a good transition. Um I would watch a breakfast breakfast club sequel where all of the kids are now teachers of that school.
SPEAKER_00:That would be amazing for that to come come together for them all to be teachers of the school. I mean, Brian for sure. And actually I could see Andy being like the PE coach.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:But that that's not gonna happen.
SPEAKER_00:That's not gonna happen. I think he actually becomes a hockey coach. Ha ha ha.
SPEAKER_03:Oh god, yeah, he does. So, but I mean, look, I'm sure at some point somebody said, wouldn't it be great if they made a uh a new series, a TV series of the karate kid where Daniel LaRusso owns a successful car uh aut automobile lot and Johnny is kind of a loser. And so they kind of like flip a little bit of the people say that's never gonna happen. So what would your what would your uh pick be if you picked an 80s movie?
SPEAKER_00:I mean, I have really conflicted feelings about it because on the one hand, a lot of my favorite films of the 80s, I just want to leave it in that that world.
SPEAKER_04:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Um, I mean, I know that I mean I wasn't kidding earlier when I was saying that people are scrambling to find existing IP that they think has uh built an audience and they want to reboot or bring it into the present day. I know that that's been going on for years with the Goonies. I don't know if they're any closer to doing it than they were back when I first, you know, started hearing rumors about it. I know that um for a hot second they thought that there was gonna be a 32 candles. Um yeah.
SPEAKER_03:I would love that. That would be amazing.
SPEAKER_00:So, so this is happening with a lot of older films, and for sure there's a curiosity about it all that I think would probably draw me into watching something like that. Although I I haven't yet watched Cobra Kai, so who knows? Um but yeah, for some of the films that I really have a love for, I'm sure just out of curiosity I would watch it just to see. If they had the original actors, if they took somebody else in their place.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's tough for me.
SPEAKER_00:That would that would kind of kill it for me.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Um should we uh get into a couple fun facts before we go?
SPEAKER_00:Sure. I didn't know we had any more left.
SPEAKER_03:So the car, the wax on wax off guard.
SPEAKER_00:I know where you're going with this.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:That uh that car was actually given to Daniel LaRusso, Ralph Macho. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It was like, not to the character, but to the actual person. Both. Oh yeah, well, yeah, okay, all right, all right. I stand corrected. I stand corrected.
SPEAKER_03:That car was given to the fictional Daniel LaRusso and real life Ralph Machio after the uh production had wrapped, and he still owns it. That was a uh 1948 Ford Super Deluxe.
SPEAKER_00:It's a pretty cool car. Although you you were like surprised that that was the one he picked.
SPEAKER_03:Well, I was. I thought there were other cool cars that were. Cooler cars. Yeah, but that one was closer, so it made sense for the movie.
SPEAKER_00:Speaking of cool things that some of the actors from this film got to retain, uh-huh. That iconic sweet red leather jacket that Johnny has throughout the film, he also got to keep that after the film wrapped. And so that that's in his possession as well. So so good on him. Um I have one more. Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_03:Sometimes life imitates art.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_03:And vice versa. I'm not sure where that was going, but in the uh the the skeleton fighting scene after the aftermath of the Halloween party when Miyagi hops over the fence and beats up the Cobra Kai students, Johnny and his gang. Um in the movie, the senseai, the psychopathic senseai crease, is very upset that Miyagi roughed up his his uh kids like that. In real life, the stunt doubles were roughing up the kids a little bit too much, and they were complaining about getting like actually beat up. So they had to modify the choreography a bit to uh avoid them getting actually hurt. Wossies, right? Wossies.
SPEAKER_00:Um as far as I I mean, really, I just have one last thing, and uh this occasionally comes up because you know, with any film, uh the person who is eventually cast in a particular role is almost never the only person who's considered for that role. So for Danielle LaRusso, a couple other people who auditioned or read for it, or were offered and actually just turned it down, because sometimes that happens as well. Um, so one person that turned down the role, Charlie Sheen.
SPEAKER_03:I'm okay with that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I'm okay with that too.
SPEAKER_03:I think uh Ralph Macchio brought a little bit like I I don't know if I'm gonna believe Charlie Sheen getting his ass kicked over and over again.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean I think this is one of those uh situations where really the perfect person for the role was eventually cast for it because he brings a role I mean, look, he's like you were saying earlier, he was kind of a small guy. He was a very young looking guy.
SPEAKER_03:But scrappy.
SPEAKER_00:It's scrappy, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Sure, like I can see him getting his ass kicked, and I can also see him learning how to take care of himself.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I mean, and he has a vulnerability about him that I think, you know, makes it very realistic what happens to him in the film.
SPEAKER_03:I hope you bring up the other one though.
SPEAKER_00:Are we talking about Mr. D.B. Sweeney?
SPEAKER_03:No. No, but that's a good one too.
SPEAKER_00:Are we talking about C. Thomas Howell?
SPEAKER_03:There's one more.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I don't Kyle Eastwood?
SPEAKER_03:These are all you think that's the one that And here's why. Because when he didn't get the role, his father, Clint Eastwood, banned all Coca-Cola products from uh from the sets of his movies.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, but you gotta give the context for why that is a thing.
SPEAKER_03:It's because Columbia Studios was owned by Coca-Cola at the time. Yes.
SPEAKER_00:And uh which I'm like Kyle Eastwood, I I well not necessarily that that uh Ralph Macho was like, quote, a name. He kind of was. Um but I I don't I'm sorry, I just like I could see see Thomas Howell or D. Sweeney way more than I could see him.
SPEAKER_03:I could see D.B. Sweeney. I could that could have worked.
SPEAKER_00:That could have worked. I mean, he kind of had an older face, so I don't know if that vulnerability aspect would be there, but in any case.
SPEAKER_03:That's true. Well, they already all looked like they were too old for high school.
SPEAKER_00:And it all worked out. It all worked out. So, okay. So, guys, we are wrapping up, but before we say goodbye, we want to talk about uh our next film coming up, which happens to be my pick.
SPEAKER_03:Oh, I don't have to remember.
SPEAKER_00:Do you do you know what it is, though, by any chance?
SPEAKER_03:No, no, what is I don't know when it's mine.
SPEAKER_00:So okay, so what if I said, like, what's your damage?
SPEAKER_03:Oh, it's Heathers.
SPEAKER_00:There you go. Oh, good job. Um, Heathers with Ms. Winona Ryder and Christian Slater.
SPEAKER_03:Channeling Jack Nicholson.
SPEAKER_00:Very much so. We'll get to that. Very much so. No, I mean, dead on. So uh another one of my absolute favorite 80 films. And like I said, if you guys have any favorite 80 movies that you would love to see what those character our characters are up to in the present day, definitely let us know. You can hit us up on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. We are at 80s montage pod for each of them. And otherwise, just thank you so much for hanging with us for this episode. We had a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_03:We did have a lot of fun, and we will also try to do better. Uh stay safe, and we will talk to you soon.
SPEAKER_00:Bye.