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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘The Karate Kid' series has more Oscar nominations than you might remember
The two branches of the Karate Kid series unite in theaters this weekend with a new entry, subtitled Legends. The film sees the original's student, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), and the 2010 reboot's teacher, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), teaming up to instruct a young martial artist (played by Ben Wang) in need of guidance. The reviews for Karate Kid: Legends, however, are not the best around and suggest that the latest movie in the franchise might not be able to crane kick its way to awards season. But previously, the series has had a decorated history, with two Academy Award nominations and nine Emmy noms. More from GoldDerby 'A lot comes with jumping into that inferno': Questlove explores the burden of Black genius in 'Sly Lives!' 'I cried a lot': Rob Delaney on the heart and humor in FX's 'Dying for Sex' - and Neighbor Guy's kick in the 'zone' 'Karate Kid: Legends' to close out May with a box-office boost, but 'Lilo & Stitch' stays on top Ahead of Legends, here's a look back at the awards history of the Karate Kid series. The Karate Kid Now considered a classic of '80s cinema, the original Karate Kid at the time of its release was an unlikely sleeper hit. The movie never ranked higher than No. 4 at the weekend box, but managed to leg it out to just over $90 million in U.S. receipts, making its the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 1984. Capping off the Cinderella story was the Academy Award nomination for Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, who played Daniel's sensei Mr. Miyagi, for Best Supporting Actor. He ultimately lost of The Killing Fields' Haing S. Ngor, who became the first person of Asian descent to win an acting Oscar. The Karate Kid Part II While not as fondly remembered as the original film, its quickly produced 1986 sequel managed to outdo the first film financially — earning $115 million at the domestic box office — and match its number of Academy Award nominations. Former Chicago frontman Peter Cetera sang the swooning "Glory of Love" on the soundtrack, punching The Karate Kid Part II's ticket to Oscar night. It ultimately couldn't beat "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun, but that doesn't really seem like a fair fight. Cobra Kai The sequel series, which ran on YouTube's premium platforms before moving over to Netflix, has racked up nine Emmy nominations over the course of its six-season run. It's been a mainstay of the stunt coordination categories, and in 2021, Cobra Kai scored a nomination for Best Comedy Series. The show has yet to win an Emmy, but with its final year of eligibility approaching, don't count it out just yet! Best of GoldDerby 'I cried a lot': Rob Delaney on the heart and humor in FX's 'Dying for Sex' — and Neighbor Guy's kick in the 'zone' TV directors roundtable: 'American Primeval,' 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,' 'Paradise' 'Paradise' directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra on the 'chaos' of crafting 'the world coming to an end' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The entire ‘Karate Kid' franchise, ranked (animated series included!)
This week, the Karate Kid franchise is back in theaters for the first time in 15 years with Karate Kid: Legends. And unlike the 2010 film, this movie is a true continuation of everything that came before it. Who could have predicted that there would be a new Karate Kid movie over four decades after the original? The 1984 original has withstood the test of time, and it gave Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki "Pat" Morita two of their most iconic roles as Daniel LaRusso and his mentor, Mr. Miyagi. More from GoldDerby Loretta Swit remembered by 'M*A*S*H' costars, including Alan Alda Loretta Swit holds this Emmy record that may never be broken 'Dept. Q,' 'Mountainhead,' Alfred Hitchcock on Netflix, and the best to stream this weekend Although Morita died in 2005, Macchio has kept the flame of The Karate Kid alive in both the sequel series, Cobra Kai, and the newly released Karate Kid: Legends. In honor of that film, we're ranking the entire Karate Kid franchise, including the two TV shows. READ: Unless you lived through the '80s, you may not appreciate how hilarious it is that nearly everything got a Saturday morning cartoon show, including R-rated flicks like Rambo and RoboCop. The Karate Kid's cartoon isn't exactly bad as far as old cartoons go, but it's more enjoyable as an unintentionally funny show than as a high-quality animated series. Joey Dedio and Robert Ito stepped in to provide the voices of Daniel and Mr. Miyagi as they traveled the world with a Japanese girl named Taki Tamurai (Janice Kawaye) to retrieve a miniature magic shrine. Every episode ends with the shrine slipping from their grasp and starting things over again. But at least Pat Morita provided some in-character narration for most of the episodes. Although this film has been retconned into the larger Karate Kid universe, the 2010 reboot is very close to a remake minus some changes. All of the major characters from the original film have counterparts here, including Jaden Smith in the leading role as Dre Parker, a teenager who gets the culture shock of a lifetime when he moves to China Jackie Chan's Mr. Han plays the Miyagi role here as he helps Dre fend off his bullies. Even though the sequel acknowledged it, the fact that Mr. Han teaches Dre Kung Fu instead of karate means the studio should have given this film a new title. He's the Kung Fu Kid! READ: As disconnected as the 2010 film was from the rest of the franchise, it's fun to see Jackie Chan sharing the screen with Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid: Legends. But it's not a partnership that takes up a lot of time in the movie. Marco Zhang plays the new Karate Kid, Li Fong, the great-nephew of Mr. Han. And just like every other teen hero in this franchise, Li needs martial arts lessons so he can take down his bullies. Zhang might have a nice career ahead of him, and this is far from a bad movie. It's just not peak Karate Kid. The nods to the past are appreciated, though. Hilary Swank is clearly the biggest star to come out of the Karate Kid franchise, and it's a shame she didn't do a Cobra Kai cameo to reconnect with her past. The Next Karate Kid also boasts Michael Ironside as the villain, Colonel Dugan and a young Walton Goggins as Charlie, so clearly the casting director had an eye for talent. Morita returns as Mr. Miyagi one last time to mentor Julie Pierce (Swank), the granddaughter of one of his military friends. Julie also has an indirect link to Miyagi through the karate lessons he shared with her grandfather. And while Miyagi knew how to handle Daniel, there are times Julie was just a bit too much for him. The Karate Kid Part III can be forgiven for being such a carbon copy of the first film because Thomas Ian Griffith was a fantastic villain as Terry Silver, an old buddy of John Kreese (Martin Kove) who wants revenge and to reestablish Cobra Kai. Silver had a nonsensical plan to fake Kreese's death and ruin Daniel's karate mojo by teaching him the wrong way to practice the martial arts. There is some good drama between Daniel and Miyagi, but when push comes to shove at the All-Valley tournament, you know how it's going to go. Cobra Kai did a fantastic job of fleshing out William Zabka's Johnny Lawrence — one of the main villains in the first film — by giving him a redemptive journey through the reopening Cobra Kai. Johnny also backtracks a bit by starting a new rivalry with Daniel, but the way these two have slowly become friends over the course of the series is a beautiful thing and great character development. This show was a love letter to all things Karate Kid. Some of the new generation of martial artists, including Xolo Maridueña and Peyton List, seem like they're well on their way to becoming stars as well. In three decades, the kids on this show may be starring in their own Cobra Kai spinoff. READ: The film that started it all handled the Karate Kid formula better than any movie that came after it. As compelling as Zabka is in Cobra Kai, he's the perfect bully in this film when Daniel moves to town and romance's Johnny's ex-girlfriend, Ali Mills (Elizabeth Shue). Morita's gravitas as Miyagi was so apparent that he deservedly earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting actor. There's a real warmth between Morita and Macchio that's apparent whenever they're on-screen together. That's one of the big reasons why this is such a beloved classic over four decades later. Why does The Karate Kid Part II get the nod over the original? For one thing, it's got a much better power ballad on the soundtrack with Peter Cetera's Oscar-nominated "Glory of Love.' It's also the only sequel that didn't try to recreate the story structure of the first film. Instead, The Karate Kid Part II dares to try something new by sending Daniel back with Miyagi to revisit some unfinished business in Japan. It doesn't take long for Daniel to find a new love interest, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita), and a new rival, Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto). But the real drama comes from Miyagi's broken friendship with Chozen's uncle, Sato Toguchi (Danny Kamekona), who wants to fight his old rival to the death. There's no tournament this time, and the film is better for it. Best of GoldDerby Marilyn Monroe movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best Clint Eastwood movies: 20 greatest films ranked worst to best Morgan Freeman movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best Click here to read the full article.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘Karate Kid: Legends' meets, and occasionally exceeds, expectations
'Karate Kid: Legends' steps, with a light and sprightly gait, into the timeline of the 41-year-old movie and TV franchise, opening with a brief and un-belabored prologue, courtesy of artificial intelligence. That intro calls on Mr. Miyagi, the beloved character played by the late Pat Morita, to kick a small chronological incongruity out of the way by resuscitating the actor a la the final season of the spin-off series 'Cobra Kai.'
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First Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- First Post
With Jackie Chan's 'Karate Kid: Legends,' Ben Wang becomes first Asian American new 'Kid' on the block
In the original 'Karate Kid' movie, which came out more than 40 years ago, Pat Morita was the only main Asian American cast member read more It didn't occur to Ben Wang right away that in taking on ' Karate Kid: Legends,' he'd be the franchise's first Asian American 'Kid.' And that gives him a lot of optimism. 'At first I didn't even think about that,' Wang told The Associated Press. 'That feels like a very cool and actually privileged position that I get to be in.' His casting happened, he said, in 'a world where that's normal enough.' 'Karate Kid: Legends,' which opens Friday, unites OG Ralph Macchio's Daniel and Jackie Chan's Mr. Han from the 2010 movie to help Wang's Li Fong win a New York City karate competition. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the original 'Karate Kid' movie, which came out more than 40 years ago, Pat Morita was the only main Asian American cast member even though it takes place in California's San Fernando Valley. His beloved Mr. Miyagi helped underdog Daniel wax on and wax off against white karate bullies. That arc has been replicated and flipped in sequels and offshoots ever since. The overall lack of Asian and Asian American representation all these years has been a lingering point of contention for some. Jeff Yang, author of 'The Golden Screen: The Movies That Made Asian America,' said he knows plenty of Asian Americans who find most of the Miyagi-verse entertaining. At the same time, even the recent Netflix 'Cobra Kai' series hardly had any young Asian American main characters. That lost opportunity felt like a 'loose, nagging tooth,' he said. 'It's always been a situation where the ancient or legendary martial arts master is transferring his skills not just to another generation, but into another community,' Jeff Yang said. 'In a way, that feels like for me as an Asian American, it turns it into a guilty pleasure.' The Asians who were there were 'either sidekicks or villains,' he added. When the first 'Karate Kid' film hit In Asia, there's a long cinematic history of elite martial artists-turned-actors ranging from icon Bruce Lee to Chan and Jet Li. But in Hollywood, Asian characters who did perform karate or kung-fu often weren't written three-dimensionally. Most of the stars who could shine for acting and on-screen fighting weren't Asian. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'In a way that's understandable,' Yang said. 'Martial arts is one of the things that was brought to the United States by soldiers who had been stationed in Asia, learned the practice, embraced the lifestyle and the discipline.' By the 1970s and '80s, karate dojos were becoming popular all over the U.S. in cities and suburbs. So 'The Karate Kid' debuted at just the right time. Ken Nagayama, a martial arts grand master who runs a school in the Valley, was an instructor at a North Hollywood dojo used for scenes in the original film. He recalls meeting Pat Morita. But, he wasn't thinking about casting. He was impressed by how much interest in karate shot up because of one movie. 'When that came out, so many people were interested in taking class, especially younger kids,' said Nagayama, who plans to watch 'Legends' with some of his students. He had 'a whole mix' of students of all races signing up. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Steven Ho, a stunt coordinator and martial artist who lives in Los Angeles and has appeared multiple times on Conan O'Brien's talk shows, remembers Morita, Macchio and William Zabka watching tournaments he competed in to prepare for the first movie. He was such a fan of Morita that he never thought about how there were no other Asian actors. 'Pat Morita, to me, he was the lead,' Ho said. 'Also, if that were the only martial arts film out there, then yeah, it would be odd and I would be disappointed. But you gotta remember the '80s and '90s we were living in the golden age of Jet Li, Jackie Chan, films that featured … more authentic martial artists.' It's a full-circle moment that Chan is one of the mentors in this new flick. Wang is still in disbelief he got to do combat choreography with the superstar. 'He's the guy you think he is,' Wang said with a grin. 'He doesn't turn it off when he's not on set.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Martial arts movies made for new generations Ho happily points out that 'Karate Kid: Legends' is reinforcing how his 12-year-old twin sons are growing up without negative Asian stereotypes like he did. He'd rather a story have no Asians if the characters are going to be the butt of the joke. That history of stereotyping of Asian men is why he initially declined appearing on O'Brien's show. 'I thought 'Oh, he's a tall guy. I'm a short, Asian guy. They're just going to goof on me. They're going to go off on me,' so I said, 'You know, I'm gonna be out of town,'' Ho said. Luckily, the segments, which have earned millions of YouTube views, were crafted so Ho was the straight-man to O'Brien's buffoonery. Twins Jonny and Ollie, in fact, are real-life karate kids. The boys, known as the 'Twinjas,' know karate, mixed martial arts and other disciplines. They count Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon, as a friend. They've appeared on 'America's Got Talent,' 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' and taught Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg moves. They love 'Cobra Kai' for the drama and want to see 'Legends' for Chan. They have since been introduced to the movie that started it all. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For Ollie, Miyagi was his favorite character. 'I think that in the first Karate Kids, how the teacher was Asian, I think being a teacher is better than being a student,' he said. Jonny says not every show or movie in this genre has to have an Asian lead, but when there is one, he takes note. 'I think that there's definitely a lot of other movies and shows that have Asian leads, like Simu Liu, the first Asian superhero,' Jonny said, referring to Marvel's ' Shang-Chi.' 'It's very significant.' The Twinjas, who are working on a children's fiction book that's part mystery and part action, are not shy about voicing their own desire for 'any opportunities that come our way, we'd love to take, especially for acting and using our martial arts skills,' Ollie said. Perhaps they'll get some inspiration from seeing Wang in 'Legends.' Wang considers it a 'point of pride' if young Asian American children view him as a benchmark so they can see themselves as the hero. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The word I keep going back to is it's a privilege,' Wang said. 'What I love about this series is … there's this idea anyone can be the 'Karate Kid.''
Times
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Karate Kid: Legends — wax on, wax off (and repeat for 40 years)
Ralph Macchio really cares about The Karate Kid. 'My number one goal,' he tells me, 'is always protecting the Daniel LaRusso character, the legacy of him.' Macchio, 63, played the high school martial arts underdog Daniel in the original 1984 film. More than 40 years later he remains Daniel LaRusso to millions of people who, like me, can quote the movie by heart. Such is the film's currency, even people who haven't seen it will be familiar with the wisdom of Daniel's mentor, Mr Miyagi, played by the beloved character actor Pat Morita, who was Oscar-nominated for the role: 'No such thing as bad student, only bad teacher;' 'Balance good, karate good;' and, of course, 'Wax on, wax off.' Daniel, says Macchio, is 'an
