kurisu-717-137128 Reviews

The Incredible Hulk (1978–1982)

Great acting, needs a little more action, but otherwise top notch

[8/10 · 7 May 2012]

I faithfully watched this show as a kid and I've come to appreciate it more as an adult.

Bill Bixby plays the role of David/Bruce Banner perfectly. As a kid I always wanted to be like him and as an adult I really admire his acting.

The only real complaint I have is the action. The Hulk is far from super human in most scenes (he mostly grows and throws chairs, which just about anybody could do). And they use the worst trick in the 70's TV play book; slow motion. The Six Million Dollar Man started it, and The Incredible Hulk copied it, having the Hulk do everything in slow motion. It's less than impressive and actually makes the action scenes less interesting than the conflicts that David/Bruce gets into.

But the plots were well written, and the show had a lot of lasting drama that has remained with me years later. Great show.

The Karate Kid (2010)

A good remake with some minor and ignorable flaws

[7/10 · 13 August 2010]

The original Karate Kid was a sleeper hit that I loved as a teenager. I still enjoy the original as an adult, so I looked forward to this. I wasn't disappointed overall, but there were some minor flaws that I was able to overlook. In short, the acting saved the day.

Since audiences have seen so many more martial arts films over the past few years, it's refreshing to see some really awesome martial arts in this film. The problem is that it's a little too unrealistic. I've seen the Beijing team perform and it's hard to imagine these moves without some editing, particularly towards the end of the film. And Jaden Smith being a master of certain moves in such a short time is more far fetched than the original. Daniel learned some basic blocks and kicks in a few months, here this kid looks like a 10 year Wushu veteran after the same amount of time. There are some other elements that don't make sense if you think about them; how does someone move from projects in Detroit to an international job in Beijing? Don't think about it too much, you might miss the good parts.

Jaden Smith's acting is tremendous for a rookie. He plays his role like a pro. He's likable, believable and he doesn't exaggerate. He works well with Jackie Chan, who plays a role that's quite dramatic for him. I'm still a little disappointed with Jackie's character. There is a moment where he seems a little too afraid and weak to be a martial arts master. It's good that they don't make him indestructible but he shouldn't be cowardly. In the original when Mr. Miyagi confronts the Cobra Kai leader there's a tension in the scene that makes everyone wonder who would win the fight. Without revealing too much, in this movie, it's clear who would win.

There's one scene that really disappointed me. In the original, Pat Morita got nominated for a scene where he relives the lost memory of his wife dying giving birth while he was serving in the war. It's a great scene because it's based in history. Yet the similar scene in this movie is less believable. Jackie Chan's acting pulls it off, but it just doesn't work as well. And I was disappointed with how that scene ended. Mr. Miyagi didn't state directly that he needed Daniel's friendship, but we in the audience came to that conclusion. In this movie, they spell it out for us.

The acting between Smith and Chan, though, save the day. Throughout all of the other exaggerations or parts that just don't make much sense, you look forward to seeing these two work with each other. They carry the movie to the end. It's worth seeing, but for me, once would be enough.

The Ramen Girl (2008)

A good idea that needed better development

[4/10 · 10 August 2010]

I'm surprised so many reviews here have given this film such high remarks. There are things in this movie that really work and things that don't.

The idea isn't a bad one; a girl moves to Tokyo and finds her life upside down and creates a new life for herself in a seemingly unglamorous job. We've seen this formula before (this plot actually seems like a veiled ripoff of a Dharma and Greg episode where Greg becomes a hamburger flipper temporarily) but Brittany Murphy pulls it off better than anyone else can. Sadly, it isn't enough.

The director has taken a bold step, and he deserves to be commended for it. There are a number of scenes where Murphy and the Ramen master exchange dialog and they can't understand each other. Instead of relying on the same old gags they actually created tension where neither character understands each other well. But that's as far as it goes. The scenes with the Ramen master and Murphy fall kind of flat. Are they supposed to be funny? Tense? Dramatic? They get a little of these but they don't go far enough into them. I didn't bust out laughing and I didn't tense up. It was just sort of blah.

Toshiyuki Nishida is also a great actor and he's well known in Japan. But most of his roles have a certain charm and charisma. He doesn't pull off the "tyrannical" thing well, despite his acting ability. He isn't charming enough to be liked and he isn't mean enough to be hated. Instead, he's a cardboard cut out of a stereotypical Japanese chef. At least with a different actor I'd be less disappointed.

The acting ability of Murphy and Nishida carry this film, but the script is weak. Again, not a total failure, but it's like eating a bowl of ramen that's gone cold.

Boot Camp (2001)

A great reality show that didn't get enough attention

[8/10 · 19 April 2010]

"Boot Camp" was a much better reality show than the attention it received, which was scant. I was so disappointed that it didn't get good ratings and hope that perhaps now, years after we've had a flood of horrible reality shows, it might get another turn.

The premise behind "Boot Camp" was to take ordinary people and put them in a Marine boot camp. This was refreshing to me because most reality shows have people playing silly games (puzzles, obstacle courses, races, etc), but this one had people in a real US military boot camp. If you didn't have an appreciation for US soldiers before "Boot Camp", you certainly would after watching it.

This series eventually got me hooked on "Survivor", but it was "Boot Camp" that really got me watching reality shows.