register |  login
› LITTLETON
Loading Ad
Visit Other Hubs:
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Tower
Blog
Blog Entry 2 of 44 Welcome to The Retroplex
I'm usually in full-blown reminisce mode anyway, so why not make the rest of you poor saps suffer along with me, right?

Here, you'll find no shortage (well...unless I can't think of any new material) of meaningless but ultimately harmless bits of ephemera covering the past 20 or so years of pop culture, and my occasional interactions with it. Whether you're into the iconic or the ironic, sooner or later, I'll probably get around to it.
Watch, as the hilarity ensues! Or, if you prefer, gawk like a shocked passerby witnessing a horrible accident!

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~TheRetroplex

It's Karate Kid Friday!

Contributed by: Jared Keller   on 6/21/2006

Because the weather's gorgeous right now (not too hot, which is a nice break from the Hades-like conditions we've had, of late...), I hereby declare that this Friday is, in fact, The Best Around. That's right, kids - it's Karate Kid Friday.

Last night, while The Wife was with her small group (it's a church-thing), and after The Girl had gone to bed, I suspected that it was just about time to watch me some Karate Kid. As usual, I was correct in this belief. It's ALWAYS time for KK. In fact, it's never not time for KK.

Now, to add some variety, I watched most of the special edition DVD with the closed captioning turned on, just to see how closely it matched up to the spoken dialogue. Let me tell you...if you're deaf, you're seeing a completely different film from the one the rest of us are watching. The captioning is that bad.

So bad, in fact, that it completely changes character names (Daryl Vidal - the hotshot karateka who gets beaten down by Johnny in the semis - somehow becomes "Danny Duval"), garbles song lyrics (follow along with You're the Best Around. Yikes. It was bad enough BEFORE the butchery), slaughters Miyagi's humorous instruction (at the tournament, as Daniel asks his sensei if he has any last minute advice about how to win his first bout, Miyagi intones "Hai...no get-ah hit!", which the captioning scrambles into "Hey! Go get the hit!"), and has no idea whatsoever about what to do with the random Japanese scattered throughout Miyagi's speech ("Hai" becomes "Hey" each time, "Osu" becomes "Yes", etc.).

All your captions are belong to us, it would seem.

Still, the special edition DVD is great, as the print they used for it is nice and bright, and the audio commentary is, by and large, terrific. It's nice to hear Macchio, Morita, and Avildsen reminisce, though about halfway through, you begin to wish that someone would crush Robert Mark Kamen's throat, he drones on so much. Mercifully, he has to leave early for some reason or another, so things pick up for the second half.

Today, as I sit in front of my computer, I listen to the soundtrack (Commuter's Young Hearts is blasting away right now...), contemplate the superior experience that IS The Karate Kid, and wonder when and if any of my fellow geeks out there will track down the Holy Grail of lost soundtrack tunes - the never released The Ride, by some group called Matches, which is heard as the Cobra Kai descend upon the beach party, and prepare to administer the first of countless beatings to our favorite NJ transplant. Forgotten the scene already? Then by all means, go watch the movie tonight. As Tommy would say if he were here, "Take a right, check it out!" In contrast, if Johnny were here, he would merely sneer in your general direction, and perhaps punch you in the neck - while dressed in a skeleton costume, and rolling a joint (this, from a so-called "ex-degenerate". Sheesh!). So really, we should all be grateful that he's not here.

Your assignments for today - 1. Come up with at least one Mr. Miyagiism (in honor of the late Pat Morita, bless 'im...), and deposit it in the comment section, and 2. Sweep somebody's leg. Do you have a problem with that?

As the wisdom of Miyagi applies to so many areas of life, it will be hard to pick just one for inclusion, but I know you can do it.

Why sweep the leg? Here, or on the street...a man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy. Take inspiration from the Kai: OUT of commission.

Other related links for today (just click on the bolded text to follow the links):

Bobby Brown's MySpace blog. No...not THAT Bobby Brown.
That's right - the disgraced, disqualified "good guy" of the Cobra Kai blogs about karate, Johnny, and all of the various twists and turns his life has taken. He's deep, man.

80s Tees.com
Home of my favorite Cobra Kai t-shirt. Their newest addition is one I'll be grabbing, too:

Bobby's Cobra Kai Gi on eBay
You deserve no mercy! You already missed out, as the auction has closed. View and weep at the awesomeness you could have had for a mere four grand, or so. Better than any lousy "Meeahjee-Turbo" bike that scrawny Danny from Reseda might find himself tossing into a dumpster - that's for sure.

I hate this freakin' bike!!

Now, go forth, and wax on, or you'll get squished - just like grape.


SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above blog



Current Rating
Based on 4 user ratings.

Talk Back : submit comments to the blog

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Showing 1 of 1 comments
Submitted By: Bill Boucher
posted on 6/21/2006 @ 3:53:28 PM
Rated Blog Entry
Two birds with one stone. I told my great-aunt, "Always look eye," as I swept her leg.
[Report as objectionable]
Showing 1 of 1 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Jared Keller

Littleton

Jared Keller has posted 44 blog entries and 57 comments since joining on 12/1/2005. Jared Keller 's average blog rating is 5.
BLOG ENTRY RSS FEEDS
SAVE AND SHARE THIS ITEM

BLOG LIST
WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?
Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is  register,  then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyonewhat events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

Loading Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

This YourHub.com community is produced by The Denver Newspaper Agency
Web Development and Channel Analytics provided by Indigio

terms of use //  privacy policy
the staff //  advertise //  help & faq
buy photos