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Storyline
12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life. |
Backdrops
The Director
Harald Zwart
Harald Zwart (born July 1, 1965) is a Norwegian film director.
Although born in the Netherlands, Zwart was raised in Fredrikstad in Norway. As early as age eight, he started making short films. He attended the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam where he received great acclaim for his student film Gabriel's Surprise. The film was later televised.
In addition to several award-winning short films, music videos and commercials, he has directed the films Agent Cody Banks, One Night at McCool's, Hamilton and Lange Flate Ballær 2. He is also the co-director and producer of the first Long Flat Balls, a Norwegian film about soccer fans from the city of Fredrikstad, Norway. This movie, often described as "The Full Monty" with more laughs, became a huge hit in Norway. Zwart's largest grossing film to date is The Karate Kid (2010 film) starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.
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Harald Zwart has directed music videos for the Norwegian band a-ha, for the songs Velvet and Forever Not Yours.
He is attached as executive producer and possibly director of a film that is based on the video game RollerCoaster Tycoon.
His trademark is that he always adds props and items that represent Fredrikstad and the football club Fredrikstad F.K. in his movies.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Harald Zwart, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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User Reviews
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The Karate Kid (2010)
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Jackie Chan plays Hong Kong Phooey, the mild-mannered janitor. He's number one super guy, quicker than the human eye. He's got style, a groovy smile, and a car that just won't stop. When the going gets rough, he's super-tough, with a Hong Kong Phooey chop. Jaden Smith is twelve year old Rocky Balboa, Padawan Italian Stallion. The small (time) guy with big (time) guts.
Apparently, these days, when you lose your job in Detroit, the economic situation in America is so dire that you have absolutely no alternative but to relocate to Beijing. And through this convoluted plot device, Rocky and his mother end up in China. Pint-size runs into trouble right away. He's bullied at school by the black-hat Kung Fu gang. Until the day when Hong Kong Phooey rescues him. Tense negotiations with the baddies trainer don't really help matters. They back off on the condition that Rocky participates in the kick-ass Kung Fu tournament. Hong Kong Phooey takes the young Padawan under his wing, and the rest is every cliché you've ever seen.
Where to start with this awful cheesy mess? First off, Jaden Smith is a lucky guy. Not many twelve year olds get to star in their own film. I guess it helps if your dad is Will Smith (remember ' The Pursuit of Happyness'?) He's in almost every frame, tries far too hard, and gets more and more annoying with each moment that passes. By the time he utters his Big Line, the tear-jerking "Because win or lose, I don't want to be afraid any more" I was ready to mash him to a pulp with my own hands. Curiously, despite the intense and prolonged training he undergoes, he doesn't develop the slightest bit of extra muscle. Like many other child stars, Smit...
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reviewed by cliodhna (Filmaster.com) on the 18th of August 2010
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Chan's sincerity can't save this atrocious movie from either its ridiculous plot or the overwhelming inappropriateness of Smith. The original film was corny, and merely alright, and this is just another degree removed from that lacklustre affair. There is a lot of production value being employed fruitlessly, as the characters, and most of the performances, don't have enough emotional weight to entrance an audience, let alone make this bloated affair worth considering.