Trailer Hitch

By Eric Hughes

January 13, 2010

You're right. Parents just don't understand.

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Welcome to Trailer Hitch, BOP's look at the latest movie trailers to hit the Internet. This week: The Karate Kid makes its triumphant return to theaters! Also: Can someone explain the business of Nanny McPhee to me, please?

The Karate Kid - Opens June 11th

From the day I came to know of a Karate Kid remake with Jackie Chan and Will Smith's offspring, Jaden, as its leads, I committed myself to constant wait-and-see mode. If the trailer looked promising, then great. If no, then I wouldn't be too torn up about it. I'm a fan of the 1984 original movie, but by no means consider myself a fanboy who'd protest the shit out of the project if it turned out to be less than appealing.

Well, here you go: The Karate Kid looks awesome. Cheesy? Yes. Cutesy? Also a yes. But I'm thinking that my ultimate feelings about the movie will be driven by the same feelings that caused me to have mostly kind things to say about Drew Barrymore's Whip It. Sure, Whip It's substance was futile, but in the end the film turned out to be pure entertainment and, well, fun. For whatever reason, The Karate kid's trailer leads me to believe that the reboot will do about the same for me.
Oh, and I'm totally in love with The Karate Kid's playful homage to its 1980's era predecessor. At the tail end of the trailer, Jackie Chan's character goes to snag a fly from the air with chopsticks – much like Mr. Miyagi did in the original – only to smack the pest with a fly swatter using his free hand. Jaden Smith adds: "Um, that's nasty."

Subtle brilliance.
Grade: A-



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Fish Tank – Opens Friday

Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival – and, as its trailer states, the most honored British film of the year – Fish Tank is the coming-of-age story of a 15-year-old introvert (newcomer Katie Jarvis) who's in need of some inspiration after being dealt what she thinks is a terrible family and even less forgiving surroundings. She finds solace, however, through her secret passion for hip hop dance and her mother's charming new boyfriend, Connor (Michael Fassbender), who tries to teach her how to make sense of both the little things and the "big picture."

From just the two minutes I've seen to warrant entry in my column this week, I'll admit that the critics likely have it right about Fish Tank. We get coming-of-age movies seemingly every weekend, but this one certainly stands out among the pack – principally for its production design and cinematography, as well as the lead actress' acting chops. Jarvis appears to have a real handle on her troubled character, which makes the news of this being her first feature a pleasant surprise. In case you hadn't heard, a casting agent working for Fish Tank's director, Andrea Arnold, spotted Jarvis having a real argument with her boyfriend at a railway station and approached Jarvis about auditioning for the flick. Of course, she accepted, nailed the audition and now has her first big acting credit. I'm anxious to see what she gets into next.


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