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Dec. 13th, 2010 09:02 amHmm, the LJ writer's block q for the day is: If you fall in love with a book or movie, do you tend to watch/read it again and again? If so, what's your upper limit on repeats?
Yes, but who the hell has an upper limit on the number of times they'll watch their favorite movie? Like I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen things like Pulp Fiction or Fight Club or Garden State or Rent or Enchanted (all definitely in the double digits). I mean, do they think people are gonna be all, "Oh, I love this movie. So I will watch it X # of times again, and no more"? Of course, does it count if I see it in the guide or be flicking through the channels and see it on, and be all, "Cool, X is on!" and watch it then? I do pop the DVDs in occasionally, but I think I catch more of them just flicking through the channels than anything else.
After watching Ip Man 2, I'm kinda amused how the second half of the movie is basically Rocky IV, only its a Chinese guy vs a British guy. I mean, Ip Man's former nemesis turned friend gets beaten to death in an "exhibition" boxing match, so he challenges the guy. And then during the match he gets knocked down a bunch, but despite his opponent's power, he manages to hang on and eventually topple Goliath. Then after the win, he gives a speech addressing the foreigners (well, the Brits, who are considered foreign to him!) asking for mutual respect and can't they all just get along?
But one thing that always bugged me about martial arts movies, even though its a common staple of these things, is someone trying to show off the superiority of their style and mocking all other styles as dumb and weak. Like in both movies, not only do you have the Chinese masters fighting trying to prove their style is best (well, I guess it is their livelihood, they're trying to bring in students to learn their "superior" style), but you have the Japs in the first and the Brits in the second. Now see, I don't mind a particular fighter thinking he's the best in the world and can beat anybody, but to me, that's him and not his style. Like just because a particularly karateka can beat a bunch of kung fu guys does not mean karate is therefore better than kung fu. So it pisses me off when the antagonists in these kinda movies make fun of other styles just because they beat practitioners of them. I mean all throughout the world, people have come up with all sorts of interesting techniques to fight and kill! Instead of sticking with one and insisting its "the best" and stubbornly refusing to see what these other styles have to offer, shouldn't one learn all they can and pick and choose what works for them?
Of course another thing that I hate about the bad guys in these kinda movies is when they rig fights by banning techniques, or worse, hurting the opponent beforehand so they're not at 100%, perhaps by poisoning them, or having your thugs rough them up. How will the fight be any fun if your opponent isn't at their best? Or how can you be satisfied in a victory that you got through such underhanded means? Of course, I also have an insane outlook on what constitutes fair play. Like poisoning the guy beforehand is over the line, but dirty tricks like tossing sand in his eye to blind him is not. I mean, when a guy is eating he is not in combat, so harming him there is not really fair because he's not expecting it. But to me, in a fight, anything goes, even if there are supposedly rules in place preventing certain things. Even if you're not going to fight dirty, you should be wary that your opponent might. One shouldn't have to worry their enemy poisoned some random samich they're eating, but poison on the blade they're using against you? Sure! Plus, its at least possible to avoid something like that if you're quick enough.
Like in the Karate Kid, that one opponent of Daniel's kicking him in the knee so he'd be crippled and unable to continue, to me that's actually fair game. Now, if before the fight in the parking lot, the Cobra Kais jumped Daniel and held him down and took a crowbar to his knee, that's cheating. But the one guy kicking him in the knee during the match falls under fair play in my book. Sure, he did a totally illegal technique, but Daniel had a chance to avoid it, plus, he's met them, he should've been wary they'd pull a dirty trick like that. I mean, if Mr Miyagi didn't heal Daniel and he had to forfeit, I'd still think that would be a totally cheap way for Johnny to win, and he should in no way think he's superior for being declared champion, but to me he didn't technically cheat to get the win.
Yes, but who the hell has an upper limit on the number of times they'll watch their favorite movie? Like I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen things like Pulp Fiction or Fight Club or Garden State or Rent or Enchanted (all definitely in the double digits). I mean, do they think people are gonna be all, "Oh, I love this movie. So I will watch it X # of times again, and no more"? Of course, does it count if I see it in the guide or be flicking through the channels and see it on, and be all, "Cool, X is on!" and watch it then? I do pop the DVDs in occasionally, but I think I catch more of them just flicking through the channels than anything else.
After watching Ip Man 2, I'm kinda amused how the second half of the movie is basically Rocky IV, only its a Chinese guy vs a British guy. I mean, Ip Man's former nemesis turned friend gets beaten to death in an "exhibition" boxing match, so he challenges the guy. And then during the match he gets knocked down a bunch, but despite his opponent's power, he manages to hang on and eventually topple Goliath. Then after the win, he gives a speech addressing the foreigners (well, the Brits, who are considered foreign to him!) asking for mutual respect and can't they all just get along?
But one thing that always bugged me about martial arts movies, even though its a common staple of these things, is someone trying to show off the superiority of their style and mocking all other styles as dumb and weak. Like in both movies, not only do you have the Chinese masters fighting trying to prove their style is best (well, I guess it is their livelihood, they're trying to bring in students to learn their "superior" style), but you have the Japs in the first and the Brits in the second. Now see, I don't mind a particular fighter thinking he's the best in the world and can beat anybody, but to me, that's him and not his style. Like just because a particularly karateka can beat a bunch of kung fu guys does not mean karate is therefore better than kung fu. So it pisses me off when the antagonists in these kinda movies make fun of other styles just because they beat practitioners of them. I mean all throughout the world, people have come up with all sorts of interesting techniques to fight and kill! Instead of sticking with one and insisting its "the best" and stubbornly refusing to see what these other styles have to offer, shouldn't one learn all they can and pick and choose what works for them?
Of course another thing that I hate about the bad guys in these kinda movies is when they rig fights by banning techniques, or worse, hurting the opponent beforehand so they're not at 100%, perhaps by poisoning them, or having your thugs rough them up. How will the fight be any fun if your opponent isn't at their best? Or how can you be satisfied in a victory that you got through such underhanded means? Of course, I also have an insane outlook on what constitutes fair play. Like poisoning the guy beforehand is over the line, but dirty tricks like tossing sand in his eye to blind him is not. I mean, when a guy is eating he is not in combat, so harming him there is not really fair because he's not expecting it. But to me, in a fight, anything goes, even if there are supposedly rules in place preventing certain things. Even if you're not going to fight dirty, you should be wary that your opponent might. One shouldn't have to worry their enemy poisoned some random samich they're eating, but poison on the blade they're using against you? Sure! Plus, its at least possible to avoid something like that if you're quick enough.
Like in the Karate Kid, that one opponent of Daniel's kicking him in the knee so he'd be crippled and unable to continue, to me that's actually fair game. Now, if before the fight in the parking lot, the Cobra Kais jumped Daniel and held him down and took a crowbar to his knee, that's cheating. But the one guy kicking him in the knee during the match falls under fair play in my book. Sure, he did a totally illegal technique, but Daniel had a chance to avoid it, plus, he's met them, he should've been wary they'd pull a dirty trick like that. I mean, if Mr Miyagi didn't heal Daniel and he had to forfeit, I'd still think that would be a totally cheap way for Johnny to win, and he should in no way think he's superior for being declared champion, but to me he didn't technically cheat to get the win.
