Stickman Cinema Favorites: The Last Dragon

The Last Dragon

(1985)

Everyone has one of these.  That one movie you've seen a hundred times, never get tired of watching, can quote from beginning to end and yet you can't really explain why.  That movie for me, hands down, is Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon.

For all intents and purposes, this movie shouldn't even exist.  I mean, it's the story of Leroy Green, a soft spoken Kung-Fu master from Harlem who meets and falls in love with Laura Charles, a famous Video DJ show host.  He repeatedly saves her from Eddie Arkadian (yes, that's his name), a ruthless producer who tries to get Laura to play his latest (and godawful) video on her show by any means necessary.  All the while, Leroy is being pursued by his arch-rival, Sho'nuff (yep, also his name), who is determined to prove once and for all "who is da mastah!"  This all results in a glorious jumble of break dancing, martial arts fighting and bad acting.

It's like a parody, except it's not.  You sit there watching these characters thinking "they CAN'T be serious", but that's what makes them so memorable.  Each one is just such an exaggerated caricature.  Leroy, an African-American talking and acting like an Asian stereotype.  Laura, a diva with her hair teased to within an inch of it's life.  Arkadian, the typical villain who could only be more diabolical if he were twirling his mustache.  But none are bigger, badder and more memorable than the Shogun of Harlem himself, Sho'nuff.  Played by the late Julius J. Carry, he absolutely steals every scene he's in with his over the top antics and quotes that can still be heard today ("Kiss my Converse!").  And all this is without even going into Leroy's leather pants wearing brother Richie, the ditzy Madonna wannabe Angela, Leroy's comic relief / right hand man Johnny, and the rest of the colorful cast of characters that make this movie such a product of it's time.  This movie could not exist in any other decade but the 80's, and that's part of what makes it so charming.  Like Saturday Night Fever, it ends up being a time capsule for a particular era.

The outfits are ludicrous, the dialogue is hilariously corny, and the soundtrack is 80's-tastic.  But damn it if I don't smile watching every ridiculous minute of this movie (and bonus points if you can spot the before-they-were-stars cameos by future Oscar nominees William H. Macy and Chazz Palminteri).  Now can we get a Blu-Ray version already!

Action Movie Madness: Official Tournament Rules

• You can keep tabs on the tournament with the official bracket here: http://challonge.com/actionmoviemadness
• Anyone is eligible to vote...SO TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!  And be sure to like the Stickman Cinema Facebook page for updates and additional content.
• Only 1 vote per person, per match.  Votes are counted from the time the match is posted until midnight that day.  Any votes posted after that will not be counted.
• Only 1 entry allowed per franchise.  The only exception is James Bond with 2, but they are from completely different eras.
• Super-Hero movies are not included.  They are pretty much a whole separate genre to themselves and will likely have their own tournament in the future.

The Power is in your hands.  Use it wisely.  FIGHT!!!

Quick Thoughts on the 2013 Oscar Nominations

And so...now we have our participants.  Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect as I looked over the list of nominees announced this morning, but I was pleasantly surprised to see many names I was hoping would make the list.  Here are my rapid reactions:

- It's great to see Robert DeNiro headed back to the Oscars for the first time in 21 years.  Though a lot of his recent work has left a lot to be desired, he is still one of the all time greats and it's nice to see him back in fine form.

- I'm very happy for first time nominees Bradley Cooper and Hugh Jackman.  I've been a huge fan of their work for years (Cooper since Wedding Crashers, Jackman since X-Men) and it's very cool to see them get this kind of recognition.  Kudos to them.

- History was made in the Best Actress category...twice.  9 year old Quvenzhane Wallis and 85 year old Emmanuelle Riva are now the youngest and oldest women ever nominated for Best Actress.  That should make for a great photo op.

- As a huge Skyfall fan, it was disappointing (though not unexpected) to find it left off the list for Best Picture.  With the recent announcement that they'll be honoring the Bond franchise's 50th anniversary at the ceremony, how cool would it have been to see Bond up for Best Picture for the first time?

- The biggest snubs came from the Best Director category as heavily favored candidates Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow did not receive nominations for Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, respectively.  Not only were their hopes dashed, the chances of their films winning Best Picture likely went up in smoke as well.

- And finally, if Wreck-It-Ralph doesn't get the win for Best Animated Film..."I'M GONNA WRECK IT!!!"

That's it for now.  More to come in the next few weeks.  Let the games begin!