NEVER BACK DOWN Karate Kid for the MMA crowd [Archive]

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Yao Sing

07-31-2007, 11:41 PM

Been out of town lately so I missed the auditions (they brought in LA actors anyhow) but I just jumped on a feature film called "Get Some" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023111/). It's about an underground high school MMA fight club.

I'm just a background actor on this but it looks like it might turn out good. It stars Sean Farris and Djimon Hounsou as his coach.

The MMA extras fighters are mostly from Kokopelli's (http://www.kogym.com) which is currently right up the street from my house. Haven't seen him pretty much since he moved out here from CA.

I was hoping they wanted an out of shape, aging Kung Fu guy to beat up on in the film but that's a no go.

I think this one is sure to hit the theaters sometime in 2008 so keep an eye out.

Yao Sing

08-05-2007, 05:46 PM

Looks like nobody is interested in this film. Maybe the MMA guys don't read this forum but the thread won't last long in teh MMA forum.

Here's a pic of the outside of the 365 Combat Club which is the school in the film. I didn't know my buddy had a camera that day otherwise I would have taken a pic of the choreography training.

The stunt fights will showcase some moves you don't see in the UFC or Pride. Should be a fun film though.

GeneChing

01-02-2008, 10:27 AM

But maybe a thread that's just on MMA versions of Karate Kid would be enough. :rolleyes:

New Martial Arts Movie Never Back Down Focuses on Mixed Martial Arts (http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/12/31/001028.php)
Written by CallmeMaddy
Published December 31, 2007

Everybody knows somebody like Jake Tyler. He's the kid whose has been caught street fighting, and, being new, is a total outsider. In the upcoming movie Never Back Down, Sean Faris portrays Jake Tyler, a guy just searching to belong. In his hometown, Jake was the star football player, but his family moved to Orlando to help his younger brother's tennis career.

From the outset, Jake doesn't belong. His classmate, Baja (Amber Heard), tries to help him by inviting him to a party, where he runs into a bully (Cam Gigandet), who defeats and embarrasses Jake, but ultimately changes his life. Because, right after the fight, somebody tells Jake about a sport known as mixed martial arts (MMA). Learning what his bully already knows, he may be able to defeat him.

Mixed martial arts immediately fascinates Jake, and he wants in to this underground sport. Mixed martial arts master Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou) offers to help him. Roqua can only help Jake so much; Jake must teach himself patience, discipline, willingness, and reason. Jake must also learn that mixed martial arts is not about getting even, but about growing up. Mixed martial arts is indeed an art, and must be treated as one.

The film is eliciting mixed emotions so far. One man even said that the movie is "...a disgrace to MMA" and all of the people involved in MMA should be boycotting the movie. I wouldn't be too sure. The trailer looks pretty good, and I have a good feeling. We'll see how it does in theaters. The movie is not yet rated, but expect a PG-13 rating. Produced by Summit Entertainment, this film is due out on March 14, 2008.

sanjuro_ronin

01-02-2008, 11:14 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JIiXPBm_bE

The trailer...

I will now go commit seppuku.

GeneChing

02-11-2008, 10:39 AM

The official website (http://neverbackdownthemovie.com/). Opens March 14th.

doug maverick

02-11-2008, 01:02 PM

this **** sounds just like that movie. that came out a while ago with billy blanks who played a janitor who taught this kid martial arts so he could take on this other kid in a tournament cause he was a bully. and that **** was ****ty and so is this.

HtownShaolinBum

02-11-2008, 02:38 PM

Never Back Down and Get Some both sound like really terrible movies. I could write and essay about how bad of an idea that is, but why waste my time.

The Karate Kid is also one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I think that being in elementary school would be a prerequisite for enjoying that movie. Besides, the karate kid was just a crappy american kids version of many old school Kung Fu flicks. The classic got beat up, out for revenge thing(Drunken Master anyone?) Drunken Master was an enjoyable film though, Karate Kid was not.

Yao Sing

02-11-2008, 03:31 PM

Never Back Down and Get Some both sound like really terrible movies.

They are the same film, the name was changed recently. Here's the pic of me outside the 365 Combat Club that I forgot to post in my earlier message.

A girl I've worked with on other film got to do a fight scene in this film. Here's her MySpace Page (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=50202357&MyToken=52e42ae1-21aa-4b76-8876-9c025e017814). She has some clips and photos. She plays Capoeira mostly.

I seriously doubt you'll see me since I barerly got in as background after being out of town for weeks. I jumped on this film but I'm just a dockworker in the background at the club. You might see my through one of the open doorways, or driving by in my silver Grand Am.

Count how many times it drives by. I rode up and down for hours, day and late into the night on one day.

冠木侍

02-11-2008, 09:13 PM

It is a martial arts movie so I will probably check it out.

We wouldn't want your efforts to go to waste so we'll look for your car dude!

BTW...the girl you worked with...she's H-O-T.

Did you get to watch her fight? Did they let the Capoeiristas go all out or did they tone it down for the camera?

Yao Sing

02-12-2008, 03:02 PM

BlueTravesty

02-13-2008, 08:25 PM

Ok, based on the trailer, the movie doesn't look "great" (kinda like "The O.C." meets "Step Up" meets "Karate Kid.") and I'm not so sure I'd go see it in the theatre... might netflix it when it comes out on DVD. But c'mon...

"A disgrace to MMA?" "Boycott?" how drama-queenish can you get?

Yao Sing

02-21-2008, 12:44 PM

Next week I'll be attending an advance screening of "Never Back Down" (formerly "Get Some") and will give you guys a quick review of it here on this forum.

冠木侍

02-21-2008, 12:50 PM

I wasn't there when she did her fight scene. Her and I did a student film shot at Sifu Darryl Jordan's Wing Chun school on South St. downtown Orlando but I had to leave for an audition before she did her fight scene. I never did get a copy of that otherwise I'd post my fight scene.

There's also another girl I know, Rachel (currently at Wah Lum Temple I think) that's in the film too. Definitely worth watching if for no other reason than to see her (MySpace Link (http://www.myspace.com/rachaelthompsonacting)). :D

I can't help but envy you man.

I think watching the girls in the movie will be a nice bonus. (Elizabeth Shue def gave the original Karate Kid some good on screen hotness).

But I've been seen this trailer on tv more and more lately. Besides, the female factor, I think that as a martial artist, I will probably check it out just to see their technique and of course to watch some good fighting.

冠木侍

02-21-2008, 12:51 PM

Next week I'll be attending an advance screening of "Never Back Down" (formerly "Get Some") and will give you guys a quick review of it here on this forum.

We appreciate it that dude. Just make sure you warn people if you are going to mention any spoilers (that is if there are any worth mentioning).

Thanks.

GeneChing

03-05-2008, 01:32 PM

Not in two days, in nine days...

Martial arts film packs punch in Hollywood (http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=244367&command=displayContent&sourceNode=244365&contentPK=20070226&folderPk=112383&pNodeId=188965)

Watch out Jackie Chan, the martial arts world has a new high-kicking movie star in the form of Sean Faris.

The 25-year-old newcomer was on fighting form for the Hollywood premiere of his new film Never Back Down, having only just recovered from the shoot.

"I actually lost 17 pounds in the last three weeks of filming because we had to push all our fight scenes together, it was just fighting everyday," he revealed.

Sean plays a rebellious teenager who is lured into an underground fight club, where he finds a mentor in a mixed martial arts veteran - played by Oscar-nominated Blood Diamond actor Djimon Hounsou.

Sean said of filming with the fashion model: "Djimon broke my back in a body slam. It was kind of rough but it was completely accidental, these things happen!"

Walking the red carpet, Djimon told reporters he'd been a massive mixed martial arts fan.

He said: "I really liked the sport and I wanted to see if I could look like a fighter. Going into it I knew I had to train severely but I was lucky to have a number of guys from the sport to help me."

Director Jeff Wadlow joked that the insurance bill on his actors had been pretty high.

"In a real fight people get hurt and we were fighting for 45 days, so I'm sure the lawyers took out the production plan and were like 'get out the cheque book!'" he laughed.

sanjuro_ronin

03-05-2008, 01:35 PM

Stuff like this just hurts my brain.

Yao Sing

03-05-2008, 05:55 PM

Wasn't going to post because I didn't have anything good to say about this film. Some fight scenes were cut. They had some real MMA guys from local gyms and only used them in the background.

Lot's of close-ups and quick-cuts, the usual "fake it because you used actors instead of fighters". Not only that but the storyline is oh so typical, it follows the usual formula to the point where spoilers are impossible. You can predict just about every scene.

So:
no good storyline
no interesting twists/turns
no good fighting
no interesting dialog

Pretty much has nothing going for it except that it panders somewhat to the guys (EDIT: make that KIDS) interested in underground fighting.

Now, I never liked The Karate Kid (I like Sean Farris about as much as I like Ralph Machio) and it created a following so this one might do better than I expect but nobody leaving this showing had anything but negative comments.

I'm really glad I didn't pay to see it. My friend and fellow actor is a MMA fighter and personal trainer (write an article for MMA Magazine - Chris Adler) and he felt the same about it as I did (he was glad to hear I agreed). Plus they cut a few of his scenes and his dialog. :-)

Oh, 1bad65 will like the car though.

jigahus

03-09-2008, 01:56 PM

Just watching the spots for it on tv I knew it was a POS.

GeneChing

03-10-2008, 09:52 AM

...it's the "evolution of The Karate Kid"

Actor gets his big break (http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/16427661.html)
Parma man knows to make dream reality, he must 'Never Back Down'
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Sunday, Mar 09, 2008

Former Parma resident Sean Faris feels as if he is carrying a new movie on his back. His back felt the pain, figuratively and literally.

The graduate of Padua Franciscan High School, who turns 26 later in March, has known since high school that he wanted to be a working actor. He skipped college, heading to Hollywood when he was 18, determined to make it.

''I love 'Action!' to 'Cut!' '' he said during a recent visit to Cleveland to promote the movie Never Back Down, which opens Friday.

''I love acting. That's the greatest adrenalin rush. . . .

''I didn't even take my SATs because I knew that going to college wasn't going to help me,'' Faris said with a growing intensity. ''An SAT score meant nothing in my line of business. I didn't take my SATs on purpose, to make it even harder for me to come back, to just give up. I gave myself no outs. . . .

''I would rather be broke and doing whatever I gotta do. I was tearing down garages and rebuilding them as guest houses. And moving my manager's rich celebrity clients from one mansion to the next mansion, to pay my rent. I never did get a regular job, 'cause I didn't want to have any comfort and money. . . . And after three years, I was fully self-supportive as an actor.''

Over the last eight years, he has built a resume that includes two TV series (Life as We Know It and Reunion) as well as some big-screen appearances; he was Dennis Quaid's oldest son in Yours, Mine and Ours. But the biggest deal to date is Never Back Down. He is the central character and star.

Faris plays Jake Tyler, a former football star with a lot of anger about the death of his father. As the movie begins, Jake's family is moving to Orlando, Fla., and he's both a newcomer and outsider. He quickly runs afoul of the school's toughest kid (Cam Gigandet, The O.C.). But he also finds solace through a mixed-martial-arts class and its coach (Djimon Hounsou).

The story of the movie is very familiar; Faris calls it an evolution of The Karate Kid, with mixed martial arts (MMA) instead of karate as its focus. Still, he said, ''I love the message of the movie, to fight for the right reasons — to fight for love, to fight to defend yourself, not out of anger and rage.''

But while Faris had been in sports in high school and had trained for sports in other show-biz productions, nothing prepared him for the effort required in Never Back Down. ''This is definitely the most intense thing I've been through in my life as far as physical training goes,'' he said.

While he was a fan of MMA, he had not done it before. Training took six hours a day, six days a week, for three months, he said. ''And that was just the stunt training and the choreography of the fight scenes,'' he said. ''We also spent a couple of hours a day with a weight trainer.''

Cast members had to see a chiropractor and a massage therapist regularly during training. Faris also was eating 5,000 calories a day, he said, to put on weight while doing all that work. ''We had to consume, consume, consume,'' he said. ''Six meals a day. It was ridiculous.''

And, even with all that training, it was dangerous.

During a fight training scene with Hounsou, Faris said, ''we did about eight, 10 takes of him body-slamming me, and then a hanging-arm throw. Finally my back gave out. . . . But I didn't know I broke it for about two weeks. I kept complaining to the producers — 'I can do it, man, but I'm hurtin'.' ''

Faris thinks the producers shrugged off his complaints as the laments of an actor being pushed, and that ''I don't think they realized my tolerance for pain from being in sports all my life.'' Finally, one day, his back seized up. He had to rest for six hours before finishing a scene. Then he went to a hospital, and discovered he had a severe back injury.

But he didn't back down.

Fight scenes were delayed while he healed. ''We did all the dialogue scenes,'' he said, although even for that ''they shot me through with painkillers.'' Eventually, he did the fight scenes, too, ''and I still did 75 percent of my stunts.''

Asked why he didn't just walk away, he said, ''The movie would have fallen apart. It's a $30 million film and it's Summit (Entertainment)'s first movie as a studio. This is my chance to really break through, and the last thing I want to do is let the insurance company know that I had a back injury that I couldn't finish the job with, because I'd never get insured for an action movie again.''

Filming the remaining fight scenes, he admitted he was fearful, but also confident in the cast and the stunt crew. ''So we got in there and did it.''

Now, he said, he is healed. He has traveled the country to promote the movie. But Faris still is trying not to think past ''Action'' and ''Cut.''

Asked how Never Back Down will do at the box office, he said, ''I have no idea. I'm staying here on planet Earth. I'm not gonna go to the moon right now, and live on cloud nine. I hear a lot of great things . . . but I've been in this business for eight years. I know how things go. . . . I just take it as it comes. . . .

''People don't realize the sacrifices that we (actors) make. They think that actors show up to work, we do a couple of lines, go home, live this fabulous life, have all this money. They don't see about when you've lived in an apartment on the floor, no money, no job, didn't know if you'd even break into the business. They don't talk about the 16-hour days. . . .

''But 'Action' to 'Cut' is what I love. I may complain here and there, when it's just too much, but everybody complains in every job at some point. At the end of the day, I am the most fortunate person.''

During a fight training scene with Hounsou, Faris said, ''we did about eight, 10 takes of him body-slamming me, and then a hanging-arm throw. Finally my back gave out. . . . But I didn't know I broke it for about two weeks. I kept complaining to the producers — 'I can do it, man, but I'm hurtin'.' ''

GeneChing

03-11-2008, 03:39 PM

...that's all? ;)

Tom Cruise and Cindy Crawford got together I’d be the byproduct :eek:

On a kick: Faris scores with martial arts role in ‘Never Back Down’ (http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/movies/general/view.bg?articleid=1079278&srvc=rss)
Stephen Schaefer By Stephen Schaefer / Movies
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - Updated 4h ago

Yeah, he knows.

Texas native Sean Faris, who stars in Friday’s “Never Back Down,” is a ringer for the Tom Cruise of 20 years ago, though taller.

“It’s funny,” said Faris, 25, (“Sleepover,” “Yours, Mine and Ours”) “People once wrote an article, if Tom Cruise and Cindy Crawford got together I’d be the byproduct.

“I got upset at one point, but I have my own career now. I do my thing,” said Faris (no relation to Anna Faris).

Like Ashton Kutcher and Josh Duhamel, his trip to Hollywood came via winning a modeling contest right after high school.

“Less than a month after I came out here,” he told the Herald, “I got cast in a teeny, teeny role in ‘Pearl Harbor.’ But my character stuck around, so I worked for two-and-a-half months. My head swelled so big, I couldn’t get through a door. ‘I’m going to be a star!’ ”

Faris can laugh now. “I spent all my money in a month. Broke, I didn’t work again for six months. The reality check set in, and I started over with acting classes.”

That was eight years ago, and now Faris has the starring role of Jake Tyler in “Never Back Down.”

Jake, haunted by the recent death of his alcoholic father, learns mixed martial arts under the tutelage of a wise mentor (two-time Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou) and gets his life in order.

“I’d never done mixed martial arts before in my life. I trained six hours a day, six days a week, for three-and-a-half months. That was not easy,” Faris said.

“In this business, a lot of times you sacrifice your personal life for your career,” he added. “That’s why I’ve never had a ‘normal’ job, as a waiter or anything like that. I wanted to stay extremely hungry - and I was.”

冠木侍

03-12-2008, 06:13 PM

You never know...this could be Sean's breakout roll. All we have to go on is the tv trailer. I think I'll wait to watch it (either in the theatre or on dvd later on) and then give some sort to critique.

GeneChing

03-13-2008, 09:24 AM

If nothing else, the number of reviews are a demonstration of the film's relevance. I like this LA Times piece because it brings up Flashpoint (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46000) and Red Belt (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46439) too. The author is paying more attention than most others.

Mixed martial arts films have a chokehold on action (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-mma13mar13,1,6766566.story)
Get ready for a wave of mixed martial arts films. Even Mamet is in the ring.
By Chris Lee, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 13, 2008
SINCE the '70s, they have arrived in grind-house movie theaters each year with the inexorable certainty of new moons and changing seasons: martial arts films featuring sweaty men engaged in hand-to-hand combat, pledging fealty to codes of honor, duty and dojo respect.

But 2008 is shaping up to be a watershed on the chop-socky film front.

To hear it from Hong Kong movie stars, zeitgeist chasers, action enthusiasts -- even a Serious Auteur -- Hollywood has set its sights on the next new thing: mixed martial arts.

In MMA (as aficionados call this polymathic blood sport), every physical punishment short of eye-gouging, biting and below-the-belt cheap shots is officially sanctioned. It's the stuff of those hugely popular Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts: down and dirty, jujitsu-style grappling that utilizes a repertoire of arm bars, leg locks, chokeholds and submission poses in addition to the obligatory karate kicks and punches.

Ergo, the new movies featuring MMA -- the teen-skewing coming-of-age story "Never Back Down" and the bloody Hong Kong police procedural "Flash Point" (both of which open Friday); David Mamet's martial arts Catch-22 "Redbelt" (out in May); and the documentaries "Caged for Life" (which will screen at the Beverly Hills Film Festival next month) and the well-reviewed, mom-and-pop-produced indie feature "Under Pressure: Diary of a Cage Fighter's Wife" -- showcase gritty fisticuffs and wrestling tussles quite unlike the vast majority of filmic fighting popular up until this point.

"Flash Point" star Donnie Yen is one of Asia's most revered action heroes, a veteran of some 50 thrillers who directed all the stunts in his latest film. In Yen's view, MMA's visceral approximation of nasty street brawling already has changed the face of movie action -- a revolutionary shift away from the stylized kind of high-wire fight choreography that helped popularize films such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the "Matrix" trilogy.

"I think MMA is here to stay," Yen said by phone from Shanghai. "For me as an action director, it's where action filmmaking is going. Now people will laugh at you if you do all that fancy jumping in the air. It wouldn't work in a real situation. I think you're going to have MMA in contemporary action films from now on."

Teen fighters

It's enough to make Jean-Claude van Damme cry. Unlike with previous generations of movie tough guys, the victor in MMA films' climactic battles is never the last man standing. He's either on the ground with the other guy in a headlock or twisting his limbs into a pretzel.

In "Never Back Down" -- the first American-made MMA-focused film to receive a wide theatrical release -- hot-headed Iowa football hero Jake Tyler (played by Sean Faris) relocates to Orlando, Fla., only to find himself sucked into a teen version of "Fight Club" after the school bully (Cam Gigandet) publicly humiliates him using MMA. But under the tutelage of a sagely mixed martial arts instructor (Djimon Hounsou in the Mr. Miyagi role), Jake attempts to right his life, channel his rage into positivity and protect those he loves from MMA bullies.

"Never Back Down's" director, Jeff Wadlow, said he was aware of MMA's reputation as the fastest-growing sport in America but hardly qualified as an aficionado before signing on to the project. "There are some good reasons it's exploding in popularity and some not-so-good reasons," Wadlow said. "People can appreciate the strategic, tactical aspects of close-quarters, ground game fighting. But there are people who perceive MMA as more violent, as legalized street fighting. We wanted to look at it in terms of life as a struggle. As Djimon's character says, 'Everyone has their fight.' "

"Never Back Down's" writer, Chris Hauty, said he felt fortunate to be an early responder to MMA's sudden mass appeal. "I couldn't believe there were so few attempts to set a film in this world," Hauty said. "In any subject, there's only a limited number of stories to tell. So when there's the inevitable movie featuring an MMA master being blasted off to Planet X, you'll know the ground is too well tilled."

Tamera and Todd Sturgis, the director and documentary subject of "Under Pressure," never set out to make an MMA movie. Todd Sturgis, a former state wrestling champion turned long-haul truck driver, was looking to get back into fighting shape via mixed martial arts. And Tamera Sturgis (who also drives a big rig and has appeared in the "Stacked & Packed" calendar series as a bikini model) started filming his training sessions in 2003 to show friends and family the brutal yet fascinating subculture into which her husband had thrown himself.

"I thought, 'This is insane. I have to get this on tape,' " she said. "But then I got so much interest from anyone who ever saw me with a camera -- everyone I came across was saying, 'I want to see whatever it is you shot' -- I thought, 'There's a lot more to this than showing the family what Todd's doing at the downtown gym.' "

The couple self-financed the $50,000 film, a personal saga that depicts not only cringe-inducing cage match action but also the tight-knit MMA community (wives, children, parents and even supportive librarians). Three years after its completion, "Under Pressure" has not been picked up by a distributor despite glowing reviews in the MMA press (for info, check www.mycagefighter.com).

The documentary "Caged for Life" similarly depicts the heartbreak, jubilation and grueling training regimen that come with competing in MMA. The film also spotlights the sport's growing maturation, following a selection of male and female combatants headed for a title ticket to be broadcast on Showtime -- mixed martial arts' premium cable TV premiere. (Last month, CBS announced plans to begin airing MMA fight cards on Saturday nights beginning next year.)

David Mamet's 'Redbelt'

But of the current crop of mixed martial arts movies, none comes with the art-house expectations or concerted, multi-platform marketing push of essayist-playwright-director-screenwriter David Mamet's "Redbelt."

The action drama follows Brazilian jujitsu instructor Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who imparts to his students street survival skills in lieu of promoting contest competition. A series of unfortunate events brings Mike into the orbit of an action movie hero (Tim Allen) and his Hollywood minions. But soon, Mike finds himself backed into a corner as a result of an elaborate con job and is forced to violate his personal ethics -- he never fights for profit -- in order to salvage his business, marriage and sense of pride.

According to "Redbelt" producer Chrisann Verges, Mamet felt compelled to set the movie within MMA because of his personal involvement with jujitsu. The 60-year-old Oscar nominee is an accomplished martial artist.

"David's a brown belt; he started training six years ago and got captivated by the whole world of fighters -- by their dignity and respect for tradition," Verges said. "He wanted to write an American samurai story and thought the world of jujitsu would be perfect for it."

The producer denied that MMA's sudden cultural ubiquity had factored into Mamet's interest: "There was no commercial impetus. He had no idea MMA was going to take off. He was not trying to cash in on something."

"Redbelt's" distributor, Sony Pictures Classics, plans to promote the film to both the art house and the grind house: It's running commercials and holding giveaway contests in conjunction with the mucho macho cable channel Spike TV. But also, Mamet has been invited to privately screen the movie for members at New York's Lincoln Center.

"This movie legitimizes the world of MMA," said Sony Pictures Classics co-founder and co-president Tom Bernard. "Mamet made a fight movie that's like a '40s fight movie with John Garfield. It's not exploitative. You don't have guys going to Thailand, sweating it out. So we have two campaigns: one directed at MMA guys and another at the more upscale theaters. The movie appeals to both sides."

GeneChing

03-13-2008, 12:27 PM

... is our review. Make sure you forward it to your friends ;)

NEVER BACK DOWN - MMA Meets KARATE KID (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=750)by Dr. Craig Reid

doug maverick

03-14-2008, 12:21 AM

i'm tempted to see this.

GeneChing

03-14-2008, 09:21 AM

You'll have to give us a review when you do, Doug. I think I'm still going to wait for the DVD.

'Never Back Down' (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/14/DDL6VIONE.DTL&hw=never+back+down&sn=001&sc=1000)

ALERT VIEWER Youth drama. Starring Sean Faris, Amber Heard, Djimon Hounsou and Cam Gigandet. Directed by Jeff Wadlow (PG-13. 113 minutes. At Bay Area theaters. For complete movie listings and show times, and to buy tickets for select theaters, go to sfgate.com/movies.)

"Never Back Down" is a junior version of "Fight Club," only with no movie stars and different moves. The killer sport practiced by a group of Orlando teens is called mixed martial arts - or MMA, as insiders say. It's a combination of wrestling, karate, judo, sambo and other exotic disciplines.

The boys compete like Roman gladiators in front of a noisy crowd that eggs them on. There will be blood, and copious amounts of it. Closing your eyes to avoid excess gore - one fighter practically has the skin ripped off his face, for example - only helps so much. The amplified sound of bodies being slammed together or scraped along the floor or of kicks administered full force to limbs creates a picture in your mind even if you're not looking.

Around these competitions, the filmmakers have fashioned a formulaic story of a troubled teenager, Jake (Sean Faris), who moves from Iowa to Orlando after his father is killed in a car crash for which Jake blames himself. A star football player in Iowa, Jake achieves legendary status by beating up a competitor who calls his dad a drunk. His new classmates have seen the fight on YouTube and are anxious to initiate him in MMA.

YouTube plays a major role in "Never Back Down." There's a sense that everything these youngsters do is fodder for videotape. To the extent this is true, private moments hardly exist.

The class bully, Ryan (Cam Gigandet), goads Jake into a fight before he's ready, using the sexy Baja (Amber Heard) as bait. Jake, who lives with his mother and brother in a small condo, is in awe when he arrives at Ryan's mansion for a party. It could be the Playboy mansion, with two girls kissing in a bubble bath and a bunch more hanging out at the pool in bikinis. Looking around, Jake realizes the only way he'll ever best Ryan and get Baja's attention is in a competition.

Jeff Wadlow, who won a contest paying $1 million to make his first film, "Cry Wolf," directs "Never Back Down" at a frenzied pace as if building up anticipation for Jake and Ryan's first rumble. Jake's flashbacks to his father's death appear in fast motion.

After losing the first fight, Jake studies mixed martial arts under a master (Djimon Hounsou). You might wonder what a two-time Oscar nominee is doing in a movie for teens. Far from acting like he's slumming, he brings great dignity to the role, not to mention muscles.

The fights are parceled out at intervals during the last half, all leading to a climactic battle. But it's hard to build suspense when you know it is coming and you know who will win.

Faris is movie-star handsome but rather stiff in scenes calling for him to be emotional. You don't buy his attachment to Baja. Heard is more energetic during the romantic parts, but the costume department isn't doing her any favors by dressing her so scantily. Most of the men in the audience will have their attention diverted from whatever she has to say. Gigandet, the best known of the trio from his starring role on "The OC," shamelessly overacts, flaring his nostrils to show Ryan's contempt for Jake.

"Never Back Down" pretty much goes by the book for this kind of movie. But one scene sticks out. In a classic literature course, the teacher asks about the significance of Achilles' shield. From the students' interest, you wonder if they're thinking it could come in handy at the next MMA meet.

-- Advisory: Gore, fight scenes and provocative clothing.

- Ruthe Stein

doug maverick

03-14-2008, 09:48 AM

well i said i'm tempted to see it. i didn't say in the theaters;) but just because i want to see djimon honsou do some martial arts cause i think this guy would make a excellent black panther. plus i know he has a strong back ground in kung fu and boxing.

SevenStar

03-14-2008, 10:51 AM

I may go check this out tonight, not sure. Anyhoo, regardless of how good or bad the movie is, it does mark an evolution - a good one, IMO. Personally, I get sick of the sped up, high flying wire fighting. If I wanted high flying and camera effects, I would watch power rangers. I think they were on the right track with the fight scenes on the 'Bourne' series, and I think this may be a logical progression of that. Today, we have mma, we have reality shows, etc. In the mist of the reality craze, why are we still featuring movies with absurdly unreal fight scenes?

GeneChing

03-14-2008, 11:07 AM

...you'll have to give us your review here. :cool:

冠木侍

03-14-2008, 02:25 PM

This movies is likened to the Karate Kid but for some reason, the vibe I get from this movie reminds me of Only of the Strong.

doug maverick

03-14-2008, 07:09 PM

only the strong. i don't know where you get that from. only the strong took place in a poor "ghetto" where as this is about rich white kids with to much time on there hands.

冠木侍

03-14-2008, 08:25 PM

The backdrop is different but the premise still reminds me of Only the Strong. Kids learning martial arts to better themselves from a mentor that pushed them to be better. That is how I make the connection.

BTW, the kids in the barrio also had nothing but time on their hands.

Try to look at things from other points of view in the future and try not to be so quick to put down other people's opinions.

SevenStar

03-15-2008, 07:23 PM

just left the theater,but I am not typing a review on a phone... I will say it reminded me nothing of only the strong though..,

SevenStar

03-16-2008, 08:10 AM

Okay, yeah, that didn't remind me of only the strong. It's more like the O.C. meets karate meets bloodsport.

The hero isn't a guy who wants to better himself through martial arts - he was actually a football jock and didn't want to fight. However, through the miracle of the internet, an altercation he was in was caught on tape, put on the internet and watched by millions. That fight gave him a rep as a badass, when in reality he was just an athlete with heart and a hard right. I won't get into the story details to avoid spoilers, but here is something to consider with the karate kid comparison:

jake = daniel
jean roqua = mr. miyagi
ryan and company = johnny, tommy, bobby and dutch
the beatdown = all valley tournament

it's not that the kids had nothing better to do - it's what they wanted to do. It was said that ryan is only happy when he is fighting and that jake is only happy when he is in the gym. They had plenty to do, but chose MA to occupy themselves. If you do want to draw a comparison to Only The Strong though, you can say that :

max = the nerd dj that made the paranue remix

The fight scenes are refreshing - there are NO wire moves at all. The closest thing you see to wire moves are the capoeristas and the two superman punches. Everything else was fairly on point from a realistic fighting perspective. Matches were won with the RNC, a knee bar, triangle choke, arm bars and strikes, even a couple of head kicks. you also see the ankle lock and kimura and a lot of transitioning and movement on the ground. There were also some good throws and takedowns, particularly the double legs and harai goshi. Good stuff.

What I really liked were the training scenes. Good sound stuff - rope climbing, squats, bench pressing, chains, kettlebells, tire flipping, circuit training, sprawl drills and more. The training was as realistic as the fighting.

I think it's also interesting how they use the power of the internet.

SevenStar

03-16-2008, 08:32 AM

Kids learning martial arts to better themselves from a mentor that pushed them to be better. That is how I make the connection.

that connection is never revealed in any character other than jake, and that wasn't his initial motivation. Ryan's dad had him in martial arts from the time he could walk and jake only wanted to train so that he could get revenge on ryan. It seemed to me that mos of those guys trained because they want to fight, which earned them power and respect.

BTW, the kids in the barrio also had nothing but time on their hands.

Those kids were forced into the program. It was the last step before writing them off and kicking them out of the school entirely. None of them wanted to train until afterward.

冠木侍

03-16-2008, 06:24 PM

SevenStar

03-17-2008, 08:23 AM

I appreciate the input, SevenStar. Thanks for showing some courtesy. It was an initial thought...having not seen NBD yet (probably not for some time or maybe real soon) and with having seen Only the Strong some time ago. The differences between the two movies are more apparent now. It was something that I thought MIGHT have been an interesting connection. I'll still have to see for myself one of these days.

The Karate Kid link had already been done and I could clearly see that one. O.C. and shows like that I never really got into but I know the basic storyline (if you can call it as such).

As a martial artist, I'm sure a lot of the things in NBD are interesting. Your review, just on the techniques was enough to peak some interest.

**It looks like you did not catch the matinee. Was it worth 10+ dollars in your opinion?

I've actually never seen an episode of the O.C. I grew out of those shows back in the mid 90's when I stopped watching melrose place... Heck, I've never even seen dawson's creek. But all of the commercials I saw for the O.C. was like pretty boy wants popular girl, they're all rich and live around palm trees - kinda like NBD. One of the things I did like about the movie though is that they don't focus on the money. You see their houses and things, so you know the money is there, but it's not mentioned much. It makes for comic relief though:

jake: does EVERYONE here have big houses like this?
make: big? this is the guest house...

In my city, it's only $7 to catch a movie, and I woulda paid that just for the training scenes alone, without regard to the plot. I like to see things like that in fight films. I also like the training in the most recent rocky movie, though the film itself wasn't that hot.

Yao Sing

03-17-2008, 12:22 PM

Lucas

03-17-2008, 12:28 PM

Flash Point FTW

sanjuro_ronin

03-17-2008, 12:30 PM

Flash Point FTW

Correctumondo !

SevenStar

03-17-2008, 06:41 PM

The rich kids thing was another annoyance to me, just an excuse to show a big party scene with bikinis in hot tubs. Realistically how often does a new kid from a poor family immediately make friends with the upper class at a new school, plus winning over the rich hottie. Of course her boyfriend just has to be a POS low life so you actually want her to go with the "hero".

he wasn't the typical poor kid. He was popular from jump street because video of him kicking that dude's ass was all over the internet. I think they did good with that. Now, without that element, then yeah, his rise to popularity would have been way too unrealistic.

Sorry for being such a downer on this film but it's just way too typical and formula based. I don't see the training scenes as anything exceptional, just regular gym type training. You must watch too many Shaw Bros. flicks or something.

exactly my point. Real gym training. Not the crap you see in other movies.

No wire work but trick heavy bag gags as well as a few "flash" moves in the fight scenes. I think the MMA crowd needs to get off the mistaken idea that hitting a bag while working out or wrestling in a fight is cutting edge and a shocking sight to Martial Artists.

the bourne series had flash too. Heck, desh was a capoerista. it's still WAY less flash then any TMA movie you see today and most from yesterday. I actually think that was something the original karate kid movie did well with.

Now I do recommend seeing the film to support low budet films and Martial Arts films. I'm sure there will be quite a few who will like it but it's just not very creative to me. The Karate Kid had a following, something I don't understand, and people love that film.

it did okay. It was 3rd at the box office, which and made like 9 million, which isn't bad for an MA movie, especially one which doesn't have a really big name as the main character.

The MMA fanbase, of course, will cream over any type of submission attempt or close-up of a RNC pose. Just like the film I did with the Wing Chun guys that got wood over a series of chain punches in a fight scene. It all depends on your interests.

most likely. Heck, the WC guys on this forum creamed about WC apps that they saw in the ANIMATED star wars series on cartoon network...

I like to see more realistic fighting but the bottom line is I go to be entertained and I wasn't really entertained by this film. It's a "made for profit, don't take any chances with creative influence" standard film. Predictable pretty much the whole way through.

can't really argue with that. Point is though, that the movie can break ground as far as MA fighting in films goes. Maybe it will signal an end to the matrix, crouching tiger crap that has been put in front of us for the past two decades or so.

doug maverick

03-17-2008, 07:21 PM

i hate that stupid sliding bag effect. they put the bag on a slider and when its hit, it looks like the guys have all that power when they don't

Yao Sing

03-17-2008, 07:38 PM

doug maverick

03-17-2008, 08:42 PM

sanjuro_ronin

03-18-2008, 10:15 AM

Quick question to clear somethign up:

Does the "new kid" go into training with no prior MA fighting ability and and a short period of time beat the "bad guy" at his own game?

SevenStar

03-18-2008, 10:53 AM

Quick question to clear somethign up:

Does the "new kid" go into training with no prior MA fighting ability and and a short period of time beat the "bad guy" at his own game?

No spoilers in this thread dude. Go see it. :p

SevenStar

03-18-2008, 10:55 AM

well the thing is real fights are not visually aesthetic. everything has to be exagerated for the camera, except for the acting that is.as for djimon honsou he studeied boxing and kung fu for years in france and america.

They can be. the bourne series is a perfect example. Another good example is the 1979 film "The Warriors" also, check out some of cagney's old stuff - and his fights were judo based.

sanjuro_ronin

03-18-2008, 10:58 AM

The reason that bourne stuff works is first off its based on Kali and Kali rules !
:D
Second, the editing is done so well and quick that we see just enough and not too much.

SevenStar

03-18-2008, 11:01 AM

i hate that stupid sliding bag effect. they put the bag on a slider and when its hit, it looks like the guys have all that power when they don't

I think you guys are looking at it wrong. It's no secret the bags were on a slider - when you see roqua putting the bags away, he slides them all down to the end. The point is this - when you take a 250lb heavy bag and let a newbie kick it, what happens? Nothing. it sounds like there is no impact and the bag seems motionless. Take someone who is more conditioned at hits harder and he can make the bag move. Take someone who is even better and the bag makes a thud noise, yet doesn't move, because the impact is focused and you arent' pushing the bag. To kick the bag down the slider would be a difficult task with a really heavy bag. It's like me putting you behind a firetruck and telling you to push it.

sanjuro_ronin

03-18-2008, 11:03 AM

250lbs bag ??

Dude !!

When I kick the heavy bag, it cries !!

Oh wait, that's me.
:D

Lucas

03-18-2008, 11:03 AM

I remember seeing a butterfly twist in the latest bourne movie:p

And i want an answer to sanjuro's question too.

It's been out long enough spoil it. I dont plan to go pay for this at the box office.

just put a big

SPOILER tag at the top of the post

sanjuro_ronin

03-18-2008, 11:08 AM

Movies based on "training for revenge" always remind me of this story:

The young fighter saw the old master sitting having his tea in the restaurant.
" I would like to challenge you old man", he said.
The old master looked up at the arrogant youth, admired his body, one liked he had in his youth, and sighed, "very well".
The match lasted less then 30 seconds and the youth was badly beaten.
"come and have some tea with me young man", said the old master.
"no thank you", the youth said as he sulked off.
Determined never to be beaten again he trained every day for hours and hours, fought countless of challenge matched, never losing, finally after months and months of training and fighting he was ready !
He went back to the same restaurant, the same day of the week, the same hour of the day and there was the Old Master, drinking his tea.
" I am back old man, I challenge you again".
The old Master looked up and saw the same youth that had so reminded him of himself, he had gotten more powerful, but meaner, darker...
"Very well", the old master said,
"I have never been faster or more powerful than I am right now", said the youth.
"I have fought many challenges and never been bested !", he proclaimed.
" Since our last fight, I have trained non-stop, harder then ever before !!", he said as he attacked to Old master with blinding speed.
The old master beat him in less than 10 seconds this time.
As he looked at the youth lying there, the old master sighed and walked aways, and under his breath he was heard saying:
" So have I young one, So have I".

SevenStar

03-18-2008, 11:20 AM

I just don't think that. film wise, you can go too far from the flash. Film fighting and real fighting are miles apart and using real apps and fighting will narrow your viewer base. Sure MA guys will like it but the general public wants a certain level of flash.

these days, I don't think they do. That's why mma is growing so poular. Using your pendulum statement, it's swinging away from flash right now.

The Bourne series did a real good job balancing realistic moves with a really good visual element. Short fast moves are great in real life but the camera might not pick them up or the audience might miss it altogether, that's why the need for long looping punches and jump spinning back kicks.

I don't think the audience cares. one of the most popular fights scenes (at least from the ones I've heard people talking about and seen talked about online) in the bourne series was in supremacy when bourne fought jarda. That was not a flashy fight at all. There was a lot of destruction. Fast strikes that end in broken tables and shattered glass makes the crowd just as happy.

I'd just like to see more real life MA guys doing the fight scenes but then look how well "The Eliminator" did with Bas Rutten. I thought someone mentioned Djimon had some MA training but if he does they didn't let him show it off. I think they just hired him for his muscle.

honestly, from your posts, I don't think you are miffed about the movie itself. You just don't like the fact that the real MA guys weren't used as anything more than extras.

I was just thinking too, they aren't allowed to get into real fights but I don't recall hearing them training for any competitions. What's up with that?

remember, this is like an updated karate kid story. Miyagi didn't want daniel to fight or compete either. Remember in karate kid three, daniel had to leave miyagi, because he wouldn't train him for the tournament. In movies, that is a noble thing. In reality, not so much. However, that's not much different from the zillions of schools in existence that don't compete. On the plus side, at least they did spar with intensity. But I digress. back to the statement, I think they leave it open for us to decide on our own, because it can go one of two ways:

1. we know that both he and his brother were professional fighters, so it's natural that his guys will compete

2. because fighting is what led to his brother's fate, he is appalled by fighting he doesn't want them either fighting or competing

SevenStar

03-18-2008, 11:23 AM

I remember seeing a butterfly twist in the latest bourne movie:p

I mentioned that above already - desh was a capoeirista.

the bourne series had flash too. Heck, desh was a capoerista. it's still WAY less flash then any TMA movie you see today and most from yesterday.

GeneChing

03-18-2008, 11:44 AM

$8 mill is respectable, but it's ironic that it lost top spot to Horton and the woolly mammoths. There's a great pun to be made in there, but I'm not going to work that hard at it.

Horton Hears a Huge $45 Million Opening Weekend (http://www.movieweb.com/news/39/27339.php)
Weekend Box Office:

1) Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who $45.1 million
2) 10,000 B.C. $16.4 million
3) Never Back Down $8.6 million
4) College Road Trip $7.8 million
5) Vantage Point $7.8 million
6) The Bank Job $4.9 million
7) Doomsday $4.7 million
8) Semi-Pro $3 million
9) The Other Boleyn Girl $2.9 million
10) The Spiderwick Chronicles $2.3 million

Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who proved to have the biggest box office opening of not only this weekend, but of 2008 thus far. The Fox animated adaptation of the 1954 Suess classic roped in a healthy $45 million, high above industry expectations. The film, voiced by Jim Carey and Steve Carell, is the fifth biggest grosser in animated, G rated history. This can mean only one thing: A full-length theatrical adaptation of Green Eggs and Ham isn't very far off in the future.

Last week's 10,000 B.C. came limping into second place with a paltry $16.4 million, though it made double that of its third place competitor Never Back Down. The high-kicking kiddy Fight Club only managed to scrap $8 million worth of ticket sales together, but that was enough to make it a modest hit for Summit releasing. We will most likely see a sequel to this Karate Kid wannabe sometime in the near future.

Doomsday, the week's only other major release, hit with a thud in seventh place earning an estimated $4.7 million. On the indie front, Funny Games took in $520,000 on 289 screens, while the drama Sleepwalking raked in just under $50,000 on 30 screens.

Next week, Horton and the Mayor of Who-Ville will have to face down the behemoth Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns as well as Shutter, Drillbit Taylor, and The Grand.

SevenStar

03-18-2008, 12:14 PM

you ever try to bridge and roll a wooly mammoth that has mount on you?

Hardest
Feat
Ever.

GeneChing

03-18-2008, 12:50 PM

...although I hear woolly mammoths are vulnerable to the ol' mata leon...err, I guess that would be the mata mammoth. :p

Lucas

03-18-2008, 01:14 PM

I mentioned that above already - desh was a capoeirista.

Dang, always gotta beat everyone to the punch doncha;)

Yao Sing

03-18-2008, 05:25 PM

Quick question to clear somethign up:

Does the "new kid" go into training with no prior MA fighting ability and and a short period of time beat the "bad guy" at his own game?

Take a guess, especially considering my comments about how formula based and typical it is.

these days, I don't think they do. That's why mma is growing so poular. Using your pendulum statement, it's swinging away from flash right now.

That's what I was saying.

honestly, from your posts, I don't think you are miffed about the movie itself. You just don't like the fact that the real MA guys weren't used as anything more than extras.

Very true. Are my comments that vague? I thought I pretty much said straight out I'd rather see a MA guy trying to act than an actor pretending to fight.

Djimon didn't do much so they didn't utilize his MA skills to the fullest. They had real fighters but seemed to downplay them. Let the guys (and girls) do what they do best.

You want realistic fights scenes get real fighters (no offense to the choreographer, he did a really good job).

Just like that crappy Wing Chun short film. Instead of having Jen do some Capoiera moves they wanted her to jump on the guys back (he's tall and she's short) and try to scratch his eyes out. Of course they were WC guys and really didn't want anyone to look better than their chain punch extravaganza.

SevenStar

03-18-2008, 06:23 PM

yeah, real MA would have been better, but it is what it is. Djimon wasn't supposed to be showcased I don't think - He was only the teacher; his fighting days were long done. However, his transitions on the ground while demonstrating were nice, as was his double leg.

SevenStar

03-18-2008, 06:24 PM

BTW, there is a remake of the karate kid coming out next year. From what I hear, will smith's son is the new daniel-san.

No_Know

03-20-2008, 05:15 PM

Spoiler

If the Swing is going away from flash then thatr might mak lack of flash a sell-point. I think it's really nifty to have a movies somebody here by-the-way.

Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who, 10,000 B.C. Never Back Down--College Road Trip.
Vantage Point (for) The Bank Job $4.9 million (Rooftops--Capoera, teens, focus) (can be) Doomsday (especially if you are) Semi-Pro (or) The Other Boleyn Girl. (These are) The Spiderwick Chronicles Kung-Fu's first name is Hard-Work, Gene.

The boy was not a troubled teen as much as a person with baggage. Troubled teen has girl/boy trouble, thinks studying is to much or has peer problems-socially. This guy was cool. He had a Trigger. Hinting at the situation he's been going should-I or shouldn't I have..I shouldn't have...My Fault..Don't let anyone Know. But other than that he seemed pretty O.K...

The fighting was not for the girl but to protect. Maffioso think--you won't cooperate, her's your little girl's ear now maybe you talk with us? No Offense to Maffiosos. If this depicts maffiosos in a bad light apologies- no offense intended. Oh Well then here's your wife's pinky finger should I go on or you going to capitulate?...How many people would get hurt to force this guy into a fight? Didn't want to find out so went to the It tournament.

There's the savant brother.

Three main guys had father issues. The bully wasn't a bully just kept-up to appease his father. The Jock bore guilt. And the Teacher mouthed off that he was good and Correct, but just cause you're good doesn't mean you get away with winning in the real World.
No_Know

No_Know

03-21-2008, 09:03 AM

SevenStar

03-21-2008, 12:38 PM

dude...look online. I got a side job writing movie trivia for a social trivia website - that's why I watch so many movies. I get about $600 a month, which isn't bad considering I have two other jobs...

No_Know

03-21-2008, 01:27 PM

Being unemployed I put in applications (by the way if someone has or knows of a job for a down on his Luck Kung-Fu person 9 30 a.m. to 4 30 p.m. weekdays...)

Spoiler

I went to a movie theater for a job because I had seen they were looking for help. At least they placed an ad. I had noticed a title that I associated with martial arts and recent. I had an application in and it was nearly movie time...watch it...watch it with these in mind, it was Five dollar Tuesday, I could still eat and travel if I spent the money, I had done at east some job hunting that day, and it's a martial arts related film, I might not get-ish this opportunity again.

I Saw a super beautiful conceptual ad for a Double star headed film- both high elevation in their field(if I use the names then it might be said I liked the first one more...therefore No_Knames). Classic conceptual Kung-Fu stuffs--ability and relationships--teacher-teacher, teacher-student).

I went in with glimpses of bare-top guys and thinkig fight tournament, mixed martial arts extreme, capoiera, gritty fight for your life something. The move started and there was no floral jungle...Where's the foliage of the jungle? Then there's more dressed people and cars. Woah!! I got this wrong and the martial arts film might have a similar name, But I missed it this time.

I settled in for a high school story. Then bAMmmm and bAMmmmm O.K. and typical nerd beat sort-of -thing. Well fruit-me TWIST. O.K. Got it only to find I didn't get it so much.

New guy who Loves his dead father and grieves constantly and can Whail--skilled at, What-did-you-say-to-me?-Take -it-back-or-I'll-make-you...and then makes you, covers in class for pretty gum-chewer-type gal--not wanting to break the unity of We're students-Hunh?--Did-you-say-something?-We-are-Stupid she paused and rolled eyes sortoof-thing. Seeming to be hoping to moove enough in silence that the teacher would pass her over (Silence like the Angle of Death stalking Pharoes Land that first plague sequence around Moses). Then up from the depths arises a champion. And I realizes he doesn't fight but is a student of strategy and war or aggression. Giving an insightful response to the teachers question about the peaceful symbolism of the "Illiad" thugh tauted for perhaps its praise of War.

Super-Cool And peeks my interest to search for the detail when I read older stories. But more for this movie (and not a thought until writing--hen-pecking this) the insight of the overt versus the actual--people see warriors they sum-it-up as War-thing. Then by association fighting and remove themselves further because they by association supposedly get-it, and assign supposedly popular judgement values of that's crass, how stupid it's just more violence, get a clue, get-over-yourself, there-should-bemore to life...politically correct (Attempts (wipe your nose-it's got some brown flecks and smears that don't need to be there).

Answering with a well thought-out response that addresses the question can put you in shunsville with classmates. But taking the heat off the pretty gal get you digits or an invite to a party...Not...not unless you can see by her heavily used book that she likely only plays stupid but is actually smart (And let us consider taht a person realizing that being stupid in a group of stupid is like Arnold S. in his roll in Predetor covering-up with mud to be not seen, also, the character Rambo (Sylvester S-actor). Someone seeing that you have value when you try to hide the fact is worth investing in. He gets an invite with the flirt to come because she would like to see him again.

His clothes are off and he answers questions teachers ask. Two Big marks against the new guy. Attracted by her smarts he goes to the party. And here is where I get an education and Get-it.

This talkie is good for pointing out social relations of the High school culture.

No_Know

03-23-2008, 08:03 AM

SPOILER

Some school's thing might be surfing or skateboarder. Here the radest coolest movin' groovin' Step-aside-Susan, gets highest social status in the social caste system of High school. But this Florida place...Brawling is the It thing.

And at this party I realize this. Which broadened my horizons into High School of these people have value assigned to something and it can vary from region to region, state to state, city to city, School to School.

I was known my first day at High School. But that was relating to my relationship with someone who had bee going there at least last year--it was 7-8-9 grade school. A Brawl fanatic community will access current brawl related material. That, Don't-talk-bad-about-my-father-and-me vent on the football field must have gotten recorded. And while the it al might have been YouTube centered I mostly got that handheld devices were viable sources of media content. And writing that I now imagine a team of researchers exploring with military recon efficiency as to distancing and collecting data transmitting observation notes and having that analysed abd getting feedbak while in the field. Not merey collecting it all then returning to base and waiting or even having to go back to the company, the laboratory the college...but within seven minutes geting updates on what they just discovered, allowing them to further advance theirresearch/exploration. No_Know

There is a Chinese thing of I teach you learn feel to the talkie. But more at, Iwas where you are. Show me you want it Bad, then Show me what you've got.

They do get to show me what you've got, but Jock got to don't-have-more-to-give. And here is where you get the current title as the I've-been-there coach introduces the I-do-not-have-anymore jock to DIg-and-Give--dig-in and give me more--that part of you you reserve by quitting before you go-all-out-Heart. Onedesires or lus ts and you might go all-out-Want. But we are Human and miraculous. We have depths. But one depth we have is Greatness. Never back Down refers to the attitude of the guilt-ridden Jock, the machismo of the bullys Father, the bully, the Coaches father's grief at the loss of a favorite son, the coach's training to his students and the resolution of Fight or all you love is in jeopardy..

The Coach Has a Never Back Down teaching to cross you over to the parts of yourself you didn't want to face. But backs off when you shatter the wall of can't-do and do't have. This coach and coaching levels-up.

Putting your fist an inch away from the target and punching you hear a material crumpling at your touch. Bruce Lee demonstrated a punch from a bout an inch away and you might have hear the target hitting the chair a foot or so behind him as he got put in his seat from the reaction to the force of Bruce Lee's punch. In this talkie the seavy bag was a marker of developmnt. Put on a slider for training--since what you hit moves, having a target that backs off and can charge you might add a greater understanding of relating to an opponent. But the boy kicks the bag and didn't expect more than he got--it doesn't really move, you just hit it andit'shard. I hit hard. The Coach hits it an rocks it showing Power. And kicks it it moves seven feet. the friction of moving the bag is less or greater depending on if it was preceeded by a right punch or left punch. But there is a notice of difference of level. Where the Coach Is and the Jock now realises to aim-for.

It's a story of family relations and convictions, Self doubt, uncertainty, Trust, Hope Fear, and Guilt. When you never back down fron the thigs that trouble you you might someday face them and find they have no face and have no real substance and there is Nicenes where there was Uncertainty and you are nolonger stuck in yourself or your Passed. But can move freer, lighter. a lightness of Being.

No_Know

Single mom of two boys
Widowed wife
Tennis Savant
Smart Jock
Brainy Beauty
Humbled Brother
Desperate Youth
A son who can never be good enough in his father's eyes
Guilty Good Son
Honoring the parent
Facing fears or looking at youself and seeing yourSelf.
Disfunctional Family/Family

I liked the MMA training scenes. If blah or typical, I don't see that on My path. it was new-ish and interesting. I went to a training place and saw the circuit and traing like in the talkie I loiked that. I did Kung-Fu from Manuals so when in the Karate Kid the guy was studying kicking from the book, I liked that it was me there-ish and this association is what might create a following in movie that analysis wise might be lacking for movie standards.

It was fun exciting and nice. Liked the tie-in beginning and end and nice endings for the characters.

No_Know

Yao Sing

03-23-2008, 12:09 PM

This film is taking a beating on the IMDB Forum (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023111/board).

It also references the similarity to an old Billy Blanks film Showdown (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111174/).

Yao Sing

03-23-2008, 01:01 PM

Interesting disclaimer when you click on the trivia (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023111/trivia) link on the IMDB page.

"As a disclaimer, this movie is not an accurate representation of MMA."

SevenStar

03-23-2008, 05:12 PM

of course. it's not oscar material nor is it anything close. but the evolution it represents is what's important

冠木侍

03-30-2008, 08:11 PM

Here are some thoughts after having paid to watch it (it seems I am too old to be sneaking around and attempting theatre hopping).

Yep, def not an Oscar contender. This movie was surely made for the teen demographic. From the beginning, this movie was compared to the Karate Kid premise and I can see some of the similarities. But in that movie, the main protagonist was introduced to martial arts through manual labor. This guy goes to a gym and does it from day one.

**I think in real life this character would never have made it in training. He would have been thrown out on his a** the first day for disrespecting the head instructor and barging in on an advanced class.

Of course, this movie had the benefit of being made in 2008 so then there were other more contemporary factors. Some of the things reminded me of Fast and the Furious franchise (one would def have to be the cars) and then their was the use of the cell phones and video cameras to shoot the fight scenes (Tokyo Drift). Then there all the big party scenes and the ones with gorgeous women all around.

The movie also borrows a little from Fight Club but as you saw, very toned down. And this time it was a rich kid who organized the fight (the initial one where Jake thought the other guy was getting beat up...which he really was anyhow). Then the quick edits at the party at Ryan's house.

Like I said before, seems aimed at teens and young people. The response I have heard from such viewers was very positive. I think that it speaks to them because the movie touches on things like teenage angst, mischievousness, popularity in HS, dealing with parents and siblings, relationship drama and of course there is the fighting. Think of it as John Hughes on steroids and some type of over-priced energy drink. Or any other "teen" movie with a combat element affixed to it.

I would say that overall, not a bad movie (yeah that is my opinion). I was entertained and that was all that I was expecting. Using the theme of teen drama coupled with MMA was a segway that seemed odd at first. A good way to introduce the younger people to MMA (those who have never heard of UFC or watch the Ultimate Fighter). But then there is the issue of how accurate the movie is.

There was a lot of stuff going on all at once...something that was touched upon in the middle was some tension between Ryan and his own father that never seems to get resolved, Jean and Jake dealing with demons from their past, the fate of the younger brother seemed to be good. I can only assume because he was cruising happily along throughout the movie. The one drama that I remember was when he got that black eye and the mother thought it was from fighting. The cliche is that usually the younger bro tries to emulate the big bro but they all did their own thing this time.

The acting was not all too good. Sean does look like Tom Cruise...something that I would have never believed had I not seen it.

The fight scenes were ok...Fight Club style at the party. It was sweet seeing the women kick some a**. Nice moves from the other fighters during "Beat Down." The Capoeirista should have been more utilized I think.

The end fight seemed a bit slow to me. It was what I was thinking when I saw it. Kind of reminded me of scenes from Lion Heart (with the headlights and cars in the parking lot).

And I just didn't buy that everything was ok between Jake and Ryan at the end of the movie. Ryan pushed too many buttons to be let off the hook so easily. Hollywood and their happy endings...

But I did enjoy the movie. Nothing spectacular or significant. Just good entertainment.

I probably left some stuff out but these are some of my initial thoughts. Plus, I saw it some time ago but only posted now.

SevenStar

04-01-2008, 12:48 PM

**I think in real life this character would never have made it in training. He would have been thrown out on his a** the first day for disrespecting the head instructor and barging in on an advanced class.

maybe in a tma school. In an mma school, not so much. We tend to welcome anyone that comes in. Due to the informal nature, he wouldn't have been put out for being disrespectful, he would've just been put on his ass once he said he wanted to train.

And I just didn't buy that everything was ok between Jake and Ryan at the end of the movie. Ryan pushed too many buttons to be let off the hook so easily. Hollywood and their happy endings...

I can see that one also, having been there several times. Fighting does one of two things - it either settles differences or it enrages the people involved even more. One leads to some sort of respect between two parties, the other leads to more violence. I have choked people unconscious, had weapons swung at me, etc. and often times, those same people will come into the club the next week and apologize to me for acting like a fool previously. We don't become best friends, but we can acknowledge eachother and coexist in the same space, like they did at the end of the movie.

冠木侍

04-02-2008, 10:31 PM

maybe in a tma school. In an mma school, not so much. We tend to welcome anyone that comes in. Due to the informal nature, he wouldn't have been put out for being disrespectful, he would've just been put on his ass once he said he wanted to train.

I was alluding to the good possibility that he would get the crud kicked out of him. He was both disrespectful and he acted like he was trying to give orders to the chief instructor. Whether T(C)MA or MMA, there is always that boundary that you don't cross. Someone coming in and wanting to take lessons is one thing. But coming in and demanding to be put into an advanced class on the first day...he did so in front of all the students and I believe that IRL, things would have been a little different.

I can see that one also, having been there several times. Fighting does one of two things - it either settles differences or it enrages the people involved even more. One leads to some sort of respect between two parties, the other leads to more violence. I have choked people unconscious, had weapons swung at me, etc. and often times, those same people will come into the club the next week and apologize to me for acting like a fool previously. We don't become best friends, but we can acknowledge eachother and coexist in the same space, like they did at the end of the movie.

I can totally understand where you are coming from. But I think your examples and experience in the matter come from a certain perspective. The people who you choked and those who physically attacked you were probably strangers (from what I can gather). It seems your fights were not personal or ongoing (unless there are details that you didn't mention?). Therefore, it is definitely understandable that they can come up to you, apologize (you accept of course) and then respect each other's space and coexist.

There was only a "nod" at the end so it seems that it is left up to a bit of interpretation. Maybe, it was one of those endings where no words spoken says a lot. Maybe not. But for me, it just didn't seem too realistic (yeah I know, it is a movie) based on the preceding events leading up to the final encounter. Maybe if more time had passed...

Hollywood's formula for an HR friendly ending.

I still liked the movie though :)

Just one person's opinion.

GeneChing

06-02-2008, 04:33 PM

I still haven't seen this. Waiting on the DVD.

MTV - TRANSFORMERS WINS BIG AT MTV MOVIE AWARDS (http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/transformers%20wins%20big%20at%20mtv%20movie%20awa rds_1070258)

Transformers has taken the top prize at the 2008 MTV movie awards, after being named best movie of the year.

The Michael Bay actioner beat stiff competition from I Am Legend, Pirates of the Caribbean: World's End, Juno, Superbad and National Treasure: Book of Secrets to claim the trophy, which comes in the shape of a golden tub of popcorn.

The movie's leading lady Megan Fox, recently named sexiest woman in the world by the readers of FHM magazine, accepted the award on behalf of the film, the sequel to which begins shooting this year.

Teen comedy Superbad had been the favourite to sweep the board, having accrued five nominations, including for best movie.

The film's leading men, Michael Cera and Jonah Hill, were up for the best male performance gong as well as being nominated in the best newcomer category alongside their co-star Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

However, Will Smith claimed the male award for his performance as the last man, Robert Neville, in I Am Legend while High School Musical star claimed the breakthrough prize for his role as Link Larkin in Hairspray.

Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman won the best kiss award for their clinch in Step Up 2 The Streets while the best fight gong was claimed by Never Back Down stars Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet for their mixed martial arts clash.

Johnny Depp was a surprise winner in the best comedic performance category and also took the best villain prize for his turn as the demon barber of Fleet Street in Sweeney Todd.

The winners of the MTV Movie awards are:
Best movie
Transformers

Best male performance
Will Smith - I Am Legend

Best female performance
Ellen Page - Juno

Best comedic performance
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: World's End

Best villain
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd

Best breakthrough performance
Zac Efron - Hairspray

Best kiss
Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman - Step Up 2 The Streets

Best fight
Sean Faris vs Cam Gigandet - Never Back Down

Best summer movie so far
Iron Man

Generation award
Adam Sandler

doug maverick

06-02-2008, 05:01 PM

don't waste your netflix que for the dvd gene. just download it, its a piece of crap i mean djimon honsou was a definite highlight of the film acting wise. that guy is flawless, but the rest was so text book karate kid it was just boring.

冠木侍

06-08-2008, 06:10 PM

I don't understand how it could have one BEST FIGHT SCENE...but hey, it's MTV we're talking about.

Gene, I'm sure Dougie's advice is well-founded. My suggestion is that maybe you may want to hold off on purchasing it (I doubt you even considered that venue0 but I think you can spare one spot on your queue for this movie. You've already heard so much stuff about it (mostly negative things) but you should really watch it for yourself.

The Willow Sword

08-20-2008, 06:38 AM

http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/1219192498/****y_Showoff_Totally_Owned

:D. Baba nah wayyyy baba na wayyyy baba na wayyy capuuweraa!!!:rolleyes:

Peace,TWS

MightyB

08-20-2008, 06:55 AM

Dude, that clip's from "Never Back Down". You've been hoaxed.

The Willow Sword

08-20-2008, 07:23 AM

SO it is. sheesh. But you know that must have been filmed by one of the extras using a hand held and it seemed like real fight footage, and since i dont watch those jock rock stupid films, i ASSumed it was real. Oh well.

I vote for a thread delete? Mods??

:oTWS

No_SuRReNDeR

08-20-2008, 10:51 AM

I cant believe someone actually watched Never Back Down. That's what's so amazing to me!
:eek:

MightyB

08-20-2008, 01:06 PM

I own it.

Yeah baby- right next to my bootleg of "Cool as Ice".

Seriously

I own it.

It had sweeeet choreography... and boobies.