Big Trouble in Little China * FIRST TIME WATCHING * reaction & commentary * 

He's the sidekick in an eastern Martial Arts flick instead of the hero of an American action film.

I'd never heard that from Carpenter but suddenly, after years of loving this movie, the vague feeling of not exactly knowing what's going on suddenly makes sense! Jack was 'Indiana Jones in 'The Bar Fire' some B rank Indie short 'historic documentary' about the local bar being burned down in a fight.

Good call, a lot of folks don't get that.

So basically Spiderman.

Carpenter also stated that the character of Burton resembles "John Wayne without a clue."

And the best part is that Jack isn't completely incompetent but he's completely outclassed by Wang

Everyone in the movie seems to think Jack's the hero! Lo Pan and the gang barely pay any heed to Wang.

To be fair, Jack did kill Lo Pan with the knife. Wang only cared about getting his fiancée back, not for being the hero.

In-*DEED!*

@@weldonwin best comment I've seen in a while. Nice

Last year there was an article about him and how he may be the actor with the most film credits. That article writer never looked at Eric Roberts' IMDB page. I would argue that Hong's quality film ratio is significantly higher than Roberts' though.

He just got is star.

and, he was the adoptive father of The Dragon Warrior.

Just some of the craziest, best dialog of any movie ever.

And now I want a sandwich.

@@ortizmo I love how he's eating something different in almost every single shot in the opening credits, lol.

I used to drive a truck for a live and if you go towards the southwest, you'll find like that on the cb every now and then. Most of them are pretty dull but now and then, you'll get a stream of consciousness that just leaves you all "whaaaaaah....?"

What does that mean lol

I think she might be Overboard...

@@CaptainFrost32 No lol...just No ✌

Lol

Nobody puts baby in the corner

He went how many years and didn't have to put a ring on it? Much like Prince describing his relationship as "Something beyond marriage". You have got to have a supernatural level of game to convince a woman to go along with that.

That’s a beautiful sentiment but he also could just be an idiot.

SEQUEL!!

@@ericanderson969 I vote for "because he is just an idiot" as the correct answer. lol, love this movie!

Naw he made a pimp decision. Always leave them wanting more 😂

Well it was a lot

Exactly!

@@awkwardashleigh Set the record for the number of "What the fuck was THAT?!?!"s

Carpenter was never one to shy away from EWW!

And of course, the classic: “You watched Halloween and/or The Thing, now you have to watch EVERY cult John Carpenter movie of the 80’s....Prince of Darkness next?” No, she doesn’t....

who?

@@fredfredburger5150 Jack Burton! Me!

@@charlesrense5199 I'm really glad someone got the reference, thanks!

@@fredfredburger5150 i will do that line in voice chat at times... you can tell when a bunch of uneducated plebs are in chat...they dont get it...

Personally, I love his "Sonnovabitch must pay!!!" shout at the start of the movie. Almost as badass.

@Brian Macdougall Jack Burton...Me!

Give me your best shot, pal.

@@gjammer123 Shut up, Mr. Burton. You were not brought upon this world to "get it."

Lol, exactly sums up the movie

Jack Burton says what the hell.

The shower scene in Tango and Cash will kill her. 'Them dudes is naked !'

I'm shocked that Escape From New York hasn't been viewed yet. Prime KR.

Or Overboard.

Then "Death Proof" to finish all up.

@@raphaelperry8159 Overboard is always underrated.

And then, very wisely, Jack Burton runs away as fast as he can!

Love that saying

Which one, Roger Coreman or Rick Moranis?

@@pettifoggingpharisee Rick Moranis! It’s also got her crushes Bill Murray and Steve Martin sooooo....

Good Call - I think she'd love it - Directors Cut Please!

OH yes!

YAAASSSS!!!

Jack doesn't let his lack of ANYthing stand in the way of his courage. Plus he does save Wang's life too...

That's why he refuses to do a sequel.

I agree love that movie

Granted, it's subject matter is a little bit problematic, but I think it was aware of that by addressing what was wrong with his deception. If I remember it correctly anyway since I haven't seen it since I was a kid. I haven't seen the gender swapped remake, but I think it may have been more problematic by lacking self awareness and insinuating that there was nothing wrong with a woman doing the same thing.

I like it when she goes 'buh-buh-buh-buh-buh"

That's while shooting this film that they fell in love... they've been married ever since.

It finally happened in summer 2022!

After watching it about 20 times I learned something each time. I think I'll keep learning something new from it each time I re-watch it

I like watching this and Last Dragon as a double feature

@@davidleeroth784 fun fact : Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon based Shang Tsung on Lo pan , Raiden on the thunder sorcerer and Goro on The swelling up character

In cinema, if you can't explain something, give it a nod and then move on.

Victor Wong is one of my favorite character actors of all time. He was so perfect in this.

@@Johnny_Socko I didn't like seeing him get offed in Tremors.

Huh, I thought it was Jack that was up there ... totally misremembered it. Time for a rewatch.

So cool!

Not “Cartwright, FOUR!”?

@@beatmet2355 lol No. But he had a pic of that scene you could buy to sign.

And we don't mind very much , do we

Heck I leave my brain on. The Bat Shit Craziness is the charm.

@Andy Don yeah we all thought it was pretty weird too. She started liking boys at a early age.

Cartwright? Cartwright?

And Kurt turned 70 2 days ago

James Hong also plays the main bad guy in one of my favorite X-Files episodes, "Hell Money"

One of very few actors I can think of who can make just saying the word "Indeed" quotable

don't forget "Miracle." He is great in that movie.

Tango and Cash

Dark Blue.

Finally someone else remembers Captain Ron!

@@vanyadolly totally underrated movie

They Live is a good call !

The Live is the best political movie of all time!

I'd read that Kurt Russell was uncredited as the voice of Elvis in Forrest Gump. That last piece of information you gave me, finally makes it make sense why he was chosen.

I'd also recommend Starman with Jeff Bridges as a sheer FEELS movie and proof of just how crazy versatile John Carpenter is as a writer and director

My girl wants to party all the time, party all the time, party all the time! No reason. It was just around the same time he tried to be a singer.

Ie., “Imagine if 80’s Eddie Murphy walked into THIS movie and completely ad-lib destroyed it...”. 🤣

aint nothing wrong with my yang

Not as good but still watchable

@@Leon-wz1js loved that song he should have done more

Well, you’re not wrong!

Fuzzy guy reminds me of a Gnoll... maybe a kobold on steroids.

@@ThePorpoisepower the fuzzy guy, known as the Chinese wild man is a Yeren

@@ThePorpoisepower gnoll could be, kobold? nope, not even close imho.

He made a bad ass Santa Claus.

Sploosh? Rofl

[Lo Pan intensifies] "Indeed!" Also, he designed Roy Batty's eyes, that let him see things you people wouldn't believe... and he raised Po as if he were his own.

@@bozzutoman He's also stuck in a barrel somewhere in Sanctuary.

@@TarossBlackburn I wonder how many will get this one, lol :'D

The stars on the walk of fame , are kind of pointless, stars are not given to people for being a great actor or actress, any one can get one , all u have to do is pay for it , it's about $40,000 just for them to put the star down , then u still have to pay money every year for the up keep of it

James Hong is awesome...it was several years before I realized that James Hong also played Snotty (Booger's "mentor") in Revenge of the Nerds 2

One of the best things a movie like this can do is not take itself too seriously.

Love this film so much for all the reasons you said, I wish someone could make something new with equal quality.

Because Kurt Russell

@@Inconsistent-Dogwash Isn't it sad that movies that try for this these days always come across as forced?

Rare unicorn indeed. Protagonist isn't even the hero of his own movie (well, only for brief moments). You have both the damsel in distress AND capable woman in the same plot. Great action fights and decent sfx, alongside goofy action and ridiculous sfx. This kind of movie only comes from a wild-west movie making environment. Not the paint-by-numbers, excel sheet planned, cater to china markets for cash environment we have today. Hell.. This movie didn't do well when it came out at the time either.. Took a while for people to warm up to this crazy concept.

also, Ashleigh, that was a Beholder

@@MonsieurBooyah more of a guardian than full beholder.

You should check out “The Battered Bastards of Baseball” on Netflix. Kurt and his father broke records when they started an independent baseball league. It’s an amazing story (documentary that should be made into a feature film)

I also want to recommend ‘Breakdown’. A truly underrated thriller.

My favorite is"A brave man loves feel of rain on his face, but A wise man knows when to get out of the rain".

His John Wayne impression in this movie is outrageous. Ya'll did know he was impersonating John Wayne in this movie, right? (And check out his Clint Eastwood in Escape From New York.)

@@mikell5087 he is such a cool dude.

The Last Dragon

Then howard the duck

Hey bird... Did you just see a little Hari Krishna midget in a tree?

@@BeardyBaldyBob keep your thoughts as pure as the water!

The Golden Child, Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon. My People.

What? Huh? What'll come out no more!?

A Six Demons Bag ? Fantastic, Egg ! What's in it ?

@@redjakOfficial Wind. Fire. All that kind of thing.

@@BacklogRick DAMN IT!

Right. I always considered it a 'hero's helper.'

Six demon bag. Wind, fire, all that kind of thing. Basically Goldschlager.

Hero's feast

It lets them do things no one else can do, to see things no one else can see... or maybe it just gives you a positive attitude...

@@weldonwin "real things?"

Judging you forever on that one honestly.

It's proper that she should judge us harshly for that movie choice. I voted for it and I regret that choice. Penance will be performed by my watching a much better 60's comedy - THE ODD COUPLE.

Mad, mad, mad, mad world is a movie you either like or hate. Very few people are neutral.

I’m with her on that one. It’s not that great (and I’m a huge classic movie buff, so it’s not a generational thing)...

It didn't help she watched the extended version that was an hour longer than the theatrical release.

It's great precisely because it doesn't feel like a set-up...it just feels like it's going to be a one-off joke. It's something so many films get wrong, where someone will say something and you instantly think, "gee, I wonder if THAT'S going to come back later."

Oh Professor Sypher, I so wanted to say some spoiler things from that movie but because I too want Ashley to see that film, I was able to stop myself. :-)

It was foreshadowing Thunder's demise, but sadly she never returned to this line. Meanwhile I was dying of laughter.

My dear sweet brother Numsie!

"I said, ah-I-I-I-I-I-I want the knife...Please."

The Last Dragon

Lol.

@@chrisleebowers Yes Last Dragon is WAAAAAY better than Golden Child.

How the hell are you alive then?

@@jonathancampbell5231 hahahaha!!! Exactly!!

@@jonathancampbell5231 HUGE BUZZ

3000 Miles to Graceland is a fantastic, albeit somewhat gun violence-filled movie with a PHENOMENAL soundtrack!

I agree, but make sure it is the original and not the remake

Nah, 'Captain Ron'... "Were you drinking my beer, kid? You want a beer, you go and get your own damn beer..." "...By the way, you owe me $3.50 for that beer."

I think she’d definitely love Overboard.

He has over 600 acting credits to his name. If there’s a chinese restaurant on tv in the last 70 years, chances are he’s the owner in the script.

Still stuns me that David Lo Pan is the adoptive father of Po the Panda.

@@kelaarin He also did eyes for the Tyrell corporation in "Blade Runner."

@@mwflanagan1 "Seinfeld, Party of 4?"

the voice of the nasty bureaucrat in Mulan

I'll second Willow.

I say Mad Martigan has 1:2 odds of receiving the get it seal of approval.

Eastern Culture Western Culture ...no matter where, if its a MAGIC POTION.. YOU DRINK IT

I think it's the movie line I've said out lout to myself or others more than any other!

This movie definitely benefits from repeated viewings🤣

And this is why I miss 80’s movies like I want more of stuff where the directors are happy not overly explaining or even explaining at all. Makes fun movies.

No. Nononono. As official 80’s delegate, I MUST step in here and say, even when it opened, we had no idea WTH was going on, and that’s why it flopped in theaters. Don’t blame the decade for the insufferably “quirky” screenwriter.

It was the Cocaine

Back in the day, we didn't try to understand everything. We just rolled with it and had fun with the ride.

Honestly, I think his best performance was in Soldier.

Not a lot of guys can play a planet.

@@johnfriday5169 agreed and he was really good in Breakdown.

@@jbrisby his hair was so feathered it beats Farrah Fawcetts

@@johnfriday5169 Big Trouble #1 then Soldier. I love that movie

And after Tremors, she needs to see Wild Things.

@@stephenolan5539 Galaxy Quest after that

Tremors! Tremors! Tremors!

@Andrea Wylie IT'S NOT A TUMER!

She is in Porkys too makes her a double princess

Captain Ron and Stargate. They bracket Tombstone and she really liked him in that.

Starforce Soldier

Yes and in Overboard he stars with his partner Goldie Hawn....just love that movie.

Captain Ron

Soldier

There are a couple of portions of the movie where they actually explain most of the needed backstory, and there is continuing dialogue throughout that clarifies a few points that aren't covered in those. Evidently Ashleigh wasn't paying good attention during those. Lo-Pan is doubly cursed, from ancient times. By a demon, and by the sovereign emperor in Ancient China. To be free of the "curse of no flesh", he had to find a worthy girl with green eyes and marry her. But to appease his demon, he then had to kill her. So he is cursed with immortality, but as a spirit, trapped in a decrepit body. So Lo-Pan was thrilled in finding TWO women with green eyes who were worthy......thus his plan to marry both, kill Gracie, and live out his Netflix & Chill with Mao-Yin. The "Three Storms" are his apprentices/lieutenants. He has trained them in sorcery and martial arts. They each have an element of affinity (Thunder = air, Rain = water, Lightning is self-evident). Most of the unnamed 'monsters' are simply servitor beasts or demons that Lo-Pan has summoned and bound to his service. Like any good Evil Overlord, he needs minions and flunkies. Of course, having a familiarity with HongKong/Chinese martial-arts fantasy movies helps when watching something like this. It gives you some basic grounding in the typical motivations and oddities that characters sometimes have......as well as the ritual nature of some martial-arts and sorcery/magic stuff (like the ceremony of the Burning Blade in this).

Oh she would love that movie. Jabrewty

That's a fun movie that works solely on the charm of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.

Yuuuuuusss

That is one of my favorite Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn movies. They've been together so long I really wish they get married but I doubt they will. But they are one of Hollywood's longest lasting couples. You would absolutely love overboard.

💯% Bill &Ted Crocodile Dundee Star Trek

Polarized sunglasses.

He gets me

Everyone needs some medically prescribed Kurt Russel :)

@@KRAFTWERK2K6 I'd love to see lots more Kurt reactions! Executive Decision, Tango & Cash, Breakdown, Unlawful Entry. Not cinema masterclasses, but I love them anyway!

Oooh yes Tango and Cash. She would like that one.

My brother was an extra in Tango & Cash, a prison guard, though he mostly ended up on the cutting room floor. Supposedly there’s a scene where you can see him on security cam footage, but I haven’t been able to pick it out. To be fair, I haven’t watched the movie in years.

Same here. I also blame age ;)

I resemble that remark!

And James Hong was really stabbing Suzi Pai with that needle. You can see her trying not to flinch pull her arm away, if you look closely. Poor lady...but not so poor as the stunt-lady who was meant to be shot through a breakaway wall, but was instead shot into a solid wall...

The one with Arnold, yes. Not the remake.

Total Recall is really fun. And I am not universally a Schwarzenegger fan.

One of my favorites (though I'm shooting from the hip, I'd have to really think about my #1 line) is "My God, no! Please! What is that? Don't tell me."

I use that line to this day. That way when I inevitably piss someone off I can make it even worse by saying, "Told you so."

Nothing beats "son of a bitch must pay"

Big Bang Theory said it even better: "If outdoors is so great, why has mankind spent millions of years perfecting the idea of indoors?"

A wiser man realizes he's about to be peed on.

There is a great exchange when Jack is on top of the statue in the final fight scene and Gracie says "How'd you get up there." and he just says "It wasn't easy." I remember that they had planned for some shots where he fights his way up, but I don't recall if they just didn't shoot it because they didn't have time / it wasn't in the budget or if it got cut for pacing. But I like that they just leave it alone and let you fill in the blank of how the hell he got up there.

But if Chris wears a cape does that still mean he's a hero?

No capes, dahling!

in the moment when lopan and the friendly "sensei" type guy are having their "power contest", when their beams of energy meet and the fighter's show up, it seems like they are even playing the game "Mortal Kombat", they are even moving their fingers like they are holding controllers.

Kim has a very brief topless scene in the move "Masquerade." It followed "Mannequin." Other than that, the movie sucked.

She is so beautiful! Still looks amazing today. I was definitively distracted by both of them.

@@jwrockets that hand glider scene always made me laugh 😄

*bite of sandwich*