Sunday, June 7, 2015

Podcast: Miami Connection (1987)


It’s a long time coming for this Your Stupid Minds Essential Viewing List (YSMEVL), but we finally got around to reviewing 1987’s resurrected martial arts masterpiece, Miami Connection starring Orlando’s own native-by-transplant son, taekwondo master instructor Y.K. Kim. The film received a second life when Alamo Drafthouse programmer Zack Carlson made a $50 eBay bid on a lark for the 35mm print. It was such a hit that the Drafthouse began distributing it, and it quickly became a cult classic.


In the mean streets of Orlando, Mark (Y.K. Kim) and his contingent of best friends forever taewkondo students/orphans create Dragon Sound, a band with a positive message taking the local metropolitan area by storm. A rival band does not take too kindly to this, and after an unsuccessful martial arts fight with the club owner, decides to take its frustrations out on Dragon Sound. This does not go well, and the confrontation quickly escalates to gang warfare, biker involvement, kidnapping, and ninjas.

Essential Viewing: Dragon Sound's hit song "Friends."


Some Notes:
  • Purchase and rental options available on Drafthouse Films's website.
  • Essential Viewing 2: The biographical clip Who is Y.K. Kim, which outlines how Kim saved the world through a combination of grit and taekwondo skills.
  • Essential Viewing 3: Against the Ninja - Dragon Sound.
  • If you have trouble keeping track of the main characters, here's a guide:
    • Mark: Korean guy. Taekwondo Skill: Excellent.
    • John: Gangly tall guy. Taekwondo Skill: Great.
    • Jack: Redneck Rufus Sewell (and the screenwriter). Doesn't like stupid cocaine. Taekwondo Skill: Adequate.
    • Jim: Black American. Taekwondo Skill: Adequate.
    • Tom: Musical talent. Looks like John Oates. Taekwondo Skill: Poor.
    • Jane: Girl. Sister of Jeff. Lead singer of Dragon Sound. Taekwondo Skill: Poor.
    • Jeff: Bad guy. Worst actor in Miami Connection. Beard. Taekwondo Skill: Good.

1 comment:

  1. This one's pretty fun. I love Dragon Sound's silly, catchy songs. I love how these guys are supposed to be going to college, presumably to get undergraduate degrees, but look way too old to be doing so. I also love how Jim's "dad" is clearly about as old as he is, with some gray coloring added to his hair. Just a great, sincere bad movie.

    Have you guys seen Jupiter Ascending yet? No joke, I think it's this decade's Battlefield Earth.

    ReplyDelete