Episode 255 – Chop Kick Panda (2011)

Max, Mike; Movies

Last week’s movie raised the question “Was everybody Kung Fu Fighting?” Well, this week, a 2011 . . . tribute/homage/why-god-why film mumbles the question “Yeah, and was everybody Tae Kwan Do fighting, too? I mean, they might have been! I guess . . .” Like the DreamWorks film, this movie(?) features a Panda and martial arts. But where “Kung Fu Panda” leans on the crutch of beautiful animation, great voice acting, and a surprisingly effective message, “Chop Kick Panda” dispenses with all that flummery and in its stead offers us pop-culture references, fart jokes and brevity. Yes, whatever else there is to say about this cinematic bolus, it does us the favor of not being too long. Or very long. Or long at all. In fact, quite literally, the runtime of this week’s podcast is longer than the runtime of the movie. Is this a good thing? Did “Chop Kick Panda” leave us crying for more . . . or just crying? Give a listen and find out.

Poll question: who is your favorite martial arts star and do you have a favorite of their films?