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The legacy of The Karate Kid has only grown throughout the years, as evidenced by the many blatant ripoffs that have been produced. While the Miyagiverse has been expanded upon with sequels, animated series, and even the popular Netflix spin-off TV show Cobra Kai, this has not stopped countless more filmmakers from attempting to put their own spin on the teen underdog story of Daniel Larusso. While The Karate Kid itself could be viewed as a kind of teen Rocky knockoff, it had enough of a unique identity to endure and be mimicked for decades to come.

There were plenty of great sequels to The Karate Kid, but those craving more will find a treasure trove of B-movie knockoffs, cheap imitations, and unknown cult favorites. Some Karate Kid rip-offs were certainly better than others, and the bottom of the barrel featured some movies that viewers would be wise to avoid entirely.

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– Exclusive: The 12th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival announced its official selections for the 2017 event featuring films with Alec Baldwin, Dylan McDermott, John Cleese, Daphne Zuniga and more. Opening night will feature Michael Mailer’s newest film, “Blind,” a romantic-drama, starring Alec Baldwin, Demi Moore and Dylan McDermott. Closing night will wrap up the festival with “Albion: The Enchanted Stallion,” a family fantasy adventure, starring John Cleese, Debra Messing, Jennifer Morrison and Stephen Dorff.

Retrospective Screenings will include Daphne Zuniga appearance at the festival honoring the 30th anniversary of “Spaceballs.” Also in this category will be “The Greatest Show on Earth,” from 1952 directed by Cecile B. DeMille, which won the Oscar for Best Pictures and Best Writing in 1953. The screening will honor the closing of the Ringling Bros.

          Martial Arts Action Star Don "The Dragon" Wilson is back in an all-new action-comedy!     Hollywood, CA (December 7th, 2016) Kickboxing Champion and legendary action star Don "The Dragon" Wilson is back like you've never seen him before in Traditionz Entertainment's action-packed comedy Paying Mr. McGetty from director Michael Baumgarten (The Martial Arts Kid)! After a night of drinking and gambling, Tyrell (R. Marcos Taylor, Netflix's Luke Cage) is awakened by an angry call from his girlfriend, Meena (Anita Clay) and finds himself in bed with a strange woman, Cecelia (Alissa Schneider) -- a local mob boss' daughter. Once the local mob boss finds out, he hires Shota (Wilson) -- a relentless hitman. To make matters worse, the reward on Tyrell's...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

John Kreng is one of the most hard working actors/stuntman/fight and stunt corrdinators working in the industry today. Through his time working in the movie industry, John has worked with some of the very best which includes Jet Li, Yuen Wah, Tsui Hark, David Carradine, Steven Spielburg and many more outstanding talents.

John Kreng is also the author of the in depth book on screen fighting called Fight Choreography: The Art Of Non Verbal Dialogue, he was a cast member of The Jade Trader which went on to win the most outstanding cast performance award at the 10th Action on film, International film festival. John, also has years of Martial Arts experience behind him, dedicating his time learning many different styles and been taught by some of the very best masters from around the world (Which he will speak about in this interview).

John also worked on the...

The 7th Burbank International Film Festival, which will run September 9th through 13th, announced its full lineup, including 100 films from 31 countries, 25 world premieres, 22 award categories, and opening and closing night screenings. The festival is open to the public, with tickets available at Here

The five-day festival will honor pioneering actress and United Nations delegate Marsha Hunt with the 2015 Awareness Award for her humanitarian work worldwide.

“Located in the Media Capital of the World, our audience is film-savvy, enthusiastic, and linked to the movie business, giving filmmakers privileged access to top industry professionals. This year, we’re proud to deliver our best festival yet, featuring incredibly diverse and talented filmmakers, exciting red carpet premieres, and the best in independent filmmaking,” said Jeff Rector, Festival Director.

Festival events will occur at numerous venues throughout Burbank, with Opening Night at the AMC 16 in Downtown Burbank, Night of Sci-fi, Fantasy & Horror at the Iatse Local 80 Sound Stage, Closing Night Gala at The Castaway Burbank, and more than 100 films screening at the AMC 6 at Burbank Town Center.

Festival Highlights:

Wednesday, September 9th

Opening Night ’s feature films will include "Hoovey," directed by Sean McNamara ("Soul Surfer") starring Patrick Warburton and Lauren Holly, and "Few Options," directed by George A. Pappy Jr., starring Kenny Johnson, Erin Daniels, and Brad Dourif.

Thursday, September 10th

The Comedy / New Media program will showcase 23 films including "Made for Each Other," directed by Bo Svenson, and "Too Hip for the Room," directed by Oktay Ortabasi and starring Kelly Monteith.

Friday, September 11th

There will be 22 films in the Drama category, including Short Films by Women, and featuring "Shevenge," directed by Amber Benson. The Drama Centerpiece Feature will be "4Got10," directed by Timothy Woodward. Jr., written by Sean Ryan, and starring Dolph Lundgren, Vivica A. Fox, Danny Trejo, and Michael Paré. Headlining the Drama category will be the theatrical world premier of "Twelve Movie," capturing a rare collaboration among 12 award-winning filmmakers shot over 12 months in Los Angeles.

Saturday, September 12th

The festival will dedicate Saturday daytime screenings to Family Friendly Programming, including submissions by L.A. County Student Filmmakers (K through 12), Student Films, Animated Short Films, and Faith-Based films.Featured presentations will include "The Martial Arts Kid" directed by Michael Baumgarten and starring martial arts legend Don Wilson, along with Cynthia Rothrock, Jansen Panettiere, and Kathryn Newton, and the 30th Anniversary Screening of Sci-Fi classic, "Back To The Future," directed by Robert Zemeckis.Saturday will conclude with a Night of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror showcasing 16 films, as well as the festival world premiere of "Sharknado 3," directed by Anthony C. Ferrante.

Sunday, September 13th

The Documentary / Foreign Film category will include 15 films, and will feature the documentary "Brotherhood of the Popcorn" directed by Inda Reid.The Festival Closing Feature will be "Marsha Hunt’s Sweet Adversity," directed by Roger C. Memos. In addition to screening this important documentary, the Burbank International Film Festival is pleased to present Marsha Hunt with the Awareness Award for her humanitarian work worldwide.

For a complete festival lineup including screening times visit www.burbankfilmfest.org...

Indie filmmakers have more funding options than they've ever had in the past, giving movie ideas, which may not have commercial studio appeal, the chance to still be made. In today's Indie Beat, I thought I'd highlight The Martial Arts Kid, which is taking to Kickstarter to fund the flick (already boasting a cast of major martial artists). Come inside to learn more!

Here at Cinelinx we like to talk about all aspects of filmmaking and movie news. To that end, we have Indie Beat where we highlight some of the latest news, trailers, and PR releases from the indie filmmaker scene. So if you're an independent filmmaker and want some coverage on our site, be sure to drop us a line at jordan@cinelinx.com .

Like all Kickstarters, there are various pledge levels which will snag you different rewards, so if you want to donate to the film be...