Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007)

[00:00:03] This is a Bramble Jam Podcast.

[00:00:44] A lot of people have been wondering, is Johnny Tsunami gonna get a sequel? I don't think anyone was wondering that. Well, it's been a long time. Yes, it is getting a sequel. Johnny Kapahala. Do you want to know why it took so long? I would love... Tell us. Did you find this out in a particular book you read? There's a little book called Disney High. Got it. Disney High, let me write that down. But they were supposed to be a sequel almost right after, but then there was a pretty devastating tsunami in 2004.

[00:01:13] Oh, so they can't name it that for sure? So they pushed it back and then they changed the name because they didn't want... They were trying to expand into other markets besides just America. And they were like, this is just a... We're going to push it back. Let the region recover a little bit. And then we're just going to change the name so that we're not invoking... Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes all the sense in the world. But it was supposed to be like a cheetah girl or a high school... It was supposed to have like... Real quick.

[00:01:43] Yeah. But it was supposed to be like a franchise. Like there was supposed to be multiples. But then there was such a long break in between them that it... That makes sense. What a downeroo getting started on. So we just got one instead of, you know, whatever. And... The only thing I can think of... We couldn't get the full original cast back, which we'll cover for sure. The only thing I can think of that would help cheer me up is a Delish. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if this is going to cheer you up, but... Uh-oh. Let's find out. Okay. Let's find out.

[00:02:11] Johnny Capahala back on board. I need a themed treat. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And Aaron, I know you're not going to disappoint. What do we have today? No way, no way. I mean, I'm not disappointed by this Delish. So this is some Shea Vice. And it is flavored with pina colada. Okay. Because that's what I think of when I think of Hawaii and the beaches. Um... I just don't think that's a flavor profile. Brain. Brain doesn't like coconut. Oh.

[00:02:41] Now it's a little melty. Brain's going to hate that so much. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's not for me, dog. It's a no for... Oh, Dan. Oh, now we... These glasses are nice, though. They are. I really like these. That's not bad. How do you make homemade shaved ice? Blender? What'd you do here? Yeah, just blended it. Blend some ice. Yeah. Normally, you would use a sweetener like a condensed milk. I didn't do that. I used a pina colada syrup.

[00:03:09] And so I didn't want to go overly sweet with the syrup and the condensed milk. But you can play around with that depending on what syrup you choose. You just play around with it. Yeah, just play around with it. That's all there is to it. Yeah. This makes sense. This makes sense. And you went on a whole journey learning about shaved ice versus shave ice versus... I went on a whole journey. I really wanted to make Hooli Hooli Chicken, which they eat in this movie. Of course. It's a big deal.

[00:03:37] You know, I guess spoilers for the plot. Grandpa's getting married. Whoa! Hey! This is a delish! It's part of my delish. And in the movie, there's a scene where they have arrived back in Hawaii for the first time, I guess. It's unclear how many times he's been back to Hawaii. Right. And Grandpa's fiance has made Hooli Hooli Chicken. She says it's the first Hawaiian recipe she learned.

[00:04:04] It's one of Johnny Capahala's favorite Hawaiian dishes. I wanted to make that, but I didn't think of it quick enough because it needs to marinate from one to two days. So I do want to try it. It is something I will try. And maybe if there's another decom that takes place in Hawaii, I'll bring it back. Until you're marinating something for two days, the stakes on that are so much higher. Yeah. Because you put in a lot of time. I know. It's a lot of time. And it just seemed like a lot of time for a three-minute segment.

[00:04:35] For a sequel, a delayed sequel of Disney Channel. In which I also didn't have 24 hours to marinate it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's fair. But then later in the movie, they shave ice, and it's also a Hawaiian staple, and I like pina coladas. Yeah, no, fair enough. Fair enough. And I think one of us might be at the beach right now, and I just wish I was also at the beach. No, one of us is there. I flew. I just came back. I drove up just for this. Just for this. And then you're headed back to your- Right back now? You're committed to it. Your kid has his feet up. He's waiting for you to get back. He's just doing absolutely nothing. That's exactly right. I guarantee it.

[00:05:04] That's kids for you. Let's do this. Let's take a quick break. We'll come back. Quick break. We'll journey to the Johnny Cappahalla back on board. I don't know, man. Journey to the Johnny Cappahalla. Decom Descendants. It's going to be a long one. Welcome back, everybody. We're journeying back to the Johnny Cappahalla. Back on board. Get back on that board. Thanks for it.

[00:05:33] This movie premiered on June 8th, 2007, and was written by a whole slew of people. Annie DeYoung, Max Insko, Ann Knapp, and Douglas Sloan. All right. Four of them on there. Four unrelated people. Just all cobbling together the Johnny Tsunami sequel. Well, I wonder if two of them, because in the credits, I noticed it was like two groups of writers. It was like two of the names and, and then two of the names.

[00:06:03] I wonder if maybe the first group wrote. Story and then teleplay. Or like wrote the original sequel that was supposed to take place in like 2005. Yeah. And then we brought in another group. Then we used some, some other things for this, some other things for that. Or they just said, this one's got to hit it out of the park. We need all the writers. Yeah. Bring them all in. Bring them all in. And it's directed by Eric Bross. And I believe this is his only decom. Wow. Well done here.

[00:06:32] He did direct a 2019 movie, Rome and Love for the Hallmark Channel. Okay. So. We saw that movie. We've seen his work. Something. But this, yes, this does appear to be his only decom. He also did Blue Lagoon, The Awakening. Blue Lagoon, The Awakening. Lagoon. Lagoon. Lagoon. A country Christmas Christmas in 20, well, that's with Dolly. All right. So he's done some things. He did some things. All right. Are we ready to dive in? I love it. Johnny is back at it.

[00:07:01] He is getting on his snowboard. He reintroduces himself to the viewers at home because it's been so long. He hops on the snowboard and then he falls off a mountain and suddenly he lands. The most real looking mountain. Oh, it's so real. Yeah. And suddenly he is on a surfboard and he's in the ocean. And then suddenly he wakes up and he is in the backseat of the car. He is reintroducing himself to the viewers at home via a dream. He might be crazy.

[00:07:31] I don't know. But he's back on the board. He's back on the board. That's what you need to know. He is in the backseat of his parents' car. They are driving and they are in Hawaii. He's back in Hawaii with his parents and they are there for grandpa's marriage, which Johnny's dad isn't thrilled about. Yes. His wedding even to celebrate marriage. And they have to stay. The parents have to stay in the city for a couple days because no surprise here. Johnny's dad has to do some work.

[00:08:00] Did you catch when they were talking in the car why the dad was upset or nervous about the wedding? I missed it. I assume it's because she's so much younger than him. Okay. Nah. He just looks nervous and the mom makes a comment about, well, you've been an only child for so long and now you're getting a brother. So I think heading into this movie, there's going to be a lot of brotherly bonding. Am I correct? Of course. Absolutely. Because that's what he's.

[00:08:28] He is nervous about this wedding because he is an only child. And now the woman that his dad is marrying has a son. I don't think he says a word to his brother. He doesn't. The age gap is 40 years, but it's fine. But John, well, we don't know. At the time, we don't know that. And Johnny is just excited that he's going to have a cool uncle. Uncle. Unc. Yes. Somehow. He knows that the uncle is younger than his dad. So he's excited to have a cool uncle. Cool young uncle. That's right.

[00:08:57] But how young? Who can say? It's definitely not something that would come up in any phone conversation. Ever. Or pictures of Facebook exists at that point. Of anything. Doesn't matter. Yeah. Well, I mean, to be fair, Facebook had been out a year. That still would have been MySpace. I was so late to Facebook and I was on Facebook in 07. It was out in 3, 4-ish. But I mean, when it first came out, you had to have a college and you had to be invited. I didn't join until 07, but it was available well before then. Was it? Was MySpace really popular in 07?

[00:09:27] No. Facebook. Well, I'm telling you, Facebook was rampant. MySpace was first. Sorry. I meant Facebook. But I'm just saying, I don't think grandpa would have hopped on that trend in 07. Well, maybe not. If grandpa's getting a Facebook, it's going to be a fear. Maybe his 22-year-old younger fiance would, though. She is busy. Wheelhouse. Relocating. Anyway. Hawaii from Philly. So the parents have to stay in the city for a couple of days for meetings because that's what his dad does.

[00:09:56] But they surprised Johnny by meeting up with Sam. Who we all remembered. So they act like Sam is a big deal. And I'm like, well, I don't recognize this guy. It's Sam, everybody. I don't recognize this guy. Best case scenario, I thought that it was somebody from the first five minutes of the first Johnny movie. He was still there. I thought it was like, oh, this is a friend of his from Hawaii that he had to leave. And now he's excited because he's finally back in Hawaii. He can hang out with his friend.

[00:10:25] Hasn't seen him in a decade. Awesome. And then it suddenly hits us all. What if I told you that the guy he befriended in Vermont also moved back to Hawaii and then they took that actor and they got rid of him and they replaced him with a different act. They replaced Jet Jackson. I can't get over it. Sorry, Jet Jackson. I fully believe they wrote the movie hoping to get Lee Thompson Young. Yeah. Just pivot. Just pivot. Three years later.

[00:10:51] When you don't get Lee Thompson Young, you change that character's name. You got to change his name. You got to make him a child of his friends. Make him. Yes. Make him anybody else. Because we we every time that character was on screen, he took us out of it. I was like, no, he is like there's not many decom actors that I would care if you replace. He's there with Kimberly J. Brown. It's like it's going to bother me.

[00:11:21] Yeah. Like there is whatever it doesn't. And you made the point where it was like, well, or Jamie, the point was like, well, he's just this guy just got cast. It's not his fault. Like Brandon and I are very angry at him. And Dan's right. It wasn't that guy's fault. And it is much like Sarah Paxton getting cast in Halloween Town 4. It wasn't her fault. Like she didn't kill Kimberly J. Brown. Like it is just Kimberly J. Brown didn't get the role. They needed a Marnie. But it's such an easy fix on the movie makers part.

[00:11:51] Right. And they just why? Who cares? Name him anything else. And we would just be like, oh, that must be a friend. It does not matter. I mean, I get it. He was, he was. Whatever. Whatever. Johnny is excited about. It's not that actor's fault. Yes. Johnny is excited about. Little J McDaniel. Not your fault. Little J. Little J. Johnny is excited about the wedding and is excited to hang out with his uncle. But then he finds out that his uncle is 12. Oh, 12. 12 years old. Uncle Chris.

[00:12:22] Uncle Chris. Uncle Chris. Who is a 12 year old brat, basically, who seems to actively hate Johnny. Right. Right out of the gate. He's from Philly, man. He's from Philly. He doesn't want to be here. He thinks that this is ridiculous. Doesn't want anything to do with Johnny. Johnny's grandpa brings Johnny to what is going to be their new surf shop. They're going to sell surf gear there. And they asked Johnny to go check on his uncle. You know what there's not enough of in Hawaii?

[00:12:51] Not enough surf shops. Johnny, go check on your uncle. He's across the street with his friends. They put it in quotation marks because they're all older than what he's named. What you need to know about Hawaii is there are no children under 13. No. They're all 13 and older. Chris is hanging out with a group. That was really tough for Chris. Or C is, as I like to call him. Yes, C. Chris is hanging out with the Dirt Devils.

[00:13:17] The Dirt Devils are a mountain boarding team led by a guy who could be any age. He's 36 years old. But his name is Troy. He looks like, we made a lot of comparisons to the X-Blades. He does look like a grown up Val. He's ancient. He is so old. But he has like the same hair. Him being an adult is a part of the mood. Everybody okay? Him being an adult is... I'm glad we used glass with silverware. Yeah, with spoon and silverware.

[00:13:47] We're committed. He... Him... Him... Is there real alcohol in there? There's not. All right. Him being an adult is a big part of the movie. That like legitimately the fact that he's going to end up, spoiler alert, like getting arrested and tried as an adult. Like he has to be... And he is like... He's so much older than everybody else. It's very weird. Yeah, there's adult and then there's this guy. That's right. So they asked Johnny to go check on his uncle who's across the street. He's hanging out with the Dirt Devils.

[00:14:16] And there's Troy. And then there's Spidey and Rooster. And the whole gang. Clomper. And then of course... Kill switch. There's cute girl Val who Johnny likes immediately. Which everyone is just there and Val is boarding like this with a helmet on. Yeah, she is. And she's like... She's like an I'm... There it is. Val. It's for the big reveal. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's for the big reveal that she girl.

[00:14:46] Played by iZombie Rose McIver. That's right. And so obviously Johnny takes a liking to her and wants to check out what this mountain boarding is all about. But when Johnny sees that they're mountain boarding on private property, he's like, I have seen the Buffalo Dreams movie. I know that this is bad. No bueno. Obviously Chris ends up getting in trouble when he gets home and he continues to actively

[00:15:14] hate Johnny for ratting him out. Johnny is shocked to see his grandpa... Well, no. Johnny tries to take the blame. He does. Yes, yes. But the parents are like, we know this wasn't Johnny. Yeah. Johnny is salt of the earth. Yeah. Johnny would never. The perfect child is suddenly doing stuff. Are we still live? It's weird. There's comments still going. That's funny.

[00:15:38] Anyway, so Johnny is shocked to see that his grandpa is rocking a suit, smoozing with some fancy folks. This is so not like his grandpa. Johnny is supposed to be keeping an eye on Chris. So when Chris sneaks off with the dirt devils, he tracks them down and they are skateboarding on this barge. And Johnny is like, well, I know how to skateboard. I'm back on board.

[00:16:07] Let me show you my moves. And so this makes Chris very mad. It's like, I have one thing. I'm trying to get in good with the dirt devils and you're showing me up. You're being better. You're showing me up. And really, it's not Johnny's fault. Johnny sees a board and he's like, I'm amazing at wherever this sport is. And that's back on board. Yeah. Pretty simple. I'm back on board. And really, Chris, pick any other hobby. Any other hobby, please. Johnny.

[00:16:37] Johnny has cleaned boards. Yeah. He's got boards. He's back on board. Doesn't matter. If there's a board involved, Johnny is number one. Yes. So the next day, Johnny goes surfing, bumps into Val and gives her a surfing lesson, which leads to her giving him his number on his hand, her number on his hand, which that's how you know. This is serious stuff. This isn't number on paper.

[00:17:05] This is number on hand. Yeah. You can't lose it. Can't lose. And it's permanent marker. It's part of Sharpie. It's serious. Yes. Because, I mean, you could write that with pen and then one hand wash. Some of those numbers could get smudged. But she said permanent marker. 5550104. You best call me on that cell phone we've never seen you use. That's right. You definitely have. So if any teenager in 07 didn't have a cell phone, it would be Johnny Cabal. It's true. It's true. Super.

[00:17:35] He just prefers. He prefers like personal connection. Face to face. Of course. Right. Right. Right. So Johnny is now committed to making Chris like him because no one can stay mad at Johnny. No. Like you're just so like I will figure out a way to get my uncle, my uncle Chris to like me. And so they do that. I don't think there's anything Brandon Baker could do. Obviously, the only way to do that is by blackmailing him. Kidnapping him.

[00:18:04] So what they do is they record him like getting scared when he wakes. They put headphones on him. So he is sleeping in the weirdest position. Yes. Which was enough. Yeah. Like they should have just taken a picture of that. That would have been plenty. Look at how weird this kid sleeps. He's sleeping on his stomach. They do a back to the future. But then like if the pillow is here, he's sleeping like this. And listen, I sometimes sleep on my stomach and that position, like his head, like that hurt.

[00:18:33] That hurt my whole spine. But then they have these giant headphones and an iPod and they sneak up on him and he doesn't do anything. They put the headphones on his head. He still doesn't wake up. And then they blast the music and then they record him jumping out of bed and they're like blackmail. Yeah. Got him. We've got him. We've got you. We got you for life. And that's good enough. That's for him. So they all go to meet up with Val.

[00:19:00] They go dirt boarding and ride ATVs at her father's house, which is a big, big house. There's lots and lots of room. There's a big yard where they can ride ATVs and play football. That's right. And she makes it known that her dad likes to own things and own stuff and buy property. I'm sure it won't come back. No, just put a pin in that. You will need it. No big deal. No.

[00:19:29] And Chris ends up like having fun. So he and Johnny, they're starting to get along. And I'm sure Chris isn't going to flip flop back and forth from liking him to hating him. Troy gets mad. They turned a corner. The rest of this movie is all rise. All rise. All rise. Yo, gobble, gobble. So Troy gets mad when he finds out that Johnny's grandpa's shop isn't just going to be selling surfboards. There's talk that they might be selling other things. Other things. Dirtboards. Perhaps.

[00:19:58] Maybe a skateboard. Accessories. And so he's very mad at that. And basically they tell Chris and Johnny not to come around anymore. They're banned. And Chris freaks out on Johnny and everybody. And it's like, they were my friends and they are ruining my life. Chris has a lot of these scenes for sure. And so Chris's mom is like, let me take him for our drive.

[00:20:26] Maybe he'll talk to me if we're alone for a while. If we have some time alone. She says, if we're alone for a while. Right. It doesn't work. He runs away. And then when the dirt devils find out that Val is hanging out with Johnny, they kick her out of the dirt devils, which isn't cool. In the creepiest, most predator-like way. It's not good. They surround her. They also physically restrain her when she tries to leave. It's really all. Yeah. They circle her.

[00:20:56] She's just like, I thought we were all going to this competition together. Right. They're like, you're out. And then she's like, okay, fine. And she tries to leave. And they're like, where do you think you're going? That's right. And it's at that point, Johnny's across the street. And I don't think Johnny would throw hands, but it's probably as close as Johnny's ever been. I think he would. I mean, his voice was raised a little. That's a big deal. In normal circumstances, Johnny would never throw hands. No, no. But in that moment, Johnny was like, you threatened Val? Yeah. You threatened anybody. Yeah.

[00:21:26] But especially a woman who's done nothing but help your team. That's right. So they tell her that she's out and that she's not allowed to join them as they head. They're about to leave to go to the pro dirt sport competition. She's off the X-Blades, has to join Team Poppin' Sox. That's right. That's exactly right. Yeah. So Johnny assumes that that must be where Chris is. Oh, there's a dirt boarding competition going on? That must be where Chris is. So Chris, Val, and Sam. Sam's back. Not Chris. Sam. Sam, Johnny. Sorry.

[00:21:55] Johnny, Val, and Sam. They go to the competition to look for Chris. There's a beautiful scene where Johnny is telling people he's this tall with brown hair. Have you seen him? Yeah. Yeah. Nero right down. And that just made me laugh so hard. Perfect. Perfect. Johnny ends up finding him. Perfect. He's brown hair. This tall. Found him right away. Chris is fighting with the dirt devils. He wants back in. You guys are my friends. Was he ever in? No, but he wants back in. But he wants back in. Come on.

[00:22:24] And so they're like, listen, we will give you another chance if you can go and do this dangerous jump. Jump the chasm. You've got to jump the chasm. It is as long as this table may be, but probably not. Did you see Brandon whatever leap over it? Brandon Kaiser? After he crashed? Oh. He leapt over it without stretching his leg out all the way. Yeah. They made it look long when he does it. No, I think it is the size of this table, but like, I think this is the size of that. It might be smaller than the length of this.

[00:22:53] No, but I'm thinking like this is he jumped from here to there. Oh, yeah, yeah. That way. Maybe it's that. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. And he's like, you know, this might be a problem because that's when my mom's rehearsal dinner is a party. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're doing a lot. But we'll make it work. And so Johnny finds out. He goes to stop him, but it's too late. He's already jumped the chasm and he's fallen and he fractures his arm. Yep. But you know what?

[00:23:23] Jump was pretty cool. Jump was pretty cool. Johnny's like, it was pretty cool that you did that. You jumped. And then Johnny being Johnny, he tries to take the blame for this as well. Yes, of course. Of course he does. Now, when they get back to the house, the police show up and they find out that the store has been vandalized. Johnny is sitting there with Chris being like, sorry about this, but like sick jump. They fist bump it like we think we're turning another corner. We're finally doing it.

[00:23:52] The police show up and it's the same police officer who had like taken them from the private when they were caught on private property and brought them home. So he pulls out and they're like, oh no, this can't be good. And he just runs past them, but he has time to go. Not here for you. Not this time anyway. She's a sucker. I'm sure later down the road we will have another interaction, but not this time. But they don't, they don't, they, they pretty easily catch not the grown man, but the blonde headed dude. Right.

[00:24:20] Well, the blonde headed dude is hanging out behind the dirt devil shop with a key and a bag of merchandise from the store. So worst criminal, worst criminal, I think. Troy. Well, I think, I believe that he was probably waiting to meet up with Troy. And then Troy just left him behind. Troy acts like he doesn't know what, what happened, but we all know. Now they knew that they would all be busy at the party because old Chris spilled the beans there. And so that's not good.

[00:24:50] But he invites Chris, Troy does, invites Chris to come back by the shop tomorrow. And he's so happy. And Johnny's like, no way. And Chris is like, you're ruining my life. Yeah. It's this beautiful moment where you think, finally, these guys, Chris, like made you jump this chasm and you fractured your arm. And now you learn something. And then they vandalized your mom's new store. Like they're horrible people. You must see it now. Roll the credits.

[00:25:18] And then Troy is like, but hey, sick jump. You know what? Why don't you come by the shop tomorrow? I got some gear with your name on it. Be part of the dirt devils. And Chris is like, I'm back in. I'm back in, baby. And Johnny's like, yeah. And then Johnny says, no way, man. And Chris is like, you're always ruining my fun. I hate you. I hate it here. And he runs off. Yeah. So it's pretty serious stuff. So Chris is fed up. And he says he just wants to go back to Pennsylvania and to Philly.

[00:25:47] And his mom agrees and tells grandpa, hey, I'm not going to marry you. It is a classic rip girl situation where it's a rip girl. I know that movie for sure. A child finds out that they get to leave continental America and get beachfront property in Hawaii. And they're like, I just want to go back. That's it. No, you don't. Just stay there. Yes. Beachfront property. Chris overhears all of this and begins to feel bad. Maybe my behavior is.

[00:26:17] Mom says, wedding's off. I'm going to sell the shop. Going back to Philly. So Val and Chris have a heart to heart. And that's when Chris realizes, oh, maybe I've been a real dinker. Yeah. And so he, Val, Sam, Johnny, they all go and they fix the shop overnight. They stay up all night. Complete with paper mache volcano. That is smoking. It is smoking. It is. It's a full science fair project. It's great. Yeah, it's beautiful.

[00:26:47] And so they invite. It's really going to put them over the competition of the Dirt Devils. Yes. Because they don't have a smoking volcano in their dark shop. That's right. That is only lit by two small windows at the top of the wall. Grandpa and company, they come, they see the store, they're blown away. And we look across the street and we see Dirt Devil Troy is having a heated conversation with Val's dad, who, I don't know if you remember this, likes to buy things. Oh, it's coming back. What do you know?

[00:27:15] Well, this is when Chris finally has his, he finally turns the corner for the last time. He says, mom, I don't want to go back to Philly. I want to stay here with my friends. I have friends. I have friends. And then we cut to Troy yelling at. Now, Troy. A man that we don't know at the time is Val's dad, but it's a business suit man that we've seen around town. Yes. We've seen him around town making hot shot deals. Yes. Yeah. So. And then we find out he's Val's dad. Val's dad.

[00:27:43] And he, Troy is like, apparently he was trying to sell the shop because he's moving to California or whatever. Johnny hears all this information and is like, I challenge you to a dirt board race. Winner takes all losers walk. And he was getting ready to walk anyway. He was going to walk anyway. But whatever. I guess the stakes here are if I lose, then we won't sell dirt boarding stuff. I don't. It doesn't matter. There's three tricks at the end. You got to land all three of them.

[00:28:12] It's a long race with no cutaways to people in the stands being. You have to land three tricks. Will there be any spectators along the course to keep you honest? Not all. All you got to do is do this whole course while no one's watching. And then three tricks while everyone's watching and cross the finish line. And it looks like Troy's going to beat him. And then last trick, he biffs it. He just falls over. Johnny Capahala, of course, lands it. Sails through the finish line. Crashes into Bale's. Hey. I mean, he saves the day even when it didn't need saving.

[00:28:42] You know what I mean? It didn't need to be saved. But whatever. So that's nice. And then Troy ends up getting arrested because they find out that they told Blondhead Kid when to go during the party. And the only way that he would know that is if he was in on it. He's also a minor, so he got to be back with his parents. We can arrest the grown man for all of this. Yes. That's right. And the wedding happens. They're married. Thank goodness. Yeah.

[00:29:12] But the way that Grandpa celebrates the wedding is by going surfing with his grandson. Uh-huh. Classic. Class you do. Yep. And then they go and they see that Chris is on the beach watching them. And they- Credits start to roll as they walk on the beach. They walk away. And that was Johnny Capahala. We're going to take a break. Back on board. We're going to take a break. Did you even watch this movie? No, I'm sorry. Unbelievable. We're going to be back in a minute. And we're going to break it down even further. Here on-

[00:29:41] Welcome back to DCOM Descendants. I'm going to read some letterbox reviews about Johnny Capahala back on board before we share our thoughts on it. Up first is Gilly. Gilly. That gives this movie two and a half stars and says,

[00:30:11] The montage of skating while the Jonas Brothers play in the background. The height of DCOMs. Colin, what was that? What just walked by? That was like a blur. That was crazy. Colin Williams says three stars. Moral of the story? Get a hot girl to tell this whiny, blank kid something that he needed to hear the entire movie so that he can finally listen to what he needs to hear. That's right. That's the lesson. Antonio, lots of Dills and Milfs in this one.

[00:30:42] Wow. Lots of Dills and Milfs. All right, Antonio. Well, how many stars did he give? He didn't give any stars. He just missed a spit take from Aaron. This was a re-watching for Antonio. Lots of Dills and Milfs. He's not wrong. Kregels says two and a half stars. Johnny's collecting sports skills like Thanos collected infinity stones. Gazer Pazorp says five stars. He's really short today.

[00:31:11] They're really short straws. Gazer Pazorp says five stars. Little known fact. The filter used on the race sequences inspired Steve Jobs to add those same filters to the iPhone camera. Emma says two stars. Jake T. Austin is a whiny colonizer, but at least there's a scene where he gets the skateboard while listening to the hold on by the Jonas Brothers. And Tom, exclamation point, says two stars. Biggest sequel disappointment since The Godfather 2.

[00:31:39] It's time for us to share our thoughts on this. Godfather 2 is amazing. Take it up with Tom, exclamation point. Let's share our thoughts on this movie. I will start with you, Aaron. What did you think? Johnny Capahala. We all love Johnny Tsunami. All love Johnny Tsunami. Do we love Johnny Capahala? Let's find out. Yeah.

[00:31:59] This is a movie where I think in the moment when it came out, I was also disappointed because at that point in my life, like, I mean, I was 16 when this came out. But still, like, Johnny Tsunami, the movie, was so, it's like a pivotal classic DCOM. One that deserved a sequel, you wait three years, which to a child. In eternity.

[00:32:25] Especially in the early stages of the internet where you don't hear rumors or you can't, you know, you're just like, oh, we're just never getting one. And then to hear you're getting a Johnny Tsunami sequel, it's just life changing. And then I remember watching it and I was like, okay, well, there's no surfing. Like, what is he, like, I don't, I had tried mountain boarding at this time. Dirt boarding, whatever you want to call it. All right, okay, all right. I didn't like it. It wasn't a sport for me. And so I was just like, all right, good for them.

[00:32:56] But now watching it back, it's still not going to be one of my favorite DCOMs, but it's way better than I remembered it being. Shout out to Brandon Baker, who is still the greatest human being ever. Come on. Ever. When the movie started, I was kind of worried. I was like, I hope they kept his character the same. And sometimes in DCOMs, you know, especially when it's been so long, you see some changes there.

[00:33:24] But Johnny Tsunami in the first movie is just a grade A human being. And he still is. He's just the best. There's like some moment in the movie where he starts to lose his temper and he gets halfway through the line. He's like. Centers himself. It's unbelievable. He's just over it. We also learned during this movie. In the first movie, the grandfather has called Johnny Pono the whole time. And we're like, that's a cute little nickname.

[00:33:51] I never thought to look it up because it's just a nickname. I thought maybe it meant like child or grandson or something in Hawaiian. But then there's a moment where Johnny is talking to his grandfather and he is like, we need to get things Pono again. And we all kind of went, well, what is how could that possibly be your nickname? And also. What? So we looked it up and Pono means righteousness, balance, goodness and doing things the right way.

[00:34:20] It's a concept that extends beyond just right and wrong, encompassing a state of harmony, balance and proper conduct within oneself, others and the environment. And I really like that is Johnny's nickname. That is who he is in this movie. I would love to believe that's who he is in real life. So I liked that little lesson from this movie. Like I learned something and that's a cool concept that I enjoy. The movie is fine. We get a very long, uninterrupted.

[00:34:52] Race scene at the end. To no reason. Yeah. To no reason. Troy has already said that he's selling the shop and moving to California. He's leaving. It sounds like at the end we find out, you know, he's trying to blame it all on the child. But the cop is like, no, the kid turned on you and said it was your idea, which makes sense because he's a child and you're an adult. So it sounds like that was already in the works before the race. So he was already going to get like arrested.

[00:35:17] And this race didn't need to happen for anybody except for the fact that it is a Johnny Tsunami movie. And he needs to have some sort of board race at some point. But still a good movie. Like I'm not, I'm not mad at it. It's not a bad movie. It's, it's going to be probably at the top of my middle on my list. But, um, yeah. It's really tough for me to know how to handle this movie because of how disappointed I am in the Sam of it all.

[00:35:46] I can tell you sound really, really down about it. Well, I just don't think it's just not right. It's just not right. And I think they grossly underestimated how much we would remember. One of the most memorable best friends, perhaps the most memorable best friend in the history of decom. That hat, I still dream about it. The hat I still dream about. Most memorable best friend, I, off the top of my head is going to be Chad. Like I don't. Oh yeah, sure.

[00:36:16] From high school musical. Sure. Chrissy Carlson Romano, Cadet Kelly. They're not best friends. But they become friends at the end, right? They become. They become best friends at the end. Yeah, I'm thinking of like sidekick best friends. That's like their three. Like the only. Yeah, Chad. Chad. Chad. I don't know who Chad is right now. Where's Troy and Chad? Corbin Blue from high school musical. You said Chad, I didn't know. That's fine. Where's Troy and Chad? Troy and Chad. But anyway. What are those two doing in a tree? It's like, imagine high school. Imagine high school musical two.

[00:36:45] Corbin Blue is nowhere to be found. And they just get some. Oh, I would riot. And they get this guy. What if this guy was a replacement best friend for every movie? Get out of here, little Jay. I'm sure you're a great person. Yeah, you did. Not his fault. Not his fault. But it's fine. I can't let it not affect this movie. It bummed me out. Every time Sam was around. I will say this. Johnny Capahala and Val. Great chemistry.

[00:37:13] That's where she writes the number on the hands. All right, those two. At the time of watching Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off, did we know that was her in that movie? No. No. No idea. So, there you go. I was reading something where it was like, this was her second DCOM. And I was like, what the heck was her first one? And I looked it up. And she's the girl on the softball team. There you go. Who pretends to be a cheerleader. And I think that one was just a few years too early where I just didn't recognize her. It didn't compute. Listen, at the end of the day, this movie is not as good as Johnny Tsunami.

[00:37:42] And it just makes me want to go watch Johnny Tsunami. And so, is it bad? No, it's not bad. But is it Johnny Tsunami? Lord, no, it's not. And so, I'm left with a... I don't know what to do with this movie. If it was just any other DCOM... I would probably have enjoyed it. I think it would be a little higher on my list. But the fact that it is a sequel to one of the best DCOMs we've seen... Yeah. It is hard. It's an uphill battle for sure here. I don't know. This movie is not necessary.

[00:38:12] And it's not amazing. However, when Brandon Baker, Johnny Cabajala, and Carrie Hiroyuki Tagawa, who plays Grandpa Johnny, when those two get to have scenes together, this is as good as DCOMs get. So, my issue is... Would watch a whole movie of just the two of them sitting there discussing surf and life. They get 12, 15 minutes together on screen. That is really good. The rest of this movie, don't care about.

[00:38:42] Don't care about New Sam. Don't care about the Dirt Devils. Don't care about the race. Don't care about Rose McIver and their relationship. They're fine. I don't care about any of the... The wedding, the store. Didn't care about any of that. But when Johnny and his grandpa get to have heart-to-hearts on the beach, or they go surfing together, or they talk through different types of things that are going on in life, the movie rules. So, it reminded me of why the first one was so good, because you have that connection,

[00:39:12] then he leaves, and that's a really big part of that movie. But it never really captures anything else about the magic. So, those moments are really good. The rest of this movie, just kind of boring, and just kind of feel like it's just kind of like trying to get you to care about something that you just don't really care about. So, yeah. Tough one to rank. Yeah. Tough one to put into any sort of perspective or order, because I gotta be honest, like, there's 12 or 15 minutes in this movie that are better than most e-coms. So, I don't want to do it.

[00:39:40] Yeah, it's tough, because, I mean, it would definitely be way higher if you get Lee Thompson Young back. Like, put this straight to the top. But also, like, we were talking while watching it about how it felt like a mashup of, like, Johnny Tsunami and Brink and Buffalo Dreams and... Motocross. Motocross. Like, it just felt like this weird mashup. It's like, you've done all these movies before.

[00:40:08] You're not reaching the level of the first one. I don't know. I like it more now. But, yeah, it is hard. And I think if you had just said, like, I don't know, put any other lead in there and just made it a whole new movie, maybe. But it's a good movie, but there are certain things that just don't quite work. Well, let's see where it lands on our list. We're making our list. We're checking it twice. Aaron?

[00:40:37] Johnny Capihalla back on board. Where are you putting it? So a funny thing happened while I was ranking this movie. Oh. And just kicking things. I'm just kicking an empty box. I wasn't, like, unplugging cords or anything. You would never. No one here would do that.

[00:40:58] But for some reason, this movie ended up around, like, Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire. Whoa. Which, for me, is lower than both of you. Oh, my gosh. And it made me think about Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire. That's how great it is. So Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire moved up on my ranking to 14. Yeah. From? Mom? I don't know. It was down at, like, oh, my gosh. It was past Brink, I think.

[00:41:28] So it was, like, 26. It's so weird because I'm going to talk about Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire, too. It's so crazy. We're both going to talk about that later. So I had, so Johnny Capihalla landed somewhere around Mom's Got a Date. And there were some other movies ahead of Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire that I wanted to put Johnny Capihalla in front of. But then I was, like, for some reason, I just, like, felt wrong to then put it ahead of Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire because I was, like, well, this isn't a seminal movie from my childhood. But, like. It's a classic. It's good. And it makes sense.

[00:41:58] From the beginning of that movie, it feels like a classic. And it just, yeah, it's just not for me because it seemed scary and I didn't watch it as a child. Yeah, yeah, yeah, fair. Would watch now. And, like, so I really may think about it. He drops the grocery bags and walks up the side. I mean, come on. Yeah. A building. A building. So, anyway, that moved up to 14. Right now Johnny Capihalla is at 15 just because in my head as I was ranking them, they were just, like, stupidly linked. And I think that will adjust a little bit. But, yeah, the takeaway here was that Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire is a better movie

[00:42:28] than I thought. Yeah. So we did it. All right. Great. Great. I can see that. My top 10 hasn't changed. Okay. All right. Do you want me to show you? Sure. 10, Halloween Town. 9, Get a Clue. 8, Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off, also starring Val. 7, Phantom of the Megaplex. 6, Smart House. 5, Johnny Tsunami. 4, Right on Track. 3, Cadet Kelly. 2, Heist Musical. And 1, Motocrossed. Motocrossed. I have Johnny Capihalla. I really struggled with where to put this movie. Right now it's at 27.

[00:42:58] Yep. That's about, that's where I had it at first. It was in that range. Which is ahead of Right on Track and behind Going to the Mats. Okay. I don't know. My top 10 also has not changed. Phantom at 10. Full Court Miracle at 9. Smart House at 8. Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off at 7. Cadet Kelly at 6. Get a Clue at 5. High School Musical at 4. Motocrossed at 3. Johnny Tsunami at number 2. And the greatest movie of all time, Brink, at number 1. Brink, almost identical.

[00:43:27] I have it at 26. Whoa! Right behind Right on Track. So I'm right on track one spot ahead of it. I could see it. What this movie made me think of was the first Johnny Tsunami and how much I loved it. But also how it is a pretty chill vibe, the whole movie. And that made me move my number 4 pick, Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire, up to 3 ahead of Johnny Tsunami. Okay. So Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire, in my opinion. If I'm going to watch one of these movies again, Motocross, Cadet Kelly, Mom's Got a Date

[00:43:57] with a Vampire, I think is as good as you can do. All right. So my top 10 has changed a bit. Halloween Town 10, Full Court Miracle 9, Scream Team 8, Get a Clue 7, Eddie's Million Dollar Kirkoff 6, Fan of the Megaplex 5, Johnny Tsunami 4, Mom's Got a Date 3, Cadet Kelly 2, Motocross 1. There it is, everybody. There you have it. Wow, wow, wow. Let's do it again next week, shall we? I love that plan.

[00:44:59] You're about to hear some ads that help keep the lights on here in the old studio. Thanks for listening or don't listen. It's really up to you at this point. It's at the end of the show. I mean, you're listening to me. Hi. But here they come. I promise they're coming. Yep. Here they are. Happy day.