younggiftedandblack
08-06-2004, 03:50 AM
From CHUD.com (http://www.chud.com/news/aug04/aug4oldboy.php3)
8.04.04
By Devin Faraci
Contributing Sources: Variety
Last week I watched the Korean film Old Boy, based on the recommendation of the ronin who inhabit the CHUD Message Board’s epic Asian Films Thread. It’s a damn good movie, really well made, beautifully directed and with a compelling premise – a man is suddenly abducted and held prisoner for 15 years, then released. He decides to find out who imprisoned him and why, and to get his revenge. Halfway through the movie I was already seeing the inevitable Hollywood remake, but then in the third act there was a new plot element that convinced me this movie could never be remade in America.
I still don’t think it could be, but Hollywood’s love affair with remaking the Far East continues apace, and Old Boy is on that list. Justin Lin, who got a lot of buzz with his disaffected Asian youth in America film Better Luck Tomorrow has signed on to direct the film for Universal, and he’s bringing his cowriters from that film with him.
Now, I’m not normally that down on these remakes – the original is still out there, and often becomes more accessible in America as a result. But the problem here is that I just don’t see any major Hollywood studio sticking with the elements that make the original Old Boy so fantastic and so shocking and incredible. Also, the original is a very visionary piece of filmmaking which is great not just because of the story but because of the great work of director Chan-wook Park, who brings a tremendous style to his film. Still, here’s hoping.
Good thing/ Bad thing??
8.04.04
By Devin Faraci
Contributing Sources: Variety
Last week I watched the Korean film Old Boy, based on the recommendation of the ronin who inhabit the CHUD Message Board’s epic Asian Films Thread. It’s a damn good movie, really well made, beautifully directed and with a compelling premise – a man is suddenly abducted and held prisoner for 15 years, then released. He decides to find out who imprisoned him and why, and to get his revenge. Halfway through the movie I was already seeing the inevitable Hollywood remake, but then in the third act there was a new plot element that convinced me this movie could never be remade in America.
I still don’t think it could be, but Hollywood’s love affair with remaking the Far East continues apace, and Old Boy is on that list. Justin Lin, who got a lot of buzz with his disaffected Asian youth in America film Better Luck Tomorrow has signed on to direct the film for Universal, and he’s bringing his cowriters from that film with him.
Now, I’m not normally that down on these remakes – the original is still out there, and often becomes more accessible in America as a result. But the problem here is that I just don’t see any major Hollywood studio sticking with the elements that make the original Old Boy so fantastic and so shocking and incredible. Also, the original is a very visionary piece of filmmaking which is great not just because of the story but because of the great work of director Chan-wook Park, who brings a tremendous style to his film. Still, here’s hoping.
Good thing/ Bad thing??