tagged w/ Chan Wook-park
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There comes a point in every niche-specific blog when you've got to stretch that extra inch to pump out a post. Maybe you're a movie blog, ankling to finish that last post of the day. Maybe you're lacking the caffiene to get the first post going?
Whatever the case, confusing a South Korean director for a Japanese is grounds for being a great moment in cinematic fail.
Japanator's Holiday Shopping Guide is made up of films and recommendations that read like a 10-15 minute Google search of recent releases. It even goes between one writer's love of HKFlix to the second group of suggestions being solely based around Amazon.
And you know, that's fine. To reveal my own inner (despite my hatred for the term) otaku, I read Japanator daily. So it's with that I burned inside a bit when one of the "Japanese films" suggested for the holiday season was Chan Wook-park's The Vengeance Trilogy, which was a definite DVDon't.
My main problem with the listing? Wook-park is Korean, not Japanese. Thus it is a lazy list recommendation, especially when the author only cites OldBoy as a reason for the boxed set. In no way should it knock Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, which is an incredible film, but a majority of viewers coming into the series would do so after OldBoy. And for good reason.
OldBoy is a swan song. Oddly, it represents the culmination of Wook-park's stylization that would be absent from Lady Vengeance. In fact, compared to the rest of the films suggested, OldBoy is a gigantic leap from the live-action Detroit Metal City or Crows II. The entire list reads like a haphazard mess thrown together in order to appease some list-making God that would otherwise smite a village unless this was cobbled together in five minutes.
The fact that 20th Century Boys, K-20: Legend of the Mask or Love Exposure would be left off this list of import DVDs proves there's something wrong here. Not to mention they would be "Japanese" releases instead of Korean.
But regardless, choosing a haphazard and "variety pack" edition of Chan Wook-park's work is more than enough reason as to why that list is a Great Moment in CINEMATIC FAIL: The Asian Edition.
There comes a point in every niche-specific blog when you've got to stretch... more
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From sci-fi remakes to pseudo-shock doctrines, this Tuesday has them all new on DVD. So with some help from our friends at Rotten Tomatoes, we're ready to lay out another week of DVDo's and DVDon'ts.
Lichman's Pick: The Limits of Control is my favorite film of 2009. It received a low Tomatometer. I don't care. It's a fantastic film.
The Fresh:
-Pray The Devil Back To Hell is this week's 100 percent fresh release about the Liberian Civil War.
-Star Trek is the shoe-in for your Thanksgiving day doldrums.
-Thirst is Chan Wook-park's foray into the vampire genre with awesome results.
-Humpday was a hit. But the DVD cover has been "de-gayed."
-My One and Only is basically about how great George Hamilton is.
-Brüno came out a few months ago. Remember that?
The (Almost) Rotten:
-My Sister's Keeper is one of the lower-rated Tomatometers this week, but struck a chord with some of us.
The Bland:
-Evangalion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone is our un-reviewed DVD this week, which is too bad. It's actually a decent introduction to the franchise if you have no relation to it.
From sci-fi remakes to pseudo-shock doctrines, this Tuesday has them all new on... more
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The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30 e/p on Current TV. From reviews of the newest releases to commentary on cult favorites and movie trends, each episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a fast-paced, comedic journey through the week in cinema.
For more from the Rotten Tomatoes Show: http://rottentomatoesshow.com
For more about movies from Current: http://current.com/moviesThe Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30... more
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In the this episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show, hosts Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox lead ensemble reviews of "Funny People," "In The Loop," & "Thirst," Charlene Yi from Paper Heart shares her Five Favorite Films, and Brett wants you for the Secret Government Agencies.
Funny People reviewed by The Rotten Tomatoes Show
http://current.com/items/90626806_funny-people.htm
In the Loop reviewed by The Rotten Tomatoes Show
http://current.com/items/90627852_in-the-loop.htm
Thirst reviewed by The Rotten Tomatoes Show
http://current.com/items/90627651_thirst.htm
Elvis Kicks Ass
http://current.com/items/90598058_elvis-kicks-ass.htm
The Rotten Tomatoes Show Asks, Are You Pleased?
http://current.com/items/90626807_are-you-pleased.htm
Five Favorite Films with Charlyne Yi
http://current.com/items/90627248_charlyne-yi.htm
Secret Government Agencies and You
http://current.com/items/90627450_secret-government-agencies-and-you.htm
Haiku Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
http://current.com/items/90628169_haiku-movie-review.htm
Trailer Time: Whiteout,A Serious Man, The Fantastic Mr. Fox
http://current.com/items/90628407_trailer-time.htm
Weekend Peekend for 8/6
http://current.com/items/90628393_the-weekend-peekend.htm
The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a movie review show that airs on Thursday nights at 10:30 e/p on Current TV. From reviews of the newest releases to commentary on cult favorites and movie trends, each episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show is a fast-paced, comedic journey through the week in cinema.
For more from the Rotten Tomatoes Show: http://rottentomatoesshow.com
For more about movies from Current: http://current.com/moviesIn the this episode of The Rotten Tomatoes Show, hosts Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox lead... more
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On a mission to cure a terrible virus, Priest Sang-hyeon is infected with vampirism - along with a roiling mass of carnal urges and guilt. If you like darkly funny, weird tales, don't miss Thirst from Park Chan-wook ("Oldboy").
Spoilers ahead!On a mission to cure a terrible virus, Priest Sang-hyeon is infected with vampirism -... more
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Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are moving forward with plans for a remake of "Old Boy" despite a complex, behind-the-scenes rights wrangle involving the Japanese publishers of the original manga and the Korean producers of Park Chan-Wook's 2003 cult hit.
Futabasha, publisher of the manga by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya, has filed a case against Show East in Seoul, alleging the Korean company never had the right to negotiate a remake.
The issue is further complicated by the fact that Show East has shut down and its CEO, Kim Dong-Ju, has disappeared. Big Egg, a co-producer of the ultra-violent revenge flick, has also closed up shop, and its former staffers are unreachable.
"We haven't been able to confirm that Show East is bankrupt, and at this stage we're not sure what effect this will have on the legal case," said a spokesperson from Futabasha in Tokyo, who noted that legal proceedings had begun last week.
South Korean sales company Cineclick Asia, which represented Show East's "Oldboy" in international territories, actually negotiated the remake deal with Universal.
Universal brought in Roy Lee's Vertigo Entertainment, which has made a specialty of Asian film remakes, to produce the picture, and then Mandate acquired the rights from Universal.
DreamWorks, in one of its first moves in the wake of its November separation from Paramount, secured remake rights from Mandate, which remains involved in the project.
DreamWorks had no comment on the dispute between Futubasha and Show East.Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are moving forward with plans for a remake of... more
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Futabasha, the Japanese publisher of Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi's Old Boy manga, is suing the Korean film production company Show East over the rights to remake the story into a Hollywood film. In the story, a man who was imprisoned for over a decade hunts down his mysterious former kidnappers to take revenge. Show East had produced the popular, critically acclaimed 2003 Korean film version that Chan-wook Park directed. The lawsuit was revealed at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday, although the lawsuit was actually filed on Monday.
Futabasha is suing to confirm the lack of a binding contract between the two parties, due to an alleged breach. Futabasha asserts that Show East violated its basic agreement with Futabasha, and thus nullified it, when Show East pushed for the production of a film remake with America's Universal Pictures. Show East signed its contract with Futabasha over film rights in September of 2002, and signed a second contract in December of 2003 that amended the original one to cover other materials.Futabasha, the Japanese publisher of Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi's Old... more
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