ak24
11-11-2008, 04:12 PM
http://www.complex.com/blogs/2008/11/10/when-hollywood-rips-off-south-korea/2/
Movies When Hollywood Rips Off South Korea
So Variety is reporting that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are in talks to remake South Korean film Oldboy, a.k.a. the greatest mind-fuck movie ever. We’ve already shown you how Korea’s fast becoming the new Japan for cars, girls and tech, so it should be no surprise that Hollywood’s pilfering ideas from the Land of the Morning Calm.
The rumored Oldboy project won’t be the first (or last) time that a Korean flick has gotten the ol’ Hollywood whitewash. Luckily for you, we at Complex are certified Korean cinema experts. Here’s a look at American remakes of Korean movies from the past, present and future.
Korean Movie: Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo (2001) (a.k.a. “My Sassy Girl”),
dir. Kwak Jae-young
Plot: A hapless college student falls in love with a pretty psycho-bitch with a traumatic past.
Remake: My Sassy Girl (2008), dir. Yann Samuell
Starring: Jesse Bradford and Elisha Cuthbert
Verdict: The O.G. broke South Korean box office records; the American adaptation was a straight-to-DVD brick, apparently because U.S. audiences couldn’t buy the concept of a loser emasculating himself to win a girl’s heart. Maybe they should’ve kept the female lead as Korean?
Korean Movie: Siworae (2000) (a.k.a. “Il Mare”), dir. Lee Hyun-seung
Plot: Two would-be lovers communicate through a magical mailbox.
Remake: The Lake House (2006), dir. Alejandro Agresti
Starring: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock
Verdict: Koreans are experts at melodrama and the carbon-copy U.S. remake is no more cheesy or manipulative than the O.G. Still, replacing sexy “Sassy Girl” starlet Jeon Ji-hyun with Sandra Bullock definitely kills the mood.
Korean Movie: Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003) (a.k.a. “A Tale of Two Sisters”),
dir. Kim Ji-woon
Plot: Two sisters rebel against their wicked stepmother in this ghost story.
Remake: The Uninvited (out 1/30/2009), dir. Charles and Thomas Guard
Starring: Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel and Elizabeth Banks
Verdict: The trailer for the remake features none of the O.G.’s atmospheric horror and creepiness, instead looking like a straightforward scarefest. Boo.
Korean Movie: J.S.A: Joint Security Area (2000), dir. Park Chan-wook
Plot: When a South Korean patrol guard kills two North Korean soldiers in the DMZ, an international official is sent in to investigate.
Remake: Joint Security America (no release date), dir. David Franzoni
Starring: May we suggest: Gael Garcia Bernal, Tom Hanks and Natalie Portman
Verdict: The remake, which plans to substitute the U.S.-Mexico border for the DMZ zone, actually sounds like a pretty cool idea. But the fact that the script has been on ice for so long is not a good sign. The O.G., which is Oldboy director Park’s first major film, is definitely worth Netflixing.
Korean Movie: Chugyeokja (2008) (a.k.a. “The Chaser”), dir. Na Hong-jin
Plot: An ex-cop-turned-pimp has 12 hours to track down a serial prostitute-killer.
Remake: The Chaser (2010), dir. TBD
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio (rumored)
Verdict: The Departed screenwriter William Monahan, who knows a thing or two about Asian remakes, has been pegged to rewrite the script. If Leo officially signs on, we’re definitely intrigued. The dark-as-fuck O.G. was the best Korean flick we’ve seen in the last few years.
Korean Movie: Seven Days (2007), dir. Won Shin-yun
Plot: To rescue her kidnapped daughter, a lawyer has a week to defend the innocence of a man facing the death penalty.
Remake: TBD, dir. TBD
Starring: TBD
Verdict: The producers of last year’s mediocre parking structure horror flick P2 are developing the adaptation. The O.G. version stars Yunjin Kim of Lost, but she’s clearly not “American” enough to be cast in the remake. We shall see.
Korean Movie: Jopog Manura (2001), a.k.a. “My Wife Is a Gangster”,
dir. Cho Jin-gyu Cho
Plot: To fulfill her sister’s dying wish, a female gang lord gets married and tries to settle down.
Remake: My Wife Is a Gangster, dir. Peter Chelsom
Starring: Queen Latifah
Verdict: The O.G. spawned two sequels in Korea, but the American remake is currently in limbo. It’s a winning premise and Latifah’s a good choice, but somehow gang humor in the U.S. doesn’t seem as ripe for comedy as it is in Korea.
Korean Movie: Oldboy (2003), dir. Chan-wook Park
Plot: After getting locked up for fifteen years without explanation, a man goes on a quest to bring vengeance upon his captors.
Remake: TBD, dir. Steven Spielberg (rumored)
Starring: Will Smith (rumored)
Verdict: If the rumors are true, it’s not a spoiler to say that: 1) This will instantly become the illest, most provocative movie ever made by either Spielberg or Smith; 2) It has the potential to be either extremely awesome or extremely terrible; and 3) We’ll be watching with intense interest to see who is cast as the love interest.
Man, these remakes, the ones that hasn't been made, sound terrible.
I do understand in Korean film business point of view though since they're struggling economically...
Movies When Hollywood Rips Off South Korea
So Variety is reporting that Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are in talks to remake South Korean film Oldboy, a.k.a. the greatest mind-fuck movie ever. We’ve already shown you how Korea’s fast becoming the new Japan for cars, girls and tech, so it should be no surprise that Hollywood’s pilfering ideas from the Land of the Morning Calm.
The rumored Oldboy project won’t be the first (or last) time that a Korean flick has gotten the ol’ Hollywood whitewash. Luckily for you, we at Complex are certified Korean cinema experts. Here’s a look at American remakes of Korean movies from the past, present and future.
Korean Movie: Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo (2001) (a.k.a. “My Sassy Girl”),
dir. Kwak Jae-young
Plot: A hapless college student falls in love with a pretty psycho-bitch with a traumatic past.
Remake: My Sassy Girl (2008), dir. Yann Samuell
Starring: Jesse Bradford and Elisha Cuthbert
Verdict: The O.G. broke South Korean box office records; the American adaptation was a straight-to-DVD brick, apparently because U.S. audiences couldn’t buy the concept of a loser emasculating himself to win a girl’s heart. Maybe they should’ve kept the female lead as Korean?
Korean Movie: Siworae (2000) (a.k.a. “Il Mare”), dir. Lee Hyun-seung
Plot: Two would-be lovers communicate through a magical mailbox.
Remake: The Lake House (2006), dir. Alejandro Agresti
Starring: Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock
Verdict: Koreans are experts at melodrama and the carbon-copy U.S. remake is no more cheesy or manipulative than the O.G. Still, replacing sexy “Sassy Girl” starlet Jeon Ji-hyun with Sandra Bullock definitely kills the mood.
Korean Movie: Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003) (a.k.a. “A Tale of Two Sisters”),
dir. Kim Ji-woon
Plot: Two sisters rebel against their wicked stepmother in this ghost story.
Remake: The Uninvited (out 1/30/2009), dir. Charles and Thomas Guard
Starring: Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel and Elizabeth Banks
Verdict: The trailer for the remake features none of the O.G.’s atmospheric horror and creepiness, instead looking like a straightforward scarefest. Boo.
Korean Movie: J.S.A: Joint Security Area (2000), dir. Park Chan-wook
Plot: When a South Korean patrol guard kills two North Korean soldiers in the DMZ, an international official is sent in to investigate.
Remake: Joint Security America (no release date), dir. David Franzoni
Starring: May we suggest: Gael Garcia Bernal, Tom Hanks and Natalie Portman
Verdict: The remake, which plans to substitute the U.S.-Mexico border for the DMZ zone, actually sounds like a pretty cool idea. But the fact that the script has been on ice for so long is not a good sign. The O.G., which is Oldboy director Park’s first major film, is definitely worth Netflixing.
Korean Movie: Chugyeokja (2008) (a.k.a. “The Chaser”), dir. Na Hong-jin
Plot: An ex-cop-turned-pimp has 12 hours to track down a serial prostitute-killer.
Remake: The Chaser (2010), dir. TBD
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio (rumored)
Verdict: The Departed screenwriter William Monahan, who knows a thing or two about Asian remakes, has been pegged to rewrite the script. If Leo officially signs on, we’re definitely intrigued. The dark-as-fuck O.G. was the best Korean flick we’ve seen in the last few years.
Korean Movie: Seven Days (2007), dir. Won Shin-yun
Plot: To rescue her kidnapped daughter, a lawyer has a week to defend the innocence of a man facing the death penalty.
Remake: TBD, dir. TBD
Starring: TBD
Verdict: The producers of last year’s mediocre parking structure horror flick P2 are developing the adaptation. The O.G. version stars Yunjin Kim of Lost, but she’s clearly not “American” enough to be cast in the remake. We shall see.
Korean Movie: Jopog Manura (2001), a.k.a. “My Wife Is a Gangster”,
dir. Cho Jin-gyu Cho
Plot: To fulfill her sister’s dying wish, a female gang lord gets married and tries to settle down.
Remake: My Wife Is a Gangster, dir. Peter Chelsom
Starring: Queen Latifah
Verdict: The O.G. spawned two sequels in Korea, but the American remake is currently in limbo. It’s a winning premise and Latifah’s a good choice, but somehow gang humor in the U.S. doesn’t seem as ripe for comedy as it is in Korea.
Korean Movie: Oldboy (2003), dir. Chan-wook Park
Plot: After getting locked up for fifteen years without explanation, a man goes on a quest to bring vengeance upon his captors.
Remake: TBD, dir. Steven Spielberg (rumored)
Starring: Will Smith (rumored)
Verdict: If the rumors are true, it’s not a spoiler to say that: 1) This will instantly become the illest, most provocative movie ever made by either Spielberg or Smith; 2) It has the potential to be either extremely awesome or extremely terrible; and 3) We’ll be watching with intense interest to see who is cast as the love interest.
Man, these remakes, the ones that hasn't been made, sound terrible.
I do understand in Korean film business point of view though since they're struggling economically...