Anyone who has looked at JPFmovies knows that we review a lot of Asian films. As I have said before, Hollywood, in my opinion, has not done anything fresh or original in years. It seems that the studios come up with some action scenes and then fill the time between explosions with simple stories and bad dialogue. So, disillusioned with American cinema, I’ve had to turn elsewhere—mainly to Asia.
Since the turn of the century Asian films have come a long way. In the 1980s and throughout most of the 1990s Asia was copying Hollywood almost without shame. Now the reverse is true. Spike Lee’s recent announcement that he is going to remake the South Korean film Old Boy (2003) seems to embody this sad trend. We here at JPFmovies loved Old Boy and I will be very interested to see how well Lee’s film stacks up against the original. Even the remakes that Asian cinema produces, i.e. Hari Kari Death of a Samurai and 13 Assassins, are standout films in their own right. The remakes here in America stink on ice. Films like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, “Planet of the Apes” (even though the 1968 Charlton Heston starrer doesn’t stand next to “Grand Illusion” or “Citizen Kane” in the cinematic pantheon). But it worked beautifully as a campy thriller, it spawned four successful sequels in the ’70s, and it has gone on to become a cultural icon with a large landmark cult following. The Tim Burton-directed remake in 2001 suffered from a wooden performance by Mark Wahlberg in the lead, an overemphasis on special effects and action, and a painfully formulaic script. Another disgrace to the original films is the Harrison Ford & Greg Kinnear movie Sabrina where the film’s story is about as predictable as an X-rated movie script. These only name a few. And I will not bore you with a litany of similar foul-smelling remakes made in order to avoid having to create fresh ideas.
How, might you ask, does this relate to Dr. H? While we rarely air our dirty laundry here at JPFMovies, long-time contributor Dr. H was almost universally opposed to foreign movies. This recently changed after he attended an international medical convention full other physicians and moviegoers who informed Dr. H that if you want a real script with thriller and intelligent endings, South Korea, Japan and China are now at the forefront of the film industry. Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to get him to acknowledge this for at least two years. Until now, he’s fought me consistently on watching Asian movies containing subtitles. Several days ago, after returning from the conference he actually requested that we watch Old Boy without any prodding from me. This means that he took the word of his colleagues over the experts here at JPFmovies. While disappointing on its face, at least we have someone who has taken the Matrix’s proverbial red pill, opening his eyes to the truth instead of blissful ignorance.
While it seems like my mantra has been falling on deaf ears for some time now. I am feeling at least a little bit vindicated for my position on the current state of cinema today. Naturally, I invite your comments, questions or concerns regarding this post and hope to hear from you soon.
J.P.'s I'm Outta Here Movie Thoughts 