Tron (1982) Trailer Reboot

Apologies for making March an unintended "Tron" month, but the final entry for the month just had to go to this expertly recut trailer for the original Tron using today's marketing sensibilities ala my previous post. When you watch this and compare it to the trailer for the Tron Legacy, you start getting a very real sense of what the sequel is lacking...at least in terms about what it is about, or what they want us to know about it.

The Karate Kid (remake)

I'll be upfront, despite misgivings, the above trailer sells a solid-looking film. Certainly another film in the long line of remakes that are being manufactured by the Hollywood machine, but one that at least does not repeat the original version's cues verbatim. The transfer of the setting makes sense with regard to making this about Chinese martial arts rather than Japanese, thus necessitating the casting of a familiar face in the mentor's role. I think without Jackie's involvement, this film might turn out less impressive, at least at the sales stage.

That being said, I won't participate in the net controversy over the title. Some points are valid, others not so. They can call it whatever they like, justify the reasons for it, but if the film does not deliver, then what does it matter. However, what I have been struck by is the surprising level of negative comments the original film is taking. Charges of "corniness," "lameness," "eye-rolling," etc. to describe memories of watching the film and justifying anticipation for this remake had me scratching my head after watching the trailer. The charges leveled on the original seem superfluous considering this remake is hitting all the thematic beats of the original. The bullied lead seeks a way to strike back at his tormentors, seeks the advice of a humble man who turns out to be more than he seems, learns from him that martial arts is not about fighting, but is begrudgingly allowed to display what he's learned to his tormentors in a proper venue that will satisfy both characters' curves. Many familiar scenes seemed to have been creatively transposed to China & Chinese philosophy, and all that remains to be seen is how far they will let Jaden Smith's character "fail" or "lose" before the ultimate "feel good" ending.

So, I don't really understand how folks could be excited about this while disparaging the original. At least to my eyes, this remake seems to be successfully adapting the original's themes to a new era and a new location. If you thought it was "corny" then, then you will probably be rolling your eyes to this one as well....

Chushingura (The 47 Ronin)

If it seems this month seems to be the month for railing against remakes, it isn't without justification. There are just so many in the pipeline at the Hollywood studios that it bears noting. Without beating the proverbial horse on our ire for this ludicrous practice that has seized the majors, this post will be a simple illustration, allowing you the reader to judge for yourself. For those of you who are not familiar with the legend of the 47 Ronin, one of Japan's most culturally beloved and recognized tales, you can read more about it here.

Now, read the comments of writer Chris Morgan (Cellular, The Fast and the Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Wanted) who is charged with the American take on the story with Keanu Reeves attached.

It's this great, 'Gladiator'-esque, '300'-like big action movie with samurai and ninja...'The 47 Ronin' is a true story that took place around 1700-1701...It's a time in Japanese culture when it was all about [the] bushido [code] and honor, and putting internal things over external things -- swords that were made to be functional instead of ornamental, that kind of stuff.

Please pay careful attention to the words he has applied to the story and compare that to what you read at the link provided. As we keep saying, what are these remakes really about? Do yourself a favor and go rent one of the classic film versions of the story from Japanese masters such as Mizoguchi Kenji (an almost entirely bloodless exploration of the samurai's existential angst) or Inagaki Hiroshi (a 1962 version focused more on questioning cultural values).

Clash of the Titans (remake)

Yahoo Movies released the first teaser for the remake of Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington who may be turning into the flavor of the month--time will tell. We have said our peace here about remakes, but this teaser only serves the point. What are they marketing in this minute and a half? Is it a classic fable of heroism? Is it the struggle of man against divine forces? Or is it monsters, swords, and gods...oh my!

The only dialogue in the piece doesn't feel mythic. In fact, it's almost downright contemporary, despite being delivered by Pete Postelthwaite. When you slap on rock music to a stream of jumping, grimacing, running imagery, and with the Monday Night Football inspired "Titans"-"Will"-"Clash" tagline, the intention of the filmmakers, so far it seems, is to pull in the crowd whose "literature" involves comic books and whose "epics" are found on videogame consoles.

But this is just the teaser. There is certainly more to be offered, right???

The Mechanic (remake)

This is the poster that was released during the American Film Market, currently taking place in Santa Monica, for the upcoming remake of the classic Charles Bronson thriller. We here are not the biggest fans of remakes as they are a distinct sign in the lack of faith Hollywood has in original material, even though there are so many interesting concepts out there.

The Mechanic was a heady, cat-and-mouse thriller about a contract killer that played out more like a procedural than a typical action film, especially one from the 70s. I can almost guarantee you that the elements that made the original very intelligent and taut with tension will most certainly be replaced by gritty action and a lot of posturing by our players.

That said, however, the main impetus for this post is the marketing of the film. The poster above is fairly typical of key art that comes out of AFM as most films have yet to start principal photography and are deep into pre-production. The goal at AFM is to attract distributors. At this stage, the producers probably have not had time to shoot proper cast photos, so a bearded jawline that seems like lead Jason Stratham is enough. What is laughable is the briefcase being made the central focus of the poster, one with the star's name on it as if it's labeled just in case he loses it. But the piece-de-resistance is the tag line:

There are thousands of ways to kill a man...
Just check his briefcase

Aside from being sterile rather than compelling the English grammar should make one chuckle. It's obvious the copy writer means for us to check the "hitman's" briefcase (you know the one with Stratham's name on it), but grammatically, the "his" in the second line modifies the previous, noun, and in this case that would be the man you can kill thousands of ways. So, what this poster is telling us is if we wanted to kill a man, all we need to do is to check his briefcase to find out how.

Hollywood...you're certainly good for a laugh, if anything.

The Wolfman

The trailer for Universal's modern remake of one of their classic movie monsters premiered yesterday. Overall, the production design and tone of the film are accurate for the material. It is the stellar cast, however, that really sells me on this film—quality players all around. And I think that is really important for material such as this. You need performers who will deliver the gravitas of the situation convincingly. Since these stories served as allegory for the age in which they were first written, it will key to not let key themes get lost in the "monster" spectacle these types of films tend to do. So far, it seems the filmmakers of this current iteration are not shying away from the dramatic elements of the story's original incarnation.
The film is due to be release February 10, 2010.

Clash of the Titans (REBOOT)

There might be a small inkling of excitement for this project despite the fact the first official still looks like every action movie being produced these days, including the film Sam Worthington is in that is currently in theaters. However, when you read the synopsis, you realize that something is very wrong:

In the film, the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

Excuse me? That doesn't sound remotely like the story this film is supposed to be based on. It sounds like a Hollywood war film instead of a Greek Myth. And look at the hinted production design...that's more Roman than Greek or at least the "Greek" stylized by Zack Snyder in 300. If this is the way the studios are going to handle their remakes/reboots, then there is definitely something wrong in Hollywood.

The Good, The Bad, and The Weird

I realize I wrote three posts in a row with single word titles, so I'm making up for it now with probably one of the longest titles posted yet. Anyway, let's get the obvious out of the way...yes, it's a remake of the The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The plot still revolves around three central characters all searching for the same thing. Each of the three are archetypes playing off one another. And yes, it's still a "western." The setting is in the deserts of China and if you think this can't possibly work, check out the trailer:


(source: Hancinema)

Only through the familiar set up of this reinterpretation does this film resemble its inspirational source. In fact, if the title wasn't what it is, you might not realize it immediately. As you watch it, however, it will dawn on you that there's something comfortable about the story, but it has so much that is different stylistically, and that is what true "remakes" should be about. As The Magnificent Seven suffused Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai with the unique setting and grand heroics of the American frontier, I think The Good, The Bad, and The Weird infuses something uniquely Asian, and more importantly, uniquely Korean into Leone's masterpiece. Backed with the appropriate budget, a director who understands both the stylization and reinterpretation required, and 3 of Korea's top actors to give the characters life, the film looks to have the grand set pieces, a wry humor, and production design to successfully distinguish itself.

Hollywood has been doing a lot of remakes based on Asian properties, and I think it's about time that Asia begin returning the "favor." I think Asia has a special eye for storytelling and deep rooted sense of "myth" which could show that a poorly developed property in Hollywood, might have had much more potential if it had been put into the right hands. If anything, a fresh reinterpretation of an American (North, Central, or South) or European film could be a good exercise for Asian directors in telling stories that aren't within their comfort zone, and that can only lead to better filmmakers.

The Departed vs. Infernal Affairs

For those not aware (like me), the recent Martin Scorsese powerhouse The Departed is a remake of an HK flick called Infernal Affairs. My buddy Ben in Japan tipped me off and even got me a copy of Infernal Affairs because he's cool (and knew I would like it). Anyways he wanted to know how the US version panned out, and perhaps you do, too-- so here's just a lift from one of our recent e-mail back-and-forths. BTW, I saw Infernal Affairs first and then went and saw The Departed.

-- Wicked SPOILERS --

You said that IA was part of a series, and you didn't know how many movies The Departed covered. Well as far as I can tell it's a direct remake of IA. And it was 2.5 hours long, to boot. The plot is exactly the same, as are most all major characters. Now I have to say The Departed is a really good movie. Scorsese knows his territory here and he cast the fucking hell out of it. I'm really surprised they didn't find a part for Deniro because he's really the only one missing in a movie like this. But the thing is, I also know they cast the hell out of IA, I mean it's Tony, Andy, and company after all.

The movie starts the same way, in cadet school, with flash backs to how they were from different backgrounds. In IA the two adult cops actually meet early on, but in The Departed they don't meet until after the crime boss dies.

The biggest differences are the weight of the roles. Since the crime boss is Jack Nicholson, I expected he'd have a much larger part in things and he does. He's kind of the main character alot of the story revolves around and connects to.

Another big difference is the shrink, she's barely in IA but it's a major role in The Departed. And they mix it up by removing bad cop's (Lau/Damon) girlfriend and making it the shrink. Then of course good cop (Leung/DiCaprio) has to see her and they get involved so there is the hollywood love triangle. Gone also is good cop's former lover (and implied daughter).

It was real funny to see what was lifted directly, and there's alot. The scene with the arm cast happens much earlier in The Departed, which I thought was better in IA because it's after the first raid and means more. The first raid is almost exactly the same, but without the morse code angle (too bad I thought that was a nice touch in IA that really pays off in the finale). The scene where bad cop pretends to be the lawyer is there, but it was way cooler in IA. The scene at the theater where good cop/bad cop almost see each other is exactly the same. So is the detail with the writing on the envelope and it's payoff, but in The Departed it's really blunt. IA handled it more believably I think, but I think it's because it's easier to believe that you can mistake a chinese symbol rather than an Irish guy not knowing how to spell.

The ending is almost scene for scene, right up to the rooftop and the elevator, to the clapping back at the department-- even the secretary handing him a drink!! But The Departed has one extra very last twist-- and it's not the HK alternate ending. Necessary, unnecessary? Eh.

The Departed is much more violent than IA. No where near as violent as Gangs of NY, tho (which I did not enjoy). It's a thuggy, Goodfellas type violence, mostly to set up DiCaprio's character as fucked up as possible. In IA good cop has been undercover for 9 years (!), in The Departed it's only 1.

So yeah The Departed is a really good movie, and 99% of people just aren't going to know what came before. I'm sure there'll be all kinds of oscar stuff thrown about. But ultimately I felt IA had more... nuance, if you get me. It wasn't afraid to have the unconnected minor characters and I really enjoyed the little details here and there.

One thing that is notable for The Departed, however-- It is very noticeable that this is a contemporary film, for America, at least. Primarily because of the role of the cell phones. Some people say computers instantly date films but they have a ubiquitousness about them that I think is pretty harmless. Lots of modern thrillers involve a major computer detail or two. The cell phone is certainly prevalent in our society but it was a little odd to see a Scorsese movie revolve around it. I just wonder how it will appear years down the road, possibly invisible because cell phones will be a staple. Goodfellas was set in a specific time period, but it could have had cell phones and been the same movie. I don't know quite how to put it, I just noticed it is all. It's weird because it was more natural to accept the HK version for whatever reason, but here you've got Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen texting with the kids. I think because of this, because of the cast and the director and the overall quality of the movie, it is one of those film notables that won't be recognized until much farther down the road.