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Asian Cinema Scene: 'Thirst,' 'Ponyo' Trailer

Filed under: Animation », Drama », Foreign Language », Horror », Independent », Disney », Focus Features », Family Films », Cinematical Indie », Trailers and Clips »

Asian Cinema Scene

Erotic Vampires. Park Chan-wook's Thirst will have its international premiere at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, but it's already opened in its native South Korea. In his review for Screen International, Darcy Paquet says that the "visually arresting vampire movie Thirst looks certain to create a stir: adopting a more lyrical mode than before, this complex and supremely inventive work sees the filmmaker back on top form."

I've read the knowledgeable Paquet at his site Koreanfilm.org for years, so his opinion is very encouraging, especially when you consider Park's best work includes Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Joint Security Area. [Via In Contention.] Even better: those of us in the US don't have to wait long to see it. Focus Features will release Thirst in July.

Gentle Fish. If you haven't marked August 14 on your calendars yet, please do so now. That will mark the US theatrical debut of Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo, the master filmmaker's latest work of art. The plot revolves around a princess who just happens to be a goldfish, and her desire to grow legs and walk on land. She develops a friendship with a 5-year-old boy who tries to help her realize her dream. The poster and a still can be viewed at Ain't It Cool News.

Under John Lasseter's committed oversight, Walt Disney Pictures has done right by Studio Ghibli so far, making the original Japanese-language version available at some venues and ensuring that the English dubbing is as faithful as possible. While we wait for the inevitable English-language trailer, here's a teaser, evidently for its release in France, that is silky, poetic, and non-verbal.

'Oldboy' Remake Apparently Not Actually a Remake

Filed under: Action », RumorMonger », Steven Spielberg », Remakes and Sequels »

Those of us who were in a moderate panic following the news of a planned Steven Spielberg-Will Smith remake of Chan-wook Park's singular Oldboy can rest a tiny bit easier. According to Will Smith, who's out and about promoting Seven Pounds, the film is in the works -- but it's not a remake after all. Film School Rejects has the money quote:

"We're looking at [Oldboy] right now. Not the film though, it's the original source material. There's the original comics of Oldboy that they made the first film from. And that's what we're working from, not an adaptation of the film."

I'm not sure it makes that much of a difference; an American version of Oldboy is an American version of Oldboy. But at least now Park's film might be able to stand as a companion film to the eventual Hollywood behemoth, without the studio trying to make everyone forget that it exists. I don't have the same hope for, e.g., the Matt Reeves remake of Let the Right One In, which I am actively dreading. Oldboy is something Hollywood can do well, if differently; Let the Right One In can only go badly.

If you haven't seen Park's Oldboy, I strongly recommend a rental. It's pretty unique, and has at least one utterly jawdropping action scene. You know which one I'm talking about.
 
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