monto888

I'd much rather go for Twilight before Oldboy, but neither is more than a Netflix rental really :/

DVD Smurf

Yesasia is very dependable and they have great customer service.

manicsounds

koreandvds.com does not have it censored.

Master Killer

I got mine from YesAsia, but you could also try DVDasian...they are a pretty reputable e-tailer. Also, if you could hold out for a couple of months and do not care for DTS, wait for the ultimate, super-duper, special edition that is coming out in September. I am pretty sure that this release is not going to disappoint.

tbickle

Great suggestions, guys. Thanks.

Fandango

Looks like our worst fears have been realized....

http://www.chud.com/news/aug04/aug4oldboy.php3

DrGerbil

Infernal Affairs, Old Boy.... it's only a matter of time before they remake Battle Royale, only with adults instead of children, thus turning it into some reality tv rubbish. BAH, I say!

Fandango

Very funny you should say that because almost everything you mention can be said about Series 7: The Contenders which I found to be quite a good piece of satire as well as black comedy.

candyrocket786

Bastards!!!!....Hollywood always manages to find a way to consistently butcher asian cinema.

DrGerbil

Of Series 7: The Contenders, I have heard good things, but I wasn't aware the show was a remake...

Fandango

Well its not an official remake but if you watch it you will find it is very similar.

DonnachaOne

Watched Oldboy.

Feel dirty.

Will shudder myself to sleep.

ehonauer

So would it be safe to say you're not dropping $100 on the Oldboy Ultimate Edition?

Brent L

I wanted to bump this up since I finally saw the remake, for 2006, listed on IMDB. Would this be an ok thread to discuss who we feel should be in the remake?

flashburn

What the fuck is it with Hollywood remaking every single Asian movie. Wish they could actually take the time to develop a new idea.

DrGerbil

Have you heard of the Ikiru remake? In any case, if a movie as great as Ikiru can be remade, no film is safe... interesting that Hollywood enjoys taking asian films and westernizing them, all the while pushing its own asian talent to the side, which does nothing more than to function as an indictment of its own prejudices. Regardless, I am of the opinion that a remake will only bring more fame to the original, which is always a benefit.

harosa

Dr, I agree with you that a remake can only bring more attention to the original. In my opinion, the originals had their run and would never hit the States if a remake wasnt being prepped. Now they can get a limited theatrical run and get some fame on DVD in the US, like Ringu and The Grudge did, and like Im sure Dark Water, Ringu 2 and Infernal Affairs will.

marty888

Infernal Affairs is currently showing in a few NYC theaters, and the entire trilogy is being shown in conjunction with the New York Film Festival.

harosa

I saw it playing here, Im sure it'll get some kind of push when the remake comes out.

slop101

Is it true that the fat orange glob of fuck known as Harry Knowles is actually doing a commentary on the upcoming OldBoy special edition. If so, I'm running the other way.

wildzero84

yup.

DrGerbil

Believe it or not, Starmax is subtitling his commentary in Korean... this is where I quote Willy Wonka, "Don't speak. For some moments in life, there are no words."

Brent L

Hey, I don't think we should be remaking all of these films (Oldboy, My Sassy Girl, Infernal Affairs, Il Mare, and on and on and on) but if they are going to do so, we might as well talk about them seriously and discuss how we fill they could be great here as well. Also, as has been said, it will help bring attention to the originals, and perhaps lead to releases, or better releases, here in the US.

That said, let's seriously try to talk about the casting of the American 2006 Oldboy.

Before I get to my picks, allow me to explain my line of thinking. First off, the director must be someone who is willing to take risks. Yes, the Korean Oldboy has the look and film of a David Fincher, but I highly doubt we'll get a film with that exact same look. Besides, if they are going to remake it, I'd like to see a bit of a change. Not to the overall story, but to the look and feel of the film.

For the main actor, I do not think that this film will need a huge powerhouse like Brad Pitt leading the way. On paper he may look like the type of guy who could fit this role, but I doubt that he would be able to bring out in the character what is needed. Brad Pitt puts off this image of a very strong and sexy leading man, but what he doesn't bring to the table is the look and feel of the "normal" man. The type of guy who is just a random guy, the type of guy that Oh Dae-Su really is. We need an actor with name value, but not someone who is already marked for playing a certain type of role, and not someone with as much name value as Brad Pitt. We need someone who can really stretch their talents, to the point where in the same film they play the role of someone who looks as though all is lost and is very depresses and has nothing at all...and then someone who is out for revenge and will do anything, anything, to race to the conclusion. You do NOT need a (so called) sexy or pretty boy in this role, PERIOD.

Then for the role of Lee Woo-jin, we need someone who can bring forth the look of the elegant and clean cut feeling. Someone who looks like they are on top of the world on the outside, but is actually dying on the inside. I think my choice for this one is spot on.

Then for the love interest we need a younger actress, but someone who can really explore and show true emotion to the viewer. An actress who looks young on the outside, but when you look into their eyes you see someone who looks to be well advanced beyond their years.

If I was over this project, the following would be the first people that I would call in.


Director: Brian De Palma

Oh Dae-su: Benicio Del Toro

Lee Woo-jin: Christian Bale

Mi-do: Scarlett Johansson

Summerwine

Come on, fellow film lovers: this remake-scam is not even worth talking about.

On the one hand, we have a creative powerhouse aka Korea, and on the other an industry that is creativity-wise not exactly anywhere near that of Asia, i.e. today's Hollywood.

Usually, when foreign films are released in the US, the audience remains a handful of freaks, geeks and other non-joe6pac-collegefolks. (of course, companies like MIRAMAX which consistently buy rights for films in order to give them the shit-stick afterwards are no help...!)

Now, why COPY something, that is close to perfect (like Park's film is) and use the artistic death-penalty aka Hollywood marketing strategies to create a mass-audience suitable piece of dirt?

Why not spend that money on a nationwide release of the original, with good old American marketing strategies, which are objectively speaking the best out there. Besides not embarassing itself with a remake of a film that just can't be redone, Hollywood would actually do something in regards to refreshing the sticky soup of mainstream trash that is just not often enough stirred up by great films (which the US nevertheless somehow manages to release every now and then).

Don't get me wrong, people, I love good popcorn movies, and I also am a fan of great American films - they exist and they always will. But seeing this business of redoing every new idea coming from Asia (with "The Ring" being one of the better remake-entries) I just can't help speaking out.

Let's advocate stronger nationwide runs for foreign films as well as more power to non-blockbuster moviemaking in stead of discussions about how a remake could be done.

S

PS: I didn't mean to thread-crap, just adding an opinion here.

Grubert

What Summerwine said. Case in point: Amenábar's Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes) vs the travesty that is Vanilla Sky (couldn't be bothered to watch the Ring remake).