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Hollywood rips off Asian movies, part 356


I saw a trailer for The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift this weekend. It claimed to be the first movie about a type of racing called "drifting". Um, no and no. Par for the course, I know, but I just hope it's not all white-guy-and-his-black-buddy-vs-the-evil-Asians, which is what it looks like. The director is Asian-American, though.

Strangely enough, I'd just seen the Hong Kong version of Initial D last week. I have no interest in cars in real life, but they're fun to watch in movies. I liked the way racing was treated like a martial art, complete with the hero having unknowingly aquired just the skills he needs to win, the worthy noble opponent, and the old drunk guy who seems useless but actually has the talent needed to train the hero. Instead of learning to use special weapons, the hero learns to use a different engine. Plus the great Anthony Wong as an alcoholic widowed tofu-maker!

But it's not just action and horror movies being ripped off from Asia; now they're remaking supernatural romances.

Hollywood is even remaking Oldboy and it's being directed by the same Justin Lin who's doing F&tF3! That is going to be such a disaster.

Comments

DrSomneblex said…
Old Boy will be a disaster indeed, as I can think of no North American director aside from Cronenberg or Lynch that would dare come close to the true Oedipal fury of that Korean masterpiece.
And WHO could replace Anthony Wong in the American driftsploitation film?
Someone should try to remake a movie that can't get much worse for a change, like Matthew Barney's Drawing Restraint 9, now that might be interesting!!

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