Well, this is it people. I can’t hold it back any longer… specially with the latest announcement. I have to get this “If Only” edition done. In any case, other fans can still send me their 5 picks when they feel like it.
So here we go~
Archives For Korean
I don’t get the title.
But this is coming from Aiya They Didn’t.
GT: Do you see many Chinese films in US cinemas?
Rosen: There are not many Chinese films in the US, and the few Chinese films that are available in the US were directed by famous directors, such as Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, and so on. There are several types of Chinese films that have played here.
Martial arts films are one type, such as Hero (Yingxiong) by Zhang Yimou and The Promise (Wuji) by Chen Kaige. The other type would be art films, such as those by Jia Zhangke, but these only get a limited release.
However, most Chinese films will never be shown in theaters here, because I think there simply isn’t enough of an audience for them. This is also true for most foreign language films. They are more likely to appear on DVD than to be shown in theaters.
Up to now, the most successful Chinese film has been Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wohu Canglong), the second most successful was Hero, and then Fearless (Huo Yuanjia).
The most successful Chinese films at the box office in the West have all been martial arts films, where language is less important than the action on the screen.
These are some of my comments,
Instead of Rosen suggesting China focus on big historical blockbuster to compete with Hollywood films, he should have only suggested “you should dub your films in English” – I mean, even great films produced and directed by American fave Clint Eastwood suffered from the “why no dub version” threads online.
Just look at the percentage of Chinese films on the Top Grossing Foreign films. I think they’re doing pretty great as far a top grossing in the US compared to other foreign films.
What I would like to see is more Chinese films (and over all Asian films) being distributed more in cinemas… in my country. LOL The last Chinese film released here was Yimou’s Curse of the Golden Flower. AGES ago. So if China wants to have more distribution of their films, they could use their own embassies and consulates around the world to actually screen films locally, instead of the Beijing Screening for international distributors.
I bet most distributors watch them, like them but see no market for them unless they have action sequences. So in the end those distribution screenings are for nothing. China should take distribution of their films in their own hands, I’m sure a lot of people would go to the movies instead of watching online (at least many of you) if the films you want to watch are available locally.
Like I’ve said, I’m not trying to be biased, since I do watch films made in America. But if you take a look at what a Blockbuster is in America, which they are discussing in the interview, films like Transformers 2 and Twilight made big bucks. China’s productions just wonder how they can get that many people to watch their films… and not only martial art films, but other types of films too.
The fact is many foreign films don’t get wide releases because they aren’t mass-appealing (worldwide), most markets just are filled with a lot of crappy American films, and I’m not talking about District 9 or Up… but with things like Transformers 2 and All About Steve or any Jennifer Aniston rom-com. While crappy foreign films (because everyone has their crappy films) can’t even make it outside their country.
The other question is… why does Hollywood remake My Sassy Girl, when My Sassy Girl is a fine film. Why can’t they just release it with subtitles. What does China need to get a film like Internal Affairs in theaters in America, instead of getting The Departed winning Best Film at the Oscar?
Why is there a Best Foreign Film category?
DGenerateFilms has translated an essay by director Jia Zhangke with some interesting ideas, as well as some others that I don’t particularly agree with… but maybe it’s one of those things lost in translation.
In a few years, young people throughout Asia will probably sing the same song, be attracted to the same clothes; girls will wear the same makeup and carry the same handbag. What kind of world is this turning into? It is precisely in this cultural environment that only independent films that remain committed to the depiction of local culture can provide some cultural diversity.
That’s an interesting statement, considering I have been talking about the exact opposite. I often talk how there will never be a “definite” 2000’s or 10-19’s list like we had in the 90s, because the internet has opened this gate with floods of information regarding anything… including music, films and overall entertainment. You don’t need to listen to what the record companies send to the radios, or watch what networks believe to be quality television or pay for a movie a distributor thinks you should be watching.
What the essay seems to be referring to is the vapid teenage kids who won’t bother researching and finding out about something that won’t be fed through distributors. I mean, you can’t even rely on what MySpace suggests any longer. LOL
Also… Amateur Cinema? With all the technology and all the quality cinematographers out there, even the most low-budget film can look okay. I’m sorry, but an image alone can speak a thousand words. That’s all I’m saying. I may be a “production value” girl, and I can appreciate costume, and art direction, but I also always give more importance to storyline and overall mood of the film. It shouldn’t matter if it’s “amateur” or a big-budget production.
Don’t give me Amateur Cinema, give me quality Independent Cinema.
I’m not sure i-sat will be broadcasting the Indie Spirits Live this year, as the schedule says it will air at 11pm, so I literally have no idea. Actually, I think they might be live and they just begin really REALLY late as the email they just sent me says that:
8pm Pacific Time/ 11pm Eastern Time
Hosted by Eddie Izzard
So there you go…
Anyway, I dunno where you can watch the show, but you can check the Live Arrival over at the Spirit Awards Ustream TV Channel. You can even check out the music they will be using~
Here comes the predictions~
I found an interesting post!
Here’s an excerpt;
Just as the music industry had it’s comfy, soulless, profit-raking, creatively-void existence shaken out of it’s tree, so too the film industry started to feel their profits shrivel in this freshly democratic media landscape. It seems innovation and profit didn’t necessarily go hand in hand though as the massive film production companies tried to plug the gaps with endless remakes, 3D tomfoolery and crap loads of marketing driven genre dirge. If anything it was a decade of extremes, as the mainstream became more generic and formulaic so there were the occasional glittering gems shining through the shinola, that kicked against the tide and were all the better for it.
They talk about Hollywood remakes, Indies and International films~~~
One thing to note, there aren’t any Asian films… like you know, Memories of Matsuko, 3-Iron, Oldboy, In the Mood for Love, All About Lily Chou Chou, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Battle Royale, Nobody Knows, Still Walking, etc.
You can read the post here.
Every other time, TheAuteurs.com shows some of their films for free. You only need an account there to watch the films, and you can even login with your Facebook account.
Since I joined, these films were added and restored:
- Hanyo (The Housemaid) [1960] – which is being remade.
- Susuz Yaz (Dry Summer) [1964]
- Touki Bouki [1973]
since then, free movies have come and gone…
some are still free, but some others now require paying~
- Tikimentary [2009]
- Gina, an Actress, Age 29 [2001]
- Someday my Prince Will Come [2005]
- Bir Olayın İnfazı Hakkında Tutanağın İki Adı ve Kırık Plaklarla Dolu Bir Bavul
(The Two Names of a Testimony About the Execution of a Happening and a Suitcase Full of Broken Records [2007] - La Mère (The Mother) [2007]
- Sons of a Gun [2008]
subtitled in English when not in English.
so watch while it’s still available! happy viewing!
This seems VERY open. It’s Asian, and it’s also Hollywood… so it seems like my kind of award. Funny thing is that some of those nominees seem very off and certainly kind of random.
For example the historical film The Founding of a Republic is… nominated for Best Comedy? OMG, is that ironic? Also… Inglourious Basterds didn’t make it to Best 2009 Film (even though you can vote for “other” and add it), and Bigelow didn’t make it to Best 2009 Director…
Anyway, some of the nominees in the international bits include usual suspects Avatar, The Hurt Locker, District 9, A Prophet, and Inglourious Basterds~~~ even Peru’s The Milk of Sorrow. xD
The Asian nominees include Mother, Thirst, Air Doll, Red Cliff, Ponyo, Forever Enthralled, Nobody to Watch Over me, Jackie Chan, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Eason Chan, Rain, Maggie Cheung, Gong Li, etc.
Some of the unusual categories include Best Asian Entertainer in Hollywood, Best Asian Movie of the Decade, 10 Best Asian Actors and Actresses…
Happy Chinese New Year!
Yes, it’s your favorite movie to hate. LOL
We’ve got a very cool issue this month, but I’m not gonna ramble what’s in it.
Just head over here to download it and read it.
Fight illegal downloads, and be cool!
via Wildgrounds.
Yes, yet another downloads, distribution and torrents post. Why? Because it is important to discuss this issue as many many cases of people who download are brought to court.
It is important to point out the different types of uploaders/downloaders. First, the uploaders — there are those who upload to share and spread their interest so they find someone they can share a common interest with. Someone to talk to about this piece. However, they are often confused with the people who upload to get hits and possibly ad revenue… meaning, making a profit.
This is why so many fansubbing groups are against streaming, many streamers (unless they are authorized) upload videos that don’t belong to them (they don’t even sub stuff themselves!), since streaming is easier than download they get more hits and become more popular from other people’s work.
I enjoyed Avatar. I did. When those flighty things were hovering on screen, I playfully stretched my arm and tried to grab one. I’m sure if it had been my first 3D film, I would have ended with a terrible headache. However, did it need a nomination? And most important, did it need winning?
I remember on 2008, I was uncertain which film to choose as a favorite. I had loads of fun with Slumdog, and I was one of those that actually liked Benjamin Button. Obviously, there was The Wrestler, Milk, Doubt, Entre les Murs, Il y a Longtemps que Je t’Aime, The Dark Knight, Revolutionary Road, Waltz with Bashir.
But my favorite of 2008 was Let the Right One in.
Obviously, LtROi didn’t win anything. But still, 2008 was a great year for films. And it was a pretty good year for acting as well! With Richard Jenkins’ The Visitor (though I think this is technically 2007), and Michael Shannon’s Revolutionary Road — which I totally called for Best Supporting, by the way.
With 2009, however, I kept waiting and waiting. Kept telling myself that studios wanted to push their films for late releases for award season. After their release, I felt mostly underwhelmed with a vast majority of films. And I have seen nearly 100 films dated 2009, and I haven’t given none of them a 9 rating on IMDb. Merely 12 of them with an 8 rating, which include (500) Days of Summer, Red Cliff Part II, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, Mother, Mary and Max, Precious, Public Enemies, Star Trek, Up, Up in the Air, Where the Wild Things Are.
Out of 117 films in 2008, with 22 at an 8 rating. That’s double the films! LOL
So did Avatar win because it’s a weak film year?
Discuss. LOL
