Ok folks.  I saw the film opening day, and I was kind of disapointed that the theater I went to pushed it to a tiny side theater.  Oh’s well’s.  Here goes.

When you see a Wachowski brothers movie you have to expect the unexpected.  They pull out all the stops visually and sometimes things don’t make the most sense the first time around.  Unless you’re REALLY paying attention – and believe when Rain’s on screen, I’m paying attention!  First of all, this film did not let Rain stretch his acting muscles – just his physical ones. (Which, as a squeeling fan-girl I appreciated very much.)  His English is much improved over older clips and songs, I know he’s working hard and that over time his abilities will increase 10 fold.  That said, what did I think of the movie?  Man, what a bloody, bloody splash fest of a film THAT was!  Dear me.  I was prepared slightly by the local newspaper reviewer.  (“Ninja Assassin sets a new standard for film gore.”) So, I knew it was going to be bad, but not bad enough to make this non-squeemish girl cringe and try VERY hard not to look away.  I will say this, if you can make it through the opening scene, things get better and if I may say so – a bit more stylized and less, um, blech-y.  Naomie Harris was very good in her role and I liked her.  She was a good strong character who wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, but knew better than to just jump into the middle of a fight thinking she could help (most of the time.)  I was disapointed by how little dialogue that Rain had.  Did the directors think he couldn’t handle it, or was it part of his ninja character that he had to stay mysteriously quiet?  I’m not entirely sure.  I do know that I probably got a few dirty/quizical looks or questioning thoughts during one scene where a random henchman-like character says:  **SPOILER ALER** “He doesn’t look like a killing machine to me, He looks like he belongs in a boy band.”  OH MAN.  That almost had me on the floor rolling with laughter.  I had to cover my mouth and take deep breaths to calm down.  In the heavier fight scenes Rain wowed and proved that his 8am-5pm everyday for 9 months training paid off – in a big way.  I only spotted a few scenes that were obviously  his stunt double.  Other wise the man whooshed his way through the choreography.  I remember thinking 3/4 of the way through the movie “Poor Rick Yune!” Poor man has only one scene in which you can actual see his face, not very good for an actor that already has very few apperances in films.   I find it funny that for most of the articles about this film he was billed before Rain.  Kind of ironic if you ask me.  In all, this film really was all about the action, and it’s nearly non-stop.  I think critics are generally full of crap and they get movies wrong.  Most of them are looking for films to be artsy, realistic and have deep meanings.  In general, the public like movies that are entertaining and show them something they don’t see in daily life or have never seen before and in this sense, Ninja Assassin delivers.  I want to warn anyone who is slighly squeemish or can’t handle violence against seeing this movie.  Wait for the DVD and fast forward through the tough stuff and you’ll get to at least see Rain for a few minutes!  My final rating:  6.5/7 out of 10.

Rain worked very hard for Ninja Assassin!

If you like action/kung-fu/martial arts movies or Rain – check out Ninja Assassin!

Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin is a visual thrill ride that’s filled with slick action scenes that’ll keep you at the edge of your seats. What the movie lacks in plot, it more than makes up with very cool & bloody fight sequences. The gore is over the top and I suppose that’s why I was able to stomach the violence.

As much as I loved watching the action I don’t think I’d like watching it again cos’ all that violence just doesn’t sit well with me which is the same way I feel about 300. This one is certainly not for the faint of heart.

The Wachowski brothers have a winner here and director James McTiegue certainly is proving his mettle with a visually sound actioner that uses all the tricks of the trade. The script & plot isn’t great but I suppose the makers make no pretentions about it and concentrated on what they do best, action. If you’re looking for a visual reference; think The Matrix Trilogy & V for Vendetta for an idea of what the look & feel of the movie is like.

It’s worth a weekend watch for all you action junkies out there. I highly recommend it but would warn you to first suspend belief so you can focus on the action.

Rating: 5 Stars (out of 5)

Today I woke up at…actually, I’m not sure what time. I’m going to guess and say nine. Hopped in the shower, unbearably cold as the environment was until the warm water heated everything up. Being fully rested makes it easier to resist the urge to just stay under the hot water for what seems like hours on end. This brings back memories to the time when I was going to school (before college), when getting up early in the morning after little sleep, during the colder weather season, and I had a difficult time getting out of the hot shower.

Anyway, my brother and I get up to the mall around eleven, find parking without even bothering to search for it near the building, and make our way inside. It was packed, but I noticed not many people had bags in their hands. And, what deals I could find in the various outlets I dared enter were not worth pursuing, worth enduring the lengthy lines and boring wait. We made a few rounds around the mall and then decided to move onto our next destination: Best Buy. Same deal with shitty parking, packed (and smelly) store, and few interesting deals. Seems like most people were getting TVs. Also, this particular Best Buy was ghastly unorganized. We then headed to the nearest comic store to see what deals they had going on. Most of the deals will be tomorrow. I might return. Then we headed to Walmart where I picked up a six-pack of Sam Adams Winter Lager and a giant Hershey’s dark chocolate bar. Then we picked up lunch at McDonald’s — medium fries and Bacon & Cheese Third Pounder Angus something-or-others.

All in all, the day was mildly entertaining and somewhat disappointing. Excuse me if I don’t seem confident this Black Friday will save our economy. I don’t think it will.

In an unrelated point, I now really want to see Ninja Assassin since I discovered it’s directed by the Wachowski brothers.

From director James McTeague (V for Vendetta) comes “Nina Assassin” starring Korean superstar Rain. Does this action film compare with “V” or will this be another “Speed Racer” sized flop at the box office?

The Good: It’s clear that, after the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix Trilogy) gave him “V for Vendetta”, McTeague has a very bright future ahead of him. “Ninja Assassin”, not surprisingly, shines during its action scenes. Rain is clearly a beast, and the stylized, brutal, gory and over the top killing scenes are extremely fun to watch. It’s true that the story is completely ridiculous, but you are seeing a movie called “Ninja Assassin” after all. And fans anticipating an all out action film will not be disappointed. This film earns its “R” rating, with lots of severed heads, blood, and some of the coolest kills using a chain with a blade at the end.

Fans of McTeague’s films and the Wachowski brothers’ films will be in for a treat as the actor that plays the Key Maker, and several actors from “V for Vendetta” make cameos in “Ninja Assassin”.

It is official that Rain’s character may in fact challenge the young Leonidas in “300″ as the most badass young movie character. Let’s just say, the things he goes through will make you cringe.

The Bad: While the action was everything an action fan could want, the rest of the film was lacking. I realize the story and acting aren’t the main reason to see this film, but after McTeague directed the amazing “V for Vendetta” I was a little disappointed to see the story take such a back seat. Some of the characters overact throughout the film, and the film comes dangerously close to becoming boring near the middle when the main conspiracy in the plot is revealed.

The Final Word: Yes, this film is cheesy in parts. Yes, this film is over the top, and the plot is far from realistic. However, “Ninja Assassin” is also a lot of fun. So, while the holiday season may be a big season for family films, if your looking for a big, fun, funny, cool and kick ass action film, “Ninja Assassin” fits the bill.

Lukas Eggen

In Ninja Assassin, producers the Wachowski brothers and director James McTeigue bring us their next installment (Matrix, V for Vendetta). The story follows the main character Raizo (Korean pop star Rain). Yes, that guy Rain is the main ninja assassin. But anyways, Ninja Assassin is a self-proclaimed action-packed tale of a skilled assassin who was trained by a mythical secret society (Ozunu Clan), to become an unstoppable killing machine. The movie starts with him being older and reveals the background to the story through flashbacks. This technique seemed like their attempt to be creative, however it just seemed too choppy – a chronological time line would have been much better here. The Ozunu Clan is so proficient at keeping their existence a secret that most people think they are only a myth. With the help of a Europol investigator, Raizo sets off on a quest of revenge against his former clan.

The whole time I was watching this movie,  I couldn’t stop thinking about zombie flicks. This movie is driven on blood and sound effects. At a certain point in the movie Raizo starts mowing down what seems like hundreds of these clan members, although technically it could have just been five or six guys who move at light speed and regenerate, both acquired ninja skills in this movie. The difference though is that in your run-of-the-mill zombie movie, blood from the zombies can look like however the director wants it to look and the amped up sound effects actually add to the quality of the movie. In Ninja Assassin the sound effects are so over the top that every ninja movement is like a fat person walking in snow pants. The blood is so CG that it was actually distracting. It reminded me of cuts scenes from the original God of War on Playstation two. What’s really weird about the blood is that it only looks overdone and god awful when it is spraying all over the place from the random limbs that are left remaining. The blood on the walls, clothing, background, and pouring out of the washing machine (there was a lot of blood) is actually realistic. I wish they hadn’t tried so hard with the computer graphics and just gone with some type of syrup.

There’s a catch though - I was actually entertained. Yes, after all this ranting about the details of this movie, the truth is, I was never left waiting for the next fight. They were always fighting with all kind of unnecessary flips, acrobatics, and of course an entertaining amount of blood and gore.

Some of this excitement probably has to do with my secret desire to actually be a ninja. So to be fair, if you don’t practice kung-fu in the privacy of your parent’s basement and you don’t like gore then this movie probably isn’t for you. If you do indulge yourself in a little in the way of the drunken master, then pick this movie up for a dollar at your local redbox.

Kibitzers Rating: Five out of ten. Over all, the action sequences just weren’t good enough to make up for the lack of plot and dialogue.

Ninja Assassin follows Raizo (Rain), one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge. Produced by The Wachowski Brothers.

Turns out the below report is false. There has been ruling in Sophia’s favour to date.

The mega hit, The Matrix, was a stolen concept and story turned into a movie.  The original story belongs to African author by the name of Sophia Stewart and after 6 years of fighting in court she has won defeating the Wachowski Brothers, Joel Silver and Warner Brothers on charges of copyright infringement and racketeering!  Always trying to steal from us Africans.  Congrats on your BIG win luv.

Reality

Rather than ruminate on how long it’s been since I last posted on this forum (17 days – I’ve been spending my “writing block” on translation projects, my dissertation and a filmography for a book), I will elaborate on a few of the major events that have marked the last two weeks.

Our film AOP, a mockumentary about a secret West German fetish, debuted at the HFF “Konrad Wolf” as part of the end of orientation festivities on Friday October 23rd.  It went over lukewarm compared with the other “Knaller” made by the other nine groups (at least 3 of which took place in a bathroom), but director Maurice M. Mohn swore to me that the film “wasn’t unsuccessful” at the party afterwards.  Speaking of THAT party:  it was held after 11:00 p.m. at a sketchy, illegal club in Kreuzkölln with no fire exits, no windows, a sketchy fridge full of bottled beer and nothing but techno beats (the latter being a plus against the other factors).  I sort of plowed my way through the packed bathroom line to reach the exit around 2:30 after quaffing a few cheap beers and yelling my way through several conversations in the smoky darkness.  An experience, to be sure.

I went to a wonderful Fulbright brunch on Sunday October 25^th held by the generous Luisa Greenfield and Ming Tsao in Kreuzberg, where I met Jacob Comenetz, a former Fulbrighter now working at the Bundespresseagentur (more on him to come) and got a pile of great book recommendations from Ming about writing about the electronic music aesthetic (you want that list? Send a comment my way!).  Later that day, I picked up Kat at the Berlin Tegel airport, who successfully got her very heavy baggage out of the terminal without a cart (or my help, since that’s how European airports work) and we ate out at Tuk-Tuk, the Indonesian restaurant down the street from us.

Having Kat around has been great for many reasons.  Here are a few:

* Cessation of married-man-long-distance loneliness;

* More satisfying sleep;

* The apartment is now warmer;

* Increased intake of generally nutritious food that tastes good;

* New impulse to plan social events and outings, and I can show her all the old stuff I’ve gotten to know;

* Celebrating birthdays and holidays is much more meaningful again!

In the first week (Oct. 26 – Nov. 1st), I purposefully overscheduled us with many social events, including coffee with Kira and Beverly and dinner with the same, carving pumpkins with Katie Weeks and Hilary Bown, Luisa’s film screening on Friday night, and a Fulbright alumni Halloween party at Joe’s Bar in Prenzlauer Berg on Saturday night with Jacob.  I did so to make Kat feel at home and connected here, which also conversely made me feel more at home and connected here as well.  Speaking of Luisa’s screening, we had a great turn-out for the two shorter, more experimental films (Light and Bridegroom… see below) but, since we started over an hour late, over half the audience missed the wonderful mess that was John Ford’s Seven Women (1966).  We hope that everybody returns for our continuing Ford/Straub pairings, as well as other assorted film gems we manage to procure.  As for the Halloween party, Kat and I went as a vampire-zombie duo who hated each other through our expressions on our T-shirts:  “Vampires Bite” and “Zombies Need Brains.”  Ha ha.

This last week has presented us with opportunities to walk around and shop (such as in Kreuzberg’s famous Bergmannstrasse), watch movies together (many reviewed below) and get our visas (by waking up at 3 a.m. and surmounting the evil LABO).  All in all a good time, and I anticipate more to come.

Professionally speaking, I’ve had some ups and downs the last two weeks.  Ups:  I spent four hours with Herr Dieter Kosslick, director of the Berlinale, and two hours with Dr. Gottfried Langenstein, director of ARTE; I’ve found hundreds of newspaper articles with revealing insights on the reception of the Indianerfilme in East Germany; I’ve met up with Reinhild Steingröver of the University of Rochester and established contact with several other scholars working on parallel topics to my dissertation.  Downs: I lost my first month’s worth of book/film notes due to a faulty data back-up attempt, so I’ve got another 10 hours of work to do in reconstructing it.  This is the way it goes.

And one final note:  if you’re ever on Akazienstrasse in Schöneberg, DO NOT eat at the South Indian restaurant called Chennai Dosai, not only because their food is not particularly good, but because they played the opening track from the Hrithik Roshan sci-fi Bollywood film Koi Mil Gya (2003) on a loop THE ENTIRE TIME WE SAT THERE.  It was a unique form of tourist torture, though I’m sure they weren’t expecting a customer who knew the film.

Fantasy

Posse (dir. Mario van Peebles, USA 1993)

Woody Strode, Big Daddy Kane, and many other prominent African-Americans star in this somewhat violent, misogynist and cliché Western.  Its primary contradiction lies in its seeming original mission – to re-insert African-Americans into a Western film tradition absolutely dominated by actors coded as “white” -  and its aesthetic outcome – a cheap Leone treasure/revenge plot with a lot of melodramatic cheese and macho strutting from Van Peebles.  The fact that I couldn’t really read the blocky explanatory text at the end didn’t really detract from the palpably saccharine coating that Van Peebles put on this piece of macho-masculine self-glorification.

The Treasure of Silver Lake (dir. Harald Reinl, FRG/France/Yugoslavia 1963)

The film that started the whole Euro-Western trend, and a completely necessary entry in the cinema books next to adventure films such as Errol Flynn’s Captain Blood (1935)or Lucas’ and Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).  The superhuman duo of Winnetou (Pierre Brice) and Old Shatterhand (Lex Barker) stumble upon an injustice committed (the murder of Götz George’s German immigrant father) and a treasure to discover.  Let’s just say that, on a superficial level, the film absolutely delivers:  colorful landscapes, bold action sequences, and plot twists that still convince the 8 year-old inside of you.  You only think about the crazy exoticism of the whole charade afterwards…

The Sons of Great Bear (dir. Josef Mach, GDR 1966)

The East German response to Reinl and Wendlandt’s Winnetou films, The Sons of Great Bear is the most “historically accurate” of all the DEFA Indianerfilme and also one of the most visually compelling.  That being said, Mach had little idea how to direct an action sequence, so the ending fight scene is confusing and frustrating to say the least, not to mention more-or-less tacked on to Liselotte Welskopf-Henrich’s original source material.  The press reviews made sure to note how much actor Gojko Mitic’s physique looked like the “real-life” Shoshone, though their basis on which to judge that comes from other Westerns’ portrayal of Native Americans.  Hmmm….

Little Big Man (dir. Arthur Penn, USA 1970)

Thomas Berger’s picaresque about the only white survivor of Little Bighorn, a man brought up by the Cheyenne (a.k.a. the human beings) named Jack, is expertly executed by Penn, if awkwardly assembled as a whole.  General Custer’s portrayal in the film is nothing short of brilliant – an arrogant prick more than a proper villain – and the Cheyenne are given a lot of positive screen-time.  Of course, Dustin Hoffman’s Jack dominates the majority of the film, with mixed results.

Battleship Potemkin (dir. Sergei Eisenstein, Russia 1925)

Restored 35mm print containing all the original scenes?  Check.
Live accompaniment by an adept pianist?  Check.
Kat’s first time seeing a leftist modernist classic?  Check.
I really can’t say anything more, other than that the Kino Arsenal has a special place in my heart.

Trick ‘r Treat (dir. Michael Dougherty, USA 2008)

A kind of Four Rooms treatment of Halloween, Trick ‘r Treat is a very smooth movie with regard to horror clichés, playing on one’s expectations, and the usual twists and turns one expects of even the slasher genre nowadays.  One should watch this with one’s tongue firmly in cheek, even through all the horrifying bits.  I say no more.

The Omen (dir. Richard Donner, UK/USA 1976)

Um… Gregory Peck’s character is kind of dumb?  This is at least what the film suggests, after one is led through a constant barrage of corroborating evidence that demonstrates his son is the antichrist, and he still doesn’t seem to get it.  Oh well:  there are many other films with evil children that work with the formula that The Omen put forth, so I suppose it’s influential.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (dir. Stephen Norrington, USA 2003)

This was the second time I’ve seen the film, and the second time I’ve seen it in Berlin (the last time was with Mary Brandel in 2003 – and I hated it then too.)  Alan Moore’s excellent graphic novel was to be transformed into a grand piece of pulp, and instead turned into a nightmarish gobbledy-gook of lame special FX (including the atrocious Venice sequence), too many characters running around (including “Tom Sawyer,” their worst revision), and sequel-baiting (the *ahem* “ending”).  Stuart Townsend is about the only redeeming feature of this feature, and that’s because he’s so damn charming in any case.

V for Vendetta (dir. James McTeigue, UK/Germany 2006)

Another slightly second-rate “good” film from the Wachowski Brothers, V for Vendetta continuously bills itself as a smart action thriller which raises bits of moral ambiguity for the postmodern cinema-goer, but is ultimately far too utopian about the power of the masses to stomach.  Alan Moore wasn’t nearly as idealistic as this, and far more critical of the respective places within society that Evie, V and the masses inhabit.  You can tell through the exquisite detail of the sets that the Babelsberg people worked on this one, though.

Genau Gleich (dir. Burkhart Wunderlich, Germany 2009)

A film that I’m currently subtitling for Burkhart about an incestuous relationship between German-Polish twins and an old woman on a bench waiting for Elvis.  An absolutely brilliant concluding shot is likely to give this one high marks at the Berlinale if, indeed, we manage to get the film into competition.

Light (dir. Marie Menken, USA 1964)

Dizzying Christmas lights, spinning motion, elliptical editing.  The lost American avant-garde.  Shall we see it again?

The Bridegroom, the Comedienne and the Pimp (dir. Jean-Marie Straub, Daniele Huillet, FRG 1968)

I must’ve seen this film something like eight or nine times since I’ve come to UMass.  Nevertheless, the mixture of prostitutes against an industrial backdrop, Ferdinand Bruckner’s “The Pains of Youth” by Fassbinder’s antitheater group, and the intense chase/marriage sequence at the end never fail to incite thoughts of alternatives to mainstream cinema and new spatial configurations of narrative.

Seven Women (dir. John Ford, USA 1966)

Ford’s last film is an outright laugh riot starring Anne Bancroft as a self-confident doctor who winds up in a doomed community of American missionaries in Mongolia.  Oh wait – this wasn’t supposed to be funny?  Then perhaps there’s too much Sirkian irony in this overstuffed, full-color studio epic, which is probably why the film was buried after its creation:  Ford’s film is trapped between gender and a hard place.   Oh yeah, and there’s actually eight women, but one of them happens to be Chinese…

Coraline (dir. Henry Selick, USA 2009)

Coraline is a well-executed animated feature in glorious 3D that was screened at the HFF as part of our overall 3D research project.  Many of the fantastic landscapes, both interiors and exteriors, are enhanced by the 3D effects, but these effects don’t overwhelm the adaptation from the original text.  What does overwhelm the adaptation is the inclusion of a male character who has to save Coraline’s butt in the end, classifying it as yet another film with a strong female character who needs a man to both tame and save her.  Why can’t Hollywood ever be done with its male heroes?

G-Force (dir. Hoyt Yeatman, USA 2009)

Most 3D films rely on re-vamped spatial relations that make tighter spaces seem even tighter and wide open spaces seem glorious.  So what better means of exploring tight spaces and big vistas than making a supremely small cast, through whose eyes we must view the world?  Such is the visual premise of G-Force, which has guinea pig commandos saving the world from a silly plot in a classic Jerry Bruckheimer fashion.  Nevertheless, the effects are convincing and most of the side-plots are not particularly annoying.  I would say:  Mr. Yeatman’s background in visual FX for advertising and trailers paid off in a big way for the film, though its effects scenes are so pronounced as to make all of the dialog sequences seem drawn-out and dull.  Definitely a movie that attempts to satiate a hyper-active age group.  Critics who don’t fully “get” 3D films and who are thoroughly in Pixar’s camp are liable to hate it,  but I can root for it from the sidelines.

candhyt@rainhk ll rain-cloud

Andy y Larry Wachowski, unos hermanos poco respetados por gran parte de la crítica purista del cine; aunque popularísimos por su trabajo maestro llenaron salas y mas salas de cine al final del siglo pasado. 1999 era el año para películas apocalípticas con Arnold Schwarzenegger y un monton de referencias al año 2000, pero el éxito mayor para la industria hollywoodense llego con “The Matrix” la nueva propuesta del Sci-Fi para comenzar el nuevo milenio. Efectos especiales prometedores y una campaña publicitaria y mercadotecnica de titanico tamaño aseguraron miles de curiosos en los cines para el estreno mundial un 31 de Mayo.

Matrix es todo desde el punto de vista de cada ser dentro de ella, desde fuera es un programa de computadora al cual estan conectadas las baterias con forma y cuerpo humanos que mantienen vivo el mundo de las maquinas. Atrapados dentro de la Matrix los humanos viven inconscientes del mundo real. Fuera de Matrix los pocos humanos luchan por sobrevivir a las maquinas que en este lapso llevan ventaja en una guerra de muchisimos años.

La película dueña de un éxito comercial aplastante demandó un par de secuelas que completaron una de las trilogías mas populares del cine y que con sus espectaculares efectos especiales marcó un antes y después de la tecnología en el séptimo arte. La historia de Neo es omnipresente en la famosa trilogía, el ha de ser “el elegido” que cambie el curso de la guerra entre Hombres y Máquinas así que porque no darle preponderancia al personaje en el guión. Sin embargo llega a ser molesto soportar tantos minutos al inexpresivo Keanu Reeves, así que es un placer tomarse un intermedio y checar entre “The Matrix” y “Matrix Reloaded”(por orden “cronológico”) el producto publicitario llamado “Animatrix”, que puede incluso llegar a ser un trabajo de mayor calidad que la trilogía misma.

Animatrix se compone de 9 cortos de animación con historias paralelas al universo de Matrix elaborados por diferentes dibujantes y técnicas.

“El Segundo Renacimiento”(parte 1 y 2). La historia del cambio de poder en el mundo y la rebelión de las Máquinas contada por una especie de ordenador bibliográfico que ocupa audiovisuales para enterar al usuario de lo que ha sucedido. En estos cortos se muestra el comienzo de la consciencia desarrollada por la “Inteligencia Artificial” y su ascenso al poder atravez de los maltratos y desigualdades que vive respecto a la humanidad. Se aclara el punto mencionado en “The Matrix” sobre la destrucción del cielo terrestre.

“Kid’s Story”. Usando una técnica de animación llamada rotoscópica, en la que se graba video y se sobrepone animación con medios digitales(algo como: “A Scanner Darkly“, Richard Linklater 2006), se cuenta la historia de un chico que es invitado a mitad de clase por Neo via su telefono celular para abandonar la Matrix, asi como para advertirle que agentes ya vienen por el. El personaje del chico aparece en “Matrix Reloaded” en Zion agradeciendole incansablemente a Neo el haberle salvado.

“Program”. Con un estilo mas parecido al manga se cuenta el entrenamiento simulado de un par de tripulantes de una nave rebelde en el mundo real. Tadeus pretende convencer a su amante Cis de regresar a la Matrix y traicionar a sus compañeros y ciudad mediante un trato con un agente; evocando la traición de Cypher en la primera película de la saga.

“World Record”. Matrix supone un mundo de posiblilidades para los “liberados” cuando vuelven a conectarse limitados solo por su poder mental. Asi como ellos pero de un modo un tanto incosciente un atleta que compite al mas alto nivel en los 100 metros planos supera su record una tras otra vez empujado por su disciplina física y mental hasta llegar a los límites de Mátrix, donde tendrán que intervenir los agentes por el peligro potencial que representa para el sistema. Este corto es a mi gusto el mejor.

“Beyond”. Una adolescente llega junto con otros niños a una “casa encantada” en la que se metió su gato, la casa oviamente no está encantada sino que se trata de un error en el codigo de Matrix que provoca fenomenos (como falta de gravedad)que a los niños les encantan, convirtiendo así la casa en su patio de juegos hasta que el error es detectado y agentes llegan a agüar la fiesta.

“A Detective Story”. Otra que me gustó mucho fue esta entrega donde un detective es contactado por un cliente misterioso que le paga muy bien por encotrar a un hacker informatico llamad@ Trinity. El investigador resulta bueno en su encomienda, pero no todo sale como lo planeaba. La animación aquí se limita al blanco y negro, con algunos detalles verdes, color que es representativo de la franquicia. Me recordó mucho a la peli “Pi” de Darren Aronofsky.

“Matriculated”. Presenta a humanos(y un changuito chistoso) liberados que no viven en Zion sino en la superficie terrestre y se dedican a atrapar robots para luego mediante programas de simulación estimularlos a sentir empatía por los seres humanos. Este corto es dirigido por Peter Chung que creó en otro tiempo una serie animada de culto que se popularizó mucho al ser transmitida por el canal MTV, y que es excelente Æon Flux.

“The Final Flight of the Osiris”. Las últimas horas de la tripulación del Osiris que descubre un ejercito de máquinas perforando en dirección a Zion(la última ciudad humana), las máquinas los han visto y ya los persiguen, ante el inminente fin solo les queda mandar un mensaje  desde la Matrix a sus compañeros de la nave Logos(quienes recojen el mensaje en la trama del videojuego “Enter the Matrix”). La animación aqui es completamente por computadora, explotando al máximo las posibilidades del 3-D.

Prescisamente me tome los últimos tres fines de semana para volver a ver la trilogía. Por primera vez cheque los Animatrix pues no había tenido oportunidad de verlos. Y bueno ya que el último post era sobre Dune y en Matrix no paran las referencias a otras obras del genero, vale mencionar que la obra de Frank Herbert tambien tiene recortes presentes en Matrix.

Name's Racer. Speed Racer.

A swirling, symphonic collage of primary colors based on its anime and manga roots is Speed Racer, a film that was unfairly pummeled by many (if not most) American critics for doing nothing other than trying to be an enjoyable piece of cinematic candy. Ideology is what it is, and though there are bound to be those who criticize Speed Racer’s adherence to the family core and dedication to being the best they can be, this doesn’t seem to be the basis for most of the film’s naysayers. Not only that, but a fairly solid critique of corporate capitalism in favor of the lower class in all its potential might quell allegations of hyper-conservatism. With prolific use of flashback and their best visual style since the first Matrix, the Wachowski brothers created something here that was intended to overwhelm the visual senses, and too many viewers missed this point. It is an imagined world, one not so much seen through the eyes of someone doing ’shrooms as someone wondering what it would be like to live in a world fathered by reality and mothered by a cartoon. It is true that the insertion of the redemption motif into the narrative seems a tad forced and schizophrenic to the film’s meaning. Apparently family is secondary to racing, Rex believes, and the film in the end rather agrees with him. (After all, the family name is, literally, “Racer,” and the main character’s given name “Speed.”) However, to “change racing” feels a pathetic reason to abandon one’s family and then consistently lie to them. Having met at least one man on race track paddocks who later died in an IndyCar (Greg Moore), this author has trouble buying the notion that the flurry of thrills coming from steering a motor vehicle around a track (or in Speed Racer’s case, sometimes above it) holds a candle against active familial connection. Still, this aspect of the film is relatively small compared to the colors, shapes, and movements that justify its existence. This may not quite achieve the antithesis to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen that we would like, but at least Speed Racer’s substance can crack through the shell of its shiny gloss instead of drowning beneath it.

Foreshadow, in color

Manga

Biting into the family core

Stills just don't cut it

The official opening date and movie poster for “Ninja Assassin”, starring Korean superstar Rain, have been revealed, according to a press release.

The Hollywood action flick will open on November 26 and the poster released on Tuesday had the phrase “Kill the Ninja” written on it.

“Ninja” has spent ten years in the making by the Wachowski Brothers, famous for “The Matrix” trilogy, and producer Joel Silver, who created the “Die Hard” and “Lethal Weapon” series. The film was directed by James McTeigue of “V for Vendetta” and co-stars English actress Naomie Harris, who appeared in the “Pirates of the Carribbean” movie series.

Rain plays the lead role Raizo, an unfortunate character who has to fight the very organization that trained him to become the best secret assassin in the world.

The Korean singer and actor went through months of rigorous training and dieting for the role, reportedly training five hours a day under the guidance of the martial arts team who also worked on the movie “300″.

“Ninja” has been hyped as one of the 50 most anticipated films of the year by U.K. newspaper The Times and one of the top 10 movies selected by the San Francisco Examiner.

Asiae

De las muchas características que diferencian al cómic de otros medios, puede que la más representativa sea la forma de abordar el concepto de la hoja en blanco.
En el mundo literario, el mito de la hoja en blanco es algo fuertemente constituido. Sirve como comodín en las entrevistas a escritores y, por lo general, lleva asociado una respuesta que gira en torno a la desesperación, el miedo, el bloqueo y, en definitiva, todo un catálogo de cosas chungas.
En el cómic, por el contrario, la hoja en blanco es un símbolo de libertad creativa.  No es raro que cuando se pregunta sobre las características de la creación de tebeos la respuesta sea que cualquier persona puede hacer cualquier cosa. Basta con tener papel y boli.
Autores como Alan Moore, Grant Morrison o Will Eisner son bien conocidos por su trabajo intentando llevar el medio del cómic lo más lejos posible jugando con todas las posibilidades que ofrece. No es que todos los tebeos estén llenos de experimentación, pero sí es cierto que el lector de tebeos suele estar más abierto y valora más este tipo de cosas que el espectador de cine y pocas veces las ve como una molestia. Aunque, la verdad, seguramente no tiene nada que ver con una especie de naturaleza propia del lector de tebeos. Es muy probable que, simplemente, el aficionado al cómic esté más habituado o que la experimentación en cómic suela ser mucho más llevadera que en el cine por no soler dar la espalda a la diversión.

Un ejemplo de este tipo de experimentación se encuentra en el nº4 de Conan el Bárbaro (el célebre La Torre del Elefante). En la reedición de forum de 1998, el guionista Roy Thomas nos cuenta que:

La misma torre y sus paredes adornadas con joyas fabulosas marcaron el inicio de uno de los rasgos estilísticos más característicos de los números posteriores dibujados por Smith: En la última viñeta de la página 8, Conan se halla delante de una pared tachonada con gemas, cuyas diez mil formas parecen “brotar” de la figura central del cimmerio para expresar la sorpresa de éste. Barry acababa de romper con la tradición kyrbiana de expresar la sorpresa con simples líneas rectas, y siguió empleando recursos de este tipo en todos los episodios que realizó para la revista.

Con la práctica relativamente habitual de experimentar con la narración (incluso dentro de productos muy disfrutados por una parte importante del público), el cómic se erige como un medio en el que se exprimen todas las posibilidades interesándose los creadores por hacer absolutamente todo lo que pueda hacerse.

El cine, en cambio, siendo también un medio visual (y salvo la excepción de la animación, sobre todo la clásica), rechaza de plano esta posibilidad y prácticamente siempre construye sobre una narrativa impersonal que ya ha sido probada y evaluada con anterioridad.

En una entrada de su blog, Nacho Vigalondo escribe que:

Para bien o para mal, una de las circunstancias más extraordinarias del lenguaje audiovisual es que en dos horas puede aprenderse toda la gramática necesaria para poder ponerla en práctica o desafiarla. En efecto, como diría el manual, usted puede ser director de cine en menos tiempo de lo que dura The Dark Knight. La pregunta es ¿Qué hacemos durante las siguientes dos horas?

…

La gramática se aprende en 120 minutos. Pero encontrar un estilo, una retórica y una temática relevante, intransferible y que resista al paso del tiempo es labor de toda una vida.

En Pulp Fiction, Mia Wallace, el personaje de Uma Thurman, dibuja un cuadrado con los dedos tras decir Don’t be a… El cuadrado se dibuja en la pantalla en línea discontinua.
Este hecho, poco acostumbrados a la libertad plástica en el cine, puede resultar chocante. Salvo en animación u otros productos que se perciban como infantiles, claro.

La cuestión es que algo que en realidad es tan simple, que en otros ámbitos no tiene demasiada importancia y, lo que es más importante, no suele tiene importancia para mal, en el cine serio, de imagen real, para una gran parte del público, se siente como algo increíblemente extraño que en ocasiones puede llegar a acabar con la inmersión y, en el peor de los casos, desprestigiar la película. Da igual que el plano pueda servir para verter absolutamente cualquier imagen; simplemente, ya sea por falta de medios, por no querer usar el recurso (aunque se sepa que está ahí y se respete, tampoco es plan usar todas las posibilidades de un medio en todas las obras del medio), por inercia o por temor a desvirtuar la película, es algo que no se hace. De estas razones, las dos últimas son increíblemente tristes pero también muy creíbles. La inercia es algo que se aplica a absolutamente todos los ámbitos existentes y el miedo a que una película no parezca seria se ejemplifica muy bien teniendo en cuenta el caso de (ups, otra vez) The Dark Knihght y la reacción del público. The Dark Knight alcanzó el  puesto nº1 en el Top 250 de IMDB. A estas alturas, tras el flipe generalizado inicial, está unos puestos más abajo, claro. Para algunos, esto puede demostrar que el público adora las películas con aspecto grave y profundo, más que las películas profundas. Las películas deben ser serias o, al menos, deben parecerlo.

Hay casos, en cambio, en los que se rompe con la tendencia. Europa, sin salirse del tono serio (el tema no acompaña), hace que los actores se sitúen junto a imágenes ya grabadas que son proyectadas mezclando color con blanco y negro y creando imágenes artificiales.

Lo que une a este tipo de películas es que los experimentos vienen de la mano de limitaciones presupuestarias, falta de notoriedad o incapacidad para jugar con este tipo de representación de una forma extrema, imposibilitando una auténtica revolución. Por mucho que puedan ser interesantes, nunca llegan a dar el salto.

Y ahí es donde entra Speed Racer. Por ahora, la única película que ha jugado de una forma completamente alocada y desde el presupuesto multimillonario con estos conceptos y que, por suerte, lo hizo realmente bien.

En el aspecto visual, dejando de lado la espectacularidad pura de los colores y movimientos de cámara de las carreras de coches, Speed Racer aporta toneladas de hallazgos visuales mucho más sencillos que construyen un amplísimo conjunto de sensaciones en el espectador. Porque las locuras visuales no están ahí para impactar (aunque con eso sería suficiente) o recargar la imagen sino que tienen metas más específicas. Es difícil saber qué sentido tienen los destellos verticales de algunas escenas de Casshern, si es que tienen alguno, porque como recurso podrían estar a la altura de la compulsión de Homer Simpson por las cortinillas de estrella. En Speed Racer esto no ocurre.

Las ideas vertidas son constantes pero, por poner unos pocos ejemplos (y evitando mencionar cómo se muestran las carreras de los 16 primeros minutos, que son en sí mismos una película completa):

En un momento en el que unos jóvenes Speed Racer y Trixie intercambian miradas, los objetos que quedan fuera de la profundidad de campo (hojas y flores, mayoritariamente) se ven como corazones de colores. Se muestra una imagen edulcorada para observar el mundo interior desde el mundo exterior, algo que se repite en varias ocasiones, sobre todo con los niños.

Una conversación entre conductores es recreada en pantalla sin un solo corte visual, llevando el punto de vista de un conductor a otro dando sensación de urgencia y contribuyendo al ritmo.

¿Recuerdan las líneas de expresión ideadas por Barry Windsor-Smith en La Torre del Elefante? Pues esta es la propuesta de Speed Racer para una pelea en la nieve. Los golpes y movimientos de cámara y personajes interactúan con la nieve para formar líneas de expresión y de movimiento, lo que resta gravedad a la pelea. Algo que viene bien en una película para toda la familia y que se consigue una y otra vez con otro tipo de recursos, ya sean el slapstick o el humo azul en las explosiones de coches.

Para terminar, uno mucho más sencillo:

En el suplemento especial del número de Junio de 2003 de la edición española de la revista Rolling Stone, en una entrevista a John Gaeta (supervisor de efectos especiales en la trilogía The Matrix y en Speed Racer), contestando a cuál es su escena favorita de The Matrix, este dice:

Me encantan las de diálogo. Como cuando Morfeo la da las píldoras a Neo; la escena en la que el agente Smith turtura a Neo… Pero mi favorita es cuando todo el grupo entra en Matrix, el momento en que Neo entiende finalmente dónde se está metiendo. Y ésa en la que están saliendo de un edificio a cámara lenta que, aunque es un efecto muy sencillo, un truco de cámara, el resultado tiene mucha fuerza.

Con Speed Racer pasa algo parecido y se usa algo muy sencillo para narrar un punto clave. La cámara gira alrededor de Speed mientras habla con el dueño de Royalton y, al fondo, se ven las imágenes de lo que va recordando. Llegado un momento, aunque en realidad esté frente a frente con Royalton, parece que mira directamente a un momento decisivo de su vida, consiguiéndose una carga de sensibilidadad situada a un nivel muy difícil de conseguir.

Por si esto fuera poco, Speed Racer va mucho más allá porque su uso de la imagen es magistral pero sus logros no se quedan ahí y despunta en más aspectos. Ofrece un inteligentísimo montaje que juega con varias lineas temporales (no sólo al principio), su sentido del clímax es absolutamente endiablado y la historia que, para algunos, con tanto color y aparente simplicidad, puede parecer cándida y plastificada , se mueve directamente en el terreno mitológico.

Speed Racer, en definitiva, juega en otra liga y puede representar uno de los posibles futuros del cine. Lo único que cabe esperar es que ese futuro no tarde demasiadas décadas en llegar.

“I had this image of you inside me.”

For those that loved:

Gilda, The Last Seduction, Prey for Rock and Roll, Sin City,

For those that are writing on:

Representation of femininity/sexuality, positions of spectatorship, film noir, neo-noir, femme fatale, images of women in the cinema, masculinity in crisis, crime cinema, violence in the cinema, symbols of femininity, lesbian identity, queer cinema

In a nutshell
Before they brought The Matrix to the masses (and then undid their good work with ‘those’ sequels), the Wachowski’s produced this slick neo-noir crime caper. Corky and Violet show Thelma and Louise how rebelling against the constraints of an oppressive patriarchal rule really works. Knowingly vampy Tilly and charismatic Gershon  also have twice as much fun and provide twice as much entertainment while they do it.

Plot

Sick of being trapped in an oppressive relationship with made man Ceaser (Joe Pantaliano), deceptively plucky mob moll Violet (Jennifer Tilly) hatches an escape plan with ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon). A daring scheme, involving the theft of 2 million dollars of mob money, inevitably things don’t quite go to plan.

Why should I watch?

Although much is made of the lesbian relationship between Corky and Violet, there is far more to Bound than two pretty neo-fatales kissing. While Bound achieves a genuine eroticism (no doubt aided by the enlisting of a ’sex therapist’ to choreograph sex scenes between the leading ladies, and the sexually-charged chemistry between Gershon and Tilly), it is also a visually enticing and well crafted entry into the world of neo-noir.

While the male supports deliver capable caricatures of mob masculinity, it is Gershon and Tilly who shine here, both existing in the kind of grey space that makes characters worth watching. Both are somehow resourceful and resilient, yet fractured and vulnerable. The journey each characters undertakes throughout Bound serves to make the film’s conclusion both satisfying and believable.

Consider/Further study etc

• Within film noir, the femme fatale is often shown to rely on her sexual prowess and manipulation of the men around her to achieve her goals. Do Corky and Violet reinforce or challenge this claim?
• Do Corky and Violet reinforce or challenge the classical femme fatale archetype? Do they reinforce or challenge traditional understanding’s of femininity?
• Considering the patriarchal structure of the Mafia, Corky and Violet’s transgression against Ceaser and his associates could be seen as a challenge to an oppressive patriarchal social order. In what other ways do Corky and Violet challenge traditional patriarchal expectations?
• Does Bound reflect a continuation of or break from traditional film noir?
• How does Ceaser (and the other Mafia men) initially view Violet? How does this differ to the way Corky sees Violet, or the way that Violet sees herself? Consider in particular the difference between Violet at the beginning of the film, to the way she appears at end.
• Within Bound the hand is eroticised as a sexual organ. In a sense, sexual potency is reassigned from (implicitly masculine) phallic symbols to the hand. How does this affect the representation of both feminine and masculine sexuality within Bound?

Further Reading

• Oliver, Kelly and Trigo, Benigo, 2003, Noir Anxiety, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press
• Place, Janey, 1998, Women in Film Noir, ed E Ann Kaplan, London, BFI Publishing

As this isn`t anything NEW, per se, but still thought it was interesting since I am a fan of The Matrix movies/games. The below link (actually, the image belongs to the video game of the same name) goes to the official “comics” based on the world of The Matrix, which has tons of stories and some artwork.

Neil Gaiman wrote one of the first Matrix comics, and the Wachowski brothers (creators of The Matrix) contributed to a story…although you would think they would have written more than one. Most of the others are from writers I am not familiar with but that doesn`t mean much. The artwork is sparse, but it is still there nonetheless, although I am not so sure that it lends itself to the storyline all that heavily.

But, take it as you see it…entertainment. I, for one, think that there is so much more that could be done with The Matrix world in comic form (whether online or printed), but that remains to be seen.

Korean singer and actor Rain said he wants to work with his”hero” Al Pacino someday.

MTV presented a question and answer session between the Korean pop star and his fans in time with the release of the first full clip from the action flick “Ninja Assassin,” in which Rain plays a starring role.

Asked whether there is any action star he would like to team up with for a movie, Rain said, “When I was young, `Scarface’ was my favorite film. Al Pacino is my hero. I want to work with him.”

Rain said he sustained lots of cuts on his body while acting for the new film, which hits theaters Nov. 25.

“I have lots of cuts on my body. When I was doing a stunt, even though everyone took care of me, I still got hurt a lot,” he said.

Rain told his fans that diet was the hardest part of the training he went through for the movie.

“I ate chicken breast for eight months with vegetables. That was terrible. No sugar. No salt. I don’t want to eat chicken breast anymore. I like junk food, French fries, hamburgers ― I love it,” he said.

He indicated that in the future he will make an English-language album for international fans.

“I don’t have plans yet for an English album, but I will. Please wait for me,” he said.

The young Korean actor is already a pop-culture phenomenon in Korea. Now, with his first starring role, he seems poised to earn some new fans in the States.

Filmed in Berlin, Germany, the action adventure movie is produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers.

Korea Times

This is the second part (first part here) of a list that was initially conceived back in January. Since then it has been revised to include most of the titles I didn’t manage to see until later on, so as to ensure that those later releases were also given a chance. While managing to (just about) condense the list into twenty films, there are a number of films from last year that are also worthy of mention despite not making the cut:

Dear Zachary – Heartbreaking, terrible evil, is bound to make you cry.
Tôkyô! – Colourful, metropolitan, three unique slices of Tokyo life.
The Class – Bold, boisterous, the joys of opening up young minds.
Flame & Citron - War, intrigue, and the unstoppable breeding of mistrust.
Everything is Fine – Greyish land, crippling grief,  and bubbling teenage angst.
A Complete History of My Sexual Failures - Narcissistic, hilarious, untrue.
The Headless Woman – Slow, subtle, a dream-like portrait of self-destruction.
Speed Racer – Garish, sensational, like dusty Sunday morning cartoons.

Above are the eight honourable mentions that I believe to be worthy of… mention. Unfortunately, it’s been so long since I’ve seen most of them that they’ve simply been condensed into single sentence summations for now.  Though please feel free to add your own. Now, back to the rest of the list. Enjoy, and be sure to look out for the 2009 edition of this list which should be posted around January/February of next year.

10. Wendy and Lucy | Kelly Reichardt

Montana-born actress Michelle Williams has come a long way since her career-propelling turn on the hit teenage drama Dawson’s Creek. That was ‘98, and a bold move for a young actress who had already made her screen debut. As with many other young talents however, the stability of a six-season run on such a popular primetime show proved to be priceless. Since then Williams has made some… [MORE]

09. Flight of the Red Balloon | Hou Hsiao-Hsien

It’s always interesting to watch talented filmmakers move away from their native land to create in a new environment. Seasoned director Hou Hsiao-Hsien was born in China, grew up in Taiwan yet has also made films in Japan. Voyage du Ballon Rouge or Flight of the Red Balloon is his first film set and shot outside Asia and is inspired by Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 classic Le Ballon Rouge. Many words… [MORE]

08. Doubt | John Patrick Shanley

John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt is a film about faith and about uncertainty. Historically, the idea of doubt has been regarded very differently by those of faith, often both as a sin and as a virtue. Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote that “Christianity has done its utmost to close the circle and declare even doubt to be a sin.” which can be seen in the poetry of Frederick William Faber; “For right is right, since God is God, … [MORE]

07. Revanche | Götz Spielmann

Götz Spielmann’s Revanche is named after the French word for “revenge”, and one would be hard-pressed to find a single word that could better sum up this slick European thriller. We open on the imposing tops of dark green trees reflected in a forest lake as the opening credits come and go, eventually leaving us with the most profound silence and stillness. After a few moments this calm is shattered… [MORE]

06. The Wrestler | Darren Aronofsky

As a concept, Darren Aronofsky’s latest outing The Wrestler is the closest this oft-misjudged director has ever been to conventional cinema, and it works for him. It’s an intelligent move. Not only will the film reassure all those fans of his that were alienated after The Fountain, it will also undoubtedly win western audiences over in the theaters. For what is more American than wrestling after all? The story… [MORE]

05. Synecdoche, New York | Charlie Kaufman

Attempting to explain the premise behind award winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut Synecdoche, New York is like rushing to unravel a new roll of sticky tape with stunted fingernails. You think you’ve got it but you never truly have. You scrabble at the most accessible point until you break through, but in your enthusiasm realise that this has only exposed a deeper and stickier layer of… [MORE]

04. Still Walking | Hirokazu Koreeda

Someone recently pointed out to me that 2008 was a year for the family film; not those intended to entertain adults and kids alike but those created to portray the family dynamic in modern society. This is true in a sense, we have been treated to such family-oriented titles as I’ve Loved You So Long, Flight of the Red Balloon and Summer Hours from France alone this year. Then again it is also true… [MORE]

03. In the City of Sylvia | José Luis Guerín

Many tend to forget that film is the only popular medium in which one may tell a story without actually telling it. We forget that our good friend dialogue wasn’t present at the birth of cinema, nor was he expected. These days it seems that the screenplay is a critical step in the production process of a film, rather than an optional one. Works of the cinematic orientation conceived merely from a whispered concept are… [MORE]

02. Milk | Gus Van Sant

It’s taken a long time for Kentucky-born filmmaker Gus Greene Van Sant Junior to step out of his oft-tagged “indie” comfort zone and tackle a project of size. With Milk, the director has not only found his feet in more conventional territory, but also reignited a passion that seemed somehow dampened during his recent efforts. Milk is the story of California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, and his… [MORE]

01. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | David Fincher

Which filmmaker do you believe best represents modern American cinema? Which filmography would you choose, if you could, to represent such a great country and its ever-increasing array of films? It’s a question that I’m sure many have thought about but, of course, there is no concrete answer. There is however a general consensus as to the recognised greats of American cinema and with The Curious Case... [MORE]

Thank you for reading.

Pulling in over $100 million domestically to date, G.I. Joe has already made a nice dent in the American market. Meant to start a media franchise, the action film stars Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans but features a number of recognizable faces including Joseph Gordon Levitt, Sienna Miller, and Dennis Quaid. Possibly the most interesting casting is South Korean actor Byung-Hun Lee as Storm Shadow, a diabolical villain well trained in martial arts.

While American audiences may not be familiar with Lee, the popular South Korean actor is famous in his native country as a successful film and TV star. The actor put his name on the map when he starred in Chan Wook Park’s highly-successful JSA (Joint Security Area), a film about clandestine meetings between North and South Koreans in Korea’s DMZ. In addition to a number of television dramas, Lee recently starred in the action packed so-called Kimchi Western The Good, The Bad, The Weird in which Lee plays a highly capable, and once-again diabolical, assassin.

Anyone watch the Colbert Report?

If you watch Stephen Colbert’s satirical political TV show, you may be familiar with Korean pop icon Rain. Colbert, always a fan of creating fictional rivalries, issued a music video challenge to the Korean singer after Rain ranked more popular in a Time magazine most influential people reader poll, in what has become a recurring segment in the show.

Rain is known as a famous singer and dancer within South Korea. However, the actor may be able to make more of a name for himself in the U.S. with a budding acting career in Hollywood. Those who watched Speed Racer may remember Rain as rival racer Taejo Togokahn. While Speed Racer failed at the box office, Rain’s shot at Hollywood is not over. Rain plays the lead role in the Wachowski Brothers-produced action film Ninja Assassin, set for release in late November of this year. Clearly, a lead role is a far more significant break than the very secondary role than Rain had earlier in Speed Racer. The Hollywood Reporter has stated that Warner Bros. has offered Rain the starring role in the upcoming remake of Bruce Lee’s hit kung-fu film Enter the Dragon, though Rain has reportedly not decided whether he is taking the role.

So what’s the future for Asian stars in Hollywood?

For stars unfamiliar to Americans like K-pop Rain and Korean star Byung-Hun Lee, much of their ability to make it in the U.S. film industry depends on their ability to get cast in mainstream films that do well financially.

So why Korean stars?

In a recent article, The Hollywood Reporter mused that the recent decision to include Asian pop icons such as Lee and Korean singer Rain may be an effort to rope in larger audiences abroad in Asia. While this line of thought is certainly sound, the inclusion of these foreign stars may also within plump up film attendance domestically as there are over a million and a half Koreans living in the U.S. While this is a small percentage of the U.S. population, it still suggests that we shouldn’t just look at this in terms of foreign markets. Putting famous Korean actors in small roles in films will bring in a new audience while in no way detracting from the film’s overall marketability.

So what’s new?

Clearly there is a history of Asian actors breaking into to mainstream that is no way limited to the recent trend of Korean stars in mainstream Hollywood pictures. After successful careers in Asia, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-Fat, and Jet Li have all made names for themselves in Hollywood in the late 90s. More recently, Taiwanese actor Jay Chou has been cast for the role of Kato in the forthcoming Green Hornet starring Seth Rogen. However, the recent infusion of Korean talent into the Hollywood industry may have a great deal to do with the Korean cinema industry itself. South Korea has a robust film industry and is one of the few countries in the world that can boast that native films dominate Korean multiplexes. As a result, Hollywood filmmakers are watching Korean cinema and like what they see. A number of Korean films such as The Chaser, The Host, Old Boy and The Chaser are set for American remakes. Given all this, the importation of stars in many ways seems like the next logical step.

Examiner

sixtofive1982

Some crazy Ninja fighting in the streets!
Mark your calenders! NA is opening in theaters on November 25th!!

Elitist scholars, philosophers and theorists deconstruct the intellectual underpinnings of the Matrix trilogy.

Here’s a new photos for the upcoming action film “Ninja Assassin” produced by the Wachowski brothers….read more: Eight New Ninja Assassin Photos