Japanese Remakes? Better or for Worse?

Perhaps the most annoying trend in recent American cinema has been the remake craze. Remakes seem to arrive in packs, such as the recent onslaught of 1970s horror movies and TV shows, reflecting the groupthink of most studio executives who are in the position of greenlighting new projects. These movies provide a certain degree of comfort for studios because they already have proven lucrative. But the logic behind the recent trend of American remakes of Japanese films is as much due to quality of filmmaking as it is to financial appeal.

Obvious examples of this trend can be seen in two recent remakes of Japanese horror movies: "The Ring" (based on the Japanese original "Ringu") and "The Grudge" (based on the Japanese film "Ju-on"). Both remakes have become successes in America, each grossing over $100 million. Yet, they also provide an interesting opportunity to examine the cannibalistic tendencies of movie studios, as well as the growing influence of Japanese cinema on mainstream American filmmaking.

The current trend of Japanese horror movies started in 1998 with director Hideo Nakata's "Ringu." The movie, based on a novel by Koji Suzuki, proved to be an instant sensation in Japan, warranting two sequels, and ushered in a taste for high-concept ghost stories reflecting the dominance of technology in the consumer lifestyle. This success resulted in the acquisition of the series by Dreamworks and the big-budget 2002 remake "The Ring," directed by Gore Verbinski, and starring Naomi Watts. While it retained much of the plot and some of the restrained tone from the original version, the American version "The Ring" also added elements from the parallel American trend of horror movies, including an emphasis on carnival-ride shocks and jumpy editing rather than a slowly mounting sense of dread. Nakata is now directing the American sequel for Dreamworks and will be directing other American projects as well.

Unlike the more mainstream "Ringu," "Ju-on" premiered in Japan in 2000 as a low budget direct-to-video series done by Takashi Shimizu. Rather than the complex supernatural mystery setup of "Ringu," "Ju-on" employs simple, straightforward scare tactics. A group of tenuously linked people all end up in a haunted house where they are eventually murdered by the ghosts of a boy and his mother. The chronology of events is jumbled to emphasize the importance of individual segments over a unified plot. There are even titles before each segment announcing the name of the person about to die. In a sense, "Ju-on" becomes an experiment that explores how long tension can be maintained in the viewer if he knows what will happen eventually.

With the aid of word-of-mouth marketing, the "Ju-on" series spawned two successful theatrical releases in 2003. Upon seeing the first movie, director and producer Sam Raimi (the "Evil Dead" and "Spider-Man" series) was so struck by it that he hired Shimizu to remake "Ju-on" in Japan, using the exact style but crafted for American audiences. When the American remake "The Grudge" came out in October, the film maintained the experimental formula of the original series, but was criticized by those who had seen the original for losing something in the translation of American actors to a Japanese setting. A sequel to the film, to be directed by Shimizu, is planned.

American studios' importing of directors from abroad to remake their own works is a fascinating process to observe. On the one hand, it is nice to see Japanese directors allowed to do justice to their own source material. This might be taken as a sign of respect toward the increasingly commercial Japanese film industry.

Los Angeles Film Festival

More than 200 independent American and international films, including works by Japanese directors, were featured last week at the 11th annual Los Angeles Film Festival in Hollywood.

From June 16-26, thousands of industry insiders and fans of independent cinema attended movie screenings and cast their votes on more than 70 titles competing for awards in the best narrative, documentary, and short film categories.

Only a fraction of the 3,700 works submitted from around the world were selected for the Festival, including the 2004 Japanese films ''Tony Takitani'' by Jun Ichikawa, and ''Kamikaze Girls'' (Shimotsuma monogatari) by Tetsuya Nakashima.

Bruce Lee - The Icon

'Bruce Lee's Hong Kong-produced and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, and sparked the first major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world.' A couple of lines from wikipedia.com and the martial arts style in films. Bruce Lee has actually elevated this style in various films that he has done. 'Enter the Dragon' and 'Game of Death' are two of Bruce Lee's many famous films. Martial arts creates excitement for a Western Audience. They find it completely different to a typical Hollywood Movie. Bruce Lee is a Icon and forever will be a Icon.

English dub over Japanese Movies

Is it because the American film industry can not remake a Japanese film because of the actors used? Or could it be because they can't recreate the fighting scenes, or is it just because the American audience prefer the originals over the remakes? The American film industry could have remade the well known 'Kung-Fu Hustle' but all they did was dub the film in english. It could be argued that theres nothing better than the actual voices of the actors but the main focus wasn't the voice or dubbing but it was the action and the martial art scenes that reeled the audience in. It doesn't just matter whether the American film industry can make a decent remake, but it matters about the audiences reaction to it. Therefore, by keeping the original 'Kung Fu Hustle' and dubbing it in english allowed the audience to enjoy actions of unknown actors to them.

Ringu v The Ring

In my spare time I have done alot of research and I also had the opportunity to watch 'Ringu', the Japanese version of 'The Ring'. 'The Ring' focuses mainly on the story of the curse tape and the girl that pops out of the television and the woman trying to save herself. Maybe this is done so that a western audience can understand the structure of the story and get abit of a thrill. However, 'Ringu' doesn't only focus on the main plot of the crazy girl from the television and the woman saving herself but it also focuses on a sub plot of the woman saving herself and her ex-husband reuniting to help each other and creating bond again. Also in 'Ringu' they explain more of why the girl has been killed and why she kills people and this wasnt exactly straightforward in 'The Ring'. This could have been done because a western audience like to be kept on the edge of their seats. American films have alot of twists because the audience like to keep guessing on why and what happened. 'Ringu' wasn't that complex and the audience find out what happens and why just by listening to the conversations between Asakawa and Ryuji. Finally, the little girl in 'The Ring' was not as creepy as the girl in 'Ringu'. I advise you to skip the part when you actually get to see the little girl in close up in 'Ringu'.

I'm Back

Hello there, it has been quite a long time since I have updated my blog so I apologize for that. Not like people actually check my blog. Anyways, in the meantime I have been researching quite abit on American and Asian Film Industry and I have also chose to change my hypothesis to Japanese Cinema and not Asian because when I carried out my questionnaire, the first thing people associated to Asian Cinema was Bollywood movies. Therefore, I chose to change my hypothesis specifically to Japanese cinema.

Rinne

A interesting film that I came across while I was doing research. The story of 'Rinne' is that a Japanese actress begins having strange visions and experiences after landing a role in a horror film about a real-life murder spree that took place over forty years ago. 'Rinne' was retitled 'Reincarnation' in USA.

American Japanese Movies

The title maybe a little confusing but many American films has had some sort of Japanese setting or feeling to like 'Kickboxer' and 'Street Fighter:The Movie'. If you click the title above it will take you to a website that has a list of American films that have used some sort of Japanese film style in them.

Media Questionnaire

For my critical research I have created an online questiionnaire so when you get the chance could you please fill it out.

Watching & Reviewing

For the past few weeks I have been trying to get a copy of Japanese Movies and any American remakes that may have been influenced by the Japanese originals. I have just got hold of a copy of the original Japanese 'Ringu' and after I watch it I will compare both the original and remake and point out in my opinion the similiarities or differences that these films have and how they have been made to adapt to western/non-western audiences.

26th Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards

As i said the Hong Kong Film Awards has been an annually event since 1982. In the 26th Annual ceremony, the Best Film award was given to 'After This Our Exile.' The plot starts of with the antagonist's mother leaving the family home and the antagonist turns to mugging/thieving in order to support his father, an abusive sort who is addicted to gambling. (If you click the link above you can find out more about the award winning film)

Hong Kong Film Awards

The Hong Kong Film Awards founded in 1982, are the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong and among the most respected in East Asia. Award ceremonies are held annually, typically in April. The Awards recognize achievement in all aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, acting and cinematography. In 2005 'Kung Fu Hustle' won the Best Movie Award and in 2001 a well known film to us all, 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' won the Best Movie Award. (It actually was the 26th Annual Hong Kong Film Award this year but this was the only recent picture I could find)

Asian Cinema Weekly

It has been interesting researching on Asian Cinema and its impact in a mainstream industry. When a person thinks of Asian Cinema the first thing that may come to their head is kung fu movies or characters such as Bruce Lee & Jet Li but Asian Cinema isn't just all about the martial arts. They are well known for their horror movies which have been remade for a western audience. (Click on the link above to see a website that is updated every week on Asian Cinema, leave any comments if you wish to)

Asian Invasion

Since i can remember 'movies' have been a main form of entertainment to me and it doesn't just stop with Hollywood movies. World Cinema has been an interest to me and the whole style that different countries have which differ to American movie style. If you click the title above it will take you to a website which will give you information on Asian Cinema.

Anime & Manga

Eventhough the Asian Cinema has had a really impact on a mainstream audience so have Anime and Manga cartoons. Japanese animations have become one of the most popular form of Asian Cinema for a very long time. With leading cartoons like 'Dragonball GT' and 'Naruto' which have more then 200 episodes each have made a big impact on a Non-Japanese audience (Click the title above and it will take you to the Official Manga Website).

Kairo/Pulse Trailers

This is the trailer for the well known Japanese Horror Movie 'Kairo'.





And this is the 2006 American remake of 'Kairo' which is 'Pulse'. Try and compare the different ways in which these trailers attract western and non-western audiences into wanting to watch the films.


[WARNING-PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE NATURE OF MEDIA/FILM STUDIES SOME CLIPS USED MAY CONTAIN SWEAR WORDS. DO NOT WATCH THESE CLIPS IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED BY SUCH LANGUAGE.-WARNING]

Kairo or Pulse? Original or Remake?

With further researching during the past few days I have found another Japanese Horror Movie that has been remade for a mainstream audience. 'Kairo' a Japanese Horror movie which was directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa was a big hit in Japanese but many critics could say that its American remake did not meet up to the standards of the original. The remake was calld 'Pulse' and it was released in 2006. It followed the same plot and had similar visual ideas as the original did. If I find a trailer for these films I will post them and you can compare the difference or similiarities of a western and non-western style of trailers.

Japanese & American Horror Movies

It could be said that many American Horror Movies have been influenced by Japanese Movies and their well used techniques in their movies. For example, 'The Grudge' and 'The Ring' were remade for a Western audience so that they can adapt to the typical techniques used. If you click on the title above it will take you to a article about 'The Current Influence of Japanese Horror Movies on American Horror Films'. Have a look at it and find out abit more about Japanese Movies and their impact on a mainstream audience.

'Amazon.com' Top 25 Japanese Movies

If you have never seen that many Japanese Movies then you have missed out on alot of exciting fight scenes and differet storylines. If you are interesting in finding out what 'Amazon.com' suggested as the Top 25 Japanese Movies then click on the title above.

Kung Pow vs. The Cow

This is the wierdest fight scene that I have ever seen. From the spoof Kung Pow - Enter the Fist.

Kung Pow - Enter the Fist

This film was released in 2002 and is a spoof of the martial arts genre. This shows how Japanese movies have made an impact on a mainstream film industry. I wouldn't say that this film is that funny however its got one of the wierdest fights I have ever seen. This fight scene will be posted soon on my blog.

Hypothesis

With further decision making I have came up with a hypothesis that i think i can use for my critical research.

1) The impact that Japanese Movies has had on a mainstream film industry.

2) How Japanese Movies have made an impact on a mainstream film industry.

3) How the Asian Cinema has made an impact on a mainstream film industry/audience.

Planning Research Methods

Throughout my research I'm planning to use different types of research methods in order to be as accurate as possible. I will be planning to use primary and secondary research. Primary research consists of research that is first hand and is not some sort of statistics on the internet. I will have the choice of carrying out a questionnaire or interviewing people and finding out things from their opinion. My quantitative data will come from the questionnaires and the statistical data i will find as my secondary research. Also, I will collect qualitative data by carrying out interviews and gettings peoples opinions rather than numbers and statistics. This will help my critical research to have a accurate view of both quantitative and qualitative data. Secondly, I will use secondary research in order to have factual research in my work. I will surf the internet for statistics and other sorts of numerical data that can help my critical research. I will also use textbooks and archives for further help in my work. By using these two types of research I will have enough information for my critical research.

Japanese Horror Movie Database

It could be said that the Japanese Film Industry is famous for the horror films that they have made. 'The Ring' and 'The Grudge' are well known films to us all as we have seen remakes of those films. If you click on he title above it will take you to a 'Japanese Horror Movie Database'.

BBC World Cinema Library

On the BBC website there is a section of most of the well known films from around the world. (If you want to check this out then click on the title above)

Quentin Tarantino and Jet Li - Part 3

Third and final part to 'Inside the Action'with Quentin Tarantino and Jet Li.

[WARNING-PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE NATURE OF MEDIA/FILM STUDIES SOME CLIPS USED MAY CONTAIN SWEAR WORDS. DO NOT WATCH THESE CLIPS IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED BY SUCH LANGUAGE.-WARNING]

Quentin Tarantino and Jet Li - Part 2

Second Part of the show 'Inside the Action'


[WARNING-PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE NATURE OF MEDIA/FILM STUDIES SOME CLIPS USED MAY CONTAIN SWEAR WORDS. DO NOT WATCH THESE CLIPS IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED BY SUCH LANGUAGE.-WARNING]

Quentin Tarantino and Jet Li - Part 1

Jet Li and Quentin Tarantino host this little show where they talk about Martial Art Movies and about their own experiences with Kung fu movies.

[WARNING-PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE NATURE OF MEDIA/FILM STUDIES SOME CLIPS USED MAY CONTAIN SWEAR WORDS. DO NOT WATCH THESE CLIPS IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED BY SUCH LANGUAGE.-WARNING]

Bruce Lee - The Legend

One of Bruce Lee's more memorable scenes from 'Enter the Dragon'. Bruce Lee has been very influential on western and non-western audiences and generally the mainstream film industry. In my opinion without legends like Bruce Lee, martial art films would ave not made an impact on a Western audience.


[WARNING-PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE NATURE OF MEDIA/FILM STUDIES SOME CLIPS USED MAY CONTAIN SWEAR WORDS. DO NOT WATCH THESE CLIPS IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED BY SUCH LANGUAGE.-WARNING]

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival was founded in 1939 and it is widely considered to be the world's most prestigious film festival. The 60th Annual Cannes Film Festival was held May 16 to 27, 2007 and the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival will be held May 14 to 25, 2008. The festival has become an important showcase for European films. The most important award of the film festival is the 'Golden Palm' and in 2006 it was given to 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley' and on the 60th Annual Film Festival it was given to '4 luni, 3 saptamini si 2 zile'(4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) a Romanian film. (click on the title above if you want to check out the Cannes Film Festival website)

World Cinema??

I'm still finding it quite difficult in what to actually focus on in the topic 'World Cinema'. Eventhough I am really interested in the topic I don't actually have a definition of what 'World Cinema' is. So from your opinion what do you think 'World Cinema' actually means?

Misbourne Media

This is a very helpful blog on how to manage your critical research. There are a couple of example essays for each topic (just click on the title above).

City of God

City of God is the road through the life of gangsters. Originally known as 'Cidade de Deus' received four Academy Award nominations in 2004: Best Cinematography (César Charlone), Best Directing (Meirelles), Best Editing (Daniel Rezende) and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Mantovani). Before that, in 2003 it had been chosen to be Brazil's runner for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film


[WARNING-PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE NATURE OF MEDIA/FILM STUDIES SOME CLIPS USED MAY CONTAIN SWEAR WORDS. DO NOT WATCH THESE CLIPS IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED BY SUCH LANGUAGE.-WARNING]

Battle Royale & The Condemned

Batte Royale was also another hit in the mainstream film industry. The similar storyline has been used in 'The Condemned' which stars Stone Cold Steve Austin.



Doesn't the storyline for 'The Condemned' seem similar to the one of 'Battle Royale' or maybe its just a coincidence.


[WARNING-PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT DUE TO THE NATURE OF MEDIA/FILM STUDIES SOME CLIPS USED MAY CONTAIN SWEAR WORDS. DO NOT WATCH THESE CLIPS IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE OFFENDED BY SUCH LANGUAGE.-WARNING]

Kung Fu Hustle

The Japanese movie, Kung Fu Hustle made a big impact with a Western audience and it is still watched by many around the world.