August 7, 2006

A summertime question for Filmbrain.

Filmbrain is one of the few must-read bloggers I've met up with for a period any longer than the usual how-do-you-do, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Readers of Like Anna Karina's Sweater probably won't be surprised to hear from me that he's got a lot more than film on his brain, too. As it happens, the day I headed out on vacation, summertime questions already sent, answers already received, the New York Times Magazine ran John Hodgman's piece on the impact of Asian horror on Hollywood. What a fine little intro it would have made for my question: "If Hollywood's going to insist on remaking Asian films instead of distributing them, what film would you suggest they try their hand at?"

As someone who has spent thousands of words railing against the Hollywood remake machine, I was initially put off by the request to suggest an Asian film that would be ripe for remake. Yet as I've learned, no amount of chest thumping is going to change matters any, so why not play along for the fun of it.

A Good Lawyer's Wife What troubles me most about American remakes is the tendency to sanitize the material for the masses. Will the Oldboy remake contain the same surprise twist? Will the Americanized Battle Royale dare to venture where Fukasaku did? Seems doubtful. In that regard, as much as I'd love to see a big-budget (faithful) remake of In the Realm of the Senses starring Scarlett Johansson, it seems at best an impossibility.

For the most part, remakes have been limited to high-concept product: the horror film (Ringu), the rom-com (My Sassy Girl), the action pic (Infernal Affairs), etc. What about going after a domestic drama? One that's a real gut-wrenching sternum kicker that breaks taboos and leaves you shattered - namely, Im Sang-soo's A Good Lawyer's Wife.

When was the last time Hollywood delivered a powerful film centered around a crumbling marriage with devastating effects? Exactly. A philandering husband, a wife having an affair with an underage boy, a dying father, and a drunk-driving postman are but a sampling of the characters in this devastating but daring dive into domestic disintegration. It's been far too long since Hollywood gave us an adult drama with characters this rich, and with an uncompromising sense of tragedy and its consequences.

I know the old saw about how audiences don't want to leave a film feeling bad, but isn't there even a hint of room for reflection or contemplation amongst all the mindless feel-good product out there? Done well, it has the potential to be huge, even though it isn't directly targeted towards the all-powerful 18-34 demographic. I see James Urbaniak and Naomi Watts in the lead roles...

In an age where Crash is heralded as a dramatic masterpiece, there's no better time for something like this.



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Posted by dwhudson at August 7, 2006 2:16 AM

Comments

ACtually, I can think of a couple right off the bat: "Door in the Floor" and "In the Bedroom." I wouldn't mind seeing more wrenching marriage dramas, too, but they do tend to fly far under the radar and don't make much money.

Posted by: tb at August 7, 2006 10:37 AM

Thank you, Filmbrain. I second that emotion.

Posted by: James Urbaniak at August 7, 2006 1:54 PM

how about American Beauty?

Posted by: nkw88 at August 18, 2006 2:22 PM