As much as I might think Spike Lee is a big spoiled diva who whines when he does not get his way, and am fully on Team Tyler Perry, I do think Spike is a great director. I don't think he directs enough and really feel he should work more. The fact that Do The Right Thing did not win Best Picture is travesty. I am also happy that he is going to be playing Mookie again. With all of that being said, the news that Spike Lee is going to direct Oldboy is shocking and not in a good way. I don't know who thought this was a good idea, but it is awful. I realize many of you may not have seen the original South Korean version of the movie, but if you did, you are probably shaking your head in wonder right now. It is a dark, violent movie. A great movie that will stay with you for days after, but so beyond anything that Spike Lee has ever shot or done or attempted. To put a classic films like this into the hands of someone who has never done anything close to it, seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Of course if people could handle subtitles then none of this would really be necessary. Someone needs to pull the plug on this idea right now.
supports Tyler Perry who did everything he could to cut out Unions, WGA, etc from his productions and barely gave out liveable wages to writers while he takes private planes to Montecito to drink cristal with Oprah?
ReplyDeleteUntil he was forced to hire unions to his studio while exploiting every black sterotype possible to make a buck. But thanks for the Netlix recomendation Enty!
The problem is he's such a pain in the ass, and yes I think he's very talented also...
ReplyDeleteI went to NYU film school....oh man the stories, but since I have no personal experience with him beyond a few sightings...I will not repeat them.
Tha movie was astonishing. I rented it and this is the first time I have heard it mentioned EVER. Of course, now I live in Massachusetts.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't seen it, I may not recommend it. It's jarring. The movie is so layered emotionally, itwill continue to nudge at you for a long, long time.
Spike Lee? It simply isn't possible. End of discussion.
Quentin Tarentino could do it. He shakes hands with that dark, sticky genre.
What rareavis said. All of it.
ReplyDeleteThe only really dark thing I had heard was he plays the casting couch card a lot. When casting for Malcolm X he basically made Veronica Web have sex with him and I am not sure how consensuel it was.
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they just get the original director to do the remake?They had Takashi Shimizu do both he original and the remake. Ever if they did pick someone else I would say Takashi Miike(who did some American films like Imprint).
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen "Oldboy" for a few years but liked it. Wasn't Spielberg going to remake it with Will Smith. I love Spielberg but FUCK NO! Be thankful he didn't sign the rights over to Michael Fucking Bay.
ReplyDeleteSpike can make this work with a great cinematographer like Matthew Libatique (Black Swan.) I'm intrigued by what he might do with it.
I'd have probably gone with Fincher or Aronofsky though.
Really ? It's a travesty that Do the Right Thing didn't win an Oscar ????
ReplyDeleteBwaaahahahaha I hope you're joking !
David Lynch would make Oldboy cry for mommy if he had the rights to the remake. David Fincher would be a great choice, but he's busy with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.
ReplyDeleteLee is an excellent director and several of his movies have been amazing. The 25th Hour is worth a watch. But he criticizes violence in movies and has problems with how QT glorifies it, IHO. So I'm wondering how he'll pull this off. Because the original is on another level of surreal violence.
@Debutante - Yes. It Is, actually. It should have most definitely won best screenplay.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I have seen Old boy and basically found it a rip off of The Count of Monte Cristo (which is even referenced in the movie). Also, seriously, any girl who is that dumb???? Meh, din't like it, don't care who redoes it because I won't see it.
ReplyDelete@JasonBlueEyes - sorry, we'll have to agree to disagree on this.
ReplyDelete@Debutante - Of course. We all have our own individual tastes.
ReplyDeleteWithout knowing the plot of the film in question, I know for a fact Spike Lee's version will make the Italian people look like idiots, criminals and/or assholes. Every time I've seen a Spike Lee film, I've been hit over his head with his hatred of my countrymen.
ReplyDeleteIf we only limit people to doing things similar to what they've done before, that would get boring pretty quick.
ReplyDeleteSpike Lee is a hack. Actually, I agree that "Do the Right Thing" should have won Best Picture in 1989, simply because the nominated films were Teh Suck. Except for "My Left Foot." Okay, never mind. (Other nominated films: Dead Poets Society (Robin Williams Overacting Society), Driving Miss Daisy (winner), Field of Dreams (snore), and Born on the Fourth of July (hackattack).
ReplyDeleteOldboy is probably the MOST disturbing movie I have ever seen. Mind you I've seen Hostel as well. I don't think anyone should be remaking this movie. I laughed when I heard Spielberg was remaking it with Will Smith and I am dying now that Spike Lee is directing it. Leave it alone and watch the original one if you want to be completely disgusted.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, Tyler Perry flies on corporate jets and drinks Cristal with Oprah. How awful. Jealous Jackass much? Cheese with that whine? Tyler Perry provides a product that people, including and especially African American people, want to see. You, apparently, don't want to see it. So don't go. And sure, let's force a successful enterprise to "hire unions" (you idiot). It'll just run up the costs on the product so greedy union bosses can have more money in their till to play politics with. And that's what's really important, at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about this film recently. I saw it a few years ago. VERY disturbing and haunting. Personally, I'd like to remove all memory of it from my brain, but that could also be due to the fact that I am the mother two two daughters, now.
ReplyDeleteI agree that I could see Quentin re-doing this, but at the same time, I don't see why it needs to be redone. Rent the original if you need to see it but know you've been warned.
That would be two daughters, not two two daughters. See? It's so disturbing I can't type correctly!
ReplyDeleteYou want disturbing? Watch "Salo" and "Anti-Christ" in the same weekend as I did about two months ago.
ReplyDeleteOr better yet - Don't. Seriously - Don't.
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ReplyDeleteQuintin would over do it in my opinion. Maybe Spike Lee will do a good job - but this movie doesn't need to be re-done! Why can't "America" leave great movies alone. Does every great non-English movie need to be assimilated into the mainstream garbage that pollutes the theaters?
ReplyDeletewow I just streamed this on netflix and it is crazy good and crazy dark. The only good thing I could say with Spike is he is ballsy enough not to shy away from the subject matter and tell the studio head to fuck off when they want to water it down.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that end, I can see where Chris Nolan got his idea for the end of inception.
Still that was better then the human centipede. Now that is a movie I wish I could erase from my brain.
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ReplyDelete@Amartel you like his movies fine. They make tons and I am sure he will win an Oscar one day for his fine perfomances of an uppity ol' black lady who like BBQ.
ReplyDeleteAnd nice to know you are pro-slave labor and don't support unions. Below the line workers who break their backs writing and creating movies and TV shows so others can live better then ever will.
What's worse? Whining or name calling, Amartel?
ReplyDeleteit must be the heat, why everybody dogging timebob! lol
ReplyDeleteJasonBlueEyes, couldn't agree with you more. If there must be an American remake of Oldboy, I'd love to see Fincher or Aronofsky doing it. Or QT. I do like Spike as an artist, though, and I would love to see him reinvent himself. Maybe he'll surprise everyone and create a good version.
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ReplyDelete@Timebob - Veronica did dump Spike halfway through filming of Malcolm X. He wrote about it in his book detailing the making of the movie.
ReplyDeleteOoo, and I also love Layna Day's suggestion; I would love to see what David Lynch would do with it.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who feels QT is the wrong guy for this movie? He's one of my favs and when I saw "Pulp" in theaters in the fall of 94' I thought I'd witnessed the rebirth of movies (Yes, I honestly did - whaddaya gonna do?) but he injects too much humor in his movies. He's never made a straight, serious heavy movie. And I don't think he want's to. A QT "Oldboy" would be cool - but it wouldn't please lovers of the original.
ReplyDeleteDavid Lynch is unfortunately all but retired from movie making. Such a shame. "Blue Velvet" is one of my 10 favorite movies of all time.
ReplyDelete@Shiny_Special_one - Imagine if Fincher remade "Oldboy": in the style of "Seven" or "Fight Club?"
ReplyDeleteTotal Awesomeness.
Yes, Jason, I think Fincher would be the best choice. And now that I've had a minute to think about it, you're right--QT isn't somber enough. I miss the David Lynch of the Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart eras.
ReplyDeleteWhat dunduhdunddun said.
ReplyDeleteI would never want to see this movie again.
Now I am so torn! See the movie, not see the movie...
ReplyDeleteJason, a Salo and Anti-christ double billing? Were you trying to commit suicide through movie watching??
ReplyDeleteJason, you didn't decide to make it a three-course meal and throw in Cannibal Holocaust? I love twisted horror movies, but I think Irreversible put the nail in the coffin for me for the really extreme ones.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Cronenberg?
I'm interested to see what Spike will do with this. Always liked his movies.
ReplyDeleteAnyone watching the David Lynch Interview Project? America through his eyes! They're filming in Germany for 2011, with translation. It's on the web. Enjoy.