A Guide to Asian Remakes by Bomby von Bombsville

[Bomby]

As some of you are aware, approximately 20% of the films coming out from the dungeons and pantheons of Hollywood are actually remakes of recent films from Pan-China, Japan, and South Korea. In this thread and the numerous replies I will make to it, I will attempt to inform you what movies are remakes, and whether the remake is actually worth watching.

Already Released:

A Tale of Two Sisters/The Uninvited
A Tale of Two Sisters was made in 2003 in South Korea by director Kim Ji-Woon. The Uninvited was released a few days ago, directed by Charles & Thomas Guard.
The Line:
The Uninvited is apparently a pretty decent remake, but judging by the commercials I've seen, it doesn't quite looks as visually stylish as Kim Ji-Woon's excellent original.
Side note: There was another Korean thriller named The Uninvited released in 2003, which is unrelated to this new American film. Ironically, the star of it, Jun Ji-Hyun, was also asked to star in A Tale of Two Sisters.

My Sassy Girl
The original Korean film was released in 2001, directed by Kwak Jae-Yong. Yann Samuel's American remake went straight to DVD in 2008.
The Line:
Avoid the remake at all costs. The original Korean had a charm that pushed the romantic comedy out of the realms of being a "chick flick" with enough humorous moments to please both genders. The original performances by Cha Tae-Hyun and Jun Ji-Hyun as the leads are irreplaceable, which makes the choices of Jesse Bradford and Elisha Cuthbert as the leads even more insulting to anyone with taste.

Infernal Affairs/The Departed
Infernal Affairs was released in 2002 in Hong Kong, directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. The Departed was released in 2006, directed by Martin ****ing Scorsese.
The Line:
The Departed is quite possibly the best remake ever. While it's not a perfect film by any means, it's faithful enough to the original while still changing miniature details to differentiate itself. I still slightly prefer Infernal Affairs, but you really can't go wrong with either.

Il Mare/The Lake House
Il Mare was released in 2000 in South Korea, directed by Lee Hyun-seung. The Lake House was released in 2006, directed by Alejandro Agresti
The Line:
The Lake House received generally negative views, although there were a few notable good reviews in the mix somewhere. The original starred Jun Ji-Hyun, making this sentence my third reference to her in this topic. Since I have nothing more to say about this actual film, I'll note that she's one of Korea's most talented young actresses, and will be making her English-language debut in a live action adaptation of Blood: The Last Vampire later this year under the pseudonym "Gianna Jun." If you see the aforementioned My Sassy Girl, I guarantee you'll become a fan of her overnight.

Eat Drink Man Woman/Tortilla Soup
Eat Drink Man Woman was released in 1994 in Taiwan from director Ang Lee. Tortilla Soup came out in 2001.
The Line:
Eat Drink Man Woman was never my favorite Ang Lee film, but it was visually striking enough to get me through the more melodramatic areas of the film. Tortilla Soup apparently retains little of the visual panache, but the family drama should keep enough retained.

Every Japanese Horror Film Ever
The Line:
The original is better.

Upcoming:

Oldboy
Park Chan-Wook's Oldboy was released to enormous acclaim in 2003 in South Korea. Steven Spielberg is attached to direct the remake, which is expected to be released in 2010.
Speculation:
You all probably know where I stand on this one. I'd be considered a fool to say that Park is a better director than Spielberg, but it's arguable that Park's best five films could stand up to Spielberg's best five any day of the week, and is easily one of the most exciting new directors to emerge in the past decade. Park is the future of cinema. As for the remake itself, Will Smith doesn't have a chance at matching Choi Min-sik's riveting performance in the original, and I shudder to think how the new score will compare to Jo Yeong-Wook's original. Should've had Benicio Del Toro as the lead instead, with Leonardo DiCaprio as the villain. That would be an exciting remake.

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
Park Chan-Wook's Sympathy for Lady Vengeance was released in 2005 in South Korea. Charlize Theron is attached to produce and star in the remake, and apparently Danny Boyle has been asked to direct. No word whether he's accepted the job or not.
Speculation:
Can't really comment much. Apparently Park Chan-Wook called Charlize Theron himself and encouraged her to do this one. She's probably the perfect actress to complement Lee Young-Ae's original performance. Hopefully the somber tone and harrowing themes of the original won't be softened for American sensibilities.

The Host
Korean original released in 2006 from director Bong Joon-Ho
Speculation:
I'm not quite sure the logistics behind this remake, considering that The Host had a respectable American release in 2007. I will say that while I enjoyed it, I preferred Bong Joon-Ho's previous film, Memories of Murder. Both starred Song Kang-Ho, who is perhaps the Philip Seymour Hoffman of Korea in terms not only of his acting ability but his tendency to choose great films to showcase his acting ability in.

The Chaser
Korean original released in 2008.

Confession of Pain
Hong Kong original released in 2006.

[Deepfake]

Cool, thanks for the info.

[Booyakasha]

Original 'Bangkok Dangerous' is really good. I can't speak for the remake, not having seen it--however, considering some of the more recent movies our man Nic Cage has starred in, it might just be safe to assume the worst and avoid it.

[StarryPeach]

There's an American remake of "My Sassy Girl" out there? o_o

I believe~ 그대 곁에 없지만~

Also, I might be partially biased, but I liked "Il Mare" more than "The Lake House".

[ttestermanes]

Test, just b test

Hello!
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And Bye!

[Apiary Tazy]

....


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......


nooo it did not make me mod D:

--------------------------

OH.

I don't watch movies, but I remember that most of the time, no one is happy about remakes ever.

-tazy

[Bomby]

There's an American remake of "My Sassy Girl" out there? o_o

One of my friends watched it over break, and said he started crying because it was so bad. The trailer speaks for itself in terms of terribleness.

Not that the original My Sassy Girl was a perfect film by any means (the visit to the theme park in particular felt like something from a made for TV movie), though the good far outweighs the bad. Windstruck, on the other hand...

[Bomby]

Thought I might add some older films to the mix:

Yojimbo/A Fistful of Dollars/Last Man Standing
Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo released in 1961. Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars released in 1964. Walter Hill's Last Man Standing released in 1996.
The Line:
Yojimbo is one of the greatest samurai films ever from one of Japan's greatest directors (though I personally prefer Mizoguchi). A Fistful of Dollars is a very worthy remake, although it was never officially licensed and resulted in a lawsuit. Stay very far away from Last Man Standing.

Seven Samurai/The Magnificent Seven
Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai released in 1954. John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven followed in 1960.
The Line:
I really shouldn't have to tell you how good Seven Samurai is, but pretty much every decent action film that followed it is indebted to it in some way, shape, or form. I could go on for days. Truth to be told, although The Magnificent Seven is a highly regarded film and often considered to be one of the best remakes, I personally wasn't very fond of it. Seven Samurai is without question the better film, but The Magnificent Seven will also be found a worthwhile watch for pretty much everyone except myself.