In previous editions of the Hideo Nakata interview at the 2008 NIFFF (Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival) we have covered upcoming projects, horror remakes and more. In this last part of the interview we go over Amityville Horror and filmmaker Nobuo Nakagawa. I had read slight pieces here and there with Nakata referencing or slightly mentioning Amityville Horror, but never much where it was specifically asked or gone into any detail. So in this clip we get much more to flesh out how this series influenced him. In addition we cover his thoughts on legendary filmmaker Nobuo Nakagawa, which includes him mentioning a conversation he had with him in a dream.

In this interview we talk about:
* The Amityville Horror Influence
* The Nobuo Nakagawa Influence
* On Jigoku aka Hell (1960)

Interview after the link bump.

You’d think things like these happened only on silly, pseudo-"drama vérité” like 온에어 (On Air). After Choi Dong-Hoon’s film version a few years ago, Heo Young-Man’s bestseller manhwa 타짜 (War of Flowers) will get its TV treatment on SBS later this summer, but the bone of contention right now is casting. Most of the casting for the show, which will go against MBC’s blockbuster 에덴의 동쪽 (East of Eden), has been completed, with the real problem being the role of Madam Jung, played by Kim Hye-Soo in the film. Sung Hyun-Ah was cast first, apparently, but yesterday Olive9 announced the casting of Gang Sung-Yeon, who played Jang Nok-Su in 왕의 남자 (The King & The Clown). Was it just a case of the good old switcheroo? Sung Hyun-Ah learned of this all on the net.

Now, who would give justice to the role, that’s up to debate (although both would be just fine). But a sort of war of words started raging today: Sung Hyun-Ah complained on her blog of unfair practices by Olive9, who just abandoned her and her efforts the last few months to cast one of their actors. And of course Gang Sung-Yeon replied on her site that she was originally cast in the role, and when the writer had to change and her role got a little smaller, producers might have misunderstood her intentions and cast someone else in the role. But she never stole anything from anybody, and the role belongs to her.

Although netizens are already casting the blame on one or the other party, the only parties to blame are really the producers Olive9, who allowed this to get out in the open so overtly, and the system itself. With producing companies also playing the part of talent agencies, the practice of what we could call “block casting” has become increasingly popular. Last year’s 고맙습니다 (Thank You) was filled to the brim with actors contracted under producers Sidus HQ, and since containing the spiraling costs of casting has become more and more important, it’s no surprise such practice is on the rise. It wouldn’t be so outrageous, then, if Gang Sung--Yeon (who’s under Olive9’s wings) was chosen over Sung Hyun-Ah for the same exact reason, although who’s feigning and who’s telling the truth is something we can only endlessly speculate.

War of Flowers starts airing in September, ironically right after another drama adapted from a Heo Young-Man manhwa, 식객 (Gourmet).

SOURCES
[Daum News]. [Daum News]

Everything seems to say “young” about this project.

Young is the protagonist Cha Su-Yeon, one of the most exciting new talents in Korea, as her choice of projects shows; young is fellow lead Yoo Ha-Joon, headlining an interesting cast featuring Lee Eol, Kim Byeong-Ok and even music director Bang Jun-Seok; young is the director, Lee Seung-Young, who after working on the interesting cable sageuk 별순검 (Byeolsungeom) and writing the script for the film 소녀X소녀 (Girl by Girl) makes his debut here.

Film stars Cha as a musician-wannabe who tries to make enough money for her trip to England, where she’ll learn the tricks of the trade. On the way, as you can expect, her plains are derailed, even if for a brief moment. Indiestory will release this on August 21 (very limited release, as always), and after that its Festival run should start, hopefully with a DVD release down the line.

Trailer is below the break. 

In part one, I neglected to mention the Raro DVD for Il Profumo della signora in nero (The Perfume of the Lady in Black). According to Manlio Gomarasca, this video release was possible with the personal uncut pristine film print that its director Francesco Barilli had. All other home release versions out there have too much cut out. The Raro release is the real deal and it also features a great interview with Manlio and Francesco Barilli. Chances are if you have watched an interview on a Raro DVD, it was Manlio doing the interview.

Additionally, I should note in the current Italian monthly (print only), Il Caffe Del Teatro, there is a good article on Barilli on pages 48-49. This profile seems to highlight how though he hasn’t been able to make a film, he has channeled his passion for making movies over the years into paintings.

Now for part two of this interview we talk Mimsy Farmer and the painstaking detail Barilli went into getting his singular vision onto the screen.

In part two of this interview we talk about:
* Working with Mimsy Farmer
* Creating a Single Cinematic Vision & Voice

The New York Asian Film Festival completed another successful run more than two weeks ago. By all rights, this review should have run before United Red Army had its North American Premiere on the fest’s last day, but it took me this long to wrap my head fully around it. My apologies. I an currently self-criticizing my actions.

Rat-a-tat-tat. Rat-a-tat-tat.

The dates, facts, and figures come flying out of the introductory section of United Red Army like a machine gun, accompanied by a hypnotic musical theme, shooting down any possible suspicion that director Kôji Wakamatsu intended to make an audience-friendly film about the Japanese student movement of the late 60s and early 70s.

Indeed, the tone is so strident that you feel guilty for not taking notes, as though a class were being taught and you were not properly prepared to answer questions asked by the deep-voiced narrator. Initially fascinating, the tone and pace becomes off-putting, frustrating, and finally wearisome. Suddenly, though, you notice that Wakamatsu has been sneaking in brief dramatizations of the student movement’s evolution that have grown longer each time they break up the narrated documentary footage. Almost before you realize it, you’re caught up in a brutally gripping dilemma facing sincere individuals.

In short, you face the same situation as the real-life characters depicted in the film.

Okay cult film fans, here’s one for you.  The Story of Ricky is a truly legendary film, one that fuses martial arts with buckets of blood and gore, including - if memory serves - a man being choked to death with his own intestines.  It is absolutely insane stuff, a film that failed miserably upon its initial release in Hong Kong - effectively killing star Fan Siu-Wong’s career, he’s only just making a comeback now - but going on to become one of the most sought after cult films ever to come out of Hong Kong.  And now it’s getting the remaster and rerelease treament in its native land, giving fans the chance to own the film looking better than it ever has before.  Yum.  You can check a trailer out below the break.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of the most popular collectible subjects in the history of the Universal Monsters. Almost anything of quality produced in his image sells out quickly. While this won’t be the last Creature collectible released by Sideshow (word has it a life-size bust will be announced soon) it is one that you should get your hands on if you’re a big fan. As of this writing you’ll have to do it through the secondary market or settle for Sideshows waitlist. I’d also expect a seriously limited Silver Screen Premium Format edition at some point.

I have, many times in the past, referred to Danish writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen as the Danish equivalent to the Coen Brothers.  He’s smart, he’s savvy, he’s a great writer and he loves to play with genre conventions just enough to keep the audience on their collective toes.  I love the guy, I really do, but he’s just received a major challenge to that particular throne in the form of Henrik Ruben Genz and his film Terribly Happy, or Frygtelig Lykkelig.  The Danish Film Institute’s synopsis for this one doesn’t even begin to do the trailer justice, but here it is anyway:

Robert has a number of skeletons in his closet, which he is determined to bury. Although hardly his dream job, Robert sees the position of temporary village constable as a necessary stage on the road to rehabilitation. He just needs to do well and generally behave by the book. However, village life and the macabre provincial order don’t fit easily into Robert’s plans. Nothing is ever straightforward, and certainly not when you are way out in the country.

The camera work in this one is spectacular, making stellar use of lighting and the natural countryside but more impressive is the casting.  Fans of Lars von Trier will recognize a few regulars in there, the always strong Kim Bodnia has a key role and Jakob Cedergren looks stellar in the lead.  Keep an eye in Cedergren in general, really ... he made his first big splash as the lead of Dagur Kari’s Dark Horse and has quietly become one of Denmark’s most reliable performers in the years since, choosing a string of very strong roles and excelling in all of them. 

The trailer for this is exceptionally strong, check it out in the Twitch Player below the break.

And why is that?  The first teaser for Måns Herngrens’ Swedish comedy Allt Flyter is why.  It’s the most infectious, smile inducing thing i think I’ve come across since the dance sequence in Napoleon Dynamite.  The only question?  Can it really be referred to as synchronized swimming when there’s only one person in the pool? 

Oh my, does this ever look fun.  Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk Goes To China is notable on a few levels.  First, the film marks the first time Warner Brothers have ever produced an Indian film.  Second, many are speculating that the film is based, at least in part, on actor Akshay Kumar’s own experiences as a cook before making it big in film.  But just how ‘based on’ it really is is certainly up for debate because this picture is a country hopping spectacle revolving around a cook mistaken for a martial arts master who ends up in China with a real martial arts master, played by the legendary Gordon Liu.

Yes, boys and girls, Gordon Liu is in a full on song and dance Bollywood extravaganza and it looks like a blast.  It looks to blend equal parts Bollywood and Hong Kong influences and for some reason I can’t quite get Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle out of my head while watching the teaser.  And speaking of which, you can check out that teaser below the break in the Twitch Player.