Sunday, December 8, 2013

Film Vlog: Oldboy (2013)

I go on a HUUUGE rant in my film vlog but let me first state that I AM A HUGE PARK CHAN-WOOK AND EVEN BIGGER PROTECTIVE/LOVER OF THE ORIGINAL OLDBOY. But after I heard that Spike Lee was going to use more material from the 1990's Japanese manga series that OldBoy is based off of, I let go of my blistering pride and became a little more hopeful. There are vast differences between Park's film and the manga that surely solidifies Park's twisted and sick mastermind even further. With that said, I tried not to have the previous film puncture my judgement of the American version no matter how bastardized it was. And even with the unwavering presence of its big brother hovering over each frame, Lee's OldBoy does not stand strong but merely wobbles on its weak knees as a film and not a "remake." It is not entirely unsatisfying but I'm glad that this opera freak show is now removed from the platforms of cinema like a band-aid, first cringe-worthy but swiftly done and over with.