Wed, 10 Jan 2007
Oldboy - ****
People always ask me why I like foreign movies. I tell them the best two reasons are usually Maribel Verdu and Penelope Cruz. Har har. But to be honest I think I like a lot of them because they can offer me no context.
By that I mean if, for example, I watch a Korean movie, I don't know enough of the Korean language to know if the speaker is speaking with a goofy accent*, I don't know enough of the setting to see continuity problems or reminders, I don't know a lot of subtleties. In a way it can be a setback (like with Japanese, not knowing if they're using the formal language when speaking to each other). But the reason I like it is that it allows me to focus on the story-telling and the raw acting and film.
*by that I mean an accent that immediately conveys information on social status, education, or setting etc. For example, if I watched a movie starring Marky Mark or Eminem - within three words I'd know I were watching a mouthbreather. More examples: anything Owen Wilson's in, any Wayan's brother movie, etc etc.
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10 Jan 21:51 | /movies | 2 comment(s)
