It makes me think a lot about all this trend of westernizing eastern productions. I got some contradicting feelings towards this westernizing trend. While it does seem to make them more palatable to some broad audiences, I do feel that it's a little disrespecteful also. Contradictory? Definetely. But I do define myself as a paradoxal person, so I'm not that surprised about contradictory views.

The trend did come to the mainstream movies in a broader way these coming years, but isn't something that hasn't happened before in pop culture. Robotech was 80's cartoon that did mesh up 2 or 3 different Japanese animation series. Power Rangers was another movement in that line, when Saban bought the rights to remake Toei's Tokusatsu shows. Back in the 70's and 80's brazilian tv did run a several of those japanese shows, directly from the source, and they were very well accepted, but after Saban acquired those rights, the remade shows became the exclusive product that western audiences could reach. Even now that those rights has gone to Disney, fans who'd like to get the original shows, can't get them legally through local networks, having to rely sorely on fan-subbers.

Maybe I'm just thinking too much into the matter, after all I am a eastern born man who grew up mostly in a western enviroment, maybe that does make me more sensitive onto this subject.

Sometimes I do get the impression that Akira Kurosawa's western fame seems to be only real in more cult circles instead of mainstream audience.I did read some articles around the time that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was getting all that Academy Award Buzz, concernign how North American audiences are sensitive to dubbed movies and even worse most are too lazy to go to subtitled movies. So Ang Lee's movie was sort of a exception at the time. Can't say the same thing about Brazilian audiences, after all, most Hollywood movies come out here as subtitled movies.

In recent years, I started to really enjoy movies from the Korean writer and director Kim Ki Duk. He is famous for movies that fare a lot into Buddhist philosophy and relation to reality and the human condition. He's also famous for his extremely fast production schedule, in which he seems to be able to finish a whole movie in about a month, including shooting and post-production. I do wonder sometimes if his movies would be westernizable. Probably not, and it better if someone don't have some crazy idea to try to remake one. They have a uniqueness that's deeply tied to eastern views, culture and to the own setting of each picture. His movies, are definetely worth checking out.

I'm really curious about how they'll remake "My Sassy Girl", I really like the original, and I'm really concerned by how some of the more culturally stuff will come out once westernized. According to some asian websites they've cast 24's Elisha Curthbert as the "Sassy Girl". From the original, I don't feel she'd be the best choice. I'd go for Eliza Dushku or Kristen Bell.

It reminds me of a debate we had at Whedonesque about Shyamalan's movies, back when "the Village" came out in theathers and wasn't weel received (don't remember the thread or I'd link it, and was probably Firefly related). While most the audience go into his movies, expecting that "Sixth Sense" end twist moment, what I believe is his distinctive mark in movies is not those twist endings but how he works to insert eastern sensitivities and cultural views in a western storytelling and filmaking process.

That's definetely something to be considered.