Comments on: D means dumb for D-war

By: Dong Bang Shin Ki » Blog Archive » Sunshine and secrets at the 6th Korean Film Awards

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 07:12:41 +0000

[...] the Best New Actress award for Hwangjini. Also, Shim Hyung-rae’s disastrous over hyped film, D-War (aka Dragon Wars) managed to get a nod for its special [...]

By: name

name — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:54:29 +0000

Hi!,

By: POPSEOUL! » Blog Archive » Lovers for Six Years tops the box office

POPSEOUL! » Blog Archive » Lovers for Six Years tops the box office — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:32:11 +0000

[...] in: Who pops it best? Yoon Kye-sang vs Seven? D means Dumb for D-war Slits and … at the 2007 Blue Dragon [...]

By: POPSEOUL! » Blog Archive » Kim Yunjin wins Best Actress at 5th Max Movie Awards

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 02:12:12 +0000

[...] If you haven’t watched Seven Days, I suggest that you do. The action thriller put you at the edge of your seat, unlike the mega flop Dragon Wars. [...]

By: Kim Yunjin wins Best Actress at 5th Max Movie Awards « POPSEOUL! what’s poppin in Korean entertainment and style

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 05:09:53 +0000

[...] If you haven’t watched Seven Days, I suggest that you do. The movie was worth every minute, unlike the mega flop “Dragon Wars”. [...]

By: Lovers for Six Years tops the box office « POPSEOUL! what’s poppin in Korean entertainment and style

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 17:00:44 +0000

[...] in: Who pops it best? Yoon Kye-sang vs Seven? D means Dumb for D-war Slits and … at the 2007 Blue Dragon [...]

By: Jihae

Jihae — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:34:16 +0000

I grew up watching Shim Hyung Rae’s comedy shows so I went to support his movie the opening day… dragged about 5 other friends of mine who I paid for… (not sure why I did that) but having the lowest expectation for this movie, it wasn’t too bad. Few of my friends said they wasted their time with this movie. I honestly think he could have done better going with a funny movie not a serious one. Comparing to LOTR, Harry Potter etc… it was not that great.
I think “The way home” or “Taegukgi” did way better. I dont understand why Taegukgi didnt premier in the states! It would have done good except when I watched it, I compared it to “Saving private Ryan” and felt like they copied graphic ideas…

By: Sunshine and secrets at the 6th Korean Film Awards « POPSEOUL! entertainment, style and beauty in seoul

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 06:33:22 +0000

[...] the Best New Actress award for Hwangjini. Also, Shim Hyung-rae’s disastrous over hyped film, D-War (aka Dragon Wars) managed to get a nod for its special [...]

By: Stan

Stan — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 21:01:29 +0000

I wish Korea stop making monster movies. Even if the CG is awesome, the storyline sucks. I don’t know why this kind of movie would hit the US.

The movie “King’s Man” (aka “The King and the Clown”) is awesome and it would be more awesome if it hit the US silver screen.

“Typhoon” and “Taeguki” with Jang Dong Gun, those movies were awesome, too.

By: mary

mary — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:19:53 +0000

There are lots of great movies and dramas in Korea.. But D-War is an embarrassment. The cheesiest, worst script ever. The only two things good was the CG and having Jason Behr as eye candy (although I do agree he should have had better clothes and maybe hair). That Sarah girl was so bad at acting- she made the Dragons and other CG creatures look like Oscar winners. I wanted to find another means of torture whenever she was on screen. The token black friend (although super cliche) had a few comedic moments. But nothing can save this movie from being one of the worst ever made. Koreans have trashed this movie as being terrible too.. but have gone to see it purely out of curiosity and probably patriotism too.

By: kimonoqueen

kimonoqueen — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 21:00:14 +0000

Oh, and I also wanted to say that mainland European films get NO acclaim in the UK (or US) even though we are the same continent (I am from the UK). They only get shown at things like Cannes Film Festival. Nobody in the UK wants to watch a french film. The only European films that got somewhat distributed were films like “Amelie” and “Y Tu Mama Tambien” which still hardly anybody watched per se… Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Barnel rose to fame because they were good-looking and knew English, thus exportable to ‘our’ films. SIGH again. Juliette Binoche got her popularity by being in “Chocolat” with Johnny Depp (in ENGLISH) and Audrey Tautou from “Amelie” got in “Da Vinci Code” because they needed a French person and she is known and speaks English.

Every country has their own films to show their own people.

Nobody outside of the UK will watch “Run Fatboy Run”.

By: kimonoqueen

kimonoqueen — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:42:59 +0000

Sigh almighty at this film. I agree with people saying that Korea has its own film industry with good and bad films (just like any country’s film industry) so why don’t they bring those popular films to the West? Well, it is because there is no reason to do so! Just like only blockbuster US films would be shown in Asia. Everywhere in the world got Transformers and animated films like Ratatouille (though you’ll be hard pressed not to find one re-dubbed, even live-action films re-dubbed, which pisses me off because audio gets messed up and it LOOKS stupid) but you won’t get US rom-coms (that sell tickets fast with well-known actors to us) or US comedies shown there mainstream (will Koreans laugh at Ben Stiller in Zoolander or Meet The Parents like we did?). So why should a load of Korean/Asia films flood the West?

The only things that can cross borders are films without cultural attachment. By which I mean, films that anyone can like, not just people in that country. I doubt Koreans would appreciate rom-coms just as people in the West are not familiar with the tone of Korean movies (do you know what I mean? They tend to be slow-moving and long-winded. Just compare Il Mare to the more universally acceptable, better-paced Lake House). This said, though, I completely abhor remakes of classics (beware Hollywood remake of Battle Royale… it’s coming…) where storylines are butchered and the original is nothing more than a credit note in the opening sequence.

I liken this debate to Indian films. NOBODY in the West will sit through a 4-hour+ film. I think it is against the law in cinemas in UK at least. “POTC: Dead Man’s Chest” had to have a 10-minute intermission! Similary, some things don’t work. You must go to ‘art’ cinemas for that. And rightly so. When I was in Hong Kong in August I saw many films advertised that are normal for them (including Thai horror films) but that won’t come to the West. That’s just the way it is.

So, my bottom line is, if an Asian film wants mainstream coverage in the US, it must either be in English (a la Memoirs of a Geisha), involve martial arts/traditional elements (a la House of Flying Daggers/Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon which were subbed), have white people (… D-Wars…), or be posted with a fat bribe (unconfirmed as to whether this has happened yet lol).

This said, what do you think of Disturbia having one of the leads as that Japanese guy? I was shocked to see one. And he is an American, American accent and all!