Asian films get little coverage here in North America. I find it odd, because most of these films, esp. those produced by Korea as well as Hong Kong, and to a lesser extent Japan, release movies that rival Hollywood in every sense of the meaning.
I can only attribute it to North American ignorance – we, who turn a blind eye to anything outside our borders. The special effects and cinematography found in these titles, easily rival anything of Hollywood. One only has to look at titles like Tae Guk Gi [Korea] and Hero [China].
However, special effects alone do not make a movie. Plot is equally important. This is something that I feel Hollywood has failed to notice; and the reason for the demise of film in this country. It is also something that I believe Asian films excel in. The psychological thriller that I watched the other day; Antarctic Journey comes to mind, as does Oldboy.
Here in Canada, we’ve produced quite a few movies. But whereas Asian films have effects and plot; we rely solely on plot and do not have the budget for effects. We also seem to stick to movies that carry the loaded plot rivaling that of a hefty novel; oft negating light humour or immature titles (read: catering to teens). The result are some great movies [ie. Atanarjuat], but some which could have been greater with the aid of thematic diversity and/or financial support.
When will we see movies like “My Wife is a Gangster”, or the teen “Attack the Gas Station”, or “Initial D” [the Chinese live-action movie based on the anime/manga], or the awesome “Stereo Future” be produced here in Canada? Or France? Or the UK?
I’d argue that the best films today are not made in the USA; but in Korea. Japan has some excellent titles (Takeshi Kitano titles come to mind), as does Hong Kong/China (though I find there’s been a steady decline in quality productions in the last decade). But Korea seems to be dishing it out. Bollywood (India) is another big film producer, but it doesn’t seem to cater to Western tastes which is why I’ve excluded its presence.
I wonder how long this quality market will remain unknown to the rest of the world. Some Chinese hits have made it accross into the mainstream here (Kung Fu Hustle, Hero, Croutching Tiger Hidden Dragon); but I’ve yet to see any Korean ones make it through.