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E D I T O R I A L
Monday, January 22: To Dub or Not to Dub
Black Mask is my least favorite film involving either Jet Li or Tsui Hark. I first caught it on cable a month or two ago, then tried to watch it again on a rental basis, but I couldn't do it. The first time through what gave me a bad taste was the way the film seemed to revel in graphic and nasty violence. The second time through, it was the English-language dubbing that made me sick. The dubbing immediately distanced me from the characters and consistently sounded as though the "voice talent" was on a soundstage somewhere in Hollywood, sipping tea and reading the script while ignoring the action. And the musical score -- well, I'm not a big fan of rap, much less obscenity-filled rap, so that didn't help either. All in all, a thoroughly joyless experience.
My Father is a Hero is a much better film, even under its American title, The Enforcer. Here again, though, the dubbing added an unwelcome layer of phoniness to the movie and sapped whatever emotional connection that might have been made between viewer and film. I'm looking forward to seeing the original-language version eventually.
Naked Poison was my third attempt at a review during the past week. I actually sat through the thing but I don't wish to recapitulate the sordid plot details or review the quality of the DVD presentation. I suppose it does have some good points as a film, and at least one sort-of-decent performance, but its main purpose is to provide cheap thrills of the voyeur variety (nudity, simulated sex, and masturbation abound). Speaking of which, the Hollywood films The Cell and Hollow Man fulfill basically the same purpose. The Cell has amazing production design and costumes, and Hollow Man features some stunning special effects, but, at heart, they're both Category III releases. If you like that sort of thing, each of the three films delivers.
Which brings me to my quote of the week:
"Films have degenerated to their original operation as carnival amusement -- they offer not drama, but thrills." -- David Mamet, "The Screenplay," Make-Believe Town, 1996.
That aptly describes most Hollywood blockbusters of the past 25 years (since Jaws began the blockbuster phenomenon). Roller coasters can be fun once in a while, but every day?
The biggest hit in the United States right now is Cast Away. I saw it this past Friday afternoon. It features a top-flight performance by Tom Hanks. (*SPOILERS*) The opening scenes are ridiculously full of foreshadowing (a mark of films directed by Robert Zemeckis) and we learn nothing more than a brief sketch of Hanks' character. The airplane crash is spectacular but there's not a hint of danger since we already know Hanks will survive and the others on board will not. The crash serves as the "thrill" of the movie -- without it this simple drama might be too easy and lacking in special effects for Zemeckis to direct. The heart of the film is Hanks alone on a desert island, without even background music, and this is mostly wonderful, quiet, and dramatic. The concluding scenes are utterly predictable and mawkish. (Why does this film need, not just bookends, but TWO SETS of bookends?) As far as I could tell, Hanks' character had not changed (and how much exactly did FedEx pay for all the advertising?). The "lesson" of the film is "keep breathing." Huh? About as profound as Forrest Gump (whose "lesson" was "being an idiot is the only way to succeed in life").
This reminds me: why does Robert Zemeckis get to make Cast Away as long as he wants (timewise, over two hours), Oliver Stone gets to make the mostly-awful Any Given Sunday way too long (way past two hours), and yet studios feel free to cut Jackie Chan movies (which are already economical and shorter than most American action flicks) by 10-20 minutes? You'll think about this too if you should watch a little of the English dubbed version of Once Upon a Time in China, which tosses scenes left and right. I'm glad it's on the disk, though, since it's a handy reference for anyone who doubts that the Americanization of Hong Kong movies makes any difference to their enjoyment and/or artistic merit. It's especially apt, too, considering that THE MOVIE ITSELF is all about the evil influence of the West upon the East.
As usual, feedback, whether positive or negative, is always welcome.
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