What’s wrong with this picture: Initial D (2005), the Japanese anime re-made in Hong Kong using real Chinese actors, Shawn Yue & Jay Chou… Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), written by an American, Arthur Golden, made into a movie cast with famous Chinese actresses, Ziyi Zhang, Gong Li, and one Malaysian, Michelle Yeoh? It’s not that I dislike Chinese actors or anything racist like that, I’m just wishing filmmakers would stick a tiny bit of realism into the movies they make. But who am I fooling, mainstream film studios have long since moved away from any type of realism due to the original stories. I guess the very existence of Hollywood is to not make anything to real, employing only union directors and actors. What was the last Pasolinian film you saw at the cinema?

I didn’t see Memiors of a Geisha, instead I saw Yojohan Fusuma no urabari (aka World of Geisha) which recently played the Japan Society as part of a selection of films that Hiroshi Sugimoto curated in conjunction with his History of History exhibition. It wasn’t as “pink” as everyone said it was, maybe I’m jaded. I’m am jaded, but i have to say, it was definitely an entertaining sliver-of-a-peek into the world of geishas in 1917, during the Rice Riots in Japan.

I might not see Initial D, the Hong Kong version either, but I do recommend seeing the original anime out on dvd, which you can easily find in Chinatown - of all places. It was made for TV so expect every dramatic ending to be cut off and continued in the next episode. Not into cartoons? Try rent Shuto Kousoku Trail for some quirky 80’s Japanese street racing madness intertwined with loads of comical acting -literally!

Now I’m trying to imagine a American production of Initial D… I guess for my type of realism I’d cast real American drifting underdogs Tony Angelo, Matt Petty, Susan Harrison, and Chris Forsberg. The drifting crew mentioned in this Wired story on the American drifting.. Go, Skid Racer, Go! By Charles Graeber. Pictured of the crew above. But of course one of them would have to have a hidden dragon, and from the article it may take some training if we want these guys do their own drifting scenes.

If you’re a fan, you can click to enlarge the movie posters.

*”.. culture klatch” Manohla Dargis’ words in Memoirs of a Geisha, NYTimes review
Initial D, 2005, NYTimes review

This entry was posted on Friday, December 30th, 2005 at 6:56 pm and is filed under Film & Video, Pop Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.