Friday, June 20, 2008

The Good, The Bad & The Weird



Hot damn. That's Kang-ho Song from The Host and J.S.A. in all the funny hats -- he's right up there with my favorite actors right now.

4 comments:

andrew said...

It never occured to me to set a western in northern china/mongolia but I definately think now it would work wonderfully

I am not a fan of movies that are too over the top, be they chinese, japanese, or some of the american drivel like 'smoken aces' or 'crank' but a north china western may be enough of a distraction to override that.

Of course, this brings into question the actual definition of a western, being that the very name derives from what was at one time the key feature...being set in the 'wild west' Of course just being set in texas and having gunbattles isn't a great definition, heck, Oliver Stone's JFK then becomes a western.

of course, I have my own definition that is a little beyond that. And westerns have survived the move to Australia just fine, so why not northern china or even the west-asian grasslands?

Unknown said...

Crank was good. :(

But I like over-the-top. Movies are good at over-the-top.

I think the Western (or Oater, which is more open)shouldn't really be locked in a place or time.

andrew said...

You are allowed to like over the top movies. You are also allowed to like coconut.

I strongly dislike them both.

I have no idea what an Oater is.

My definition of a western:

#1 The location itself must have an impact on the storyline, and sweeping vistas of such locale are part of the film. This can be as indirect as being so spread out, the hero cannot arrive in time, or as direct as being lost in the desert without a horse.

#2 The story must revolve around one or a few wandering 'knights errant'

#3 Civilization may be coming, but it hasn't reached the people or the location yet. Hence the 'knight errant' must carry his own laws, his own ideals with him, and apply them as he must. There is no outside law that will do it for him.

That's why star-trek gets to be a western.

Unknown said...

"Oater" is an old nickname for the Western -- one that isn't so hemisphere-centric

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