If you like subtitled movies, it's sometimes frustrating to be a horror fan. How many times have we had to stand idly by as a quality terror flick like Ringu (The Ring), Ju-on (The Grudge) or Rec (Quarantine) gets remade into English by Hollywood? I don't know about you, but I'm tired of the misguided stereotype that Americans are too mentally impotent to read subtitles.
And it's not like remaking a movie guarantees it will be a hit. This very weekend, a pointless but well-reviewed remake of the amazing Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In opened in American theaters, under the much less poetic moniker of Let Me In. Although critics were mystifyingly kind to it, audiences have proven indifferent. For much less than the cost of remaking that wonderful film, the original Swedish version could have been put into theaters nationwide.
Now, at last, another country is turning the tables: a Japanese remake of the movie Ghost is underway, and our friends at Twitch Film just unearthed the trailer. Check it out over on the left side of the screen!
As you may recall, the original film starred Patrick Swayze as a newly deceased spirit who can't bear to leave his wife (Demi Moore), and employs the help of a psychic (Whoopi Goldberg) to communicate with her. Based on the Japanese trailer (which does not have English subtitles, alas), the remake seems to remain fairly faithful to the plot, although the genders have been reversed. Hey, why not? Our remakes needlessly change things all the time too. I'm just happy to see that another country's remakes can be just as pointless as our own.
Should you expect this version to play in Scranton? Uh, no. And be thankful for that.
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Comments
I'd be curious to see how well this does in Japan. I didn't like the original. I thought Whoopi was funny, but the rest was stupid and cheesy. I saw it at a theater in Greece. Afterwards, my Greek friend turned to me and said "This is what the Americans when crazy for? Why?" I didn't have an answer for her, lol.
I love the original Ghost, it makes me cry all the time. I can't explain it, it just does.
I may have to put this in my Netflix queue see if it ever releases here.
I think it was just the hot pottery scene that caused the movie to have such great success! :) that would translate easily into all languages..
I heard about this a couple of months ago. I wonder how it is going to be?
This is amazingly awesome.
Still love that scene, Chrissy. Can't see someone molding pottery w/o thinking of that movie. One of my all time favs....and Rachael, I still cry...I can walk in on the movie for 5 minutes knowing what's coming up next and cry....lol
It will be interesting to do a scene-by-scene comparison of the U.S. and Japanese versions.
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