Jan 22 2009
Want to succeed in Hollywood? Not from the U.S.?
Well, Hideo Nakata will show you the way! Or at least offer some advice about how to deal with getting royally screwed but continue to find work. That’s what I imagine this film is all about.
Nakata’s name may ring a bell with some of you, and that’s because he’s the Japanese writer/director responsible for the original 1998 J-Horror trendsetter, Ring (a.k.a. Ringu). Yup, he’s somewhat to blame for spawning every shambling, long-haired, vengeful spirit that’s plagued genre cinema for almost a decade.
Anyway, Nakata did some time in Hollywood when he made The Ring Two, the U.S. sequel to the American remake of the original film (the 1998 one that Nakata helmed in Japan). Follow?
The experience must’ve left Nakata pissed, I guess, or feeling that people should get some kind of advice about dealing with the Tinseltown studio system, so he made a documentary called Foreign Filmmakers’ Guide To Hollywood to do just that. Judging from the credits, there are some pretty interesting interview subjects in the piece, like big-time producer Walter F. Parkes and prolific composer Hans Zimmer.
This doc could be nothing more than a rant, but color me curious. If you’re Japanese-fluent, you can visit the film’s official website (I think) here to stay informed about the Guide’s status.
