We’re just starting the media blitz for the rapidly approaching debut of Spike Lee’s OLDBOY but it’s starting strong. Complex had the director put together a playlist (below) to go with the film’s premise – What would a man who’s been imprisoned for decades listen to and how would he go about picking it? – and discussed his thought process, both about the list and the film.
He says, in part:
Well, none of the songs are in OLDBOY. We didn’t have the budget for it. We just have score, but the way this was presented to me was that, if I was to have a playlist and I was locked up for 20 years, what music would I listen to? So I looked at it another way; I said to one of the people I work with, “Let’s get the list of the top 20 R&B/Hip-Hop songs of the last 20 years.” And she pulled the info for me, and I just went through each song for each of the 20 years and tried to come up with [the best]. And no disrespect to any of the artists, there are probably a lot of artists for the songs I love on that particular album of that particular year that didn’t become a top 100 single.
Another really interesting tidbit comes when they ask if Spike has any last words before the movie comes out. His answer? Very aware and reasonable:
Here’s the thing… I’m not hatin’ on all the detractors because I know how deeply they feel about this movie. So it’s understandable. And it’s very understandable that there’s fears this will be another watered-down, white-washed version of Asian cinema. But if people give it a chance, they will see that it’s not that at all. Not that at all.
I dug the interview and it makes me more inclined to see the film. Spike really seems to have approached this remake with the right amount of thoughtfulness and he gives a ton of credit to writer Mark Protosevich. Also a good sign. From the looks of the red band trailer (below) it definitely won’t be an easy film to watch but, like all Spike Lee Joints, it’ll foster a lot of discussions.
OLDBOY, starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sharlto Copley, hits theaters November 27, 2013
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