javabeans...i really don't mind your rantings. ;-)

Happy Valentine's Day...

yeah, koreans dont rant with no reason. They have just been deprived of recognition for so many years that they just cant stand it anymore...I think.
anywho, I still think Rain has no chance. His music isnt that famous in America, so acting would be his only way to fame...only he's not good at that either

Rantings aside, how cool is that?! Lee Byung Heon is just the guy to capture the greater American audience. And not 1, but 2 films?! Holy ~

Lee Byung acting skills are wasted behind a ninja mask and a cast of too many characters to keep count. I rather they just be true to the cartoon and pick at least a Japanese American actor to play Shadowstorm.

But the "I come with the Rain" project is exactly what Asian Actors should be shooting for. A production that involves many countries and uses not only Hollywood actors to attract the American audience...but an international cast that connects with the rest of the world. If Asian Actors want to go outside their borders...then they should promote that type of collaboration or at least find more of them. China has already been doing it...and even Speed Racer has the right idea in doing so.

What is Lee Byung Heon's English fluency?

i think every culture wants respect from others not just korean. it's not like we're not respecting koreans but as americans we do respect all cultures. i think here, koreans just want to expand and be well-known/famous (not about respect). that's ok, b/c at some point, when a country is doing well economically and so on, it wants to move to new horizon.

A Korean playing Shadowstorm?!?!?!?!?!? I'm sorry, being a G.I. Joe fan (okay fine, I having a flashback as a kid), it's hard for me to accept such a deviation from the original story. Not that I don't want Lee to be in the movie, but to take that role?? If my memory serves me well, I do believe there is a Korean G.I. Joe character so why not have him play that without changing the story. Good Luck to Lee though on the transition!

I also have to agree with Ms. Javabeans comment about respect and extreme patriotism in that little has been given in the past. However, personally I think it's because Korea was a developing nation for long time and it wasn't really till the late 1990's / early 2000's that people really recognized them as legit industrialized country like the US.

I think it's great. Not only for him, but for Korea. Yeah, it's a small thing, but still... it's a good thing. You gotta give him props for that. Just like a Korean actress not wanting her film debut to be as a Japanese geisha. Some may view this move as silly, while others might better understand her reasons for doing so. As for Koreans and their "tendency to overdo nationalistic pride" - I think if you study Korea's history, you'll have a better understanding as to why that exists, and quite frankly, why it should exist.

This is the first time I'm looking at your blog. Nice work. Very entertaining. :)

You're like a mystery to us.. or at least me and the ones who don't know much about you. Is there a chance of like a profile entry about you? I know this probably sounds weird, but I like to know more about you. You're such a interesting person. ^^v

happy V-day, everyone! =)

while eagerly anticipating for javabean's gildong recap, i decided to comment here...

i'm sure proud that korean actors are breaking through Hollywood. I think it's the ultimate dream of every actor/actress. language is the biggest barrier, though but with hardwork and dedication, i believe everything is possible. Aja! Fighting! =p

I do really hope that the Asian stereotype will be broken in Hollywood. I cringe every time I hear an Asian actor casted as a martial artist, a ninja, a geisha, or a FOB.

Though I'm not at all familiar with the nature of Korean patriotism, I have somewhat of an understanding over having to deal with negative backlash from demanding ethnic recognition.

It's nice though, and I find it a considerate yet rare move by Hollywood. Maybe there is hope for Rain, but was is Lee Byung Heon's English fluency? If his is on a more advanced level, then Rain still may have some trouble there.

I'm excited though, not just for Lee Byung Heon, but Joseph-Gordon Levitt! He is positively my favorite actor!

Actually I just found out that Lee Byung Heon is fluent in English, as well as French, Mandarin, and of course Korean. In comparison to Byung Heon, Rain is MUCH more limited, especially when it comes to international relations.

Seriously, i think the idea of changing his character from Japanese to Korean is not neccessary. I mean as an actor, you can play any role, why do you care if the character is Japanese or Korean as long as you can play it well. If you are a Korean actor, and you can show the world that they can't even tell that as you are acting as a Japanese character, you have achieved what we call "acting". If you think changing the character is a way to respect your culture, then don't act in "Hollywood" film, it is "American" film anyway. Btw, I love this actor very much.

is the movie with Josh Hartnett the one being filmed by Quentin Tarantino?

Thank you dramabeans for being...smart. I dunno I really appreciate how sharp your posts are and the degree of intellect behind them. I definitely agree with you on pretty much everything.
Alright my ass-kissing ends here.

In terms of rain and Lee Byung Hun I find Lee to be more mature and smart as he goes about his career. He was in the Japanese movie "Hero" with Takuya Kimura, he is fluent in Japanese. And now he's releasing a movie in the states and he can speak English. (I believe...) He's a smart guy. I do have a problem with them changing the ethnicity of his character and then again I don't. I don't mind him holding onto his Korean heritage for this role because he got the role because he was Asian, in the sense that if he wasn't Asian he wouldn't have gotten it. (He is also of course a good actor). I do have a bigger problem with it because as an actor, it's not supposed to be abut you but about the characters you play. But then again Roles for minorties in America are mainly to perpetuate stereotypes and roles that demand a specific ethnicity. I would love it if Lee or Rain or Hyung Joon could get into a movie without it having anything to do with their race but... Hollywood needs a few more years for that one. Anyway, I shall remove myself from the soapbox now.

Well, Lee Byung Heon's got the acting chops, so there's hope...
Hmm...I Come With The Rain sounds interesting, but he plays a Hong Kong gangster? And I can't look at Elias Koteas without thinking of Some Kind of Wonderful. :D
Wishing him the best!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love Lee Byung Heon. :)

Horrible Vday is almost over. Hooray!

@ royalpoohtato

I Come With the Rain is directed by Vietnamese director Anh Hung Tran who did the wonderful Scent of Green Papaya and Cyclo.

LBH is pretty good at English. He's by no means a fluent speaker but I would say, listening to his English, that he's someone with a knack for languages and accents. I think you can also hear him speak a bit of English in the drama, All-In with Song Hye Gyo, which was quite a few years ago. He was pretty good then - he has a way of mimimizing the Korean accent, I think. You can still hear it here and there but I honestly was impressed considering he learned his line phonetically. He puts the annunciations in the right place and manages to sound educated and sauve despite the few "fobby" pronunciations that pop out now and then. And since that was several years ago I imagine he has gotten better.

@javabeans, you are 100% American yet you can read and understand Korean! They don't teach Korean in American schools do they?

@orchid
it depends on the school but it's not as common as Chinese.

orchid: Javabeans is Korean and was born and raised in America.

@Illdielaughing & Janne: Thanks!

Javabeans was born & raised in America yet has a good command of the Korean language. (i am so impressed!) I was born & raised in Malaysia and of Chinese descent, but i do not read Chinese (Mandarin) :-( Not all here are like me though.

On LBH's Hollywood debut, i am glad to hear it. But can he play a Korean warrior? I thought LBH isn't into action and martial arts. Most of the roles i've seen him play have sexual connotations i.e. "Everybody has secrets" and "Addicted". Okay i've only seen 15% of his movie works and 0% of his dramas...so i guess i can't say much. :-P

I've heard him speak English at an awards ceremony and he's not bad!

@Javabeans: Love reading your entries! TQ.

LBH does have some martial art background ... he is black belt holder in Tae Kwan Do, if i'm not mistaken. dunno what black belt level he is though. u should see the opening scene to his A Bittersweet Life ... really cool (but too short for me) action scene there!!

LBH is a french graduate. So, pronouncation side, english shouldn't be that hard to learn....

ce cool les japan je t amie fort le japan cool cool cool sakura ils cool cool cool cool

song link
epik high - love love love
http://www.mediafire.com/?dymy2mntznj

In my study of Korean history, I've noticed that nearly every generation of Koreans has to survive an attempted genocide by one or more of her neighbors.

One historian of Korea, Peter Duus, called a "defensive nationalism" (like Ireland) as opposed to an "offensive nationalism" like that of Japan or Britain.

So while I, too, find some Korean Nationalism a little lame at times, it's quite understandable and is a type of pride in not having been subsumed into one of the great Empires at her doorstep.