... I like that commercial. and apparently Rinsch's got a thing about robots. wonder how that will translate to the ronin. because there are similarities... sort of :|

Imagine being an unknown and starting out with that kind of budget?

Bit of a dream, as well as somehow a little obscene :-/.

It looks to me like Hwood execs are letting themselves be awed by the visual presentation of a proposed project, rather than doing all the hard work of thoroughly considering the story. It's PowerPoint poisoning at a whole new level: if the presentation is just cool enough, the execs get wow'd into thinking that the whole project will be equally cool.

and on another hand, we have Malcom Venville 's 44 Inch Chest which makes amazing use of just a camera, close-ups, a handful of good actors and a tense atmosphere... What he did there is dark poetry in images... but then, he's a photographer.

let the Hwood execs have their fun; as long as there are some scraps left for little indie gems, the world will still be a bearable place.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=hu&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hir24.hu%2Fszines%2F219900%2Fkeanu-reeves-budapestre-koltozik.html

I'm reading the requirements and trying to imagine if they could possibly find something like that for rent in Oslo (if they were here in Norway for the movie). I think they'd bang their heads bloody against the wall in their attempt to find anything that wouldn't eat up 90% of the entire movie budget. I hope it's easier in Budapest!

hope they find the right place. if not, there's always Four Seasons :D

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=hu&tl=en&u=http://www.delmagyar.hu/belfold_hirek/budapestre_erkezett_keanu_reeves/2206087/&prev=_t

Edit:

I hope the little critters in Keanu's beard had time to evacuate into his hair; he's shaved!

http://www.2space.net/news/article/339974-1298918407/

(You should start from the bottom of the tweet list and read your way up, btw)

well, he basically aimed his fist at one of the actors saying "threeeeee dddddd" xD
49 minutes ago

you will see loads in the Internet because there were a bunch of photographers there.
53 minutes ago

but then he perked up and joked around a bit. They were all very nice but, sadly, I don't have pictures though I'm sure
53 minutes ago

they were able to perform perfectly in English. As for Keanu, he seemed a bit tired and hesitant answering the questions
53 minutes ago

The rest of the cast is Japanese, but they're the best actors of the country. The director said lenguage wasn't a problem as
54 minutes ago

were haikus xD. He said the movie was an epic story about vengeance and love and that he was very excited.
1 hour ago

During the Press Conference he joked around a bit about the 3D and told the journalists his first memory of Japanese culture
1 hour ago

Keanu will start filming 47 Ronin this month in Budapest (Hungary).The movie will be in 3D and it's set to be released Dec,2012
1 hour ago

side note : a link from twitter

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118033107?categoryid=4076&cs=1&cmpid=RSS|News|LatestNews&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.primerahora.com%2Fkeanureevesseconvertiraensamuraiennuevofilme-479138.html

Edit:

And here's the cast of 47 Ronin in all their glory:

http://photos.prnewswire.com/medias/switch.do?prefix=/appnb&page=/getStoryRemapDetails.do&prnid=20110301%252fLA57086&action=details

Edit II:

More here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/universal-pictures-announces-start-of-principal-photography-on-47-ronin-the-new-epic-3d-fantasy-adventure-starring-keanu-reeves-117194263.html?cf_synd_id=2RfsZfO

http://www.tokyohive.com/2011/03/shibasaki-kou-to-make-hollywood-debut-alongside-keanu-reeves/

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So what happened to Hiro? Did they decide against the Hiro/hero likeness?

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I guess so... besides, when I hear 'Hiro' I think 'Heroes' and that definitely doesn't help matters :D

you know... I really want to like this movie, especially ever since I saw Rinsch's commercials; and now that I read 'inspired by Miyazaki', it gives me even more hope. I know it's gonna be a story with fantastic elements, and that makes this Neil Gaiman fan happy.
BUT.
can't shake the feeling that this project is gonna have more or less the fate of the 'Day' remake. for the simple reason that it's toying with a story that's sacred for many people. The way it's gonna be received will be tainted by expectations and prejudices...
for the project's sake, let's hope my gut feelings are wrong... :\\

link courtesy of Christine at keanureevesforum.com

my above mentioned worries stay the same.
But after seeing this video and listening to them... at least I know what to look for in the movie. And I'm sure they'll all do their damnedest best. And in the end... what happens, happens ( to quote another Japanese guy ;))

dammit, K , you could sell me anything, let alone ideas or a movie ! :D

http://www.slashfilm.com/47-ronin-cast-actors-include-hiroyuki-sanada-tadanobu-asano/

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At the press reveal for the film, the director excitedly proclaimed the Shibasaki, “Has a feminine quality that isn’t found in the West, and elegance like (Audrey) Hepburn. She’s clearly able to become an international star, and I’ve discovered her.”

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Um . . . seriously?

So Western women lack a certain feminine quality? We are not feminine, graceful or elegant like this emaciated waif? I'm really sick and tired of this ignorant and racist BS that deathly skinny Asian women are in some way superior to other women. We are all the same, we all posses beauty in some way. Skinny people are beautiful and so are large people, and elegance and grace come in all shapes, sizes and colors! There are no racial or size criteria for true beauty and femininity! This guy is retarded! This is so insulting, hurtful and ignorant, I can't even properly express my disgust!

What a racist cretin!

F@&) him and his movie!
I'm not even going to see it. And it's a shame because I really wanted to.

I shall quote the amazing Ann Richardson...

"He's not the first man to disappoint me...and he wont be the last."

Of course you will want to see this movie Adrianna, but Rinsch will need to edit his thought processes before they come out the mouth. Let's not forget that Audrey Hepburn is a western woman. ;)

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dammit, K , you could sell me anything, let alone ideas or a movie ! :D

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Lucky for us, he ain't selling anything but his movies...

imo, there IS something else about Asian women, starting with the fact that they have - at least in Japanese- their own language. there are certain words that only a woman would use. they have to be extremely polite. they are exquisite, fragile and birdlike. if you listen to the youtube video with snippets of the press conference, you'll hear how soft-spoken they are. They appear as the complete opposite of the Western business woman, or of the in-your-face(and ears) feminist. And it's something that fascinates certain Western men...
In the end, I guess it all comes down to cultural differences.