Teenage Angst Is Serious Because The Music Says So October 13, 2007
Posted by TheHype in International Ball, Videos , trackback |
As we all know, China is going to have just taken over the world. We’ve witnessed the writing on the wall in the economy, in politics, and obviously where this blog’s content is concerned most: sports (well, basketball). When you have Yao Ming as your catalyst (sorry Wang), it paves way for the new generation (Yi Jianlian) of Chinese balla kids to slowly fuse themselves with the American basketball identity.
We are seeing it already, with Yi growing up to like the hip hop nation and awkwardly presenting it via a bad commercial.
But I’m here to show you the next mutation in the convergence of the Chinese and American basketball identity. Yes, you guessed it: I am obviously talking about the inevitable Chinese version of One Tree Hill.
You thought I was joking about that One Tree Hill ish huh? Between the Explosions in the Sky soundtrack (now ubiquitous everywhere to signify “youthful rebellion and soul searching” popularized by Friday Night Lights) and the ADIDAS!!!! product placements, you wouldn’t have thought there would be an original story here. But let me tell you something mister! … uh … there isn’t, check it:
Brooding teen angst: CHECK; Random shouting matches: CHECK; A denouement of the central character revealing said teen angst is due to a tragic event: CHECK; Oh and the main character’s name is (Big) Mouth because he has a larger than usual orifice. You know which other character had the name “Mouth” in a show about teenagers playing basketball near a hill that had one tree? Yup. CHECK and MATE
HOWEVA, I’d still check out this flick. Yeah it looks derivative of every single damn teen underdog story where you can practically predict and recite every beat of the film. But hey, deep down, I think we all want to watch it for that very reason (Hoop Soldiers creators’ wet dream). And hey, I do share some kinship with the filmmakers, sort of:
We’re a couple of Indie film makers from Canada and the States that met in Singapore and have now been based in Beijing China for the past 3 years.
So yeah, I’ll be watching this, because I think it’s in my blood contract to support my culture(s) — okay mom?
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