DVDS IN CHINA? NO RENTING ALLOWED

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DVDS IN CHINA? NO RENTING ALLOWED
http://testpattern.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/22/1902192.aspx

Posted: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 7:00 AM by Paige Newman

I’ve never thought much about DVD piracy. But on a recent trip to China, I got to experience it firsthand. Now, of course, being an upright U.S. citizen, I didn’t actually purchase any illegal DVDs, but I did get to check out some flicks courtesy of some friends. And here’s what just 80 cents American will buy you.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”
You’ve probably read the story about how an early version of the new Hugh Jackman film was leaked online. Well, in Shanghai, you can find it on almost every street corner. Want to see fight scenes where you can actually see the wires holding Jackman in place? They’re there. And live action switches to computer graphics in an instant and then back again. It makes it much trippier, as though you’re watching one of those Richard Linklater movies, like “Waking Life” or “A Scanner Darkly.” This one was good for a laugh. But now I don’t feel like I need to see the finished version. Sorry, Hugh!

“Gran Torino”
Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sends out screeners to its voting body. Ever wonder what happens to them? Well, duplications of some of them end up on the streets of China. So you get the movie – in this case the very entertaining story of Eastwood’s friendship with his Hmong neighbors – and the warning that you shouldn’t share the illegal DVD you’re watching with anyone. Um, too late.

“Duplicity”
My friends warned me that you never know what you’re going to get with a DVD. And with “Duplicity” what we got was someone who used a handheld camera to shoot the film inside the theater. And, better yet, all the “Three years earlier”-type subtitles were in Spanish. Frankly, that shaky camera work kind of added to the film’s charms.

“Caprica”
Yes, it may have premiered in the U.S. on DVD on Tuesday, but you could have bought it two weeks ago in Shanghai. No spoilers here, but it looks like it’s going to make a heck of a great TV series.

As for video stores, well, there is no such thing as “renting” a video. However, the box set of “Sex and the City,” the entire series, could be yours for about $10 American. Yes, I admit I was tempted by those TV box sets especially. After all, they’re pretty expensive here.

It’s hard not to be struck by the easy availability of Western pop culture in China. And you can see its influence all over the streets of Shanghai. There are plenty of girls who would look just right on an episode of “Gossip Girl” or “90210”and plenty of sci-fi geeks ready for the new “Star Trek” to hit the streets – not the theaters, mind you, the streets. Trust me, it will probably get there first.

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