The phrase "a vague version of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing something that is not clearly defined or is an unclear representation of something else.
Example: "The artist presented a vague version of the original concept, leaving much to the viewer's interpretation."
Alternatives: "an unclear representation of" or "a nebulous interpretation of".
Mr. Tsai may not have been reaching for it, but he and his co-screenwriter Yang Pi-Ying labor in a Nouvelle Vague version of a Strindberg sitcom; it's a film about characters marooned in their own skins who cannot communicate with the most important people in their worlds.
So this is my half-assed, vague version of trying to be a filmmaker.
"When their math doesn't add up, Republicans claim that their vague version of economic growth will somehow magically make up the difference.
It is exactly this "thin or vague" version of mainstream feminism that gets attacked by critics and scholars, and it is understandable when it does.
We forget how recently George Bush's belief in providence was shared by almost everyone in Europe, and how much vague versions of it still permeate the atmosphere.
It's taken me years to realise that when I say 'back to Scotland', our English friends visualise us in a Hogwartsy Highland landscape, knocking about a vaguely industrialised version of Greyfriar's Bobby, exchanging knowing folksy banter with the Proclaimers.
Actually, everybody in the movie is kind of a shitty singer and vaguely resembles a busted version of a slightly more famous person, which just adds to the overall atmosphere of "Let's just get this thing finished and printed before the comedown gives us second thoughts".
I read about it after I finished the story, but I already had a vague notion that some version of this kind of treatment went on there.
With its boxes of Styrofoam balls, bits of clay and bottles of glue, the artist's workspace vaguely suggests a grown-up version of an elementary school art room -- a fitting milieu for someone who says his interest in making things started young.
