being confirmed by the apparent back-patting going on within the production.
It's the back-patting that makes it annoying, really.
Let me guess. We're in a hurry.
Inara ,'Serenity'
Buffista Movies 3: Panned and Scanned
A place to talk about movies--Old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Sean K - Dec 10, 2004 12:31:23 pm PST #7042 of 10001
You can't leave me to my own devices; my devices are Nap and Eat. -Zenkitty
Matt the Bruins fan - Dec 10, 2004 12:34:24 pm PST #7043 of 10001
"I remember when they eventually introduced that drug kingpin who murdered people and smuggled drugs inside snakes and I was like 'Finally. A normal person.'” —RahvinDragand
I've found that I can usually single Korean men and Japanese women out of the general Asian pool, but I wouldn't trust my ability to do so with the other permutations.
Glamcookie - Dec 10, 2004 1:37:41 pm PST #7044 of 10001
I know my own heart and understand my fellow man. But I am made unlike anyone I have ever met. I dare to say I am like no one in the whole world. - Anne Lister
What was the general impression of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the house? (We watched, thought it was okay, and that Kate Winslet was very pretty in a Jessica like way, but failed to connect to the characters enough to care about them.)
Plei is me. Then again, I'd say the same thing above about Lost in Translation (was okay, Scarlett was v. pretty, failed to connect).
I, too, thought Hero was beautiful enough that the thinness of the story wasn't distracting. I've heard that Daggers is better. Can't wait to see it.
Burrell - Dec 10, 2004 1:58:54 pm PST #7045 of 10001
Why did Darth Vader cross the road? To get to the Dark Side!
I think from a Japanese point of view, casting a Chinese woman is no better than casting a Frenchwoman. Asians don't all look alike to other Asians.
That's probably true, but there's also a lot of history behind the Japanese attitude there that, frankly, doesn't always reflect well on them. I'm not saying they should be forced to endure Zhang Ziyi as penance for their past imperialism, I'm just thinking that, as cultural slights by hamfisted Americans go, it's rather mild.
Kathy A - Dec 10, 2004 1:59:14 pm PST #7046 of 10001
We're very stretchy. - Connie Neil
§ ita § - Dec 10, 2004 2:01:23 pm PST #7047 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
they should be forced to endure Zhang Ziyi as penance for their past imperialism
Maybe that's why there's all that backpatting. Revenge.
there's also a lot of history behind the Japanese attitude there
I wasn't thinking of an specifically Japanese attitude, FWIW. Just your average nationalistic don't-rule-the-world one.
Burrell - Dec 10, 2004 2:04:53 pm PST #7048 of 10001
Why did Darth Vader cross the road? To get to the Dark Side!
I wasn't thinking of an specifically Japanese attitude, FWIW.
Oh, I know. You clearly made a comparison to casting non-Jamicans, so I get where you are coming from. That's where I was headed with the comparison between European nations, too. I think it was Betsy who pointed out that, to the Japanese, a Chinese actress would be particularly inappropriate.
Nutty - Dec 10, 2004 2:31:27 pm PST #7049 of 10001
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
I'm working on the part where, last I checked, Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi didn't speak English at all. And they are acting in an English-language movie? Are they going to be the kind of geisha that doesn't say anything?
(Also, you know, Mandarin accents in English sound nothing like Japanese accents of same, and Michelle Yeoh's accent is distinctively like neither of them.)
Ken Watanabe at least speaks reasonable English (and I think Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is an American of Japanese ethnicity, right?). Unless there is some optical poptitude planned, to distract one from the dialogue, this movie may have worse problems than the whole political "pan-Asian" issue.
§ ita § - Dec 10, 2004 2:35:54 pm PST #7050 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
No, Zhang Ziyi speaks English now. Don't know about Gong Li.
I'd imagine that their English is better than their Japanese, so it's a small blessing.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa was born in Japan, but is American.
lori - Dec 10, 2004 2:44:29 pm PST #7051 of 10001
I'd imagine that their English is better than their Japanese,
Dunno why, but this sure made me snerk.
As most have said, I'm still getting the vibe of "hey, who's hot right now *and* Asian? Whaddya mean, there's a difference between 'em? At least we didn't cast anyone white!"