We're still working on a plan, but so far it involves being sent to prison and becoming somebody's bitch.
Fred ,'Just Rewards (2)'
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.
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!"
Burrell - Dec 10, 2004 8:09:37 pm PST #7052 of 10001
Why did Darth Vader cross the road? To get to the Dark Side!
My husband is watching Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Talk about racial miscasting. Willem Defoe makes a terribly corny Mexican. Right up there with Charleton Heston in A Touch of Evil.
dcp - Dec 10, 2004 8:31:37 pm PST #7053 of 10001
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.
Worse than John Wayne as Genghis Khan?
Matt the Bruins fan - Dec 10, 2004 10:27:13 pm PST #7054 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
Only Pauly Shore can credibly claim to have been worse than John Wayne as Ghengis Khan.
tommyrot - Dec 11, 2004 6:13:28 am PST #7055 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
OTOH, Ricardo Montalban was the best Khan.