Page 8 of 11 FirstFirst ...
6
7
8
9
10
... LastLast
  1. #141
    Americans are (much to the horror of diversity enthusiasts) still more white than not. As such, having white heroes in movies is going to be quite frequent, including cool historical/fantasy settings where it doesn't really make sense. I'd wager that the same is true in India's Bollywood - they mostly star Indians even if that doesn't totally make sense for a given setting.

    I understand why some people don't find this appealing. That's OK! They don't have to find it appealing and it makes sense why an Asian-American isn't really interested in this film. What doesn't make sense is bitching about it - not everything is for you. If you don't like the content of a movie, don't watch it and move along. If you want to see movies made that interest you and you're really serious about movies, do something.

  2. #142
    At least these guys are getting a lot of free PR outa this.
    "Quack, quack, Mr. Bond."

  3. #143
    I believe the outcry is pretty simple to understand, and it's got fuck all to do with "historical accuracy" though I suspect the majority of people using that term know this.

    Most people who are speaking out about the casting are pointing out that unlike a lot of Western movies, where there's an Asian character who even represents a sort of Asian stereotype (even if it's just geographically, rather than substantially; e.g. he's not a stereotype in that he's got some Asian trope about being a wise martial arts master, but that he isn't from the local area of the main characters, he's from "The East" or something) like Matt Damon is sort of doing here as a white guy - in that he's an outsider and he's a "wandering mercenary from Europe" - he's also the main character of the movie, taking place in China, about the future of China and on a massive structure that China built. So the point being that it's always a white guy who saves the world or plays the central hero, even in a movie that takes place in and is about the future of China - so the question a lot of people have is why isn't the hero a Chinese person, and Matt Damon the deuteragonist?

    So I believe that's it - though I did read that article where the director explained why he cast the actors he did, and even stated that the movie is primarily for Chinese audiences, but I still understand why Chinese and other Asian folks would question why the main character isn't Andy Lau or someone.

    Whether or not it changes, there's nothing wrong with wanting representation - white folks do indeed make up a sizeable portion of the US population (~65-67% if I remember right) - but, there are a whole lot who aren't, and there's nothing wrong with those folks asking for a hero who isn't a white dude - we have whole shit tons of them already. It just illustrates a common problem we still have in that a lot of white folks feel oddly challenged about white people not being the primary character, but then talking about how they "don't care if there's a black/blue/etc hero." And maybe that's true to some extent, but probably not? Why? Because look at the commentary on The Dark Tower - you see so much complaining about how Roland isn't a white actor, but Roland was quite literally never defined by his race - he could've been any race and still been the same character in terms of what he does. I admit that's a little bit of a different example, since TDT takes place in a world much different than ours, where the black or asian main character would be interchangeable with the white character in terms of upbringing and culture, generally. While those characters sort of represent something different depending on the setting of the film. Another example is the reaction you saw on social media to the rumor that Idris Elba might be in the running (strongly positioned/favored/whatever) to be the next James Bond actor after Daniel Craig - I mean, even former James Bond actors weighed in on it, so it was a bit of a hot button issue. Yet, people flipped shit about James Bond being black - but he's been a white guy for ages, and his race generally doesn't have to be fixed for him to function as James Bond more or less - even Roger Moore said he "just needs to be English."

    So whether you agree or not, I believe the outcry is being mischaracterized around here a bit.

    You can read the articles about Chinese-American actor Constance Wu's criticism if you want to read a better explanation than I wrote.

    Who knows though, I do think that there's a good need to represent everyone as a hero in film and things, but this is a Chinese movie, and the director himself stated it was primarily made for Chinese audiences, and he purportedly cast Pascal, Defoe, and Damon himself. Andy Lau will probably ultimately save the day though.
    Signature dunked by a lame MMO Champ robot.

  4. #144
    Quote Originally Posted by Olrox View Post
    And maybe that's true to some extent, but probably not? Why? Because look at the commentary on The Dark Tower - you see so much complaining about how Roland isn't a white actor, but Roland was quite literally never defined by his race - he could've been any race and still been the same character in terms of what he does.
    While I stand by what I said above that it's fine for movies to be made differently than I'd like to see, Roland is pretty plainly depicted as whitish. This is probably the most iconic illustration of him:

    As near as I can tell, all canonical illustrations of Roland show him being white.

    I'm also not sure how they're going to deal with Susannah calling him a honky. I'd have to go look to make sure, but I'm pretty sure there's a lot of explicitly racial dialog between Roland and Susannah (or at least Detta).

    Elba should do a great job as Roland and I'm looking forward to it. I don't think anything is lost by going this direction, but it is a deviation from previous canon.

  5. #145
    Quote Originally Posted by unbound View Post
    Interestingly, the ones that are defending Matt Damon in this type of movie are the same ones that lose their minds when the Ghostbusters are all female, or the Human Torch is a black man.

    Just saying
    So that would mean the people complaining now are the ones that were ok with changes to already established characters before.


    The majority of the complaints with the Human Torch and Ghostbusters is because fans don't like already established characters changed and people just hate reboots. Had they made an all female cast of ghostbusters as the daughters of the originals and had a new story, there wouldn't have been as much hate. And these same people were the ones complaining about the Jared Leto Joker which surprisingly had nothing to do with women or race.

    Ot:
    Supposedly the monsters are like aliens or something so maybe this movie might be like the Chinese version of the 2008 movie Outlander.

  6. #146
    Deleted
    Looks like shit tbh.

  7. #147
    The Lightbringer Clone's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Kamino
    Posts
    3,027
    People aren't mad about historical accuracy you ignorant tools. Asian Americans are tired of seeing white leads saving the world in Asian settings.

    "But the movie is made by Chinese!!!" Asian Americans aren't happy, can't say the same about Asians.

  8. #148
    Quote Originally Posted by Clone View Post
    People aren't mad about historical accuracy you ignorant tools. Asian Americans are tired of seeing white leads saving the world in Asian settings.

    "But the movie is made by Chinese!!!" Asian Americans aren't happy, can't say the same about Asians.
    It does make me roll my eyes, or sigh in disappointment.

  9. #149
    Quote Originally Posted by Clone View Post
    People aren't mad about historical accuracy you ignorant tools. Asian Americans are tired of seeing white leads saving the world in Asian settings.

    "But the movie is made by Chinese!!!" Asian Americans aren't happy, can't say the same about Asians.
    Honestly, I do often find Asians' constant fawning over anything remotely associated with the West or white people as being extremely irritating. Unlike Asian Americans, they never really had a chance to grow up in and get bored with white culture, and hence still live in a world where things like Friends and Seinfeld are innovative and cutting edge. So I suppose to someone who lives in China, seeing someone like Matt Damon star in a movie that's all about their country and their culture is quite an exciting prospect, whereas to a Chinese-American it's just mindless pablum starring Overpaid Douchebag #53 who we should have just left on Mars and forgotten about.

  10. #150
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Coombs View Post
    I don't think it is so much about historical accuracy, that is simply the guise they use to not look so SJW. I don't find a white man in a Chinese movie ridiculous. I certainly didn't think the one in The Last Samurai was out of place. I do, however, despise the fact that Hollywood is simply using Damon as a social putty to bring the two cultures together, because they feel if there was a strong asian actor not so many people would go and see the film. Last year at the Oscar's the black community was up in arms about being snubbed. The Asian community is the one that actually gets shit on the most in Hollywood. No one mentions it because god forbid the most boisterous community not be a victim for more than 15 fucking minutes. It's really the reasoning for casting Damon or another big white actor that perturbs me more than any silly historical notions. The entire movie is rather silly. Now I will say that shit like the Prince of Persia where a white guy can get a tan and speak with a british accent and now he is Persian or ethnic on film is disgusting to me. I'd rather some no named actor of that ethnicity speak in the actual language and read subtitles. But it doesn't sell tickets, and movies like that aren't made for people who give a fuck about accuracy.
    Persia is not their name, never was, that's a Greek- Western name. Iran is their name, means Aryan, Think they used name Aryanna etc.
    They r related to Europeans, they r not Arabs.
    As for british accent, who the f would recognize Iranian-English accent in West n why go for unknown untested Iranian actors.
    Movies r financial gamble, not accurate history book writing. People complain too much.

  11. #151
    Quote Originally Posted by Clone View Post
    People aren't mad about historical accuracy you ignorant tools. Asian Americans are tired of seeing white leads saving the world in Asian settings.
    So, like any good activists, they bitch that the people making movies should make them more to their tastes rather than bothering to get money and personnel together to make the art they want to see.

  12. #152
    It does look a bit weird, cosidering how many of the other actors are asian. Is he supposed to be a western dude who happens to be in ancient China for reasons unknown? Or are they trying to pass him off as a Chinaman? Because if it's the latter, that's pretty dumb since he does look pretty out of place.

    If it's the former, then who gives a fuck, they're fighting giant lizards.

  13. #153
    Quote Originally Posted by The BANNzoman View Post
    Film Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVw9YdP1O-0

    Some reactions (though my OP isn't directed at the grievances it describes):

    https://www.theguardian.com/film/201...on-whitewashed


    Well I can't help myself. I have to complain.

    Anyone seen the BS going on over Matt Damon's upcoming film? People are losing their shit over Matt Damon being the lead role in a ancient Chinese setting. People's beef on social media can be boiled down to this:White guy in Ancient China=historically inaccurate.

    I've grown to hate people who immediately think they're fucking historians when they discuss movies. Just stop. You're not.

    One, history isn't immune from being fictionalized: There's no unwritten rule stating that a film with a historical setting must also be historically accurate. Even if there was, it'd be a stupid rule; I don't pay to see movies that give me a history lesson--though I enjoy informative historical films occasionally. I pay to see badasses wreck shit. And guess what? Jackie Chan is too old, his sons suck as actors, Bruce and Brandon Lee are dead, the effeminate Asian dude from the Hangover can't play this role, and the asian that plays Glenn from The Walking Dead can't either.



    These "historians" also need to point out where in Chinese history textbooks it says that the Chinese built the wall to fend off demonic monsters. While they're at it, they can point out when Chinese infantrymen bungee jumped off it to fight off invaders.

    People are unbelievable. What started as a film intriguing me because of its concept turned into me being mystified by this Great Wall of Stupidity.
    I think what's really unbelievable is that westerners like you think that the actors you listed are the only Asian actors that exist. Andy Lau is in this movie (although you can hardly tell from this trailer), and was winning awards for his films long before Matt Damon started acting. Artistically he could have easily played this role. The fact that American audiences do not know him is not because of his acting ability, but because of the ingrained biases of the audience.

  14. #154
    I am Murloc! DrMcNinja's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Apparently somewhere whipping Portuguese prisoners
    Posts
    5,697
    A monster movie about a historical piece of architecture?

    A no brainer for me: Not gonna watch it.

  15. #155
    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral View Post
    So, like any good activists, they bitch that the people making movies should make them more to their tastes rather than bothering to get money and personnel together to make the art they want to see.
    It's not nearly as simple as that though. Let's say a movie gets made starring all Asian leads...the American film audience is so biased against seeing minorities in lead roles that there's no way it would be successful. But whose fault is that? The question you should ask is WHY Asian (or Asian-American) actors and characters are not popular to American audiences.

  16. #156
    Old God endersblade's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    10,804
    Looks entertaining. May have to give it a watch.
    Quote Originally Posted by Warwithin View Post
    Politicians put their hand on the BIBLE and swore to uphold the CONSTITUTION. They did not put their hand on the CONSTITUTION and swear to uphold the BIBLE.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adam Jensen View Post
    Except maybe Morgan Freeman. That man could convince God to be an atheist with that voice of his . . .
    Quote Originally Posted by LiiLoSNK View Post
    If your girlfriend is a girl and you're a guy, your kid is destined to be some sort of half girl/half guy abomination.

  17. #157
    Quote Originally Posted by spanishninja View Post
    It's not nearly as simple as that though. Let's say a movie gets made starring all Asian leads...the American film audience is so biased against seeing minorities in lead roles that there's no way it would be successful. But whose fault is that? The question you should ask is WHY Asian (or Asian-American) actors and characters are not popular to American audiences.
    Why should I be asking this question? I don't give a shit one way or the other. The people carping that movie-makers don't pander to their niche preference can bitch that everyone else doesn't want to see what they want to see, but it's hard to see how that view becomes important simply because it's based on racial preferences.

  18. #158
    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral View Post
    Why should I be asking this question? I don't give a shit one way or the other. The people carping that movie-makers don't pander to their niche preference can bitch that everyone else doesn't want to see what they want to see, but it's hard to see how that view becomes important simply because it's based on racial preferences.
    well sure, it's always an option to compartmentalize a problem in order to distance yourself from it, but then again, as an Asian-American, why the hell should I care about things such as illegal immigration from Mexico, police treatment of African-Americans, and other such things that are not related to my own life? why is it that one can be considered anti-gay if they don't support gay marriage, racist if they don't sympathize with the plight of the "brown" minorities, but when it comes to Asian-Americans, we can be pushed around without mainstream culture thinking twice?
    Last edited by spanishninja; 2016-07-31 at 08:21 PM.

  19. #159
    Quote Originally Posted by spanishninja View Post
    It's not nearly as simple as that though. Let's say a movie gets made starring all Asian leads...the American film audience is so biased against seeing minorities in lead roles that there's no way it would be successful. But whose fault is that? The question you should ask is WHY Asian (or Asian-American) actors and characters are not popular to American audiences.
    'Cuz they're a tiny minority, bro.

    A more interesting question is why the chinese are so fond of white leads in movies.
    "Quack, quack, Mr. Bond."

  20. #160
    Dreadlord Joathen's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    South Florida, USA
    Posts
    906
    Quote Originally Posted by Darkeon View Post
    On the Last Samurai.. why did it give you the chuckles to see an american being cast to play the role of an american that was taken as a POW by the Japanese-Samurai? Sounds to me you didn't watch the movie
    Was more the fact that he was the embodiment of the Samurai culture and the last one to carry on their history and traditions- history only being carried on by the white guy.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •