I suspect your Asian:Western movie consumption ratio is probably similar to my my Western:Asian movie consumption ratio. :O
I would like to take the floor now and plug a fantastic Kazakh movie~ Mongol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_(2007_film)) mightn't be news to you, though... But if anyone else is reading, go and watch it~ And while you're at it, there's a movie whose title escapes me now --- it's available for watching online on Netflix --- about a woman stalking a group of raiders who kidnapped her child for their army. It's hilarious in a warm and sophisticated and very black way.
While we're still on the subject, the theme for Red Cliffs (directed by John Woo about a battle in Southern China in classical times, so it has nothing to do with Central Asia) --- the theme for the movie is sang by a Tibetan woman who crossovered to Jpop after China opened her doors in the 90s.
I've heard of Mongol, and intend to see it at some point. XD
There's a documentary called Saltmen of Tibet, which I watched via Netflix and ended up purchasing*. It follows a group of Tibetans on their yearly trek to the salt flats to gather salt to sell, and the rituals and ceremonies that surround that. Fascinating.
* Well, because there's a story in there spinning off of Spindrift, but as NOBODY EVER PICKS THAT in Yuletide, it's only in outline form right now.
er, I'm sad I canceled my Netflix trial. ;_; (Speaking of Netflix, there's a dramatization, funded by National Geographic I think, based on a group of Tibetan anti-poaching vigilantes. It's a little bit heavy-handed...but I recommend it anyway? Oh netflix, take me baaaaack I'm sorry I left you)
I like Netflix because you can put the account on hiatus for 3 months, or, at any time, change your subscription. If I'm not watching many movies, I'll go down to the cheapest one-at-a-time plan, or back up to the 3-at-a-time plan when I start watching them again. :)
(a) Avatar is not set in 21st century America, and
(b) the world of Avatar is already multi-ethnic, with characters coming from all sorts of different backgrounds. ... What? "Asian" isn't a single ethnicity? THE HELL YOU SAY!!
I really, really think that this is exactly what the studios believe. And that makes me bewildered, and a little nauseated.
Unfortunately, I guess it's not that much of a surprise. We've all seen Hollywood pull this kind of stuff before, randomly substituting, say, Chinese cultural stuff for a story that calls for Korean culture, and then getting angry and confused when fans get pissed. Augh. They just don't get it, do they?
I had a roommate in grad school who'd claimed never to have eaten Chinese food. So I took her to a cheap Chinese place, and later on I heard her explaining to someone else that she didn't like Chinese food. On the basis of one dish from one mediocre Chinese restaurant. Because all Chinese food tastes the same, apparently.
Ironically, she was in graduate school for international business relations.
"I think it's one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan," Rathbone told MTV.com, presumably just before his publicist sat him down for a chat about political correctness.
This is one of those moment where I just stand in awe at the things that will come out of dumb movie stars' mouths. Yikes. At least the article was appropriately snarky about this kind of stupidity, and as fourthage said, the writer seemed to think that the studio's behavior has been skeevy. The casting folks, however, remain blissfully oblivious.
...which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the 'Avatar' world will be multi-ethnic
The Avatar world is multi-ethnic. Yes, that is indeed true. It draws from many different Asian and Inuit cultures, so yes, multi-ethnic.
There are, however, no white people in the Avatar world. So, studio folks, if your cast contains even a significant percentage of white actors, you are DOING IT WRONG. Augh.
Yes, because fans getting angry over trivial changes of adaptions is totally equivalent to being outraged over the racefail of your casting! *headpalm*
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
*whips out the Red Cliff to cleanse the palate* I, for one, can name dozens of Asian actors! *puffs chest*
no subject
I sort of do that for white actors also, although I admit I know a higher proportion of white actors' names off the top of my head than Asian.
no subject
I would like to take the floor now and plug a fantastic Kazakh movie~ Mongol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_(2007_film)) mightn't be news to you, though... But if anyone else is reading, go and watch it~ And while you're at it, there's a movie whose title escapes me now --- it's available for watching online on Netflix --- about a woman stalking a group of raiders who kidnapped her child for their army. It's hilarious in a warm and sophisticated and very black way.
While we're still on the subject, the theme for Red Cliffs (directed by John Woo about a battle in Southern China in classical times, so it has nothing to do with Central Asia) --- the theme for the movie is sang by a Tibetan woman who crossovered to Jpop after China opened her doors in the 90s.
Whew.
no subject
There's a documentary called Saltmen of Tibet, which I watched via Netflix and ended up purchasing*. It follows a group of Tibetans on their yearly trek to the salt flats to gather salt to sell, and the rituals and ceremonies that surround that. Fascinating.
* Well, because there's a story in there spinning off of Spindrift, but as NOBODY EVER PICKS THAT in Yuletide, it's only in outline form right now.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Honestly, I never had a clue there was a large population of Mongolians around here. I feel so lame...
no subject
no subject
Well yeah, but
(a) Avatar is not set in 21st century America, and
(b) the world of Avatar is already multi-ethnic, with characters coming from all sorts of different backgrounds. ... What? "Asian" isn't a single ethnicity? THE HELL YOU SAY!!
no subject
I really, really think that this is exactly what the studios believe. And that makes me bewildered, and a little nauseated.
Unfortunately, I guess it's not that much of a surprise. We've all seen Hollywood pull this kind of stuff before, randomly substituting, say, Chinese cultural stuff for a story that calls for Korean culture, and then getting angry and confused when fans get pissed. Augh. They just don't get it, do they?
no subject
Ironically, she was in graduate school for international business relations.
*headdesk*
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
This is one of those moment where I just stand in awe at the things that will come out of dumb movie stars' mouths. Yikes. At least the article was appropriately snarky about this kind of stupidity, and as
...which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the 'Avatar' world will be multi-ethnic
The Avatar world is multi-ethnic. Yes, that is indeed true. It draws from many different Asian and Inuit cultures, so yes, multi-ethnic.
There are, however, no white people in the Avatar world. So, studio folks, if your cast contains even a significant percentage of white actors, you are DOING IT WRONG. Augh.
no subject