Air Bender!

[DWx]

My family and I are going to watch it. I love it that the star of Airbender is an ATA black belt.

Dev Patel (who plays Prince Zuko) also has an ITF blackbelt And obviously the whole lot of them got taught MA for the roles.

I wasn't aware of the politics behind it but it very interesting, isshinryu5toforever. Reading up apparently Jesse McCartney was originally offered the part of Prince Zuko of the fire nation and there was backlash over that because the majority of the main character's were white when obviously the whole show was about Asian cultures.

Really want to see it, but as usual, we have to wait until 2nd week in August to see it!

[JiuJitsuNation]

Just saw it. It was awesome! And they are enfluenced by those cultures. Not representative of those cultures. And to put China and Japan into a group is offensive enough to them.

Wait till the second week in august???

[DWx]

Wait till the second week in august???

Doesn't get released over here till then

[sensei8]

"I am the Avatar!"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NEwysO0ywE&feature=related

Edited July 13, 2010 by sensei8

[JiuJitsuNation]

That's awesome. He did a great job. Looking forward to seeing the next one.

[JohnASE]

I heard it was good, but I'll probably wait until it hits Netflix to see it. What's the word? Good action and effects? Good story? I heard they tried to compact a lot of info from the series into too short of a movie.

I also heard about the political stuff, but it didn't bother me too much. I'd like to hear from the producers or casting people about their reasons for casting the movie the way they did, but I assume they felt the movie would have greater appeal than if they had cast it another way. Were they wrong? They get paid lots of money to be right. Do their choices accurately reflect the reality of our society? I say Air Bender is just a blockbuster movie; it doesn't need to enlighten society. Let it just be entertaining. Leave changing the world to indie films (which I also watch).

I found it annoying that Chinese actors were used in Memoirs of a Geisha, and I might have found it a little distracting while watching the movie, but I'm used to Asian actors playing other Asian nationalities. They've always done this. Partially, because some people don't care, but partially because there aren't that many Asian roles. It's tough for a Japanese-American actor to make a living only playing Japanese-American characters. Kenpo-stylist/actor/stuntman Bill Ryusaki has played Japanese characters, but he also played one of the Island tribe guys in Pirates of the Carribean and put on a pancho and sombrero or something like that to be a Mexican extra for Interview with a Vampire (IIRC). I guess when it comes down to it, with acting, you're always pretending to be something you're not.

My perspective... I'm a 4th generation Japanese-American who grew up in Hollywood and is not in "The Business" but knows (or knew) a few people who are: actors, directors, producers, writers, etc.

[JiuJitsuNation]

The storyline is very simple, obviously for kids, special effects are amazing and the characters are likable and it really takes you to another place and leaves you wanting more.

[DWx]

I found it annoying that Chinese actors were used in Memoirs of a Geisha, and I might have found it a little distracting while watching the movie, but I'm used to Asian actors playing other Asian nationalities. They've always done this. Partially, because some people don't care, but partially because there aren't that many Asian roles. It's tough for a Japanese-American actor to make a living only playing Japanese-American characters.

TBH though, how different is this from English actors playing American characters or vice-versa? Or any other actor, black, white, Asian, whatever playing a character that is from somewhere different to their own culture?Plenty of them do it.

[isshinryu5toforever]

TBH though, how different is this from English actors playing American characters or vice-versa? Or any other actor, black, white, Asian, whatever playing a character that is from somewhere different to their own culture?Plenty of them do it.

The main difference is opportunity. I don't care about general Hollywood movies. If they want John Cho to play general Asian guy number 4 in the next Fast and the Furious movie, so be it. It's when they waste golden opportunities to actually do something relevant culturally that I get annoyed. Letters from Iwo Jima was a great movie, and I think if it had been done in English with a mix of generally East Asian actors it would have detracted from the film. I think Memoirs of a Geisha would have been better than it was, if it was done in Japanese. US studios have the pool of actors available to them to pull it off. This isn't the 60s, and we don't need any more Mickey Rooney "Breakfast at Tiffany's" moments. That's why Harold and Kumar was actually a culturally significant, and in a way, groundbreaking movie.

[JohnASE]

TBH though, how different is this from English actors playing American characters or vice-versa? Or any other actor, black, white, Asian, whatever playing a character that is from somewhere different to their own culture?Plenty of them do it.

My annoyance and distraction is more about my own perception. They didn't look nor sound Japanese to me, even when speaking English with a Japanese accent, or at least trying to. Then again, maybe I was fooled by my own expectations, knowing that they were Chinese. I don't remember particularly liking the movie, but I don't think the casting was a big part of that.

And you're right. Many actors play characters from other cultures, and if they do it well, it's fine. I think Hugh Laurie on House plays an American very well, but haven't we all heard actors do bad Southern accents, or Brooklyn, or whatever. If Sir Anthony Hopkins were cast as Scarface, Tony Montana, it would take some serious acting and makeup to make it believable.

Back on topic, assuming the lead characters in Air Bender were supposed to be from an Asian culture, I think using Asian actors would make it feel more real. Then again, it's a fantasy world! People can look however the creator wants. Well, when it comes to a movie, maybe the creator isn't the one in control.

In any case, the movie was made the way someone wanted it to be. If they're right, and it makes more money this way, that's fine. If they're wrong, and it would've been better with Asian actors, I hope they learn this. I don't agree that people need to protest this movie, but if enough others do, their voices should be heard.