Balls of Fury trailer

[TB4000]

http://au.movies.yahoo.com/mediaframe/index.html?c_id=7140&df=QMDFhm4eKZfCerqtxqsdOB6NAcGuY_LUsjt46M_bDkYuhkg 7eQSDP9iSA7DLXwbi2fqInBRuEr.kI9yvgMePOjW1j_HxLFKLE rM-

I'll just let it speak for itself.:rolleyes:

[Banana]

Every Asian person in that movie needs to be killed.

And their offspring sterilized.

[Martino]

This is a Scary Movie treatment of all those straight to video Bloodsport type films. Using the same actors. Cunning.

Poor James Hong. He's what - in his mid Seventies now? With something like 55 years in the movie business behind him? He should be doing Lear, not this rubbish.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa does nothing but rubbish, but Jason Scott Lee?? I once thought he had the makings of a serious actor. I haven't seen him in the cinema lately, but he did a decent outing on the London stage ...

[returntosender]

ditto about Scott Lee. There was some article about him in a magainze I can't remember which where he professed to have turned down ever racist caricature roles to focus on more meaningful ones. I guess the meaningful offers were too few and far between.

[Banana]

Please.

He only said that it because it sounds good on paper. You know, "I'm the standup guy to represent the Asian community. I'll never take those roles and belittle my own people."

Pfft. The only actor that seems to have a less crappy role is DDK on Lost and even that isn't great.

[Martino]

Pfft. The only actor that seems to have a less crappy role is DDK on Lost and even that isn't great.

Jason Scott Lee allowed his body to get typecast: Rapa Nui, Dragon, The Jungle Book. He has already proved himself as an actor in films like Map Of The Human Heart. sadly, he now he makes films I don't get to see because I'm not a member of Blockbusters.

And BTW I love Lost, DDK and all. Haven't you noticed? His character isn't a geek, doesn't do martial arts, isn't wise, has normal human issues, can resolve those issues, and he kisses his girl. Doing better than a lot of the other characters.

[friedfishribs]

^
He also can't speak English and is safely foreign. I can't help but feel that the reason his character is so widely-accepted (beyond the Asian American demographic) is precisely because he isn't Asian American and doesn't directly raise those issues to social consciousness.

Edit: As for Balls of Fury. Oih. White leads, Asians in the background (who manage to conform solely to stereotypes), and an "exotic oriental" setting. Hot asian chick? Check. Old Asian mentor? Check. White men as masters of a foreign culture? Check. This movie is parodying the campy martial arts genre from the 80's, without, it seems, stopping to address the latent racism that characterized them. There's a whole slew of Hollywood bigotry that pre-dated the 80's campy actioner, why not satirize the industry? As Harold and Kumar showed, satire doesn't need to be epic or even pointed.

[Martino]

^
He also can't speak English and is safely foreign. I can't help but feel that the reason his character is so widely-accepted (beyond the Asian American demographic) is precisely because he isn't Asian American and doesn't directly raise those issues to social consciousness.

But the world is full of people who are 'foreign' and don't speak English. It's not as if he doesn't talk or have anything to say... he's not exactly a stereotype. The world his character comes from doesn't need him to to speak English, so he doesn't.

And anyway, aren't most of the characters 'foreign'? Irish, Australian, Iraqi. Iraqi?? That's unsafely foreign! The writers have done something interesting by avoiding stereotypes, right down to good old Hurley.

Lost is quantum leaps better than Balls of Fury, thanks in part to its bizarre plot, but also thanks to its ensemble cast. And Daniel Dae Kim is a significant part of that cast.

[BigLew]

Jason Scott Lee?? I once thought he had the makings of a serious actor. I haven't seen him in the cinema lately, but he did a decent outing on the London stage ...

I would hazard a fantastical guess. I believe that after "Dragon" he probably tried pretty hard to find unstereotypical AA roles (. But only found marginal success in Hollywood. Man gives in to the machine after many many years. I could be totally out of my tree however.

EDIT: Guess just reiterating what rts said.

[monkeygone2]

But the world is full of people who are 'foreign' and don't speak English. It's not as if he doesn't talk or have anything to say... he's not exactly a stereotype. The world his character comes from doesn't need him to to speak English, so he doesn't.

I think the point is that Hollywood has a problem representing the Asian American male.
But I totally agree w/ your assessment...
Poor James Hong has that huge resume and is assigned the lamest characters... Cary Tagawa's most heroic character was an ape...
And Jason Scott Lee, one of the most talented leading men in America, cannot get a decent job.

[BigLew]

But the world is full of people who are 'foreign' and don't speak English. It's not as if he doesn't talk or have anything to say... he's not exactly a stereotype. The world his character comes from doesn't need him to to speak English, so he doesn't.

The point is that the the best roles for Asians in American movies are not portraying Asian Americans. Do keep in mind that this forum is still a ground for what impacts Asian AMERICAN.

DDK's role may or may not a bad role but either way it's not a breakthrough for Asian American roles.

[friedfishribs]

^

Yeah, totally.

I think Jin's a great character in Lost, and I don't think he's overtly marginalized in anyway, but he isn't Asian American. I tend to think that the American public isn't ready to identify with an Asian American protagonist, racial attitudes are just too strong. Ironically, it's easier for white audiences to identify with completely foreign minorities, rather then face the icky prospect of them assimilating and demanding to be treated equally.

[nameless]

Every Asian person in that movie needs to be killed.

And their offspring sterilized.

seriously.

i fucking hate hollywood.

[Banana]

Eh, I don't really blame Hollywood.

They wouldn't be offering these roles if there weren't Asians to take them. Supply and demand is all it is. Hollywood would then need to turn to yellowface which just sets them up for ridicule because the racism is now visible. Eh, what do I know? They need to eat too, right? Rather than suggesting they shouldn't take these roles, I think we should help them hire a debt attorney to help them finance their budget.

Instead of lobster, might I suggest the microwavable meatloaf? Instead of wearing brand name clothes, might I suggest shopping at the Gap? Instead of a full body massage, might I suggest you get your back stomped by a hooker with stilettos?

All sarcasm aside, the most famous "excuse" I've heard from Asian actors and their supporters is that "they have to eat." Now, I'm confused and hopefully someone can make me understand. Why is acting their full time job? Comparing them to congressmen and senators of the US government, these jobs weren't meant to be a full time job. They were intended to be part-time to complement your already full-time job. What are they doing when they're not acting and actively looking for roles? Rotting at home doing nothing? Sunning themselves and going to the gym? Doing charity work?

I'm not an actor myself so I'm not aware of a typical daily routine but all these Asian actors must have some type of college degree and marketable skill. Rather than just sitting around and attempting to whore themselves out to be "Pop-up Target Asian #472" in a Hollywood World War 2 movie, why not put it to work? If you can read prefabricated lines on pieces of paper, I'm pretty sure you can scoop ice cream at Dairy Queen or flip burgers at McDonalds. Give it a try rather than turning tricks at your local audition.

[bluemonq]

If you can read prefabricated lines on pieces of paper, I'm pretty sure you can scoop ice cream at Dairy Queen or flip burgers at McDonalds. Give it a try rather than turning tricks at your local audition.
B-b-but then they have to compete with all of those white washed-up actors flipping burgers at the Hollywood McDonalds!

[nameless]

Eh, I don't really blame Hollywood.

They wouldn't be offering these roles if there weren't Asians to take them. Supply and demand is all it is. Hollywood would then need to turn to yellowface which just sets them up for ridicule because the racism is now visible.

Oh, the Asian actors are definitely to blame too. But I still feel that the people coming up with this shit would still do it without Asian actors because they know they have an audience. Heck, MadTV didn't have an Asian actress on the show to play Ms. Swan/Kwon but that didn't stop them. And no non-Asian I know raised any eyebrows about the character.

I guess we'll just wait and see if any reviewers mention anything about Christopher Walkin playing the head Chinese (assuming there's no retarded excuse that he's part or whatever). There's no eye make up anymore, but the yellowface still exist. You know it when you see a role that was written for an Asian, but went to a White dude.

[TB4000]

^I think the entire Walken role playing someone chinese is somewhat of a joke, as it's supposed to be a parody type movie.

[nameless]

^Yeah, the joke is obvious (as it always is with Christopher Walken), but there are other implications of the role.

My yellowface comment was directed more at the White ninja or White servant wearing a Chinese outfit that are always popping up. And yes, I really did see the latter one. It was ridiculous. They could have just given him a butler's outfit but no... :mad:

[raacluse]

Poor James Hong. He's what - in his mid Seventies now? With something like 55 years in the movie business behind him? He should be doing Lear, not this rubbish....

Hey, it must be the easy money...
2 or 3 summers ago, I was in L.A. and attended an event at the Chinese American museum... saw him there and snapped his picture... he seemed a very low key type of guy.
I've no idea about his thespian aspirations.

[TB4000]

I'm sure you're all dying to see it. Came out Wed., but not much fanfare.

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/rogue_pictures/balls_of_fury/george_lopez/balls.jpg
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/focus_features/balls_of_fury/maggie_q/balls.jpg
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/focus_features/balls_of_fury/_group_photos/george_lopez1.jpg
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/rogue_pictures/balls_of_fury/_group_photos/thomas_lennon6.jpg

[j&j2]

I love it how in Hollywood, old, short and fugly Asian men are able to generate tall, beautiful Asian women in their families (in this case, extended).

[mr. x]

it's always been a fantasy of the west