If it's crap... We'll tell you
The Last Airbender
This upcoming movie release will suck huge. Caucasian heroes + Middle Eastern Villains = Epic Fail.
Oh well...
I guess that gives us a year until the franchise dies.
This Washington Post article should have killed production.
As if the MANAA blog and the East West Player Letter was not enough.
But, then again,
I could have sworn that Jackon Rathbone's comment would have stopped production...
"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. "It's one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit."
Washington Post replies,
"But the only thing some fans will suspend are their plans to see the movie when it opens in summer 2010"
HAHA!
more articles and blogs here.
Update:
Protesters from the New York Casting Call in February
reported that the casting director are casting around the race of the lead roles chosen,
so this is how the tribes will break down:
Water Tribe = White People
Fire Nation = Middle Eastern People
Earth Nation = "Asian" People
Air Nation = White People
From rogerebert.com
(the last question)
Q. Regarding the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan vehicle "The Last Airbender," what do you think about the whitewashing of the production so that all of the original Asian cultural landmarks, architecture, philosophy, and costume design are being retained while they cast white kids to play the main characters?
Arlene C. Harris
A. Wrong. The original series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" was highly regarded and popular for three seasons on Nickelodeon. Its fans take it for granted that its heroes are Asian. Why would Paramount and Shyamalan go out of their way to offend these fans? There are many young Asian actors capable of playing the parts.
Oh well...
I guess that gives us a year until the franchise dies.
This Washington Post article should have killed production.
As if the MANAA blog and the East West Player Letter was not enough.
But, then again,
I could have sworn that Jackon Rathbone's comment would have stopped production...
"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. "It's one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit."
Washington Post replies,
"But the only thing some fans will suspend are their plans to see the movie when it opens in summer 2010"
HAHA!
more articles and blogs here.
Update:
Protesters from the New York Casting Call in February
reported that the casting director are casting around the race of the lead roles chosen,
so this is how the tribes will break down:
Water Tribe = White People
Fire Nation = Middle Eastern People
Earth Nation = "Asian" People
Air Nation = White People
From rogerebert.com
(the last question)
Q. Regarding the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan vehicle "The Last Airbender," what do you think about the whitewashing of the production so that all of the original Asian cultural landmarks, architecture, philosophy, and costume design are being retained while they cast white kids to play the main characters?
Arlene C. Harris
A. Wrong. The original series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" was highly regarded and popular for three seasons on Nickelodeon. Its fans take it for granted that its heroes are Asian. Why would Paramount and Shyamalan go out of their way to offend these fans? There are many young Asian actors capable of playing the parts.
Tags: airbender, last, racebending, shyamalan, whitewash
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by rokrok on -
Well, some white dude did his homework.
He was politically correct with everything about the story he wrote.
Why should I be offended?
I am sure only a white dude would be able to pull it off anyway.
White dudes have more access to the industry.
These white dudes are not only talented artists
they have been working in the industry
working on Family Guy, King Of The Hill and Invader Zim.
Like I said, it doesn't matter what the creator's race is...
inspiration is inspiration.
They designed EPIC characters that my kids can identify with.
Thats why its OK.
Its not like they designed this guy,
And these white dudes consulted the East West Players organization
which helped them find the mix of voice actors such as Dante Basco and Mako.
Why can't a film with a $250 million budget consult EWP's network and tap into their extensive catalog of Asian-American actors/actresses?
If you seen the show, you would have noticed that a "European" nation didn't exist in the Avatar universe.
Casting the "Inuit" nation and the "Tibetan" nation with caucasians
is not telling the story with a "racial mix" of actors.
If it was a "racial mix" then why did they cast only the heroes with caucasian actors,
the background characters with asian actors,
and the villains with middle eastern actors?
If the film wanted diversity
they should have just stuck to the source material
and expressed the diversity within Asia.
Instead they just clump all the Asians together and throw them in the background
while the white heroes save the world.
-
Permalink Reply by rokrok on
-
Paramount Pictures angers MANAA
Its your turn to rebuttal Paramount Pictures,
MANAA is calling you out!
-
Permalink Reply by rokrok on
-
And here it is...
Noah Ringer, the Karate champ from Texas
as
Aang, an Air Nomad from the Eastern Air Temple
I guess the rumors were wrong...
He doesn't look "10% Asian"
He looks "110% Caucasian"
-
Permalink Reply by rokrok on
-
Well, according to Photoshop
Cyan: 0%
Magenta: 0%
Yellow: 19%
Black: 0%
I guess you need Aang to be
Cyan: 5%
Magenta 0%
Yellow: 60
Black: 0%
just like Omi
-
Permalink Reply by NeoJedi888 on -
The crew better make a good film or the fans will go nuts...in a bad way.
-
Permalink Reply by Gill on -
I just hope the movie is watchable, it doesn't matter to me if the actors are white or asian. As long as they can act. I think Dev Patel can deliver a solid performance, don't know about this Texan kid. Let's wait and watch.
And i agree, Aang does't look that asian.
-
Permalink Reply by MDS on -
I guess since you are SO fucking hung up on the fact that the cast isn't filled with people from Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, or even Mongolia...
That it's a wasted effort to point out that the kid playing Ang is a CERTIFIED BLACK BELT in tae kwon do.
" The Last Airbender. For years, Ringer has gone by the nickname "Avatar" because he looked so much like the lead in the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. "--- From USA Today.
And that Patel, playing Zuko earned his black belt in tae kwon do before he turned to acting. --- From USA Today.
tae kwon do is a KOREAN martial art of defense.
So, PLEASE tell me where the issue is? They at least got people that actually KNOW the material to be part of the cast, that's a BIG improvement from Dragonball at least. Just because your precious little cartoon doesn't match 100% in looks to your wet-dreams, don't assume that it's going to fail just because of that.
Go into the script, the lack of story, the ever present lack of character development and story lines, or the lack-luster desire to bring a quality film to the screens. Stop doing the bullshit crap about the casting when it's clearly the LAST thing to start worrying about. Once again, you are giving Ringer a hard time for doing the "Ang" character... well, go back and tell me one damn thing that Ratcliff did to make him so popular that you assumed he would be a great "Harry Potter"
-
Permalink Reply by deathlyhallowsseeker on
-
He really nails everything. Takes the words out of my mouth.
-
Permalink Reply by rokrok on
-
The fighting styles and weaponry are based on CHINESE martial arts,
specifically different styles of Kung-Fu,
with each bending art corresponding to a certain REAL-WORLD style.
The creators referred to Ba Gua for airbending,
Hung Gar for earthbending,
Northern Shaolin for firebending,
and Tai Chi for waterbending.
The only exception to this is Toph,
who employs a Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis style.
(I was hoping there would have been an episode where a water bender was using Drunken Fist style)
Tae Kwon Do is considered a "hard style" martial art focusing on strikes,
and its known for its powerful kicks.
Ba Gua is considered a "soft style" martial art focusing on circular footwork patterns
and its know for its blocks and parries.
Which makes sense if you could really "bend" air.
I know thats just nitpicking because its all about who is in charge of the choreography.
If hollywood can make Keanu Reeves do Kung-Fu, a flexible Tae Kwon Do kid won't have a problem.
I am positive that Ringer's Tae Kwon Do skills will come in handy in his crash course
to learn the Kung-Fu choreagraphy,
Ringer's stunt double, Jade Quon trained in Tae Kwon Do too.
So I am passed whatever the actors trained in.
On film it all comes down to the choreographer and the stunt doubles.
I don't think I am giving Noah Ringer a hard time,
it's not like he is going to come across this discussion and get all butt hurt.
I have nothing against him.
I actually feel sorry for him and Dev Patel,
this film can possibly kill their careers.
So to answer your question, which you already answered,
MY issue is I am...
SO fucking hung up on the fact that the cast isn't filled with people from
Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, or even Mongolia... (and let's not forget the Inuit cultures)
Actually, they did cast Asians.
They are just going to be in the background while the Caucasian heroes save the world from the evil brown Middle Eastern villains.
If they did cast the characters correctly and followed the source material
there would be no issue to discuss.
I totally agree with the issues of "the script, the lack of story, the ever present lack of character development and story lines, or the lack-luster desire to bring a quality film to the screens"
Go ahead and create a discussion about it... it won't be much of discussion because everyone agrees that this can possibly go into the direction of DB:E.
But, don't tell me to stop doing the bullshit crap about the casting.
That would be like telling MANAA and EWP to not set up a meeting with Paramount Pictures to resolve the issues with the cast.
Whitewashed cast = I am offended.<---(that's a period)
There is nothing you can say to take that away.
Either you understand that, or not.
But, don't tell me to stop.
I am aware this movie can fail regardless of the casting issues.
But, I would rather have the movie FAIL with the correct cast
than have the movie WIN with an offensive cast.
It's like what Chris Rock says about equality @ 02:42 minutes in,
and to answer your Ratcliff question...
The one damn thing that Ratcliff did
that I assumed he would be a great "Harry Potter"
is that he was BRITISH child actor.
Follow Spill on Twitter!
Music
© 2009 Created by The Spill Crew
