Hollywood so rarely accurately portrays a sect of people (divided by region, race, sex, gender, job, etc) because the majority of people are too stupid to want to think critically or go deeper than surface level stereotypes when going to a movie. Box office successes rarely get critical acclaim or win major awards. Movies that kill with the critics and judges typically take a much more thorough, detailed look at these subjects... and flop commercially. Dumb people aren't interested in having their perceptions challenged. Most people are dumb. Pretty simple really.
That's slowly changing too. Chow Yun Fat's 2nd American movie The Corrupter was a gritty cop drama ala Serpico where he got equal billing with Mark Wahlberg. There are two Asian characters who have starring roles on Lost and consider movies like Harold and Kumar, Flags of our Fathers, and Memoirs of a Geisha are all Hollywood productions with Asians in leading role.
they are mostly related to being asian though. until there are a few where no mention is made of the race of the lead character just like 80-90% of the white lead roles, it is still a big hole.
Yeah, okay, not all science stereostypes in movies are accurate! (except for Mrs. B-Bob naturally.) And yes, I wear one of several labcoats on most days.
True but I would consider the fact that you Hollywood is making movies around Asian issues and with Asian leads as being progress. As for Asians being cast in roles that might go to whites progress is coming on that. On Star Trek Voyager, there was no particular reason to make the character Harry Kim Asian as his ethnicity was almost never mentioned. A recurring supporting character on a few seasons of 24 was Agent Baker played by Daniel Dae Kim. While Daniel Dae Kim plays a Korean on Lost and that is central to the plot the character Miles is played by Ken Leung even though his ethnicity isn't important to the plot. So Hollywood isn't there yet to being colorblind in casting they are getting there.
I don't see this ever really happening. Most audiences don't want to have to connect with a different culture all together unless it's more of a gimmick. An ethnic lead in most cases, if you're being realistic, would mean a wife of the same ethnicity, a family of the same ethnicity, and even a few friends of the same ethnicity. Other than the stereotypical black movies (which are mainly only seen by their niche audience), I'm not sure the general public is ready for a nearly all ethnic cast.
Agreed but I cringe at what they do to children everywhere. More than that, unless you are in a fairly cosmopolitan country, you are probably going to buy a lot of this stuff unless you were actively trying to understand other cultures. I feel like it's not even about the movie anymore. The details are so carefully placed with a goal, and that's what scares me. I'm fine with stereotypes in comedies. I'm fine with older movies having them where you can figure out that it's unintentional or poorly executed. But when they go to great lengths to position people a certain way, I hate it.
Crying to go to America = America please save me. Because there is no other place in the world I can go. Why not Germany? Why not just say Ï want to get out of here!"... It's just the way they decided to script it. Jordanian secret service guy wouldnt be caught DEAD drinking in public or cheating on his wife in public. Here they were trying to push the drinking = open-minded = unlike how Muslims are supposed to act = that is why he is succesful stereotype. Why the hell is he even drinking in that scene? It's unnecesary... What purpose does it serve? It had to have been DECIDED to do that for that scene.. Either it's hard to see from America or I'm ultra sensitive to it because of my culture. Maybe it's somewhere in between. But you have to admit that these things are routinely placed in movies to push an agenda rather than to depict a realistic possibility/probability.
Haven't seen the movie, but I do find this dumbed-down assumption of 'progressiveness as necessarily inclusive of self-loathing cultural nihilism' to be wholly offensive.
Black, and yes. But then I realize that it's perfectly authentic and relatable for a lot of other blacks, and it's really the only thing that distinguishes us in a white society. It's the only thing that makes black entertainers or black media marketable or entertaining to whites. Entertainment is about escapism, and no one wants to see a bunch of slightly less attractive, articulate or intelligent people mimicking them. Notice rap music didn't explode in popularity until those violent gang movies and the "n-word" every five syllables.
Saw that last night, great movie.. everyone should watch it OP, I agree, I do get bothered by the way they percieve middle easterners, especially how they make persians to be arabs...they just sound ignorant and dont get me started on the movie 300...worst movie ever...
