[Stu]

www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=40381
Man, is it SO FUCKING HARD to cast a fully asian actress? Or is it felt that an asian star wouldn't be as marketable?

While I'm on the subject. Here's the trailer for the upcoming movie The Hidden Kingdom, which FINALLY puts Martial Arts Legends Jackie Chan and Jet Li together.
uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9BVo23wypgQ
Jackie Chan and Jet Li ARE AWESOME. Even at their ages. Jackie Chan and Jet Li could carry a movie on their own. They don't need some shitty comedic american character to be the lead, alright? Jackie Chan and Jet Li in an fantasy chinese setting is enough. We just want to see those two kick ass, including each others at some point. I HATE Hollywood for this, and if there's an actual justification for them doing to make it appeal to the american audience, then I guess I HATE THE AMERICAN AUDIENCE too. Hollywood took these two and totally squandered their potential, by making one the straight man to and the butt of Chris Fucking Tucker's jokes, and only casting the other as a moody bastard with no sense of humour or any character development (Danny The Dog/Unleashed being the exception, though I have a beef with that movie for a different, admittedly silly reason).

[salmonjunkie]

What is your beef with Danny The Dog/Unleashed?

I loved it and thought it was his best western movie. (In fact, I liked it more than Hero).

[The Jewish Cunthead]

They don't need shitty American comic relief but if that's what it takes to get the two of them in a movie together, I'm all for it.

[Stu]

Oh, it's great. It's just that it's filmed and set in Glasgow, Scotland right?

There's not a single scottish character in the film. Bob Hoskins is a crimelord in Glasgow, but he's a Londoner. It's...odd. And it's something that as a scotsman, I'm a little offended by.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

You'd think with a name of Stuart Little, nothing should bother you.

[Stu]

Stuart Little. One reason to hate M. Night Shymalan.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

Here's another: every movie he's made after Unbreakable

[salmonjunkie]

That's actually perfectly reasonable, Stu.

You know what's not reasonable? That they're making another Street Fighter movie. It wasn't good the first time, it won't be good this time, either. It's freaking STreet Fighter. Unless it's a cartoon movie where they can do shit like Dhalsim stretching and Ryu throwing fireballs, it's going to suck. You know why no one does Dragon Punches in real life? because they look STUPID in real life. (except when Human Tornado does it)

[Stu]

The original Street Fighter 2 anime was awesome. The Alpha anime was not.

[Krydor]

You know what I hate? The entire main cast of the new Batman franchise is actually a bunch of Brits. How hard would it be to get some god fearin' AMERICANS to play the roles? DAMN YOU HOLLYWOOD or something.

[salmonjunkie]

You know what I hate? That they used a Scottish guy to portray the main Russian in Hunt For Red October! OR an Italian to play a Cuban in Scarface! Or a black guy to play a Chinese dragon in Mulan! ARRRRRRRRRGHH!!!!!

[Lucky]

I don't have any opinion on the Chan/Li thing because I've never really been into that stuff. But as for the Chun Li thing? Its a Chun Li film. Its probably marketed for girl power and lusty video game nerds and all that stuff. Is casting a known actress for it really that outlandish? They don't want a film in subtitles or stilted English or even an accent. Maybe that makes the American Movie going audience xenophobic and silly but that's the way it is. And whatever problem Hollywood has with casting fully Asian actresses hasn't stopped Bai Ling from being unleashed on us. And you better count your blessings she wasn't cast.

They're making another Street Fighter movie? And not just a Street Fighter movie, a Chun Li film? O...k.

[Stu]

Speaking of a Chan/Li thing
And I don't buy the idea of Kreuk being casted because she's well-known. She's well known for Smallville, but most people I know can stand that version of Lana. The only other thing I know her from is a shoddy adaptation of Earthsea. Her being part chinese wasn't something I noticed until I read it somewhere, and it's never been reflected at all in Smallville (both parents were white, and despite her taking up an assumed identity in Shanghai this season, in an earlier season she went to China and natives recognised her as an American). So I'm not really convinced she can pull of playing the character, or that they'll even make her come from China in the film. Street Fighter's cool because it's about an international fighting tournament of "World Warriors", and diluting that just ruins a lot of the appeal for me.
And Hollywood keeps remaking non-american films unnecessarilly, often into crap. Taxi was shit, you have a lot of asian horror remakes, and while I love the Departed, I can't bring myself to give those involved with it too much credit as it follows virtually the same plot as the HK Original, it's just stylistically different.

salmonjunkie said:

Or a black guy to play a Chinese dragon in Mulan! ARRRRRRRRRGHH!!!!!

Complaining about Disney is futile. I mean, they made the child Arthur an american in Sword In The Stone!

[Lucky]

Kreuk's probably well known enough for whatever their intentions are. She's not a star or anything but she's a young, hot actress who is on a popular show. You and I hate her character but I'm willing to bet there's tons of young women and men who don't. It just seems obvious that a not well known Chinese actress who has NO American resume is going to be considerably less of an American draw than Kreuk.

And if they piss off the hardcore Street Fighter fans? What are the odds that the number of you guys who won't go see Kreuk are bigger than the number of teenagers and young Americans with disposable income who will?

I think its often stupid and the American remakes and changes often blow. But whatcha gonna do?

[Stu]

luckylopez said:

I think its often stupid and the American remakes and changes often blow. But whatcha gonna do?

We'll...remake american movies in other countries? For instance:
Hong Kong Die Hard!
Chow Yun Fat stars as John Mik Leung, a Peking Cop visiting HK for Chinese New Year to see his estranged wife Ho-Li (Michelle Yeoh), who's working at the office build Nicholson Plaza, which is promptly taken over by terrorists led by ex-Korean Military Han Gu Beh. Sammo Hung plays Pao Lu the beat cop he talks to over the radio as the night goes on.
Major Differences: John only has one bullet at the end, so he shoots the other guy (who despite being chinese still has a southern drawl for some reason) instead of Gu Beh, and it's actually Ho-Li who kills Han with a high-kick over her shoulder into his face that knocks him out the window.
Also, because China has Kung Fu movies instead of westerns, John's Catchphrase becomes "You Killed My Master, Motherfucker!"

[Lucky]

And tell me Thai and Solly wouldn't go see that!

[The Jewish Cunthead]

In a fucking heartbeat.

Now the Will Smith-directed remake of The Karate Kid... not so much.

[Stu]

Also this guy:

He'd have a much more expanded role, and be played by Al Leong again.