Why is "Asian" cinema always treated like it's some how a higher standard?

[EvilNed]

Asian cinema has hits and misses just like everything else. But every filmindustry on the planet specializes on one single thing: Mainstream crap.

[Yojimbo]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon = Asian Peter Pan

[DjfunkmasterG]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon = Asian Peter Pan HA HA HA, I never thought of that! Good call.

[Danny]

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon = Asian Peter Pan YES! bang on, i cant stadn how overrated that was at the time, just like human traffic ,you look back on it now adn think "what the hell was the moviegoers thinking?"

[Khardis]

Seriously. I just watched House of the Flying Daggers. You seen it? What was so special about it? Nothing! It had a thin plot, cliché riddled "twists" and I had more trouble predicting Ingmar Bergmans death than I did figuring out what would happen to which character within 5 minutes of watching the film. It was like a really bad Hollywood film (you know the kind, usually directed by Roland Emmerich and riddled with Hollywood-clichés) but with chinese clichés replacing the american ones. But why are we supposed to treat this garbage like GOLD?! Because it's from China, and chinese films are so cool? Well, I don't give a damn if it's from China or not, a sucky film is a sucky film. A similar pattern can be found with the american film "Memoirs of a Geisha". Have you ever, EVER read a western review of that film that does NOT mention how dreadfull it is that the three main (japanese) characters are played by chinese actors? However, have you EVER EVER read a review about how dreadful it is that Maximus and Commodus weren't played by italians, or why they didn't cast actual russians in the part of the sarmatians in King Arthur? When I watch a film like The 13th Warrior (which is a masterpiece, and I'll have words with anyone who says otherwise) I don't give a **** if the actors are swedish or danish (which they're not, they're mostly english) as long as they pull off a convincing performance and look the part. And I have a hard time imagening anyone could ever look at the chinese actors in Memoirs of a Geisha, stop dead in their track and correctly predict which southeastern asian country their from, just like you can't see if the guys playing the vikings in 13th Warrior are danish, german or english. Stop treating asian cinema like it's gold! It's not! It's just like Hollywood for the most part, mainstream cess-pools, but from another part of the world. Saying that House of Flying Daggers is a work of art is like saying King Arthur is a work of art, and it ain't. Agreed, i dated a Chinese girl for 6 damned years and she would occasionally force me to sit through one of these things. THEY ARE CRAP! with fractured hokey story lines thats don't make sense, even with a great translation! I think the answer to your query though lies here: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse....i?u=anime_nerd

[EvilNed]

Agreed, i dated a Chinese girl for 6 damned years and she would occasionally force me to sit through one of these things. THEY ARE CRAP! with fractured hokey story lines thats don't make sense, even with a great translation! I think the answer to your query though lies here: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse....i?u=anime_nerd For once we're on the exact same page. I hate those people. As for Croucing Tiger, Hidden Dragon I thought that film was overrated but adequate entertaining. Hero was very good, however. Flying Daggers was just crap and predicteable.

[acealive1]

Seriously. I just watched House of the Flying Daggers. You seen it? What was so special about it? Nothing! It had a thin plot, cliché riddled "twists" and I had more trouble predicting Ingmar Bergmans death than I did figuring out what would happen to which character within 5 minutes of watching the film. It was like a really bad Hollywood film (you know the kind, usually directed by Roland Emmerich and riddled with Hollywood-clichés) but with chinese clichés replacing the american ones. But why are we supposed to treat this garbage like GOLD?! Because it's from China, and chinese films are so cool? Well, I don't give a damn if it's from China or not, a sucky film is a sucky film. A similar pattern can be found with the american film "Memoirs of a Geisha". Have you ever, EVER read a western review of that film that does NOT mention how dreadfull it is that the three main (japanese) characters are played by chinese actors? However, have you EVER EVER read a review about how dreadful it is that Maximus and Commodus weren't played by italians, or why they didn't cast actual russians in the part of the sarmatians in King Arthur? When I watch a film like The 13th Warrior (which is a masterpiece, and I'll have words with anyone who says otherwise) I don't give a **** if the actors are swedish or danish (which they're not, they're mostly english) as long as they pull off a convincing performance and look the part. And I have a hard time imagening anyone could ever look at the chinese actors in Memoirs of a Geisha, stop dead in their track and correctly predict which southeastern asian country their from, just like you can't see if the guys playing the vikings in 13th Warrior are danish, german or english. Stop treating asian cinema like it's gold! It's not! It's just like Hollywood for the most part, mainstream cess-pools, but from another part of the world. Saying that House of Flying Daggers is a work of art is like saying King Arthur is a work of art, and it ain't. i look at it this way,if those idiots cant bother to dub it in the worlds most easy to learn language and we always dub our films in their language,then they can can go jump in a lake. i refuse to pay $10 to go read subtitles,its like like buying a cd but only its the edited version

[Danny]

i gotta disagree with you there i watch a lot of asian cinema and anime and i just cant watch dubs if i have the choice to watch a subbed version instead.

[EvilNed]

Yeah, dubs are a big no-no to me too. Any film automaticly gives a Z-grade stamp by me if it's dubbed. It always sounds dumb in my ears. Over here we don't dub anything except kiddie movies tho, so that's good. I think the nordic countries + Holland are the only countries in the world that do so.

[Danny]

same here man, try watching another language dub of somethign like the lrod of the rings adn no matter how proffesional it is, it just doesnt fit the vibe. Thats why the reis games, which are based on american horror adn action films are done in english but with japanese subs in japan, somethings are just meant to be heard the way they wer eintended.

[_liam_]

Other than early John Woo films I don't see what is so special about Asian cinema. while i dont worship asian cinema anymore than any other part of the world's, there's stuff like city on fire ringu battle royale audition ichi the killer ghost in the shell which do pwn in ways most western movies do not

[EvilNed]

which do pwn in ways most western movies do not Then again there are films like Donnie Darko, Butterfly Effect, Heat, Gladiator, Man eats Dog that pwn in ways most eastern films do not. Besides, what is up with Ghost in the Shell? I thought that film sucked big-time. Battle Royale is alright tho, but it's definetly not the masterpiece people make it out to be. I loved it the first time around, but (like Fight Club) I didn't enjoy it the second time around.

[CornishCorpse]

Then again there are films like Donnie Darko, Butterfly Effect, Heat, Gladiator, Man eats Dog that pwn in ways most eastern films do not. Besides, what is up with Ghost in the Shell? I thought that film sucked big-time. Battle Royale is alright tho, but it's definetly not the masterpiece people make it out to be. I loved it the first time around, but (like Fight Club) I didn't enjoy it the second time around Ive never seen Ghost in the Shell and alot of asian hype usually falls short : Cough : Hellsing : Cough : but battle royale was alright? Bah. Bah to you, the movie is a work of art at least in my eyes but thats only because Im a fan of the book. If anyone is looking to pick up an intresting book, a new depth. Good point about the Butterfly Effect,Gladiator and more but I think the asian hype is just because alot of things are allowed in film and I can find you a large amount of bizarre asian films and surely there are bizarre films from other countries. But its just the asian market has alot of odd perspectives that make it onto film. If anyone here has`nt seen old boy youre missing out. Jus my two cents.

[EvilNed]

Again, nothign special about Old Boy. I was actually pretty bored when watching it. Good plot, but not very good.

[Danny]

actually cornish i saw ghost on sci-fi in the 90's when i was little, didnt enjoy too much, got it free with a HIM music dvd i got for a quid adn have yet to actually watch it, just like akira, its a great piece of animation, but if youve seen it once you dont really need to see it again.