TV/Movie General Discussion

[Munsu]

Looks like FX will be looking into Conan and will be talking with Joss Whedon for possible future projects. I think it's great news, FX has been one of my favorite cable channels for a while now. And consider that Dennis Leary, Conan's cousin, has a show on FX... so that might help things a bit.

Though for Conan's sake, I hope he gets into a broadcast channel where he'll get more viewers, but FX which allows shows to push the boundaries more than any other network that I know of, would be great for Conan's type of comedy.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/17...me-to-fx/39195

[Assassin]

i'll just be happy to see whedon on network other then fox....maybe we'll actually get some good shows that dont get cancelled

[Munsu]

Ron Howard got a comedy pilot green-lit:
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fox-Gree...n-1014286.aspx

Will look forward to it. I still miss Arrested Development... waiting for the movie...

[Munsu]

As mentioned previously, there's a 3rd Riddick movie coming, and here's some confirmation:
http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/02/12...iesel-riddick/

Looks like they'll start shooting soon.

[Penner]

Oh god yes, Pitch Black is one of my favourite movies of all time, the second one was only decent but i still love everything about the "Riddick Universe".

[Penner]

Summer Glau joins NBCs "The Cape"

Sweet, can't go wrong with Summer Glau ^_^

[Munsu]

Summer Glau joins NBCs "The Cape"

Sweet, can't go wrong with Summer Glau ^_^

That's good, seems like there are a few superheroes shows in the making, since Michael Chiklis seems to be starring on a potential superhero family drama.

[Animeniax]

Can anyone suggest a great TV show I can watch? It needs intelligent and likeable characters, at least 2 fine ass babe cast members, and be in it's first or second season (don't want to have to catch up on 4 or 5 seasons to get up to speed). TIA.

[Munsu]

Don't know about 2 fine ass babes, but you might like Suits.

[Animeniax]

Saw the promo for Suits, not really my thing. Seems kind of formulaic too.

Also tried Mad Men, which had some appeal, but not enough to keep me watching. 1960s ad execs produced by AMC? Guaranteed to be no skin on that show.

[Sapphire]

Watch Misfits.

[Ryllharu]

Relevant considering some of the discussions we've been having in the TV/Movies section:

The 5 Most Insulting Defenses of Nerd Racism

[Abdula]

I can't believe someone actually said they should do a remake of roots and have all the slaves be white. Wow, now that dude needs to relax and take a break from the internet. Not even Animeniax and Y could be that bad.

Also, I'm pretty sure Abdula didn't even read the article.

Yep, I most definitely posted without reading. Who needs to read anything before posting about it?
>_<

[Buffalobiian]

Relevant considering some of the discussions we've been having in the TV/Movies section:

The 5 Most Insulting Defenses of Nerd Racism

I'm all for keeping to the source content. If the source has a white guy, it seems weird for anyone familiar with it to watch a black version. The brought up the Black Spiderman argument, but I have no reason to believe both arguments were made by the same person, even though I'm sure those who would argue for both exist.

Asians and blacks in Norse mythology also threw me off, and when I saw it I thought it was a Hollywood thing about trying to throw in different races. It just goes back to how things started out. Norse mythology was created by the Nordic, and they'd look Nordic unless specified otherwise. Likewise, gods in Asian mythology looked Asian. It is about race.

The "black sister" comment is.. reasonable. Unless the movie ignores their sibling relationship, or throws in a line to explain the difference in colour people aren't going to default to thinking "one's adopted / interracial marriage / step-sister". The same goes for you going "huh? - .. come again?" when someone introduces you to their two homosexual parents. There's nothing wrong with it, just outside expectations. Checking for confirmation when something is unexpected is completely normal.
So if the movie throws a curve-ball like that without the "conformational explanation", I can it rubbing people the wrong way.

The prior expectation isn't purely racial (though an element certainly exists). It's a combination of both physical alikeness (parents/siblings are expected to share resemblances, as they often do), likelihood of happening (adoptions and siblings of clearly different colour are a minority) and deviating from the source material.

[Animeniax]

I can't speak for these nerds or their reasons for not liking the changes made to these characters. For me, these are characters from comics that I grew up reading, so changes to them in pretty much any form is rough to handle. A change to something as basic as their race is just Hollywood pandering for more ticket sales.

Why is it ok to change white characters to black, yet they have white guys play Asian characters? I think it is a double standard to say one is ok or else you are racist, but the other isn't a problem because Hollywood is just trying to appeal to a wider audience.

[UChessmaster]

I don`t get your second paragraph at all, care to clarify?

Also, if you read the article: "The thing is, the only reason these characters were white in the first place was that comic books were created in a time when nobody would have printed a book about a non-white superhero (having female superheroes was difficult enough, and they were handled with something less than dignity). But nowadays, the people responsible for these characters are trying to make their properties as inclusive and welcoming as they possibly can, because everybody likes comic books, not just white people.

So actually, maybe racist nerds do have a good reason to be angry -- they're angry because the comic industry has outgrown them."

[Ryllharu]

Well, Ani does have a point. There is a significant double standard in Hollywood today. While black people aren't allowed to headline a movie unless they are Will Smith or Denzel Washington, it's not like they are changing black characters to white people left and right for movie adaptations.

But what they do quite frequently is whitewash Asians out of their roles (and Middle-Easterners and Native Americans to a lesser degree). It was done for decades well after blackface was no longer considered acceptable. They don't do it as offensively as they used to in the 60s with movies like Breakfast at Tiffany's, but if it was a prominent role, and what they do today, they would just outright change the role. Famously, Bruce Lee on two prominent occasions, and more recently, 21 and Avatar The Last Airbender.

It's as much of a problem as racism in Hollywood against blacks or latinos, but the issue is always silently pushed to the side. Kung-fu movies are the obvious exception, but those are always treated as niche cinema.

edit 2: Though there are movies like 1962's My Geisha starring Shirley MacLaine that play off on the idea in ultimately a good way, showing the racism behind the practice in a very negative light as an extremely selfish act for the film's moral conclusion.

[Animeniax]

Also, if you read the article: "The thing is, the only reason these characters were white in the first place was that comic books were created in a time when nobody would have printed a book about a non-white superhero (having female superheroes was difficult enough, and they were handled with something less than dignity). But nowadays, the people responsible for these characters are trying to make their properties as inclusive and welcoming as they possibly can, because everybody likes comic books, not just white people.

So actually, maybe racist nerds do have a good reason to be angry -- they're angry because the comic industry has outgrown them."

I doubt that it's the creators themselves who are authorizing these changes, but the studios and corporate owners of the characters who are making them. The reason the characters were white was that white guys created them. Comic books weren't always such an inclusive medium. They were largely a hobby for dorks and nerds (ie white kids). When I used to go to comic stores on a daily basis in the 80s and 90s, it was almost always exclusively nerdy white guys there. I never complained that there were no/few yellow characters in the comics I read.

I understand that a lot of these characters were created in times of racial intolerance and could use some diversity, but I don't have to like the changes, and it's not for racial reasons. I think the studios are making it a race issue to maximize profits. McDonald's didn't start their afrocentric campaign to be more racially diverse, they just wanted to make money by targeting that demographic.

I don`t get your second paragraph at all, care to clarify?

What Ryllharu said. It's a double standard that Hollywood uses to remedy one form of racism while actively propagating another.

[Sapphire]

Holy shit, people just love to super read into race and spin any deviation from what's expected in the worst way possible.

Casting isn't some "conspiracy" by the distributor to target to certain race demographics. It's like you people completely obliterate the notion that casting directors/directors (who don't really even answer to distributors to THAT extent) are INDIVIDUALS and normal ass people just like you and you twist it into some huge social conspiracy, as if the people who work their asses off to create their vision of the movie owe you something. This is hilarious due to the great financial risk and hard work it takes to even make a movie (of which you're not even obligated to watch), and the fact that the movie will prolly fall into obscurity in 2 years due to a remake anyway.

Actually, from what I've seen of casting calls (and I read Actor's Access and Backstage daily while living in NYC), they probably had the lead role as a "Caucasian, 20s" description, or whatever the comic book says. They still audition a variety people and it's actually pretty cool that Jordan got cast even though they were looking for someone else. It means he had great cast chemistry or something great about him that made the producers pick him over others (even the white ones OMGGG). It's amazing how people who know nothing of the casting process take everything as a personal affront without informing themselves.

[Animeniax]

Holy shit, people just love to super read into race and spin any deviation from what's expected in the worst way possible.

It's like you people completely obliterate the notion that casting directors/directors (who don't really even answer to distributors to THAT extent) are INDIVIDUALS and normal ass people just like you and you twist it into some huge social conspiracy, as if the people who work their asses off to create their vision of the movie owe you something. This is hilarious due to the great financial risk and hard work it takes to even make a movie (of which you're not even obligated to watch), and the fact that the movie will prolly fall into obscurity in 2 years due to a remake anyway.

...It means he had great cast chemistry or something great about him that made the producers pick him over others (even the white ones OMGGG). It's amazing how people who know nothing of the casting process take everything as a personal affront without informing themselves.

"You people"? Whacchu mean, "you people"?

Movie makers don't "owe" anything to the audience beyond an entertaining/moving experience, but they do owe it to the creators/source material to be honest to and respectful of their creations. Superheroes eventually become the "property" of everyone. They become part of the social fabric and history of a people (like any national and iconic hero). Changing them for whatever reason is a bastardization to some degree.

I think you're giving too much credit to the casting process as some sort of pure art form devoid of external factors. A black guy getting a role for a white character isn't some color-blind ephemeral moment of harmony and artistry. You can't be so naive as to completely dismiss any ulterior motives of the casting crew for making their selection. This is Hollywood we're talking about, where the creative process is 5th or 6th in importance to making money, satisfying advertisers, etc.