Visually and conceptually stunning with some top-notch acting from Dicaprio. There's some great imagery, psychology-101 and recurring themes but contrary to what I've heard I didn't find it remarkably intellectual compared to Nolan's previous works.
Maybe it's because I arrived at the movie theater late and missed 10 minutes. Regardless, I'll have to watch this again.. though not as many times as I saw The Dark Knight.
As a side note, I did enjoy that bit at the end despite the fact it was clearly signposted a mile off.
8/10
*Disclaimer*
The numbers in my rating have absolutely no value what so ever and will always be subject to change. The movie loses marks for my tardiness and gains 10 more because I had an ice-cream earlier today. It was cholocate.
Saturday, 31 July 2010
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Of Avatars and Racebending
Earlier today this blog post was forwarded to my by Hugh, apparently championed by some other journalist as a well-written article on the issue of the Hollywood Avatar: The Last Airbender and it's lack of racial diversity.
http://splinterend.tumblr.com/post/749364670/facepainting
Having already commented and read comments regarding how points are laboured and retrodden I made a couple of facebook comments and decided to prop them up here (out of context, yes) because Facebook comments aren't always the ideal place for my inane ramblings.
"Read the article. The author needs to get his/her facts sorted. The role of Zuko was recast due to race-related petitions and the rising popularity of the actor they now used. Whilst it is true that it is harder for ethnic minorities to get leading roles in Hollywood (Bruce Lee's life has been testimony to that) it is mostly because of a mistaken ... See morebelief that casting a minority as a lead will somehow change the film into a " Movie" which only will come to see.
Flawed bullshit logic but not exactly outright villainy. The arguments in this article could just as easily say that Cameron's Avatar was Blueface."
There were some good replies (thank you Jonathan) and also some revealing comments regarding the of those in racial minorities and their personal stories of how it was like growing up. I can feel their pain in regards to that. It's something close to my own heart and I have my own painful memories, so I relate to that quite heavily.
" Now if you're talking about relatable heroes growing up, it makes me so thankful that I was born in an era when martial arts, anime, foreign cinema and all-things-asian were on the rise in the West. If it weren't for the likes of Jackie Chan and Power Rangers I'd still be likened to that kid in The Goonies.
Even in the 80s, racism was still pretty... See more harsh though. Just being an under-10 half-CHINESE made you an eligible candidate for "Paki Beatings" and the only way to survive was to have a quick violent temper. That's not a healthy way to grow up.
It's only later on with the crazes of Karate Kid and Ninja Turtles that children's eyes were opened up to the concept of foreign culture and cool things from the East. Kids like me were no longer second-class citzens and Fu-Man-Chus. We were people with culture, backgrounds and histories. Thanks to Jackie Chan we even had role models to look up to and their rising popularity gave us something to talk to the other children about.
By the time Dragonball Z came to Cartoon Network we were set. The China Town kids suddenly jumped up the food chain a few notches as there was a hunger for anime and cool movies and we already had those babies imported.
So when it comes to Avatar's lacking diversity, they seem to have really missed a trick. As contrived as it might look to adults, a Saban-ese pick-n'-mix of colours is well-suited to a story that encompasses Nations from around the world and has obvious ethnic inspirations. A missed chance for children to come together once more and show that what makes them different makes them special.
So to every single person out there who likes to walk around saying "Sorry for being white", I politely say fuck you. This is not about just you. It's not about a racial grudge against Caucasians. It's about giving that one kid that looks different to the others someone to relate to and giving them a medium to mingle with those around him. It's about the little black girl finally getting to play a Disney Princess on stage alongside all the other girls in school."
This is all clearly shooting straight from the gut (which is notably closer to the heart than the brain, thank you Stephen Clobert) and where emotion can take over form sense but it still has its place in here. It's when you touch on subjects that are sensitive and hit raw nerves that it becomes very hard for people to talk about it in a completely objective manner. People have baggage and people have needs. Its these things that drive us and in discussion of entertainment mediums that a there to move us it is highly important to see how people feel.
What isn't so much, is Internet discussion. You talk to a little glowing wall long enough and your mind trails. Points, logic and reason go out the window until you are left only with your thoughts and whatever raw emotions you have at hand. Mountains become mole-hills and the lost opportunity to celebrate racial diversity quickly becomes something else altogether. It becomes distracted to that annoying mosquito in that has flown in the window, the urge to kill rising and suddenly tearing us all apart.
In summary; This had great potential for racial diversity. It would have complemented the cultural diversity that went into creating the original source material.
Was it disappointing? Very much so.
Was it offensive? mmm...
Was it criminal or sinister? Not bloody likely.
So we don't have a boogeyman behind the curtains leading a secret white agenda against the world through the medium of celluloid as he strokes his cat and curses Black James Bond. We have producers and other individuals that are completely clueless in regards to race, who don't get it and never will even if they try. We have those who do and we have misdirected anger firing left right and center. Essentially we have idiots, the lot of us - all of which fail to notice that Goku being white was one of the last reasons Dragonball Evolution sucked.
Love & Peace 'Yall.
http://splinterend.tumblr.com/post/749364670/facepainting
Having already commented and read comments regarding how points are laboured and retrodden I made a couple of facebook comments and decided to prop them up here (out of context, yes) because Facebook comments aren't always the ideal place for my inane ramblings.
"Read the article. The author needs to get his/her facts sorted. The role of Zuko was recast due to race-related petitions and the rising popularity of the actor they now used. Whilst it is true that it is harder for ethnic minorities to get leading roles in Hollywood (Bruce Lee's life has been testimony to that) it is mostly because of a mistaken ... See morebelief that casting a minority as a lead will somehow change the film into a "
Flawed bullshit logic but not exactly outright villainy. The arguments in this article could just as easily say that Cameron's Avatar was Blueface."
There were some good replies (thank you Jonathan) and also some revealing comments regarding the of those in racial minorities and their personal stories of how it was like growing up. I can feel their pain in regards to that. It's something close to my own heart and I have my own painful memories, so I relate to that quite heavily.
"
Even in the 80s, racism was still pretty... See more harsh though. Just being an under-10 half-CHINESE made you an eligible candidate for "Paki Beatings" and the only way to survive was to have a quick violent temper. That's not a healthy way to grow up.
It's only later on with the crazes of Karate Kid and Ninja Turtles that children's eyes were opened up to the concept of foreign culture and cool things from the East. Kids like me were no longer second-class citzens and Fu-Man-Chus. We were people with culture, backgrounds and histories. Thanks to Jackie Chan we even had role models to look up to and their rising popularity gave us something to talk to the other children about.
By the time Dragonball Z came to Cartoon Network we were set. The China Town kids suddenly jumped up the food chain a few notches as there was a hunger for anime and cool movies and we already had those babies imported.
So when it comes to Avatar's lacking diversity, they seem to have really missed a trick. As contrived as it might look to adults, a Saban-ese pick-n'-mix of colours is well-suited to a story that encompasses Nations from around the world and has obvious ethnic inspirations. A missed chance for children to come together once more and show that what makes them different makes them special.
So to every single person out there who likes to walk around saying "Sorry for being white", I politely say fuck you. This is not about just you. It's not about a racial grudge against Caucasians. It's about giving that one kid that looks different to the others someone to relate to and giving them a medium to mingle with those around him. It's about the little black girl finally getting to play a Disney Princess on stage alongside all the other girls in school."
This is all clearly shooting straight from the gut (which is notably closer to the heart than the brain, thank you Stephen Clobert) and where emotion can take over form sense but it still has its place in here. It's when you touch on subjects that are sensitive and hit raw nerves that it becomes very hard for people to talk about it in a completely objective manner. People have baggage and people have needs. Its these things that drive us and in discussion of entertainment mediums that a there to move us it is highly important to see how people feel.
What isn't so much, is Internet discussion. You talk to a little glowing wall long enough and your mind trails. Points, logic and reason go out the window until you are left only with your thoughts and whatever raw emotions you have at hand. Mountains become mole-hills and the lost opportunity to celebrate racial diversity quickly becomes something else altogether. It becomes distracted to that annoying mosquito in that has flown in the window, the urge to kill rising and suddenly tearing us all apart.
In summary; This had great potential for racial diversity. It would have complemented the cultural diversity that went into creating the original source material.
Was it disappointing? Very much so.
Was it offensive? mmm...
Was it criminal or sinister? Not bloody likely.
So we don't have a boogeyman behind the curtains leading a secret white agenda against the world through the medium of celluloid as he strokes his cat and curses Black James Bond. We have producers and other individuals that are completely clueless in regards to race, who don't get it and never will even if they try. We have those who do and we have misdirected anger firing left right and center. Essentially we have idiots, the lot of us - all of which fail to notice that Goku being white was one of the last reasons Dragonball Evolution sucked.
Love & Peace 'Yall.
Of Eberts, Games and Arts
It seems that the debate flared up from Roger Ebert's original 'Videgames can never be Art' blog post is still going strong. He's casting some level of self-reflection whilst also seemingly engages in dialogues with those experienced in both film and games such as Clive Barker.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_lawn.html
I throw my hand in to the comments section:
I applaud your self-reflection but I'm afraid I'm going to have to pick you up on one particular argument that contains a glaring error. I can accept that this was conjecture based on assumptions about a medium you've freely admitted you don't have much experience with.
I draw attention to your statement that likens the interactivity and choice available in videogames to a version of Romeo & Juliet that has a happy ending. This is based on the assertion that, for some reason, an interactive-capable medium must allow the player to change the outcome of the story at all times. To the contrary, videogames do not always offer that level of freedom (partly because it is difficult to implement) and at the same time the power of choice is an extremely powerful narrative tool - one which can be granted by the author and also one which can be taken away.
Indeed it is never a pleasant feeling to lose the ability to choose and sometimes even worse when the illusion of choice is mutated into Hobson's Choice or varying degrees of false dichotomies like Morton's Fork.
One experience that will haunt many players is Heavy Rain which asks that main protagonist sever one of his appendages, using what ever items may be around, in exchange for a clue to his son's location. The list of options available in that room always includes the door behind you. You can always run away but are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of love?
Many people will have, no-doubt, already championed Shadow of the Colossus as videogame art and for this post I'm going to attempt to reinforce my point with a similar title, Ubisoft's 2009 franchise reinvention: Prince of Persia. Story spoiler warnings etc.
In Prince of Persia you are alone in this vast land that has been taken over by an evil force that has twisted and mutated the landscape. Your only companion throughout is The Princess who is by your side at every step of the way and through interactions with her you learn the history of this world and how it works.
During the course of the game you help The Princess cleanse the land with her unique abilities in a number of scenes that combine the beauty of seeing the world gradually transformed back to its natural luscious glory with hints that the process is taking a harmful toll on our heroine. By the time the lands are completely cleansed a strong emotional bond is formed by the two characters, possibly even feelings of love and that all comes in to play when they face off against the source of this world's evil to banish it once and for all.
The final conflict reaches a stunning climax which leaves the player with a feeling of triumph which is quickly crushed when our female protagonist uses herself as a human sacrifice to seal away the evil. A tiny white tree appears to symbolise the light and you are left to carry the body of your dead lover away as the credits roll. There's something even more harrowing to come when the credits finish when you realise that the game hasn't actually finished yet. You are free to roam the entirety of this lonely desolate world and there is a clear way for you to bring back The Princess... but at a horrifying cost. You know what you must do, what you mustn't do. You know full well the consequences and at the same time you know how your character feels as well. That's why the torrent of emotional feeling that spiral inside as you stand before that beautiful fragile tree, sword in hand is something I can not adequately describe in a few words.
And the worst part of it is, nobody has forced you to do it, nobody tells you. You made this choice and it was the one inevitable conclusion.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_lawn.html
I throw my hand in to the comments section:
I applaud your self-reflection but I'm afraid I'm going to have to pick you up on one particular argument that contains a glaring error. I can accept that this was conjecture based on assumptions about a medium you've freely admitted you don't have much experience with.
I draw attention to your statement that likens the interactivity and choice available in videogames to a version of Romeo & Juliet that has a happy ending. This is based on the assertion that, for some reason, an interactive-capable medium must allow the player to change the outcome of the story at all times. To the contrary, videogames do not always offer that level of freedom (partly because it is difficult to implement) and at the same time the power of choice is an extremely powerful narrative tool - one which can be granted by the author and also one which can be taken away.
Indeed it is never a pleasant feeling to lose the ability to choose and sometimes even worse when the illusion of choice is mutated into Hobson's Choice or varying degrees of false dichotomies like Morton's Fork.
One experience that will haunt many players is Heavy Rain which asks that main protagonist sever one of his appendages, using what ever items may be around, in exchange for a clue to his son's location. The list of options available in that room always includes the door behind you. You can always run away but are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of love?
Many people will have, no-doubt, already championed Shadow of the Colossus as videogame art and for this post I'm going to attempt to reinforce my point with a similar title, Ubisoft's 2009 franchise reinvention: Prince of Persia. Story spoiler warnings etc.
In Prince of Persia you are alone in this vast land that has been taken over by an evil force that has twisted and mutated the landscape. Your only companion throughout is The Princess who is by your side at every step of the way and through interactions with her you learn the history of this world and how it works.
During the course of the game you help The Princess cleanse the land with her unique abilities in a number of scenes that combine the beauty of seeing the world gradually transformed back to its natural luscious glory with hints that the process is taking a harmful toll on our heroine. By the time the lands are completely cleansed a strong emotional bond is formed by the two characters, possibly even feelings of love and that all comes in to play when they face off against the source of this world's evil to banish it once and for all.
The final conflict reaches a stunning climax which leaves the player with a feeling of triumph which is quickly crushed when our female protagonist uses herself as a human sacrifice to seal away the evil. A tiny white tree appears to symbolise the light and you are left to carry the body of your dead lover away as the credits roll. There's something even more harrowing to come when the credits finish when you realise that the game hasn't actually finished yet. You are free to roam the entirety of this lonely desolate world and there is a clear way for you to bring back The Princess... but at a horrifying cost. You know what you must do, what you mustn't do. You know full well the consequences and at the same time you know how your character feels as well. That's why the torrent of emotional feeling that spiral inside as you stand before that beautiful fragile tree, sword in hand is something I can not adequately describe in a few words.
And the worst part of it is, nobody has forced you to do it, nobody tells you. You made this choice and it was the one inevitable conclusion.
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