The Avatar: The Last Airbender Live-Action Movie [Archive]

Jamal

05-22-2009, 01:36 PM

Why is it always "a stupid race issue" when it's about changing a character of "color" to a white character?

When Hollywood changes a character to another race; in this case an asian character to a white character in order for commercial appeal they are saying that we are stupid.

They are saying that we and or children ( Cause this is who they are aiming for )are so stupid that we can't appreciate a good story staring a non white character.
Even if the character is named Aang does kung fu in a chinese uniform and the story is based off a hit tv show that not even two years old; he has to be white for people to go watch it. Hell for the record I would have been just as pissed if it was a black kid playing Aang.

There isn't even an asian person playing any of the main characters ( Dav Patel doesn't count ) and seeing as there is no real "Stars" does anybody mean to tell me out of all the billions of asian people on this planet they couldn't find anyone good enough to fill those roles?

I'm sure they could but they figure hell why do that when we found this cute white kid who has some "karate" training, we can shave his head give him a staff and these fools will go watch it. They are sure that nobody but white kids watch cartoons any way and they are so stupid they won't even be able to tell
that we changed the ethnicity of the characters that they have been watching for four seasons.

Plus the ones who do ask we do have to worry about cause the adults will make
up the excuses for us as to why the characters have been change to non asians.
They wouldn't realize we are talking down to them, that we think they wouldn't accept watching anybody on screen who doesn't look like them because white folks are so narrow mind; who care if a lot of them voted a black guy in as our president they don't want to see a non white person in a big block buster movie (in less it's Will Smith).

I am happy that a lot of people are seeming to "get it" and not going out to this see this crap like "Dragon Ball" but I wish Hollywood would get their heads of their ass because if they did they would make so a shit load money while making everyone happy in the process.

DeadXMan

05-22-2009, 01:38 PM

well it looks a lot better then dragon ball E

and the writers of the series is writing the movie, right?

Jamal

05-22-2009, 02:05 PM

Why should race be an issue? He looked white in the show.

As was also pointed out, others look more like Pacific islanders, or asian.

It's a fantasy world with a mixture of races. It's racist to say that because it has martial arts in it, everyone must be eastern. Because a white or black person could never possibly perform martial arts, and just being asian makes you an expert.

In fact, as hard as this is to believe, there are actually white and black people who live in eastern countries such as Japan.

He looked white:eek:, you mean to seriously tell me that you watched this show even if it was one time and thought he was white?
The boys name is Aang for gods sake.

If they would have gotten pacific islanders for the other main cast you would not have heard my mouth at all but enough should be enough. We need to stop making excuses issuses for Hollywood when they don't put the correct ethnicity in these leads roles.

As far as a non asian performing martial arts I've take many different martial arts since I was a kid. The school I was apart of last was a Gung Fu school that I attended for over seven years. My Sifu was black and he was trained since the age of five by an asian man.

I know plenty of non asians from around the world who know plenty of different martials arts but none of that is the point.

The point is that if this was an original story even with the the name I could let it slide but this is a show that was on for four season with characters that were asian or could even be half asian in the case of Aang for arguments sake but Hollywood didn't even try and we can't make excuses for them when they pull crap like this. Even in a fantasy world you change the ethnicity from a hit show because you think its the only way you can people to watch the move, it's doesn't work and you end up just insulting your built in fan base.

KiFF86

05-22-2009, 03:41 PM

Soooooo white people can't be named Aang??????? :confused:

The Shelf

05-22-2009, 03:57 PM

http://blog.newsarama.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/avatar.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Aang_Official.png

Other than the tattoo color, I don't see much of a difference.

Also, didn't Katara and Sokka resemble Inuit more than Asian?

Jamal

05-22-2009, 04:52 PM

Soooooo white people can't be named Aang??????? :confused:

Can white people be named Aang of course but how many white people on this board or most other places know of a white person named Aang? I'm sure you would find more white kids by the name of Jamal than Aang.

http://blog.newsarama.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/avatar.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Aang_Official.png

Other than the tattoo color, I don't see much of a difference.

I see a big difference but for the sake of argument I'll say Eurasian maybe be not full on white kid, sorry.

Also, didn't Katara and Sokka resemble Inuit more than Asian?

Yes but the actors they picked don't look like Inuit/Eskimos.

This kind of casting is the just the begining of the dumbing down process next will be the story, then the effects and at the end it will be another turd like Dragon Ball.

OverMaster

05-22-2009, 05:36 PM

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnpleasableFanbase

DeadXMan

05-22-2009, 06:23 PM

I don't see the big deal is any way
it not like we haven't seen a non-Asian play a Buddhist monk before

http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr150/DXM616/kungfu_davidcarradine.jpg

Mike Pothier

05-22-2009, 06:44 PM

I'd rather they find a good actor then choosing an actor solely on their skin color.

Farealmer

05-22-2009, 07:35 PM

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnpleasableFanbase
I don't get it?

Black Atom

05-22-2009, 08:13 PM

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnpleasableFanbase

I think that's doing a disservice to Jamal's argument. It's not like he's complaining that the costume is the wrong color. He's complaining that all the principle characters have been white-washed, which has much deeper implications.

Farealmer

05-22-2009, 08:16 PM

Darth Joker

05-22-2009, 08:36 PM

I don't get it?

Maybe he's saying that Avatar fans are impossible to please when it comes to live-action adaptations of Avatar?

I hate to say it, but... I think that anime fans, in general, are uniquely hard to please when it comes to the various different fandoms.

My own observation, as being a member of one or more of each of these fandoms at one point or another...

1) Western Comic Book fans - Ranges from mildly dreading to cautiously optimistic to downright pumped over live-action adaptations. Usually pretty forgiving of canon changes for the live-action transition, truthfully. Key example - the X-Men all having matching leather outfits instead of individually unique spandex costumes. Honestly, considering that one of the main draws of western comics are the distinct and unique colorful costumes, western comic book fans have to be pretty flexible and forgiving to go full speed ahead with a team full of leather-jacket wearing super-soldiers as opposed to more conventional super heroes in colorful undies.

As a point of comparison, can you imagine the reaction if, say, they did a western Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya live-action adaptation and the makers said "out with the student uniforms, in with jeans for everyone, since that's what most modern westerners identify with! We can't have our female characters degraded with skirts!" :biggrin: But that's roughly on the same level as the X-Men losing the spandex for leather outfits, even on the level of the hypothetical rationale for the change - it really is: spandex costumes are just as big a part of western super hero comics as student uniforms are a part of anime and manga.

2) 80s western cartoon fans - Similar to western comic book fans.

3) Star Trek fans - Place a very high value on continuity... however, are pretty flexible when it comes to things like aesthetics, costume design, and the overall tenor and mood of the content.

4) Star Wars fans - Won't settle for anything less than epic - popcorn flicks are simply out of the question (and, really, that is what the first two prequels are - half-decent popcorn flicks; they're simply not epic). Characters perceived to be uncool become intense focuses, drowning out a cast that's otherwise mostly pretty cool. Other than that, though, Star Wars fans are pretty flexible - for example, Revenge of the Sith is pretty dark compared to the original Trilogy, but most Star Wars fans I know love it.

5) Video gamers - Mind-boggling optimistic about, and actually wanting more, live-action adaptations after an incredible string of utter live-action disasters. If I was a movie-maker and I wanted to experiment wildly with a live-action adaptation of some other entertainment form, I'd go with a video game. The fans will give you loads of latitude.

6) Anime/manga fans - Pretty much the opposite of video gamers. Give a new meaning to the term 'purist'. There's actually levels of purism here - the anime fan who's too purist to give any dub a fair shake is actually below the level of the manga fan who's seemingly too purist to like any manga-to-anime adaptation: sub or dub. I've often wanted to see a hardcore sub-over-dub guy to be caught having to defend the very anime itself from the hardcore manga-over-anime gal - be neat to see how the hardcore sub-over-dub guy handles a taste of his or her own purist medicine. :wink: I guess that given this it's not surprising that when live-action adaptations come up in suggestion, the majority response is complete dread.

I'm not saying that wanting to stay true to source material is unimportant, but anime/manga fans really do take it to absurd levels at times, where the slightest change during adaptation (not just to live-action; but also from manga-to-anime or from sub-to-dub) is enough to start a firestorm.

... I seriously had to wonder if it was safe for me to post this or not. :biggrin: But, I've always wanted to share these observations that I have on the diverse fandoms I've been a part of, since I find the compare and contrast interesting... and hard to understand, frankly. Video gamers default extreme enthusiasm over live-action adaptations vs. anime/manga fans default extreme dread over live-action adaptations is something that's a bit fascinating to me... especially since many video gamers are also anime/manga fans.

Just to be clear, I like most of my fellow fans in each fandom - it's just their takes on a few canon and adaptation issues that I've always found interesting to look at.

Farealmer

05-22-2009, 08:42 PM

snip
Since i realize that your mostly using my post as an excuse to post what you've wanted to say here on the subject i see no reason to respond point by point being that i've been over my opinions on this with you on the anime forums.

Darth Joker

05-22-2009, 08:48 PM

Since i realize that your mostly using my post as an excuse to post what you've wanted to say here on the subject i see no reason to respond point by point being that i've been over my opinions on this with you on the anime forums.

I understand. We have discussed this before, so your response makes sense here.

Treqqor

05-23-2009, 12:35 AM

Is it just me, or does the image of Aang that was drawn actually look WHITER than the image of the individual they cast??

And people are getting upset about this? No lie, just go into photoshop and look at the tone of the colour used. Not to say anything about the generic facial features and bone structure. I don't know about the rest of the casting, I haven't been following this closely, but this doesn't seem too bad to me at all.

KiFF86

05-23-2009, 02:03 AM

So is this movie racist or not?

StoneGold

05-23-2009, 02:22 AM

Can white people be named Aang of course but how many white people on this board or most other places know of a white person named Aang? I'm sure you would find more white kids by the name of Jamal than Aang.

[QUOTE=Jamal;8973104]
Even if the character is named Aang does kung fu in a chinese uniform

Actually, how many Chinese do you know named Aang? How many any people do you know named Aang?

Christopher Cross Is God

05-23-2009, 03:48 AM

I think that's doing a disservice to Jamal's argument. It's not like he's complaining that the costume is the wrong color. He's complaining that all the principle characters have been white-washed, which has much deeper implications.

I think there's too much of a focus on white actors playing in the movie. I do have a problem with that, but it's the overall casting that's ridiculous.

One of the worst examples was Jesse McCartney originally being cast as Zuko.......That one had "white-wash" written all over it.

Aang's casting is definitely questionable, as are the castings of Soka & Katara.

But, what I find worse is how Shyamalan has gotten Indian & Middle-Eastern actors to play some of the other big parts. In particular, Fire Nation characters, who pretty much looked Chinese/Korean/Japanese in the TV show.

Dev Patel as Zuko......So they got a dorky looking Indian actor to play as the Asian ("Oriental") looking Zuko.

Shaun Taoub as Uncle Iroh........So they got a skinny Iranian actor (He was the guy in the cave with Tony Stark in Iron Man) to play as Iroh (Zuko's uncle)......Disregarding the race issue, in the show, Uncle Iroh is a large-framed character.

Aasif Mandvi as Admiral Zhao.......Another Indian actor playing as a Firelord Nation character.

Cliff Curtis as Firelord Ozai (Zuko's father)......He's not Indian or Middle Eastern (I always assumed he was Arab), but actually half-Maori. Regardless, he fits the Indian & Middle Eastern look Shyamalan seems to be going for with Fire Nation characters.........Curtis could have been better-cast as a member of Soka's tribe (Perhaps as Soka's father). It wouldn't have been perfect, but much better than as a Fire Nation character.

So, I see it as a case of both white-washing and Shyamalan trying to bring his own ethnic background (Along with Middle Easterners) into the mix.

There were characters in the show who resembled Indians, one being that spiritual guru Aang meets. I guess Shyamalan decided to go overboard with the film.

Legato

05-23-2009, 02:58 PM

*starts playing the worlds smallest violin for the Avatar fans*

KiFF86

05-23-2009, 03:04 PM

Really though should I be offended by this movie, I mean not offended like "Why is Michael Bay doing another movie" offended. But offended by the white kid in yellow face.

Legato

05-23-2009, 03:05 PM

Really though should I be offended by this movie, I mean not offended like "Why is Michael Bay doing another movie" offended. But offended by the white kid in yellow face.

Really? Like casting a white guy in a asian role is anything new?

Jamal

05-23-2009, 04:04 PM

I don't see the big deal is any way
it not like we haven't seen a non-Asian play a Buddhist monk before

http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr150/DXM616/kungfu_davidcarradine.jpg

Now just think how much better that show would have been if Bruce Lee was the one in the role since it was partly his idea to begin with.

[QUOTE=Jamal;8974161]Can white people be named Aang of course but how many white people on this board or most other places know of a white person named Aang? I'm sure you would find more white kids by the name of Jamal than Aang.

Actually, how many Chinese do you know named Aang? How many any people do you know named Aang?

None, but I don't know too many black people named Jamal either and that still doesn't take away from the fact that it's African and or Muslim name ( I fall on the african side in case anyone asks ).

I think there's too much of a focus on white actors playing in the movie. I do have a problem with that, but it's the overall casting that's ridiculous.

One of the worst examples was Jesse McCartney originally being cast as Zuko.......That one had "white-wash" written all over it.

Aang's casting is definitely questionable, as are the castings of Soka & Katara.

But, what I find worse is how Shyamalan has gotten Indian & Middle-Eastern actors to play some of the other big parts. In particular, Fire Nation characters, who pretty much looked Chinese/Korean/Japanese in the TV show.

Dev Patel as Zuko......So they got a dorky looking Indian actor to play as the Asian ("Oriental") looking Zuko.

Shaun Taoub as Uncle Iroh........So they got a skinny Iranian actor (He was the guy in the cave with Tony Stark in Iron Man) to play as Iroh (Zuko's uncle)......Disregarding the race issue, in the show, Uncle Iroh is a large-framed character.

Aasif Mandvi as Admiral Zhao.......Another Indian actor playing as a Firelord Nation character.

Cliff Curtis as Firelord Ozai (Zuko's father)......He's not Indian or Middle Eastern (I always assumed he was Arab), but actually half-Maori. Regardless, he fits the Indian & Middle Eastern look Shyamalan seems to be going for with Fire Nation characters.........Curtis could have been better-cast as a member of Soka's tribe (Perhaps as Soka's father). It wouldn't have been perfect, but much better than as a Fire Nation character.

So, I see it as a case of both white-washing and Shyamalan trying to bring his own ethnic background (Along with Middle Easterners) into the mix.

There were characters in the show who resembled Indians, one being that spiritual guru Aang meets. I guess Shyamalan decided to go overboard with the film.

I agree the over all casting is all over the place but I focused on Aang being white because he is the main character and the main one they shouldn't of got wrong.

Really? Like casting a white guy in a asian role is anything new?

That's my whole point it's not nothing new it's business as usual and the fact that people defend or dismiss these actions as fanboys taking it to seriously they are going to continue to get away with it.

I don't think it's too much to ask that the live action characters be of/or even close to the same ethnic races as the characters on the cartoon.

What I don't understand and please help me to understand without the snarky remarks is why don't you care? I'm being serious here; I'm really trying to understand why especially after movies like Dragon Ball?

I already understand it from the sense that if it was a movie star and they are being used to sell the movie but when it's not an "A" list star then why don't you care especially if you were a fan of the show?

Legato

05-23-2009, 05:08 PM

Now just think how much better that show would have been if Bruce Lee was the one in the role since it was partly his idea to begin with.

[QUOTE=StoneGold;8976052]

None, but I don't know too many black people named Jamal either and that still doesn't take away from the fact that it's African and or Muslim name ( I fall on the african side in case anyone asks ).

I agree the over all casting is all over the place but I focused on Aang being white because he is the main character and the main one they shouldn't of got wrong.

That's my whole point it's not nothing new it's business as usual and the fact that people defend or dismiss these actions as fanboys taking it to seriously they are going to continue to get away with it.

I don't think it's too much to ask that the live action characters be of/or even close to the same ethnic races as the characters on the cartoon.

What I don't understand and please help me to understand without the snarky remarks is why don't you care? I'm being serious here; I'm really trying to understand why especially after movies like Dragon Ball?

I already understand it from the sense that if it was a movie star and they are being used to sell the movie but when it's not an "A" list star then why don't you care especially if you were a fan of the show?

Just that ok they cast a white guy but does that really mean the movie will be bad because of it? As one poster said the kid kinda resembles Aang and the writers from the show are working on the film also so Im going to put my trust in that this movie might be a surprise success.

We haven't seen any production shots of the movie or an actual trailer so judging the movie because of the racial change doesn't really make sense.

Dragonball Evolution failed because of poor script writing, poor editing, and poor action scenes. Lets not forget that Dragonball had a live action treatment in Japan and even that failed horribly and it had no race change.

I think if Avatar has the proper script and the fight scenes closely resembles the show then the movie might not be that bad

DeadXMan

05-23-2009, 05:21 PM

Now just think how much better that show would have been if Bruce Lee was the one in the role since it was partly his idea to begin with.

well there was small problem with him having died.

isn't that interesting, the only man ever to beat Chuck Norris is dead.

Jamal

05-23-2009, 06:06 PM

[QUOTE=Jamal;8977997]Now just think how much better that show would have been if Bruce Lee was the one in the role since it was partly his idea to begin with.

Just that ok they cast a white guy but does that really mean the movie will be bad because of it? As one poster said the kid kinda resembles Aang and the writers from the show are working on the film also so Im going to put my trust in that this movie might be a surprise success.

We haven't seen any production shots of the movie or an actual trailer so judging the movie because of the racial change doesn't really make sense.

Dragonball Evolution failed because of poor script writing, poor editing, and poor action scenes. Lets not forget that Dragonball had a live action treatment in Japan and even that failed horribly and it had no race change.

I think if Avatar has the proper script and the fight scenes closely resembles the show then the movie might not be that bad

The thing you missed was that I wasn't even talking about the what they are planing to do with the script, directing or the fight scenes. I've been only harping on the casting so far but remember when most people saw the first cast pictures from Dragonball a lot of folks said it was going to suck and it did (Which is why I brought it up).

When casting is done in this way 90% of the time it shows that the studios don't even care if they are making a fateful adaption even with the original writers on board studios tend to make the writers dumb down a lot of good work. All they are looking is the short term first weekend sales but if they were to do it correctly and try to cast the correct ethnicity they could easily generate more world wide interest and make even more money.

People of color generate a lot of box office numbers ( Look at Tyler Perry ) and if they had an english speaking asian lead in this role heads would turn because it hasn't been done in a long time but Hollywood blew it again.

Right now good movie or bad I see the casting hurting the production and I got a feeling it's going to be even worse once we see a trailer.

well there was small problem with him having died.

isn't that interesting, the only man ever to beat Chuck Norris is dead.

I'm just going off of what I heard and Dragon The Bruce Lee Story ( Which had a lot of errors ) but I think he was a live when Kung Fu was first on tv.

Legato

05-23-2009, 06:12 PM

[QUOTE=Legato;8978294]

The thing you missed was that I wasn't even talking about the what they are planing to do with the script, directing or the fight scenes. I've been only harping on the casting so far but remember when most people saw the first cast pictures from Dragonball a lot of folks said it was going to suck and it did (Which is why I brought it up).

When casting is done in this way 90% of the time it shows that the studios don't even care if they are making a fateful adaption even with the original writers on board studios tend to make the writers dumb down a lot of good work. All they are looking is the short term first weekend sales but if they were to do it correctly and try to cast the correct ethnicity they could easily generate more world wide interest and make even more money.

People of color generate a lot of box office numbers ( Look at Tyler Perry ) and if they had an english speaking asian lead in this role heads would turn because it hasn't been done in a long time but Hollywood blew it again.

Right now good movie or bad I see the casting hurting the production and I got a feeling it's going to be even worse once we see a trailer.

I get what your saying and I hope it wont be as bad as Dragonball Evolution. Im mostly just on a wait and see kind of mood when it comes to this since it is still a little too early to judge now.

Just the reason why Im not really upset about the cast changes is I know the live action adaption wouldn't come close to being superior against the animated series so Im not really having high expectations of this. So the way I look at it if the movie does bad then atleast thare is always the series, if it does good then they must have been doing something right to make that happen.

Christopher Cross Is God

05-23-2009, 06:40 PM

[QUOTE=Legato;8978294]

I'm just going off of what I heard and Dragon The Bruce Lee Story ( Which had a lot of errors ) but I think he was a live when Kung Fu was first on tv.

He died a year after Kung Fu was on TV.

And I'd assume they started doing casting & production a year before the show went on the air, which would make it 2 years before he died.

Kage Kisaragi

05-24-2009, 01:45 PM

This might have been one of those cases where having the movie version of a character be a bit older than the animated version of that same character would have been a good idea.

I just think that a pre-teen main protagonist is going to be an awfully hard sell to adult, and even many mid-to-late teen, movie-going audiences... at least when it comes to an action-oriented film.

except it might not be catering to adults or teens at all :wink: .

nervmeister

05-24-2009, 08:31 PM

I did a search and couldn't find a thread on this. Hopefully I'm not double posting! :eek:

http://blog.newsarama.com/2009/05/22/avatar-the-last-airbender-film-pics-released/

I'm getting excited to see this. I loved the animated series! What great stuff. A lot of people are making fun of this picture, but really, what do you expect? Aang is a kid, not even a teenager.

http://blog.newsarama.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10087/avatar.jpgI want to see Aang, not a cancer patient.

The Zapper

05-24-2009, 08:34 PM

I want to see Aang, not a cancer patient.

Hehehehehe.

SensorBoy

05-25-2009, 07:42 PM

I always took it that the culture/world was "Asia with the numbers filed off", but that the People were of.....indeterminate ethnicity. Hell, they control the 4 primal elements.....we know they aren't human!

While casting all of the main characters as Caucasian isn't very in keeping with the story, neither is a uniformly East Asian cast. There is a happy medium, perhaps.

Flash's Lightning

05-26-2009, 07:02 AM

I want to see Aang, not a cancer patient.

I see that you were only making a joke, but still, that's kind of in poor taste, and rather offensive (to me).

Then again, I guess I rebel against things being all "PC", so...carry on. Carry on. May your children never get cancer.

Agent Helix

05-26-2009, 07:17 AM

I can't wait to see how Shyamalan figures out how to set this movie in Philadelphia.

nervmeister

05-26-2009, 04:22 PM

I see that you were only making a joke, but still, that's kind of in poor taste, and rather offensive (to me).

Then again, I guess I rebel against things being all "PC", so...carry on. Carry on. May your children never get cancer.Sorry for offending you.

Flash's Lightning

05-26-2009, 04:38 PM

Sorry for offending you.

Ah, don't worry about it. It's probably me being overly pc or overly sensitive...take your pick.

Nightstar1441

05-26-2009, 05:41 PM

I'm worried about Shyamalan directing this - does not seem like a good fit.

DeadXMan

05-26-2009, 07:50 PM

he still a good director, he's just needs to stop trying to write twist endings for the sake of twist endings.

Flash's Lightning

05-27-2009, 06:37 AM

he still a good director

Don't make me bring up "Lady in the Water"! :eek: :biggrin:

To be fair, though, Signs is my second favorite movie ever. (Just fyi, my favorite being The Illusionist.)

FroFroYo

06-23-2009, 08:43 AM

i dont think it has been posted yet, forgive me if it has, but here is a teaser trailer for the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-hrsOn8j-w

Surtur

06-23-2009, 06:50 PM

Eh, looks ok. Doubt it will turn out decent though, as soon as he takes off his hood I can't take it seriously.

DeadXMan

06-23-2009, 08:26 PM

Looks a Shit load better the DBE

Legato

06-23-2009, 08:33 PM

Looks a Shit load better the DBE

I hope so.

DeadXMan

06-23-2009, 08:59 PM

well it has the creators of the show writing it.

a solid director( say what you will about his stories but the shot great)
and special effects by ILM

I think the odds are in favor of it being good

Legato

06-23-2009, 09:10 PM

well it has the creators of the show writing it.

a solid director( say what you will about his stories but the shot great)
and special effects by ILM

I think the odds are in favor of it being good

If anything I say this has a chance to be guilty pleasure.

Kirayoshi

06-23-2009, 09:20 PM

The trailer looks decent. But Aang needs to smile more in the movie. He was usually upbeat and positive.

I especially like the pan-shot of the Fire Nation ships attacking. Very cool

DeadXMan

06-23-2009, 09:46 PM

it just a teaser

besides he wasn't always upbeat and positive in the series.

Flash's Lightning

06-24-2009, 06:38 AM

it just a teaser

besides he wasn't always upbeat and positive in the series.

99.9% of the time he was, especially around other people. He wasn't really one to say what was really on his mind, Kitara generally beat it out of him.

Jettison

06-24-2009, 02:49 PM

Looks cool...hopefully it will be as fun, character-wise, as the series.

Legato

06-24-2009, 02:55 PM

Eh, looks ok. Doubt it will turn out decent though, as soon as he takes off his hood I can't take it seriously.

I say it will end up like Speed Racer. While it could be a decent movie the movie might not do well in the box office due to some of the people being turned away because of the director that they chosen for the movie.

With Shyamalan I can see why some people are cautious on seeing this.

Legato

06-24-2009, 02:56 PM

Looks cool...hopefully it will be as fun, character-wise, as the series.

Thats all Im looking for. A fun martial arts movie, like Kung Fu Panda in a way

Bergman

06-24-2009, 04:23 PM

Looks a Shit load better the DBE

It'd have to be.

Legato

06-24-2009, 04:43 PM

It'd have to be.

It's doing what the trailer for DBE never did for me. The Avatar trailer is making me consider seeing it.

SayOcean

06-24-2009, 05:27 PM

Thats all Im looking for. A fun martial arts movie, like Kung Fu Panda in a wayi wonder if they used a polar bear with paint if it woulda been as "good"

lol

but seriously the casting of this movie is waaay off, Im glad they got rid of jesse mcartney, but he shouldve never been cast anyway.....lol

and while watching avater when i was....let go....from school i always pictured aang as being ethnic....like all the other chracters now we have some shaved white kid, and the pale guy from twilight playing ethnic chracters....lol

i wonder if anyone would be okay with this if they had cast a bald black or mexican kid as AAng

Andreas Tanis

06-25-2009, 03:02 AM

Movie looks like it could be pretty good. I just don't want them to screw over the cartoon, but I'm trying to be positive about the movie and just wait and see how it turns out.

SensorBoy

06-27-2009, 06:35 PM

Have to admit, I don't think this movie has a chance in Hell of being any good....

......however, the trailer was one of the best I've seen in a long time. They had me at the "Fire Nation Omaha Beach/Pointe du Hoc" scene.

DeadXMan

06-27-2009, 07:40 PM

Ang never looked asian to me.

he looked like a white kid growing up in a buddest monistary.

VMVgirl

06-28-2009, 11:10 AM

Okay, I hope this live action is better than Dragon Ball, because that one really sucked, not just because Goku was white.

Adam C

06-28-2009, 12:59 PM

Are we going to go into another stupid race issue again?

Depends on how one looks at it I suppose. I haven't seen the original series myself, though the issue of the casting in The Last Airbender movie and the meanings over is something that interests a would-be political and cultural historian like myself. From the pictures I've seen of Aang, though he clearly comes from Tibetan culture he does look white both in terms of skin tone and the typical effects of adapting the anime style for character design. Another character, Iroh almost looks caucasian, but two other principle characters, Zuko and Azula do look Asian. Still another And two of the leads from the water nation are given darker skin to reflect the fact there culture is based on the Inuit.

If anything the biggest can of worms they opened was casting two principles who are from an ethnic group based on the Inuit with caucasian actors given how...well indigenous peoples in the Americas in general have been treated. (Never mind that the principle antagonist is played by a Maori actor...yikes!) Then again this dodgy casting call (http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2009/01/23/News/Try-Out.For.A.Role.For.M.Night.Shyamalan-3594896.shtml) doesn't exactly help matters.

Still I think the best piece on the matter was said by a commentator (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/28/DDMU15ICE4.DTL) over at SFGate.com:

But here's where the plot begins to snarl. "Avatar" isn't meant to mirror existing Asian history, imagined future or mythological canon. It's clearly set in an original fantasy world - invented by two white Americans, Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino. Many of the voice actors for the original series are white as well. And though the actors selected for the big-screen version are white, the director who chose those actors is one of the few top-tier Asian American filmmakers in Hollywood, M. Night Shyamalan.

It's an object lesson in how hard it is to maintain claims of authenticity and cultural ownership in a world where boundaries are rapidly beginning to blur. If it's all right for white guys to come up with an "Asian" story and even voice it behind the scenes, why is it not all right for white guys (and girls) to portray that story onscreen?

But there's more to the argument against the casting of "Avatar" than a claim to racial justification. In fact, it's arguably a more powerful case than the one against "21." The creators of the series have stated that the show was designed from the ground up as an elaborate homage to the culture, ideas and artists that they revered, an "epic, Asian, martial-arts fantasy/action/adventure/comedy/drama" celebrating the likes of anime legend Hayao Miyazaki.

The movie "21" was a reimagining of real life, not a documentary, and thus free to remake truth in the pursuit of what its producers thought was commercially viable. By contrast, the "Avatar" movie is being presented as a direct translation of its source material - which by definition demands adherence to the series' internal, spiritual truth.

It's hard to imagine the "Harry Potter" films working with characters that don't visually fit the books' British boarding school sensibility. "And I don't think it would've been true to the spirit of 'Lord of the Rings' if the movie hobbits had Asian features, given the strongly Anglo-Saxon tradition of those books," Yang notes.

I mean really, if the fantasy world is largely built out of feudal east Asia with a precontact American indigenous group thrown in, how much sense does it make to cast white or even east Indian actors in the principle roles? Would it make sense to cast Asians in the principle roles in Lord of the Rings or movie the Harry Potter series to America when the dynamics of the setting are based on the British boarding school?

Adam C

06-28-2009, 01:05 PM

In fact, as hard as this is to believe, there are actually white and black people who live in eastern countries such as Japan.

Indeed though this occurred as a result of contact with the west, the opening of trade and cultural exchange, etc. It doesn't so much apply to the setting in question since it is based on feudal Asia before much contact had occurred.

I don't see the big deal is any way
it not like we haven't seen a non-Asian play a Buddhist monk before

http://i478.photobucket.com/albums/rr150/DXM616/kungfu_davidcarradine.jpg

Heh. Oddly enough that's actually much more credible casting given that some Carradine's features more closely approximate Asian ones (though I know he was some Cherokee ancestry so that might explain it). Then again the character he played was half-American by birth so that also makes it more workable.

Riddles_McMurphy

06-28-2009, 02:02 PM

This movie looks great. The special effects will be awesome. I loved the bo kata! So cool!

vcassel

06-28-2009, 02:54 PM

tried scanning through this thread real quick and didn't find anything about this so sorry if it's been covered, but isn't the forthcoming james cameron film also called avatar. there was some confusion between me and some of my school mates on what film we were talking about.

The Zapper

06-28-2009, 03:08 PM

vcassel

06-28-2009, 03:10 PM

Yes, Cameron has a different Avatar movie. That's why they couldn't call this movie avatar. Stupid Cameron.

ah, see i go to a computer animation and cg college so i figured everybody there knew what i was talking about. but since everyone at my school had gone to see transformers 2 besides me i guess this movie was fresh in their minds.

Kevin M.

06-28-2009, 05:17 PM

i dont think it has been posted yet, forgive me if it has, but here is a teaser trailer for the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-hrsOn8j-w

That was pretty cool, especially the last part.

Anyone else not to crazy on who they tapped to play Zuko?

Charles RB

06-28-2009, 05:37 PM

i dont think it has been posted yet, forgive me if it has, but here is a teaser trailer for the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-hrsOn8j-w

It's got a superpowered warrior and a large-scale invasion, and yet I am still bored when I watch that trailer. That should not be.

Kevin M.

06-28-2009, 10:51 PM

Hopefully Night can pull this movie together, and give us a pretty good adaptation. At least one that is basically loyal to the original vision, and has preformances that can put to rest the whole racial matter. Because, if this flops, he's probably going to be taking a lot of shit from both ends.

Ragnorok64

06-28-2009, 11:57 PM

Is this even going to be an action movie with M Night at the helm?

Wannabe

06-29-2009, 12:36 AM

None, but I don't know too many black people named Jamal either and that still doesn't take away from the fact that it's African and or Muslim name ( I fall on the african side in case anyone asks ).
To be honest, I don't think Aang is a real name. As far as I know, it can belong to any race it wants.

Totoro Man

06-29-2009, 12:40 PM

he still a good director, he's just needs to stop trying to write twist endings for the sake of twist endings.

if they've got the writers from the show working on it--it could be alright. so long as M Night has absolutely no friggin creative input into the story what-so-ever, the film should be at least tolerable.

DeadXMan

06-29-2009, 01:39 PM

if they've got the writers from the show working on it--it could be alright. so long as M Night has absolutely no friggin creative input into the story what-so-ever, the film should be at least tolerable.

they are and they are producing it as well.

Charles RB

06-29-2009, 05:48 PM

That's a new one on me - where'd you hear that one? (And if they were producers, they'd have say over the casting surely)

DeadXMan

06-29-2009, 06:01 PM

it's in the credits of the teaser.

am I the only one that read those?:confused:

Jamal

06-29-2009, 06:18 PM

I have to look at the trailer again but this is from wikipedia-

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Produced by M. Night Shyamalan
Frank Marshall
Sam Mercer
Written by Screenplay:
M. Night Shyamalan
Original Story:
Michael Dante DiMartino
Bryan Konietzko

IMDB has them as executive producers so they don't have any real power over casting.

Andreas Tanis

06-29-2009, 11:21 PM

Has there been any pictures released of the actors portraying Sokka & Katara?

Ragnorok64

06-29-2009, 11:34 PM

Has there been any pictures released of the actors portraying Sokka & Katara?

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h209/7p7/1246096584844.jpg

Andreas Tanis

06-30-2009, 01:01 AM

So far everything looks great, but I'm a bit skeptical about the guy they got for Zuko.

DeadXMan

06-30-2009, 01:29 AM

they have the same facial structure as their characters they are portraying

Andreas Tanis

06-30-2009, 01:07 PM

They kinda do, but they need to be able to act the part as well.

Darth Joker

06-30-2009, 01:51 PM

they have the same facial structure as their characters they are portraying

I agree. Skin tone aside, Katara and Sokka look very well-casted.

Upon seeing their faces again - I have to say that Katara and Sokka don't look asian at all to me. Actually, they look black or mulatto.

Zuko worries me, but that could be because his actor has a very non-Zuko-esque smile there.

DeadXMan

06-30-2009, 02:07 PM

I think the kid playing zuko was in Slim dog millionaire

SayOcean

07-01-2009, 04:48 PM

I agree. Skin tone aside, Katara and Sokka look very well-casted.

Upon seeing their faces again - I have to say that Katara and Sokka don't look asian at all to me. Actually, they look black or mulatto.

Zuko worries me, but that could be because his actor has a very non-Zuko-esque smile there.Why would Zuko be the oneyou're most worried about? he did a good job in slum dog, The really white girl was in deck the halls and the guy playing a minority was in fucking twilight....where he was literally too pale to even look normal....and you are upset about the casting of zuko......i think this shit is stupid

DeadXMan

07-01-2009, 04:51 PM

Why would Zuko be the oneyou're most worried about? he did a good job in slum dog, The really white girl was in deck the halls and the guy playing a minority was in fucking twilight....where he was literally too pale to even look normal....and you are upset about the casting of zuko......i think this shit is stupid

in all fairness he was a vampire, wasn't he?

(I never saw or will see twillight.....maybe the rifftrax version)

SayOcean

07-01-2009, 05:03 PM

yeah but the fact that someone who plays a chracter who is extremely pale to a non white minority is just dumb, its like Nichole Kidman playing the first lady......DUMB

DeadXMan

07-01-2009, 05:51 PM

yeah but the fact that someone who plays a character who is extremely pale to a non white minority is just dumb, its like Nichole Kidman playing the first lady......DUMB

it's no worse then Anthony Hopkins playing two presidents....

or John Goodman playing the king of England

Or Tom Cruise playing a sane man.

The Zapper

07-01-2009, 10:55 PM

I don't give a rats ass what race the actors are as long as it's a good movie.

Legato

07-01-2009, 10:56 PM

I don't give a rats ass what race the actors are as long as it's a good movie.

BINGO!!!!!! Listen to this man!

DeadXMan

07-02-2009, 03:34 AM

Ocean I don't understand where you're coming with the "like kidmen playing the first lady" thing. is it cause She's Australian? She a good actress. Why can't she play a first lady?
but Anthony Hopkins, a British person, has play two different presidents before.

Or did you mean the Current First Lady?

then you have to realize unless it in a set period they keep president generic in order not to date the movie. Or did you have a problem with Morgan Freedman play a black president in deep impact?

betrayed

07-02-2009, 08:51 AM

I'd like to get your take on Michael Clarke Duncan playing the Kingpin in Daredevil. Was that stupid to you?

DeadXMan

07-02-2009, 10:11 AM

Or Sam Jackson as Nick Fury?

West Mantooth

07-02-2009, 12:09 PM

This is exciting!

Darth Joker

07-02-2009, 12:12 PM

SayOcean - I never watched Twilight, and I have almost zilch knowledge of it, by design. I heard enough really bad word of mouth on that film from close friends (real life and internet) to chose to avoid it.

Good point on slum dog, though.

ExtraEpidermis

07-02-2009, 12:18 PM

I'd like to get your take on Michael Clarke Duncan playing the Kingpin in Daredevil. Was that stupid to you?

I'm coming into this a little late so forgive me if I'm repeating somethings that's already been said.

I feel like that's not exactly the same thing because Daredevil and Iron Man had plenty of white actors. Young children of color, I use children because I'm assuming that's who this movie will be mainly targeted to, aren't given that many opportunities to relate to protagonists of colors in movie. Given Sokka and Katara's clear as day non white features in the cartoon (yeah they have blue eyes but I believe all water benders have blue eyes) I was expecting that to be reflected in the casting. Its not. The image someone posted earlier of the Sokka and Katara being played by two white actors and Zuko being played by an actor of color with the labels hero and villain IMO at least make me think that the cast really has been white washed.

SayOcean

07-02-2009, 12:46 PM

I'd like to get your take on Michael Clarke Duncan playing the Kingpin in Daredevil. Was that stupid to you?The whole daredevil movie was stupid to me....and yes i think if a character has been established as a certain color than why change that in the movie

Or Sam Jackson as Nick Fury?well i havent this sam jackson nick fury movie you speak of, but if its going along with the ultimate storyline i wouldnt have a problem with it.

Ocean I don't understand where you're coming with the "like kidmen playing the first lady" thing. is it cause She's Australian? She a good actress. Why can't she play a first lady?
but Anthony Hopkins, a British person, has play two different presidents before.

Or did you mean the Current First Lady?

then you have to realize unless it in a set period they keep president generic in order not to date the movie. Or did you have a problem with Morgan Freedman play a black president in deep impact?I never watched deep impact and yes I was saying how stupid it would be for Nichole kidman to play Michelle Obama...I dont care how good an actress she is....she wouldnt be able to convincingly pull it off.

I don't give a rats ass what race the actors are as long as it's a good movie.It couldnt be a good movie if the casting is all fucked up.....so your telling me out of the billions of people of asian descent they couldnt find a few for this movie....its fucking ridiculous its blatant white washing....and it sucks cause avater is a pretty good show, one of the only shows where the cast isnt fucking white

I'm coming into this a little late so forgive me if I'm repeating somethings that's already been said.

I feel like that's not exactly the same thing because Daredevil and Iron Man had plenty of white actors. Young children of color, I use children because I'm assuming that's who this movie will be mainly targeted to, aren't given that many opportunities to relate to protagonists of colors in movie. Given Sokka and Katara's clear as day non white features in the cartoon (yeah they have blue eyes but I believe all water benders have blue eyes) I was expecting that to be reflected in the casting. Its not. The image someone posted earlier of the Sokka and Katara being played by two white actors and Zuko being played by an actor of color with the labels hero and villain IMO at least make me think that the cast really has been white washed.thank you

Nate Grey

07-02-2009, 01:25 PM

The whole daredevil movie was stupid to me....and yes i think if a character has been established as a certain color than why change that in the movie

The director said he wanted Kingpin to be taller than the lead without any camera trickery. Ben Affleck is 6'3". That kinda tied his hands, and casting an unknown was out of the question. The only person taller than Ben with the brevity to pull off the role was Michael Clark Duncan. Whether the rest of the movie sucked or not is a matter of taste and up to the viewer, but that particular casting decision made sense and has been stated by the directer at various places over the net at the time. Including here at CBR.

I never watched deep impact and yes I was saying how stupid it would be for Nichole kidman to play Michelle Obama...I dont care how good an actress she is....she wouldnt be able to convincingly pull it off.

I think everyone would agree in that particular instance, but if the person is British and playing and a president for instance (like Hopkins did), it wouldn't make a difference long as they mask the accent. Not sure how that example is applicable, though, since the Avatar characters aren't real people and John Quincy Adams and Richard Nixon (the two presidents Hopkins played) are, as well as Michelle Obama if she were to ever be cast in a movie.

It couldnt be a good movie if the casting is all fucked up.....so your telling me out of the billions of people of asian descent they couldnt find a few for this movie....its fucking ridiculous its blatant white washing....and it sucks cause avater is a pretty good show, one of the only shows where the cast isnt fucking white

I understand it to a point, though I don't agree with it. Hollywood wants sure bets, and right now there aren't too many young Asian actors that are well known (I can't think of any, actually, but I'm sure they're out there). Rather than hedge their bets by casting young Asian unknowns, they're going for the more known white actors. I think it will backfire miserably, but that's the thought process they're using. I think its like a job that wants you to have experience as if you're born with experience. You have to start somewhere to get said experience. Casting unknowns in a movie like this could put THEM on the map and help out their careers tremendously. They could become names BECAUSE of this movie. But again, Hollywood doesn't like to take risks. That want surefire ways that they'll see their money back.

SayOcean

07-02-2009, 01:49 PM

[QUOTE]I think everyone would agree in that particular instance, but if the person is British and playing and a president for instance (like Hopkins did), it wouldn't make a difference long as they mask the accent. Not sure how that example is applicable, though, since the Avatar characters aren't real people and John Quincy Adams and Richard Nixon (the two presidents Hopkins played) are, as well as Michelle Obama if she were to ever be cast in a movie.
lol yeah but hopkins could pass for a british person, the actors playing sokka and katara could never pass as a non white minority....

I understand it to a point, though I don't agree with it. Hollywood wants sure bets, and right now there aren't too many young Asian actors that are well known (I can't think of any, actually, but I'm sure they're out there). Rather than hedge their bets by casting young Asian unknowns, they're going for the more known white actors. I think it will backfire miserably, but that's the thought process they're using. I think its like a job that wants you to have experience as if you're born with experience. You have to start somewhere to get said experience. Casting unknowns in a movie like this could put THEM on the map and help out their careers tremendously. They could become names BECAUSE of this movie. But again, Hollywood doesn't like to take risks. That want surefire ways that they'll see their money back.yeah but they cast the white kids of Narnia and that movie did pretty good......Harry Potter, again those kids hadnt been in anything and the movie did pretty good, i think its bullshit to say they wanted to hedge their bets so they cast white people for non white roles, I mean if they had put an asian or black person as frodo or any of the other leads nerds would be killing themselves

betrayed

07-02-2009, 01:56 PM

yeah but they cast the white kids of Narnia and that movie did pretty good......Harry Potter, again those kids hadnt been in anything and the movie did pretty good, i think its bullshit to say they wanted to hedge their bets so they cast white people for non white roles, I mean if they had put an asian or black person as frodo or any of the other leads nerds would be killing themselves

I don't think nerds would be killing themselves. You were given two examples of fiction where actors were cast in the roles of characters who were of a different ethnic background. Nerds didn't flip out over those, did they?

Also, let me throw a hypothetical at you. None of us know who was approached or who was at a casting call for this, but let's say that you have three actors for a role. One actor is clearly better than the other in the audition, etc. Should the skin color of that actor matter?

I agree the selection of the villain has a darker skinned actor certainly raises eyebrows, but to claim whitewashing, wouldn't you need more information about what actually happened during casting?

Legato

07-02-2009, 02:38 PM

I have to ask whats the point of getting all worked up over the casting to the point that you have to use swear words? Just dont watch the movie if you seel that strongly about the casting.

Legato

07-02-2009, 04:50 PM

The reason why Im not as upset about it as you are is because I would much rather be upset about the movie if the movie has a horrible script and directing to match the horrible script. As far as Avatar goes I dont care about race I only care if effort would be put in making it a good movie.

Dragonball Evolution was a bad movie but it has zero to do with it being a all white cast. The direction was lousy, the dialogue makes the movie look like a parody of Dragonball than a actual adaptation of it, and the Special Effects didn't do me no favors either

From what I have seen in the trailers it might do good and since the makers of Avatar is writing the movie my doubts would be at ease. Yet you seem to take this whole race issue extremly personally for some reason

SayOcean

07-02-2009, 04:54 PM

The Zapper

07-02-2009, 04:57 PM

As a minority if i feel that another minority is being passed up for a white person I take that personally......I guess it has to do with feeling less than all my other friends when i was a lil kid, and there wasnt any non white cartoon heroes on tv when i was lil and now that that there all they are making them white......

Just don't watch the movie then. No amount of whining is going to make the movie the way you want it to be made.

SayOcean

07-02-2009, 04:58 PM

Just don't watch the movie then. No amount of whining is going to make the movie the way you want it to be made.such is the nature of threads.....you bitching about me whining probably won't stop me from poasting.....so it's an endless loop

7thangel

07-02-2009, 06:23 PM

lol, wow.

i'm reading excuses 101 throughout this thread.

and of course the typical 'watch your tone' and other bs that goes with this

why bother?

thank god neil gaiman won't greenlit anansi boys due to the fuckery the studio's want to do with it, a la earthsea

Stony

07-02-2009, 09:19 PM

Keep it civil, please
Thank you

SayOcean

07-02-2009, 10:44 PM

Keep it civil, please
Thank you
what exactly is civil......is swearing considered uncivil????

or is caling people names for swearing uncivil

or is this whole thread completly uncivil

or is me actually quoting this uncivil

Legato

07-02-2009, 11:18 PM

what exactly is civil......is swearing considered uncivil????

or is caling people names for swearing uncivil

or is this whole thread completly uncivil

or is me actually quoting this uncivil

Your not helping yourself by getting in a argument with a mod man.

DeadXMan

07-02-2009, 11:22 PM

This whole system is out of order!

Hollywood makes sh*t
and We're advising all our clients to invest in Can foods and Shotgun shells.
:wink::

SayOcean

07-02-2009, 11:33 PM

Your not helping yourself by getting in a argument with a mod man.I wasnt jokeing man, i was just joking im sure the mod understood

DeadXMan

07-02-2009, 11:39 PM

Damn, ocean you'll mess the transmission hitting reverse that fast.:wink:

Wannabe

07-02-2009, 11:57 PM

I wasnt jokeing man, i was just joking im sure the mod understood

"I wasn't joking, I was just joking"?

Were you or weren't you? How can the mod understand if you can't even make up your mind?

Stony

07-03-2009, 04:16 AM

what exactly is civil......is swearing considered uncivil????

or is caling people names for swearing uncivil

or is this whole thread completly uncivil

or is me actually quoting this uncivil

1, 2 and 4

When in doubt: The Rules (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/announcement.php?f=38&a=149)

SayOcean

07-03-2009, 09:47 AM

"I wasn't joking, I was just joking"?

Were you or weren't you? How can the mod understand if you can't even make up your mind?oh well i was only kidding....i wasnt being serious

7thangel

07-03-2009, 02:46 PM

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z158/7th_angelz/bingo.jpg

DeadXMan

07-03-2009, 07:41 PM

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z158/7th_angelz/bingo.jpg

Ha! that kicks ass.

not as much as Braveheart if it had Ninjas, but good.

Andreas Tanis

07-03-2009, 10:26 PM

I really hope the action in this movie is as mindblowing as it was in the anime.

DeadXMan

07-03-2009, 10:39 PM

I really hope the action in this movie is as mindblowing as it was in the anime.

it's not an anime.

SayOcean

07-05-2009, 10:12 PM

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z158/7th_angelz/bingo.jpgwhen all else fails......post a picture???

7thangel

07-05-2009, 10:29 PM

when all else fails......post a picture???
when having to say the same thing over and over and get the same tired response for decades...yup. i have no desire to explain why the same old bs is effed up, i'm done explaining, teaching, defending and pointing out, i'm done.

i thought i wasn't, but i am.

so yeah, i'll post that picture especially because so many of the comments are found in it.

hell, i'll even post a link (http://derekkirkkim.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-day-in-politics-same-old-racist.html)

DeadXMan

07-06-2009, 10:29 PM

when all else fails......post a picture???

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/raggtyman/it%20tools/Oyeah_viv1.gif

The Xenos

07-18-2009, 04:10 PM

Well.. some new cast photos and a promo poster leaked...
http://www.bscreview.com/2009/07/mugshots-from-shyamalans-the-last-airbender/

Eh.. still does nothing for me. If anything Zuko's scar looks -a bit- better. Ang looks... grumpy. I know he gets sad a lot, whole people killed and all, but he was pretty cheerful when we first saw him.

And.. I'm not even touching on the race issue. Though I will say that they made the costumes look so generic. Hell, M Night was always all about color in his film, where the hell did it go in the costumes?! Water nation was blue and fire nation was red. Though the two images of those two in the poster do look spot on. Meanwhile the earth bender looks like a rejected shot of Nero from the new Star Trek.

The Xenos

07-18-2009, 04:13 PM

Oh wow... one thing just hit me.

They even made Zuko's scar more white.

SayOcean

07-19-2009, 01:10 PM

Oh wow... one thing just hit me.

They even made Zuko's scar more white.lol i know right....Dante Brasco could've been a good zuko

7thangel

07-30-2009, 01:49 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuUWP9JpRcE

Jettison

07-30-2009, 06:53 PM

i agree with that youtube.

Its bad casting....its unnecessary whitewashing.

The Zapper

07-30-2009, 07:41 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuUWP9JpRcE

I only made it half way threw, but damn, what a bunch of pissing and moaning.

Stony

08-01-2009, 08:18 PM

Keep it on topic please

Thank you

KiFF86

08-01-2009, 09:19 PM

They even made Zuko's scar more white.

THOSE RACIST BASTARD!!!!!1

(Changes in to a pair of ripped purple pants.)

Bryan G. Brown

08-02-2009, 02:11 PM

The Xenos

08-02-2009, 02:41 PM

I gotta say I liked parts of Dragonball but found it to be too repetitive with who's power is what now but to each their own. Sure, I don't mind a dash of power fantasty in a story but the whole thing just felt like too thinly veiled as simply a pissing contest.
Uuuuuh. I think you posted in the wrong thread. Meanwhile, DBZ was a shonen fighting book and that pissing contest is pretty standard for that genre. It's rather like pro-wrestling or a sports story. Not that that's inherently bad. What I saw of DBZ was neat. Plus I recognize some of those same tropes in some manga I like, like Battle Angel Alita which is right now in a space martial arts tournament.

Meanwhile, and to maybe bring it back to the topic, Avatar was a bit more than just fights. Though they certainly were quite epic. I'm sure the movie will be more than just fights,especially with this director. Hell, it might be a little too much in that direction and lose too much of the action. M Night has never done an action film or many action scenes.

Also, reports from another Airbender thread, maybe over in YABS, had some discouraging news from Kifu (sp?), the martial arts director of the series. He signed a non-disclosure form, but what he avoids saying says alot and it doesn't sound good.

Sighphi

08-02-2009, 04:13 PM

Kaos

08-03-2009, 10:55 AM

The trailer looks cool.

Andreas Tanis

08-04-2009, 08:49 AM

The trailer does indeed look cool, but I'm still not all that pumped for the movie. I guess it's just because I haven't really seen anything to make me believe this movie will be mind blowing.

DeadXMan

08-04-2009, 10:57 AM

The trailer does indeed look cool, but I'm still not all that pumped for the movie. I guess it's just because I haven't really seen anything to make me believe this movie will be mind blowing.

have they relesed a new trailer or just the teaser?

ddqfpluskick

08-11-2009, 08:12 AM

I mostly feel uneasy about the movie is that they are going to compress 20 episodes into a 1.5 to 2 hour movie. Either audience will get bored with the length of the movie or they'll be angry over the editing of book 1. In some ways I know we can skip episodes without hurting the genral plot. However, it makes me uneasy to find out what feel on the drawing room floor or what got mish mashed. Case in point is the introduction of Suki which took an entire episode. It make me ask how will she be introduced in this movie. Will it be good, bad, or completely uneeded. I think Avatar was a great show even if I had issues with some of it. So I guess everyone is just nervous to find out if they can catch lightening in a bottle again.

DeadXMan

12-13-2009, 07:08 PM

Avatar is not anime. it was written in the here and the shows were drawn in the east.

It's about as much anime as the simpsons

Flash's Lightning

12-14-2009, 01:45 PM

Avatar is not anime. it was written in the here and the shows were drawn in the east.

It's about as much anime as the simpsons

True, but it's anime-style at least, so you can see where the confusion would come in.

Toonimator

12-14-2009, 02:32 PM

Reminds me of some of the better cartoons I grew up with.
It's probably a LOT better than some of the better cartoons you grew up with.

The trailer I've seen looks interesting. With the cartoon being as good as it is, the movie's got its work cut out for it...

The Xenos

12-15-2009, 08:07 AM

True, but it's anime-style at least, so you can see where the confusion would come in. See. I nipick this. What is 'anime style'? I think it's nothing more than a stereotype. Funny. We used to stereotype that all Japanese people looked the same with their slant eyes. Now we stereotype that all their cartoons and artists styles look the same with their big eyes.

DeadXMan

12-15-2009, 11:09 AM

which is wierd cause the big eyes came from the west a la betty boop

Toonimator

12-15-2009, 12:37 PM

See. I nipick this. What is 'anime style'? I think it's nothing more than a stereotype. Funny. We used to stereotype that all Japanese people looked the same with their slant eyes. Now we stereotype that all their cartoons and artists styles look the same with their big eyes.
"Anime" refers to Japanese animation, which encompasses a VERY wide variety of styles.

However, there's also stylistic tendencies, ways gags are portrayed, ways action is portrayed, etc that show up in a lot of anime properties... especially those that make their way to the US. So a lot of those stylistic quirks are just called "anime-style". In that respect, Last Airbender IS anime-style. I think that was even one of the motives behind the series, make an American 'anime'-epic story that actually has an ending like many Japanese shows do, unlike so many American action cartoons (that may have a sequential story, but no real 'end' in mind). With that comes the 'shorthand' anime quirks (could be wrong, but didn't a lot of those originate in manga? Or was it the other way around?)

In any case... shows like Avatar & Teen Titans Go use a lot of that stuff, which is pretty much enough to classify them as 'anime-style'