DISQUS

8Asians.com: 21: Based On Real Life (without all those Asian kids)

  • Ernie · 2 years ago
    OK, OK. I just saw the trailer a second time and it said "INSPIRED BY a true story" instead of "BASED on a true story," thus allowing a lot more, uhm, "creative interpretation." But still, my point stands.
  • jozjozjoz · 2 years ago
    8Asians... INSPIRED by _______... ???
  • Obi · 2 years ago
    Isn't that the case.

    The same case with U-571. The Americans supposedly captured the Enigma decoder during World War 2.

    Hollywood rewriting events.
  • Jesse! · 2 years ago
    Ernie, don't wuss out on this one. Don't give in to fucking BS caveats of "based on" version "is". FUCK HOLLYWOOD. I mean that is just FUCKED UP. The racial money shot is here:

    During the talk, Mezrich mentioned the stereotypical Hollywood casting process — though most of the actual blackjack team was composed of Asian males, a studio executive involved in the casting process said that most of the film’s actors would be white, with perhaps an Asian female.

    Yes, cuz we've never seen white guys and Asian women before, so cutting edge.

    In words of AngryAsianMan,

    That's racist!
  • John · 2 years ago
    I'm with Jesse on this one!
  • Marge · 2 years ago
    Whitey's bringin' us down, man!
  • Obi · 2 years ago
    The film industry doesn't seem to have changed; since they cast David Carradine in Kung Fu.

    If they were thinking of box office receipts, there are enough Asians who would make it a success.
  • Sophia · 1 year ago
    As an Asian-am that graduated from MIT, I can say there are lots of hot asian-ams that could've been cast for this...

    Kevin Spacey, why didn't you do it right?
    white male casting dude, why didn't you do it right?
    we should protest or slightly protest...

    Sophia
  • Sophia · 1 year ago
    and it would have been a chance to give a bunch of Asian-ams a chance at the screen!
  • Sophia · 1 year ago
    here's the MIT story on it
    http://www-tech.mit.edu/V127/N21/blackjack.html

    Jefferey K. Ma ’94, one of the actual members of the famous MIT Blackjack Team and the protagonist model in Mezrich’s book, visited the set both in Boston and Las Vegas. In fact, the crew decided to have him star as a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas in the film. “It is pretty ironic that he is playing this extra role,” according to Cid Swank, the spokesperson for the movie. “People who recognize him will notice this when they see him in the movie.”
  • Krantzstone · 1 year ago
    It would be nice to see more actors of Asian descent to star in movies, TV shows, etc. coming out of Hollywood.

    I remember growing up experiencing a mass media world largely devoid of actors of Asian descent. I think it's important for people of all ethnicities to be able to grow up seeing themselves (or people who look like them) reflected in the media, not just as stereotypes but as real people.

    This news is very disappointing, if for no other reason that it goes contrary to the facts as they actually occurred, but also because I'd like to see some portrayals of Asians in media apart from nerds or martial artists. Although I guess if you go to MIT you're technically a nerd. ;)
  • Raj · 1 year ago
    Pollsters tell Hollywood execs that racist white Americans wont like too many non-white faces in a movie. The same pollsters tell me that Barrack Obama has a good chance of becoming President of a majority racist white America. Something is wrong with this picture. If A is preferred to B and B to C, A would be preferred to C. Either the white American public is racist which means they wont want to watch an all Asian cast which means Obama has no chance of winning..or the public is not racist. Which one is it? I am pretty confused.
  • Farhad · 1 year ago
    When it comes to making fun of asians it is somehow very easy for hollywood to find asians actors.

    When it is to find for a positive roles it is somehow hard for them to find asian actors.

    If their casting depends on viewers then it means the people are racist. People love to watch asians getting their asses kicked and mocked. People hate watching movies where asian guy kicks ass and kisses a white woman. They love watching white man being the leader in all scenes.