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ogcassiopeia · 4 years

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This is a rant and I apologize if I am coming off strong in the following unorganized mess...but I had to get this off my chest.

So I went onto the TVXQ hashtag on Twitter, as I sometimes do, to catch up on the most recent news about TVXQ/Tohoshinki and came across a little thread that got me…perturbed.

In the original post, some B*S fan was raving about B*S’ top sales numbers for their recent album in Japan, putting B*S in the number one spot on the “Top Selling Foreign Artist Album” list, and pushing Tohoshinki’s 2010 “Best Selection” album down a notch to number two. This fan is exclaiming that B*S has now beaten Tohoshinki, destroyed their records in Japan and are more popular than Tohoshinki in Japan and worldwide.

I do not have a Twitter because I do not like fandom drama…I never have. I don’t have any desire to be a part of it. BUT….BUT….I will want to say something if I feel like TVXQ/Tohoshinki are being disrespected and/or the wrong facts are being spread because I want to ensure the legacy of TVXQ/Tohoshinki remains in-tact. I have been a Cassiopeia/BigEast since TVXQ’s debut, I have gone through the highs and lows of fandom, I watched everything seemingly fall apart in 2009-2010….so I am not here to watch newer kpop fans bash all the groups that were successful prior to their knowledge of the industry.

ANYWAY.

So here I go, putting my two cents here…where no one will read it but WHAT-FUCKING-EVER…what do I have to lose?

Just a little background context on me so that you know why I feel I can speak about these things as honestly as I am right now: I have loved Japan and Japanese culture since I was a child. I have been surrounded by and involved in learning about the Japanese culture since I was younger than 8 years old. I have studied Japanese language for 10 years. I lived in Japan for 2 years. I still work directly with Japanese exchange students on a daily basis and have connections in the BigEast fanclub. Of course, I am not Japanese but I think I know enough to say what I feel about Tohoshinki’s popularity and influence in Japan.

1. Tohoshinki built themselves from the ground up in Japan starting in 2005. They learned Japanese fluently, practiced cultural sensitivity and embraced the fact that they would have to work hard to achieve success. So when you say that Tohoshinki are irrelevant and/or not worthy of the fame they have now, it is incredibly insulting.

2. TVXQ/Tohoshinki may not have expanded their popularity into the West, but they were the second successful kpop act (following BoA) to gain incredible success in Japan, which is the second largest music industry in the world. Just because B*S is famous in Western countries, it doesn’t mean they are the best kpop group out there, nor does it mean they are all that accepted by the general audience in Japan.

3. TVXQ have filled arenas and stadiums all over Japan and have sold more concert tickets than any other foreign artist. They sold out three days in Nissan Stadium (for multiple tours) in under 5 minutes. They’ve sold out tickets during every tour. SOLD OUT. This means they fill to capacity every theatre, concert hall, arena, and stadium every single year. Overall they have sold nearly 2.5 million tickets to their concerts and that number is just a low estimate. They are popular in Japan and believe me…I’ve been to two of their Japan concerts IN JAPAN….TOHOSHINKI ARE HUGELY POPULAR.

4. Again, I lived in Japan for two years and again, I went to two of their Japanese concerts. One in Tokyo and one in Nagoya. TOHOSHINKI ARE VERY VERY VERY POPULAR IN JAPAN. When their “With” tour came through Nagoya, their faces were fucking everywhere. Posters plastered in train stations, on buses and inside trains….their music blasted in the shopping malls and in the downtown district, their tour trucks roaming around the city getting people hyped with their latest single. All the CD and music stores put out Tohoshinki displays and fans were dressed in red all over the city. The concert itself was full of people of all ages, in front of me there was a line of high school girls and behind me were some old grannies and a few fanboys.

5. Just to fully get you to grasp how popular they are in Japan: Tohoshinki are respected as a jpop group…not just a kpop group that makes Japanese music. They are jpop. To have that consideration given to you in Japan is a FEAT! Tohoshinki is consistently rated as one of the BEST groups, alongside legendary jpop groups such as Arashi, EXILE and Kat-tun. Arashi members have specifically stated how much they “adore and respect” Tohoshinki and think that HoMin are two of the kindest, hardest working guys in the business. THAT KIND OF SHIT DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN Y’ALL.

6. At the Japan Gold Disc Awards, Tohoshinki has won 16 times for various different categories, including Best Asian Artist, Best Asian Album and Album of the Year. At the Billboard Japan Awards, Tohoshinki won Top Pop Artist in 2012 and was nominated in the same category in 2013.

7. I am not going to sit here and say that B*S isn’t popular at all in Japan or in the West, because OBVIOUSLY that isn’t true. But I do not believe they are popular in the same vein as Tohoshinki. Japan is riding this same wave of kpop interest that the West has been on. Anything that gets popular in America will usually become popular in Japan a little later (with some exceptions of course). The same kind of shit happened with Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars….they got famous in America and about half a year to a year later, they gained popularity in Japan.

8. I am also not going to sit here and say that B*S isn’t talented and doesn’t deserve the success. They are talented and I am happy they are expanding the reach of kpop internationally, especially in the West. This does not give their fans the right to bash the groups that laid down the foundation their biases are now walking on. BoA and TVXQ/Tohoshinki walked in Japan so that B*S could run. Same with how I feel all other kpop groups are going to now try and follow the path B*S has set for Western expansion.

Ultimately, the final word here is this: DON’T BASH ANOTHER GROUP, ESPECIALLY A SENIOR GROUP, TO MAKE YOUR GROUP LOOK OR SEEM SUPERIOR. Especially with false facts.

I am not sitting here bashing B*S to make TVXQ/Tohoshinki look better. I could, since I have had so many bad experiences with fans of this group…but I won’t because I am trying to be nice here.

Without Seo Taiji and the Boys, Shinhwa wouldn’t have existed. Without BoA, Chungha and Sunmi wouldn’t exist. Without Shinhwa, TVXQ wouldn’t have existed. Without TVXQ, B*S wouldn’t have existed. It’s just how the system works. Each have built off of the other. All are influenced by each other. Also, B*S has the luxury of having the world more open to them to expand than any of the groups in the 2nd Generation of kpop. Back when TVXQ debuted (2003-2004), expanding in the West wasn’t even considered an option.

TVXQ has worked too hard and too long for this kind of shit.

You do not have to like TVXQ because they are “old/irrelevant” to you or whatever, but dear good god, at least show a fucking sliver of respect.

#personal #rant #kpop rant #kpop twitter is so angering sometimes #tvxq #tohoshinki #all i want is to enjoy my kpop in peace #i will shut up now #thank you for reading this far

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nikitasbt · 5 years

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The Assassin (刺客聶隱娘, 2015): the quintessence of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s visual style

The journey of Taiwanese New Wave director and a living god of Oriental cinema Hou Hsiao-Hsien has been very long and hopefully, it is not over yet. There were many rumors on his new film starring Shu Qi, though it is not confirmed if a 72-years-old master would release it or not. Till date, his latest film is The Assassin (2015) which became another feature receiving mixed reviews in his home country Taiwan and becoming quite acclaimed in Europe. The film had brought Hou Hsiao-Hsien the award for Best Director at Cannes Film Festival, his second reward at Cannes.

According to Hou Hsian-Hsien himself, the modern audience in Taiwan has been changing a lot during the last years with the further expansion of the Internet. His films have always been not for farm obscurity in Taiwan, as the viewers there still watch Hollywood films of a different sort. Now it is even more challenging for Hou to entertain the viewers, and it seems like The Assassin was doomed to be praised only in Europe. We can't say the film is not dramatic, but it requires utmost attention towards aesthetics, patience, and full immersion into the visuality of the world created by Hou Hsian-Hsien. You can't skip anything, and The Assassin is sort of enchantment you fall under. Unfortunately, such spells might be unable to penetrate many viewers, yet it doesn't make the film of Hou less vivacious.

The Assassin is based on a plot revolving around the outstanding professional assassin Nie Yinniang and adapts for the screen the ninth-century Chinese story written by Pei Xing. The girl was betrayed by her family and sent to the monastery high in the hills to be brought up. From the age of ten, Yinniang was raised by nuns in exile and trained to become an assassin. She slays the victims assassinating different officials and big-wigs. Yinniang is impeccable in her skills, but her heart doesn't allow to execute some killings she considers dishonorable. In order to test Yinniang's spirit and resolve, her superior gives her the task to kill Yinniang's own cousin Tian Ji'an (portrayed by Chang Chen) who also used to be betrothed to her. She hasn't gotten over the feelings to him, as we learn later. Moreover, the family drama had deeply affected her being, and the assassins’ wounds don’t get healed with the years passing by. While encountering Tian Ji’an, she also meets his wife, concubine, father, other assassins and many other extra characters forming the story. In short words, the plot is all about Yinniang's inner fight between the resolve to follow the orders and her heart's desire to contradict them. However, the way Hou delivers the story is very mysterious and not quite clear, so many viewers might be confused. It doesn’t bother the director so much, as the plot is not a thing of drastic importance in The Assassin.

Commonly for Hou, the plot of the film is not something the viewers would be really paying attention at. Just like for example in Shanghai Flowers or A City of Sadness there is nothing much going on, in terms of action. The Assassin is de-facto a wuxia film, but there are very few instances where the characters cross their weapons. These scenes don't stand out in the beauty of combat but come up to emphasize the drama. But the real action is missing, and this is Hou's intention. The majority of viewers would try to follow this simple plot for the first 20-30 minutes and then they are to decide whether to immerse fully into the visual sophistication of The Assassin or to give it up.

The visuality and imagery of The Assassin are on the highest peaks of Hou's style development. It's hardly unlikely you would find so many vivid and sophisticated landscapes depicted in such manner in other films. The way Hou shows them is hard to describe as these landscapers swamp your mind and immerse into the old times you can really feel and taste. This is realistic and beautiful as in the epic legend at the same time. The work on decorations is absolutely impeccable. It reminds of Shanghai Flowers very much, but this time all props are even more tense, bright and gorgeous. There are very few locations in the film, but both nature spots and buildings are made in a perfect way emphasizing the significance of every littlest thing. The design of costumes is also just classy - watching Yinniang wearing her black outfits and her hair is one-of-a-kind experience leaving you enthralled and mesmerized.

As I already mentioned, the film falls short in the narrative part, and we just need to ignore the concept of domination of the narration in the cinema. The only way to watch The Assassin is to let the stream carry you wherever it goes and to observe every detail. The pace of the film is extremely slow and hypnotic, this is the real example of Oriental arthouse where the visual delights overwhelm all other parts of the film. However, it is very different from those Asian wuxia films that became very popular in the United States. Unlike those films, The Assassin is not really moving and it doesn't give a glimpse into "bizarre Asian culture" and crazy sword fights with wild visual effects. Hou’s film would fascinate those who are already deep into Oriental romance, drama, and culture. Hou Hsiao-Hsien is not against editing, but we see that he still employes slow dramatic close-ups and long takes to avoid too much of montage. The camera work is never frenetic. Camera sashays with tremendous grace, slowly immersing the viewers into the boundless of The Assassin. It feels like the time had stopped, as Hou's camera reveal this adorable dream.

Shu Qi's role of Yinniang is worth mentioning in separate articles and passages. A haunting and mysterious assassin would say only a few words when the film opens. The next time we hear Yinniang talking would be somewhere at the second hour of the run. Her role doesn't presume many expressions, as she lacks emotions. This illustrates the battle inside the protagonist. Many viewers might be alienated by the fact that her face doesn't change often, but there is something magical and enigmatic about her look emphasizing this Oriental drama. Shu Qi is wrapped into the beauty of The Assassin’s costumes, decorations, landscapes, diversity of bright colours and stunning images, yet everything revolves around her, and she is able to be perfect till the very end where she slowly walks away during the ending credits. Perhaps, it was a difficult work for Chang Chen to play his part as he is completely overshadowed by Shu Qi in her most exuberant and memorable role in the cinema so far.

To sum up, The Assassin is a truly Oriental romance many viewers would find dull and slow. From the other hand, for those who enjoy the boundless dimensions of the Oriental world's sophistication and mood, The Assassin would be an unforgettable delight. The film lacks a coherent narrative part, but it is extremely beautiful. It entertains with sublime visual methods of Hou Hsiao-Hsien and kills with the performance of Shu Qi playing this haunting and alluring assassin Yinniang. Once again, Hou decided to rely upon visuality, and this is a challenge the Taiwanese New Wave master accepts. He encounters the world of modern cinema where the film has to come up with moving action and call upon the similar instincts and predilection of the audience raised on the Hollywood rubbish and clips where you can always skip half or even more without losing anything. Hou Hsiao-Hsien keeps making his films against all odds, despite some adjustments. His style remains unique, and the beauty of The Assassin is worth millions of faceless features. The Assassin is another great achievement of his career and one of the best modern Oriental films I have seen.

#hou hsiao-hsien #刺客聶隱娘 #Taiwanese New Wave #taiwanese cinema #shu qi #林立慧 #Chang Chen

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viralnewstime · 5 years

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Donald Glover started out as a stand-up and sketch comic before nabbing a writing gig on 30 Rock. This led to a starring role on adored sitcom, Community, and the creation of his own comedy-drama, Atlanta. In recent years, his work as Childish Gambino has started to take primacy.

Gambino co-headlined this year’s Coachella, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. He started uploading music as far back as 2008 and his early releases copped a critical flogging. Whether or not he was paying attention, he displayed eagerness to grow with the times and his output’s continually improved.

There hasn’t been much consistency as far as his stylistic identity’s concerned, however. He’s tried on the guise of a lady killing, rhyme-spitting hardman and a Drake-aping pop-hopper. He had a go at being a psych-funk crooner before popping a wheelie on the zeitgeist with a combination of political urgency and untouchable cool.

Here’s a look at the twists and turns of his back catalogue.

1. Backpackers, Camp (2011)

Gambino’s early records can loosely be labelled comedy rap. Though, his 2011 studio debut, Camp, is as cringe-worthy as it is funny. You could argue Glover was adopting a larger than life, grotesque rap character on songs like ‘Backpackers’, but that doesn’t redeem lines like, “I got a girl on my arm, dude, show respect / Something crazy and Asian, Virginia Tech.”

The body text grapples with being perceived as too white for the OG hip hop crowd and too black for the indie kids. It’s an attempt at finding his place in hip hop in defiance of backpackers – i.e. people who’ll cut him down for not making “real” hip hop.

2. You See Me, Camp (2011)

Another example of Camp’s slippery slide into faux pas, ‘You See Me’ finds Glover fetishising Asian women. A lot of the lyrics are blatantly tongue in cheek, like this passage from the verse one: “I'm amazing, I'm a phenom / I'm assassin, I'ma kill y'all / I'ma say ma ma sa, ma ma ma coo sa / And this shit's closed now ’cause I ball too hard / And I'm coming on her face, have I gone too far?”

It’s not exactly ground-breaking lyricism, but there’s at least a glimmer of self-awareness. Aside from revealing Gambino’s clumsy growing pains, the song’s worth revisiting for its final verse – an assertion of superiority that displays his genuine chops as a rapper.

3. The worst guys (ft. Chance the Rapper), Because the internet (2013)

Because the internet arrived less than two years after Camp, but you could already sense Glover was keen to put his debut behind him. His second full-length features guest spots by Azealia Banks, Jhené Aiko, Thundercat, and Chance the Rapper on the coasting ‘the worst guys’. Chance wasn’t yet a huge star and his contribution is limited to the echoing Gambino on the, “All she needed was some,” hook. But the mood of the song is in tune with Chance’s gladdening signature.

4. 3005, Because the internet (2013)

Gambino and regular producer Ludwig Göransson brought in Chicago beatmaker Stefan Ponce to enhance the earworm quality of Because the internet’s lead single, ‘3005’. The radio friendly number contains some sincere musing on being abandoned by loved ones and Gambino’s brewing insecurity that “nobody out here's got it figured out / So therefore I've lost all hope of a happy ending.”

5. Sober, Kauai (2014)

As you might expect, there’s often a multi-media aspect to Glover’s releases. ‘Sober’, from 2014’s Kauai EP, is an anodyne R&B number with a filthy, Prince-inspired breakdown. It’s nice, but unchallenging. The video, however, features Glover desperately vying for the attention of an innocent woman waiting for her meal in an otherwise empty diner. He gives it all he’s got on the dancefloor and she gradually shows amusement, but leaves as soon as her food arrives – a more satisfying ending than the formulaic head-over-heels response.

6. Me and Your Mama, “Awaken, My Love!” (2016)

After half a dozen years torn between emulating Kanye, Drake or Tyler, Glover came up with a better idea – P-Funk worship with a dash of Prince. 2016’s “Awaken, My Love!” was a sharp left turn few could have predicted, but it was Gambino’s most organic sounding effort to date. The album’s theatrical opening number ‘Me and Your Mama’ is a desperate love song. It introduces us to the falsetto and dripping wet guitar that plays a major role in the coming events. The stereo panning of bass and guitar is a nice touch, adding to the vintage feel.

7. Have Some Love, “Awaken, My Love!” (2016)

“Awaken, My Love!” doesn’t just evoke shades of George Clinton’s oeuvre – the song ‘Riot’ contains a sample of Funkadelic’s ‘Good to Your Earhole’. But the most blatant rip is ‘Have Some Love’, which strongly recalls Maggot Brain’s ‘Can You Get To That’. Should this offend us? Perhaps, but ‘Have Some Love’ is also a heck of a lot of fun. It’s led by an uplifting group vocal instructing that we “Have a word for your brother / Have some time for one another / Really love one another / It's so hard to find.”

8. Redbone, “Awaken, My Love!” (2016)

Before the chart topping, Grammy winning glory of ‘This Is America’, ‘Redbone’ was Gambino’s signature song. And nowhere was it more successful than in Australia, placing fifth in the Hottest 100 of 2016. It sustains the P.Funk vibes, specifically referencing Bootsy Collins’ ‘I'd Rather Be With You’.

The lyrics draw attention to the threat of relationship infidelity, but the “stay woke” hook could be read as a commentary on Gambino’s artistic evolution – saying goodbye to the tactlessness of his earlier persona.

9. This Is America, Single (2018)

After years of latching onto movements and engaging in stylistic cosplay, Gambino set the internet on fire with ‘This Is America’. It was his time to call the shots and reconfigure the zeitgeist. The song is coupled with a stark, satirical video, but it stands up just fine on its own. Gambino heavily references trap music and employs the backing vocals of Atlanta associate, Young Thug. The song – which looks at issues of race and gun violence – hit number one in the US charts and won four Grammys.

10. Feels Like Summer, Summer Pack (2018)

Any attempts at creating ‘This Is America’ part two would’ve been futile and Glover switched tone and aesthetic on the two song follow-up release, Summer Pack. ‘Feels Like Summer’ bears closer resemblance to Gambino’s Coachella co-headliners Tame Impala than his previous single. It’s light on its feet and awash with tripped out synths, but the political consciousness remains as Glover’s lyrics address overpopulation, climate change and species extinction.

In an interview with the New Yorker Glover said, “I don’t know if humanity is worth it, or if we’re going to make it.” In light of this, ‘Feels Like Summer’ could be viewed as a statement of existential concern or a reflection of Glover’s wistful ambivalence.

–

Childish Gambino returns to Australia this July for Splendour In The Grass and a handful of sideshows. See details here.

The post Childish Gambino: 10 Essential Tracks appeared first on Music Feeds.

from Music Feeds http://bit.ly/2DYj6S4

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arts-culture-honours-programme · 6 years

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#OscarsSoWhite #WhoisToBlame

A refreshing inside on the continuous issue of minority representation within the academy awards and beyond

What the... Oscar is wrong with the academy awards? From Leonardo DiCaprio who forever seemed to remain Oscarless, to woman hastagging Me-too as result of sexual intimidation to the ongoing debate on the lack of ethnic minority nominations. The #OscarSowhite first appeared in 2015 when, as a reaction to all white nominations in the top Oscar Award categories, one citizen turned to twitter, tweeting:

The following year when the list of nominees portrayed a similar lack of minorities nominated for an Oscar, several actors and directors decided to boycott the annual academy awards (Cox, 2016). This year the awards did however, after a quick “envelope snafu” (Gray, 2017, p. 1), have the coming-of-age drama about a gay black man, Moonlight, win the Oscar for Best picture. Still the question remains whether this shattered a glass ceiling for ethnic minority directors, actors and films (Gray, 2017)

In the heat of this debate, On the one hand, the highly feasible ‘academy’ and its “colour-blind” (Rodriguez, 2006, p. 645), mostly white organizational structure is often addressed to as the Evil-doer. However, on the other hand looking at what the Academy awards are a representation of: the film industry, one may argue that the industries occupational careers, predominantly occupied by white man, and the markets “whitewashing” (Lowrey, 2016, p.1), is what leads to disadvantages in opportunities for racial/ethnic minorities. This post revives the ongoing trend of racial and ethnic representation in the film industry & academy awards commenting on the effects of colour-blindness within the organization of the Academy, the industries “social & symbolic boundaries” (Lamont, Molnar, 2002, p. 2 & 3) as well as the whitewashing of film in general. Not to mention the role of the critical/ biased audience in the issue of diversity. In order to get an inside in #whosis/aretoblame for the #Oscarsowhite and finally propose the possible first steps into solving the problem.

In the mist of the 2016th Academy award show La times published an article on the Unmasking of the Oscars arguing that there is an overwhelmingly unequal proportion of white male members in relation to those from a minority (Horn, Sperling, & Smith, 2012). Since 2012 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is mostly white (94 percent) and predominantly male (77 percent) (Horn, Sperling, & Smith, 2012). At that time, black members only accounted for just 3 percent of the group (Williams, Rosen, & Dvalidze, 2015). From an abstract liberalist perspective this lack of diversity, grounded in the Organizational structure (membership list), would have no effect on those who are nominated for opportunity has no colour (Rodriguez, 2006). Besides this, from a quote by Frank Pierson it appears that ethnic and racial matters within the academy are to a certain extent naturalized as he argues “We represent the professional filmmakers, and if that doesn't reflect the general population, so be it," (as cited in Horn, Sperling, & Smith, 2012) withholding any argument incorporating racial or ethnic differences (Rodriguez, 2006). Rodriguez (2016) describes how the above-mentioned sayings are part of a colour-blind ideology emphasizing a perceived equality between racial and ethnic groups despite unequal social locations and varying histories. By claiming that success knows no culture the white dominated academy ‘marks’ themselves as “cultureless” (Perry, 2001, p. 57). I purposely say mark because even unintentionally culturelessness can become a mean to white racial superiority (Perry, 2001)

A solution making sure Academy members avoid marking themselves as cultureless would be easy; simply invite more ethnic minority actors, directors, filmmakers etc. into their voting systems. Unfortunately, this is, as the Oscars uphold a prestige position within the movie industry, not so easy (Williams, Rosen, & Dvalidze, 2015). From the official Oscar website, it appears that becoming a member you must either be sponsored by two current academy members from within their own branch, or be nominated for an Oscar, which automatically puts them up for membership consideration (“academy membership”, 2017). These requirements form both a symbolic boundary; ethnic minority actors, directors etc. who feel unwelcome within the voting sphere of the Academy, as well as an objectified boundary; manifested in their unequal access to and unequal distribution of roles within the voting academy (Lamont, Molnar, 2002) It seems that as long as the current academy voters do not vote for more diversity these boundaries remain persistent. yet nonetheless, an analysis by the Economist (2016) suggests that voter prejudice is not the sole reason for social boundaries. As minority actors have secured only 15 % of the top roles the Academy’s choices remain limited. (“How racially skewed are the Oscars?”, 2016)

“If the industry as a whole is not doing a great job in opening up its ranks, it's very hard for us to diversify our membership." – writer-director, Phil Alden Robinson (as cited in Horn, Sperling, & Smith, 2012)

From the quote by Robinson it appears that social and symbolic boundaries are also visible in the film industry at large (Lamont, Molnar, 2002). From a historical context it’s found that when post war America had tried to assimilate native Americans into American culture but failed to offer an equal position, the upcoming movie industry knew a similar process failing to include the society at large (Magnien, 1973). From history, onwards this white ideal has led to today’s whitewashing of the movie industry (“BBC Interviews Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen on Whitewashing”, 2017). Whitewashing is the practice of erasing people of color commonly with a white actor replacing a minority actor, or the other way around (Lowrey, 2016). Those in favour of non-white actors and actresses playing Asian or African kings and pirates, argue that the industry “simply choses the best” (Lowrey, 2016, p. 4) regardless of their ethnicity. Besides that, financial uncertainty causes director and producer to choose star power over risking to lose their audience to unknown minorities (Lowrey, 2016). These are all excuses according to Dr. Nancy Yueng who, in her book Reel inequality, comments on the lasting problem of whitewashing in the movie industry. In an interview with the BBC commenting on the recent movie cancelling of actor Ed Skrein after receiving criticism for being cast for an originally Asian role, he asks Yueng: haven’t we not passed the white washing? (“BBC Interviews Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen on Whitewashing”, 2017) No, Yueng responds. saying that “Hollywood isn’t just there yet” (as cited in “BBC Interviews Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen on Whitewashing”, 2017) due to their risk adverse behaviour (“BBC Interviews Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen on Whitewashing”, 2017). An example of this can be found in how, casting calls often call for “Caucasian or any other ethnicity” (Lowrey, 2016, p.4), marking any ‘other ethnicity’ as the odd ones out, is simultaneously preferring the unmarked category of the ‘Caucasian’ (Brekhus, 1998). As a result of marking ethnic minorities are often typecast in particular roles. For example, black actors who are type casted into ghetto roles, characterized by an alternative speech (Yueng, 2010). These type castings again limit the reach of ethnic or racial minority cultural practioners, but why?

Although only being small part in the production process is the audience demands, it is worth mentioning that looking at the cognitive behaviour of the audience, it becomes clear that a reason for the industry her whitewashing and typecasting can be found in the fact that even “America’s minority audiences watch the movies that ignore them” (Cox, 2016, p.1). The audience, critical demand for a more diversified industry is in immediate contrast to what we buy our tickets for (Cox, 2016). When looking ate Griswold’s “Cultural diamond” (“Diagrams of Theory: Griswold's Cultural Diamond”, n.d, p.1) it seems that consumer demands influence cultural producers but cultural producers also influence consumer demands creating a virtuous circle (see figure 1.1). So as long as America needs the motion picture business, and the motion picture business needs the United States audience, ethnic minorities are stuck in the typecasting roles that have brought the audience commercial success and the audience viewing pleasure (Magnien, 1973). In order to break this circle solutions must be found both from within as well as from the outside.

Luckily, today, audience demands are influenced by changing demographics, where people are growing up in more diverse environments and want to see people that represent themselves and where they come from. (“BBC Interviews Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen on Whitewashing”, 2017). This is in line with what McCarthy (2016) describes as searching for the real authentic experience. The industries reaction to this upcoming trend would in contrast to the whitewashing of film, cast more people of color for roles written for them in order to achieve the ‘real’ dimension of the film and generate the authentic experience. As the ongoing debate from the outside the industry has already revised conventional patterns of markedness, by bringing the lack of ethnic minority representation within the film industry to the foreground (Brekhus, 1998). Brekhus (1998) argues that from within, marking everything, filling in all the shades of social continua, there can no longer be a distinction made between cultural practioners from different ethnic backgrounds. This can only be achieved however through the further ornamentation not only of the unmarked centre but of the interior segments of the poles that fall below a visible threshold of markedness (Berkhus, 1998). no longer distinguishing between ‘causation’ and ‘other ethnicities’ on their calling sheet will only affect ethnic minority inclusion once the choice is no longer effected white predjudice. As far as for the academy, as they are eventually choosing the best and the “professional” (as cited in Horn, Sperling, & Smith, 2012) in doing so it is however important to not ignore but incorporate the unequal positions of actors, directors and filmmakers within the industry instead.

All in all, answering the question of who is to blame for the Oscars being so white it is difficult to point fingers into one direction. Although we may to some extent speak of increasing cultural awareness within the field, the vicious circle which entails how the academy’s colour-blindness might be a reflection of the industry’s easily replacing of an actor with color for a white actor in order to be certain of their market success, is still persistent as the debate continuous to exists. The question remains whether the future will ever know the hashtag of #Oscarssoinclusive. And Even when, in the search of authentic as well as raising cultural awareness, marking everything, will lead to a more diversified movie industry and more ethnic minority representational in the nominations, we must quickly move onto the next issue because hey, what would the Oscars be without a little scandal?

By Bente Lutteke

Bibliography

Academy Membership. (2017, October 13). Retrieved October 29, 2017, from http://www.oscars.org/about/join-academy

“BBC Interviews Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen on Whitewashing”. (2017, August 29). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIp9a0LkbE4

Brekhus, Wayne. 1998. A sociology of the unmarked. Sociological Theory 16 (1): 34-51.

Cox, D. (2016, February 26). What #OscarsSoWhite got right – and wrong. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/25/oscarssowhite-right-and-wrong-academy-awards-audience

Diagrams of Theory: Griswold's Cultural Diamond. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://www.dustinstoltz.com/blog/2016/12/30/diagrams-of-theory-griswolds-cultural-diamond

Gray, T. (2017, October 26). Oscars: Why Wrong-Envelope Snafu Sets the Tone for the New No-Rules, No-Logic Race. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://variety.com/2017/film/news/2018-oscars-wrong-envelope-snafu-1202598359/

Hancock, B.H. 2008. “Put a little color on that!” Sociological Perspectives 51 (4): 783-802.

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How racially skewed are the Oscars? (2016, January 21). Retrieved October 29, 2017, from https://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2016/01/film-and-race

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houstonlocalus-blog · 7 years

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“Okja” & “The Beguiled”

In the movie The Hero, Nick Offerman tells Sam Elliot that he doesn’t like to hear other people talk about their dreams. Elliott asks Offerman if he likes movies. Because movies are other people’s dreams.

A couple of films available this week could very well put the viewer in a dream state.

The Beguiled beckons those seeking a gothic psychodrama while Okja literally defies easy description. One film will be available to Houston audiences at select theatrical venues while the other will be streaming on the interweb.

It’s not likely that the average adventurous moviegoer has seen the 1971 version of the Civil War drama The Beguiled, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood. While a cult film in its own right it’s not classic in the sense of Eastwood’s iconic roles from that period. Sofia Coppola has made a version of The Beguiled that immerses itself into the mood and texture of the story.

Siegel’s version remains superior mainly because Eastwood dominates the film in a way no actor working today could possibly hope to emulate. Despite the typical studio hard lighting used throughout the film, Siegel finds ways to ratchet up the suspense that aren’t present in the contemporary remake.

That being said, Coppola envisions a moody environment where natural light plays a part in the proceedings. The Spanish moss hanging off the trees illuminated by shafts of sunlight and the shadowy interiors makes the story more complicated than it is.

Union soldier Corporal McBurney (Colin Farrell), wounded and wandering in the forest in enemy territory, takes refuge at an academy for young women. At first their Southern allegiance dictates that they turn him over to Rebel troops. But since his injuries require extended medical care, a bond forms.

Nicole Kidman (Miss Martha) runs that academy with help from Kirsten Dunst, sharing time with other co-stars like student Elle Fanning. During the arc of the story McBurney interacts with all of the women while he’s healing.

Whose room McBurney chooses to visit at night when he becomes well enough to walk forms the basis for the revenge thriller that follows.

There’s so much attention to atmosphere and costumes that it may be hard to notice that much of the life has been sucked out of the story.

The Beguiled opens at area theaters including The River Oaks on Friday.

Okja plays like a kid’s film that’s made for adults. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho shows a visionary insight into the relation between human and animal.

A nefarious corporation has bred superpigs at locations around the world. In the forest of Korea a young girl Mija (An Seo Hyun) grows up with one of these massive beasts, affectionately named Okja, which matures to the size of an Asian elephant.

Much of the interaction uses puppetry and the cute aspect of the girl and her pet pig reminds one of the German fantasy film The Neverending Story (1984). That tone changes when Joon-ho shifts the story to New York and elements of Fast Food Nation take over.

Tilda Swinton plays sisters who run the multi-national company that owns the superpigs. A strong supporting cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal playing a wacky scientist and members of the Animal Liberation Front who have their own agenda for Okja. Co-stars include Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Lily Collins (Rules Don’t Apply) and Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead).

Joon-ho finds clever ways to weave social commentary and satire together. Okja also uses John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” in a most sardonic way.

Okja is available to watch through Netflix.

“Okja” & “The Beguiled” this is a repost

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studioacs-blog · 7 years

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When Japanese art crosses the ocean

By Hiu Ching Ngan (460860) and Damien de Wit (415902)

Introduction

The Meiji Restoration was a Japanese revolutionary movement which emerged in the 1860’s as a strive to ‘westernize’ the country. This restoration strongly affected Japanese culture and society and in the end made Japan became one of the most powerful countries in the world. Japan was originally an Eastern society and was always under the influence of Chinese cultural movements, like Confucianism. Confucianism, described as the simple way of life, is totally different from the Western world. During the process of westernization, Japan experienced a strong cultural crash, eventually resulting in a totally unique culture on its own. On the other hand, Japanese culture was having a strong influence on the painting style and aesthetic view of impressionist artists in the country, which in the West was referred to as Japonisme. The western world soon after formed ‘Orientalism’, which was about looking at the Eastern culture in their own, Western way. We found it interesting to discuss this cross-cultural exchange.

Japanese art

Before the 1860’s, Shinto and Samurai were the main religious, political and ethical philosophies of Japan. Japan used to have a strong intention to preserve its own distinctive national culture and identity. Its port was only open to The Netherlands and China and this policy limited the economic and cultural influence of the rest of the world. Shinto means ‘the way of God’ and the God in Japan was known as ‘Kami’. Unlike Monotheism in Christianity, the Japanese believe in Polytheism. They believe and appreciate the beauty of the spirit in all of nature such as the mountains and rivers and this was clearly reflected in most of the Japanese artworks and architecture. Samurai ideal emphasizes 5 different aspects: Loyalty, Hierarchy, Bravery, Self-control and Shame. This ideal was not only used as a political tool to rule Japanese society, but it remained important for the Japanese nowadays to work as a collective group. Classical dance drama such as Kabuki was used as a way to celebrate the heroes, especially the Samurai. (Benton, J.R, DiYanni, R.: 317-332)

The images of different Kami such as the ‘river spirit’, ‘Radish Spirit’ and ‘Spirit of the Kohaku River’ (in the image of dragon) were used in the Japanese animation ‘Spirited away’.

youtube

What Is The Ancient Japanese Religion Shinto?

Japonisme

Upon opening its ports for the Western world in the 1850’s, Japan spread its influences across the world and vice versa. Especially in France there was a great opportunity for Japanese artists to showcase their work during special art fairs. It were the French who came up with the term ‘Japonisme’, as the Western interest for Japanese art started in Paris with a craving for Ukiyo-e print art, which were cheap and colorful woodblock prints. Japanese influences soon started to show itself in different art forms, for example in painting. Painters loved the fresh and unique Japanese characteristics, like the asymmetrical compositions, use of bright colors and the emphasis on expression. Famous painters made works that were clearly influenced by Japanese culture, like Van Gogh’s Flowering plum tree, multiple works of Mary Cassatt and Monet’s Madame Monet in a Japanese costume, as seen on the picture.

youtube

Looking East: How Japan Inspired Monet, Van Gogh, and Other Western Artists

Orientalism and its approach to aesthetics

Orientalism is a term introduced by Edward Said. It refers to an exaggerated, stereotyped and dominant perception by the West of the Orient; the Eastern culture in the broadest sense. It too emerged in the 19th century, along with the colonialization of the world by Western powers. Orientalism was a way of thinking that the Western culture was superior to others and thus these other cultures needed to be colonialized. The artistic aesthetics here are focused on the colorful, sensual and exotic perception of the East. If we look at the work of Monet above, we already see a good example of Orientalism, where a few stereotypes are seen. We see the typical Japanese dress, painted very colorfully. We also see the fan the woman is holding and the Ping-Pong bats on the wall. Other works involve for example exotic scenes with temples, camels, palm trees etc.

Conclusion

In this blog post we discussed the traditional Japanese art, the formation of its aesthetics philosophy including Shinto and Samurai and how the Meiji Restoration acted as opportunities for its art to travel across the Atlantic. However, we also found that the influence on the west was very much about the painting forms, in particular artistic style but very little on the core aesthetics ideas. This happened to both the East and the West. They are more willing to keep their own value and even today, in time of globalization, this phenomenon is still very common.

Word count: 766

References

Benton, Janetta Rebold. Arts And Culture: Pearson New International Edition. 1st ed. Pearson, 2013. Print.

Hokenson, Jan. Japan, France, And East-West Aesthetics. 1st ed. Madison, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2004. Print.

Spirited Away. Japan: Hayao Miyazaki, 2001. film.

Asian Art Museum,. Looking East: How Japan Inspired Monet, Van Gogh, And Other Western Artists. 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.

Seeker Daily,. What Is The Ancient Japanese Religion Shinto?. 2017. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.

DelPlato, Joan (2002). Multiple Wives, Multiple Pleasures: Representing the Harem, 1800–1875. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. p. 9

Encyclopedia of Art History. (n.d.). Japonism: 19th Century Fashion for Japanese Art, Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints. Retrieved from Website of Visual Arts Cork: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/japonism.htm

Said, E. W. (1978). Orientalism . London: Penguin Books Ltd.

#visual arts #theatre #dance #philosophy #aesthetics #submission

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