Best & Worst Movies | Asian American Poll

BEST & WORST MOVIES
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:11:48 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Would you go to a movie because it features an Asian in a positive starring role even if you weren't otherwise interested?
No. | 14%
Yes. | 69%
Yes, if the Asian were male. | 17%

Which of the following is the Greatest Movie Ever for Asian Americans?
Enter the Dragon | 15%
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | 14%
Romeo Must Die | 5%
The Corruptor | 2%
Dragon: Bruce Lee Story | 57%
Joy Luck Club | 7%

Which of the following is the Most Offensive Movie Ever for Asian Americans?
The World of Suzie Wong | 1%
Sixteen Candles | 13%
Breakfast at Tiffany's | 24%
Year of the Dragon | 25%
Tai Pan | 1%
Joy Luck Club | 38%

This poll is closed to new input.
Comments posted during the past year remain available for browsing.

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WHAT YOU SAY

[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]

I think you kinda miss the point here Annoying Dude. Asian guys and white guys may play villains but seldom is the case that the Asian man plays the hero. More than 90% of the time in movies or TV shows there is a good white hero to balance out the evil white villain, but not a good Asian character to balance out the evil Asian character. That's where the discrepancy shows up, do you get it now? I sure as hell do by reading all of these posts. Hey Asians are lucky (kind of ...lol), as far as I know Latinos don't get any airtime good or bad but I kind of like it that way. It's kind of fair, or not! I don't watch much TV so it doesn't get on my nerves. Most Latinos don't watch the major networks and the ones who do are so assimilated they really don't care about this. No offense to you man, I just thought I would give you my perspective, see ya.
Latino to Annoying Dude Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 21:38:06 (PST)

Hey Annoying dude, I am white, but I agree with Naki. I guess because my husband is Asian I notice these things more. I have yet to really see a positive portrayal of an Asian man come out of Hollywood. The only good one was the Bruce Lee story, but that was a true story, so they could not get away with showing a stereotype.

I think the people in Hollywood would rather show a dorky Asian man than the hot guys I see in movies out of Japan, Hong Kong or Korea.....go figure, it must be an ego thing.

Hayley Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 20:20:50 (PST)

annoying dude:

say you completely reversed the situation: asian movie, asian cast, sole white man singled out as a loser...what are your thoughts then?

i haven't seen fargo, im just assuming he was the only asian guy in it

blah Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 20:02:20 (PST)

Annoying Dude:

We are talking about a BALANCE of positive and negative portrayals here!!!!!!! Sure Hollywood shows negative portrayals of everyone, but just about all other ethnicities aside from Asian males are also shown in positive portrayals to balance out all the negative portrayals. HOWEVER, when it comes to Asian males, Hollywood hasn't been that fair! In fact, it has been so unfair as to make one wonders if there is a conspiracy going on. That's why we are complaining and not because we all want to be "portrayed as honest, clean-cut, well-adjusted, intelligent and decent people" all the time. So stop being so ignorant!!!

Just a bystander who can't be a bystander anymore. Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 12:19:30 (PST)

spoken like a true discrimination-ignorant white boy.
God of Asia Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 11:25:13 (PST)

Annoying Dude:

"(1) White men and men of other races are also portrayed as inconsiderate dorks, weirdos, wackos, and killers on many TV shows and movies. You've focused on one example of an Asian male being portrayed as a weird dork, and thus you say this is an example of improper and negative stereotyping."

And white men are also portrayed as heros, romantic leads, prince charmings, leaders, sports stars and sex symbols. From beer commercials to underware ads, white men get pleanty of positive images. Do you think APA men get the same treatment?

"2) Look at all the WHITES on that movie who were portrayed in a bad light. You haven't said ONE WORD about them. On that movie, there were TWO VICIOUS WHITE MURDERERS who went on several wild, bloody killing sprees. One was portrayed as a sick, quietly brutal killer, the other was a weird, awkward, talkative neurotic murderer. Should I object to these images because I am white?"

And the heroine and her husband and all the cops were also white. Not an asian face among the better characters.

But of course one character in one movie doesn't prove anything. In all the rest of the Coen brother's films (Miller's Crossing, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, the Big Lebowksi . . . ) APAs are presented in much better roles right?

"You don't live in reality, you live in a poliitcally correct fantasy world created by politically correct people pushing a victim mentality. You have bought into that victim mentality by mindlessly following it, because it makes you feel good about yourself."

I'm glad you saw that too Annoying Dude, I thought I was the only APA guy out there who found that the portrayal of APA men as sexless dorks, wimps, foreigners, and houseboys made me feel good about myself. I tell you, movies like "Sixteen Candles," and "Rising Sun" were great! All those other movies showing APA men as heroes or Americans, or romantic leads, doctors, lawyers, and action stars always made me feel so strange. But I tell you Long Duc Dong, now there was a dude I could relate too!!

Am I the only whoever goes into a city hospital and says "Damn it!! This is just wrong!" Why the hell are there so many freaking APA men here? ER, Gideon's Crossing, Chicago Hope, St. Elsewhere, Third Watch, now thats what medicine and paramedic staffs are supposed to look like. Who the hell are those Asian impostor doctors?!?! What happened to Dr. Tough Black Guy or Sensitive White Medic or even Token Filipino Nurse?

"Do you want us to live in a brutal, corrupt dictatorship like Communist
CHINA?????? Or North KOREA?????"

I'll drop the sarcasm for a minute and say this "nouvelle" version of "go back to where you came from" is really sad.

Besides, there are plenty of wonderfully, corrupt, autocratic regimes that are so much easier for America to pattern itself after, like Russia, Byelorus, Serbia.

Now let me see, why would you make a crack about China and North Korea in a posting on an APA website?? hmmm. . .I guess I'm just not smart enough to figure out why.
Man of Lha-sa(mancha) Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 11:16:54 (PST)

Annoying Dude:

agreed that Naki has a hair-trigger for offence. But I think that you miss the point, as most people who live comfortably in the majority do.

The objection is not that we want to see a "cardboard politically correct world do you want us to live in, where ALL Asians are portrayed as honest, clean-cut, well-adjusted, intelligent, and decent people."

One would be nice; perhaps two. The problem is that every time an AM appears on screen, he fits this stereotype. There is virtually no balance. This is not true of other groups - blacks, hispanics, etc.

To use your example of Fargo, it is true that there are white people in the movie who are killers, degenerates, and low-lifes. But, the heroine is also white. There is some balance. Who balances the pathological portrayal of the Japanese American guy?

I will wait for your answer, but will not hold my breath.
Ai Ya Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 10:02:28 (PST)

Annoying Dude,

You must have serious demons running around in your head. If a someone comments on a movie and you need to make some political plug about the "axis of evil" and one of the 7 nuclear targets USA has currently.

But I will engage you in discourse and hope to elucidate you to the plight Naki feels.

In Fargo, you are correct in stating there are white villians. But there are white protangonist also. And a whole slew of multi-dimensional off-beat white characters. They re-enforce in the viewer that the whites are "humanized" or individualistic. Traits the are exclusive to each individual white person in the movie.

However, the same case cannot be made for the Asian in Fargo, because he is the only asian. There are no other benchmarks to guage this miserable-pervert-lying-sly asian male. Hence, the viewer, if they are not in frequent contact with asians (90% of white USA), will believe to some extent that these are the only characteristics asian male have.

If you are really white, then you are probably the DWG (dumb white guy) that was always at the tail end of my acedemic curves. Sterotype? I leave it up to you to decide.
AC Dropout Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 09:59:59 (PST)

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