Best & Worst Movies | Asian American Poll

BEST & WORST MOVIES
(Updated Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:39:09 AM 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 would have to say that Dragon:the Bruce Lee story is probably the best movie among the choices posted in the poll. The reason is because the story parallels the main thrust of this website. That is; Bruce Lee wanted to be American, wanted to share his cultural gifts with the country and be included in what he believed to be a great country. And that's what we on this website are striving for, our right to be fully included and recognized for our contributions as Asian Americans or as simply Americans.

Besides, the film is beautiful, has great theme music, and is almost mythical in its scope. I don't think it matters that the film is made by white establishment. Often it takes an outsider to see what others(in this case asian-america) take for granted. Another example of this would be The Last Emperor(a Italian director I believe) which is a beautiful film and won many awards.

I think Crouching Tiger is also one of the greatest Asian films but it isn't really an Asian-American film. But it also introduced America to a new kind of film. So new that when I went to see it I was stunned because I wasn't prepared to see the supernatural abilities of the characters. But then I realized this was a whole new genre of film-mythology.

I think the worst film on the second list would probably be Sixteen Candles. If I recall correctly, this is the movie where an asian-american teen gets all dopey for some white girl who has the physique of a football player. Is this the same movie where the kid gets drunk and staggers around saying "hairpie, hairpie"? Or was that one of the "Nerd" movies? Can someone fill us in? Maybe the Nerd movie should be on the list.
Marginal Man

Peace luver is obviously an Asian female dating a white/black male. You could tell the first three sentences. As for being racist, is it any worse ignoring your own race, and being attracted outside your race entirely? And justifying - what ever the reason. People suffer because of racist attitudes, i suggest, "peacelover" find out what it really is to be Asian, and find an Asian man.
cbc

to everyone reading this forum:

Just caught a major error in my last post. The second sentence in the 3rd paragraph should read 'Notice how Roselyn is protecting her country and by implication symbolises "law and order"...' The heat and humidity must be getting to my brain!

Sorry 'bout that folks!
Asian Dominatrix

Patrick,

You've got some great observations there.

The reason why Asian men don't date non-Asian women in movies is because Asian men are supposed to be *wimps*. Basically, 'paws off our white women, chinky.' But as a whole, Asians are supposed to be subservient and less attractive than white folk, which is why Asian women almost never get lead roles in films featuring different races, especially whites, and why Asians don't date Asians in film. We're supposed to despise ourselves much too much to want to mate together. After all, which Asian woman would want an inferior Asian man when she can have a white one? So the reasoning goes.

Your post has led me to rethink RH2 a bit more. Notice how the Asian chicks throw themselves at Chris? And notice how we see Roselyn slowly taking off her clothes as the men watch her? Here, white women are alluring, yet not cheap and slutty like Asian chicks. After all, have you ever seen the camera focus on the Asian woman's body, panning it up and down? And notice that Xhang doesn't get men admiring her in the same way Roselyn does by Chan and Tucker? When it comes right down to the chase, Asian women are not supposed to be as attractive as white women.

We're also not supposed to be as smart or as principled as white women. Notice how Roselyn is protecting her country and by implications 'law and order' while Xhang is a disorderly dominatrix, blowing up buildings as she passes thru? And notice how Roselyn can pretend that she's working for the other side while Xhang can only play one role--aide to gangster? The way Hollywood sees it, white women are sexier AND smarter AND principled while Asian women can only be...well, stupid Asian sluts.

As far as the men go, notice that Chan and Tucker do not confront any young male white rivals--just old ugly ones? It's as if Hollywood were saying, 'OK, let's put the refuse with the refuse.'

In all, Hollywood wants Asians in their place. Ye gods, it's bad enough that we Asians are taking up places in the Ivy Leagues, making higher income...there should be a haven for whites who want the good ol' days when minorities knew their place and enjoyed serving the big white man with his cigar.
Asian Dominatrix

Gee, I can only think of "worst" movies.
BTW, Asian Dom, you seriously kick butt. Are you the Great Asian Hope?
me

Being a white guy and hip to Hong Kong films I find Asian women very beautiful, but I cant stand the fetishish and novelty kewpie doll with which Asian women are treated. They almost never seem to play anyone normal either they are some stupid acting overboard like Sandra Oh on Arliss or they are obsessive or neurotic, and of course the big stereotype of Asian women
as "Me Love You Long Time" style sluts who as some people put it are portrayed as nothing more than the white man's sex puppet.
I have 3 Major Question for Hollywood.

1.DONT ASIAN WOMEN DATE ASIAN MEN?
When is the last time you saw an Asian
woman in the movies or on TV date an
asian guy? and what about the asian
guy?

2. HOW COME THE ASIAN GUY NEVER GETS AN
NON ASIAN WOMAN

I rarely ever see a non Asian lady
with a Chinese guy dating an Non-lady
I guess white guys not only get the
asian female which leaves the Asian
guy with the Non asian woman,
rare expections like Romeo Must Die, is allowed to fall in love with a woman from another race. Jet Li didnt get to kiss her and Chow Yun-Fat didnt get to kiss Mira Sorvino in The Replacement Killers despite the fact that both had put their lives on the line and went through hell for them.

3. WHEN WILL ASIAN WOMEN HAVE LEAD ROLES IN HOLLYWOOD?

Name me more than one Hollywood film besides Joy Luck Club where Asian women have lead roles? Final Fantasy and Mulan dont count because those arent real movies. Its just something I noticed in Hollywood, where everyone and everything is supposed to be so culturally enlightened..LOL

American also shows how predjudiced it is when it heavily edits the humor out of a Jacky Chan movie and wonders why they dont do well at the box office.

So instead of getting a true Jacky Chan movie he always has to have an american co-star we could tripe like Rush Hour movies where we have to put up with Chris Tucker for an entire movie his loud, foul mouthed comments. i Find him irritating after about 20 minutes and if Asians made jokes about black the way Chris Tucker makes jokes about the Chinese, you wouldnt hear the end of it. I always find the double standard interesting.
Anyways I am rambling, my comments or hate them, but they are they are.

Patrick chowyunpat@aol.com

I agree with Asian Dominatrix's view of the movie Rush Hour 2 -- I didn't even go to see the movie because of all the things she mentioned (which were in the trailer). I also cannot believe that some FOBs I know actually went to see it, and said they loved it(?!?!!), and thought it was hilarious--made me think they were out of it. I think, how sick!!
A.A. Girl

I'm a black female also, and just saw RH2 today.

The main thing that urked me about RH2 is that I felt that some of the humor was a little too much, esp. the line, "You're 3rd world ugly."

It's not like Asian men are portrayed positively as handsome in H'wood. AM are as handsome as any others, but are not acknowledged as such, so that line took me aback. Also the "Ya'll all look alike" line, because a lot of folks say that about us (blacks) also. Bruce Lee was as handsome as James Dean, but who got promoted as a sex symbol?

Like the other black female here, WindAndCloud, I would like to see more Asians in media like The Joy Luck Club. Excuse my ignorance, but that's the only Asian film reference I can make b/c that's all I know of. Other Asian films in America I've seen have been Asian directed, starring whites.

Lil

So, Xhang Xiyi is her name? She was absolutely beautiful, and I hope she gets more roles in H'wood.

Blondes make room! With Thandie Newton (Mission Impossible II) & Xhang Xiyi, you have competition of color!
Lil

As a black female, I liked The Joy Luck Club. It was a story of women and their own trials and tribulations who just happen to be Asian. Love, heartache, lost of self and tiump to the return of self love and respect. It is something that we all experiance if we live long enough.

Check out the web site for Jet-li's new movie "The One". It looks REALLY good.

"Time & Tide" is out on DVD (Tsui Hark star power of Nicholas Tse and Wu Bai). Excellent film 5 stars.
windandcloud calvinares@msn.com

Here's my brief verdict on Rush Hour 2: a great big whopping 2 out of 10.

I don't know where to begin with on the anti-Asian jokes, but here are just a few hackneyed ideas which are bandied about: sex-hungry Asian women, all Asians look alike (yes, they say this!), Asian men are short, Asians eat dogs and live animals, etc. Not to mention that Chris Tucker manages to upstage Jackie Chan just about all the time sexually (all the women are going ga-ga over him) and verbally. O.K.,the white/latina heroine goes after Chan, but if you're going to let an Asian man fascinate a white woman, for chrissakes you might as well let him go all the way like a James Bond!

It's not completely bad tho'. The one thing that saves this movie from being completely racist is the fact that we have a black rather than white guy making the witty jokes and outsmarting the whites: it IS nice to see black men being vindicated, but why does it need to be at the expense of the Asian male?

The second good thing is Xhang Xiyi. Despite the fact that she plays the stereotypical villainous...Asian dominatrix:, she does manage to outkick, outsmart, outdress, and outdo just about everyone proving that you don't have to be a horse-like amazon with big bloated t*ts and butt to look good AND kick ass: who wouldn't prefer to be delicate AND deadly? But even then, she isn't given the same romantic allure and interest that the white heroine gets.

Overall, a 2/10. If you MUST see it, go rent the video at the nearest video shop, because it will be there sooner than you can say...chop suey. (Let's bring out all the stale jokes!)

P.S. For those of you who think it's 'just a movie', the one for you is CLUELESS.

Asian Dominatrix

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