Memoirs of a Geisha

[Julius Seeker]

Starring Zhang Ziyi and Ken Watanabe

What an incredible film that one was. It was a movie that contained many different plot elements. It had a love story as well, it was an actually very well crafted love story, among the very best I have ever seen in a movie; very impactful. Going into the movie, I expected a good movie, but instead I got something even better; I could see this being anywhere among the top 3 films I see this year.

[Flip]

I havent decided if i will see the movie or not, the book by Arthur Golden was awesome and i dont want the movie to ruin it.

[Julius Seeker]

I havent decided if i will see the movie or not, the book by Arthur Golden was awesome and i dont want the movie to ruin it.

Well, rarely are movies the same as the book. Most people I think enjoy books more because there is a lot more detail and more time is invested into reading the books. The book (to any story) is just a better experience to most people; if the movie is based on the book and the book is good. The movie is a very good one, some reviewers (and governments) didn't like the fact that Chinese actors portrayed Japanese characters; but that was only 3 characters and the acting jobs were done excellently. Most of the cast was Japanese.

The movie is a long one, about two and a half hours, and they managed to fit a lot into it. The movie is visually stunning, bringing a lot of the scenes brilliantly to life. I also really enjoyed the atmosphere of perhaps all of the scenes.

[Imakeholesinu]

I took Natsumi and her friend Kyoko to see it and they both didn't like it. Half of it was because the story was really slow since it was mostly imagery which was nice but they wanted more substance. I was unimpressed that they didn't go into more about being a Geshia and what goes into it and I was completely unaware of the rice-cake thing, that needed to be explained from the get-go.

Kyoko especially didn't like that Ziyi Zhang was playing a Japanese role. Natsumi expressed some discontent about it as well but not as much as Kyoko did.

I was disappointed with this film and thought it would be a great Oscar contender.

[Julius Seeker]

Off topic, but:

What is it with Asian people? This is something I could never understand and it drives me nuts sometimes. The only people in the world that they seem to have a problem with are OTHER F***IN' ASIAN PEOPLE!!!!

I mean, people don't get bent all out of shape when a Swedish guy plays the role of a Russian boxer in a Rocky movie. Or an English guy plays the role of a German or Russian in a Bond movie. Did anyone have a problem with Don Cheadle playing a Rwandan Hutu? Or a native of the tribes of Manitoba playing a Navajo in Windtalkers?

[SineSwiper]

I think the Movies.com review was the most awesome rip I've ever heard:

Remember in Sixteen Candles, how whenever Long Duk Dong showed up, there'd be a gong sound on the soundtrack? This movie is two and a half hours of that gong sound.

While it's not as painful a rip as Ebert's The Village review (and it shouldn't be), it's more funny. Though, I think the rip should be more deserving on The Joy Luck Club. Wow, never has so many asian stereotypes been crammed into one movie...

[Imakeholesinu]

Off topic, but:

What is it with Asian people? This is something I could never understand and it drives me nuts sometimes. The only people in the world that they seem to have a problem with are OTHER F***IN' ASIAN PEOPLE!!!!

I mean, people don't get bent all out of shape when a Swedish guy plays the role of a Russian boxer in a Rocky movie. Or an English guy plays the role of a German or Russian in a Bond movie. Did anyone have a problem with Don Cheadle playing a Rwandan Hutu? Or a native of the tribes of Manitoba playing a Navajo in Windtalkers?

Well, the Chinese and Japanese really don't like one another. In WWII Japan invaded China with the weapons we supplied them with. Not to mention the atrocities that the Japanese made on the Chinese. So having a prominant Chinese actress play the lead role in a film about Japanese culture, you can see where the stress is.

China won't even play the film.

[Blotus]

Off topic, but:

What is it with Asian people? This is something I could never understand and it drives me nuts sometimes. The only people in the world that they seem to have a problem with are OTHER F***IN' ASIAN PEOPLE!!!!

History, perhaps? I could see a Chinese being raised to dislike the Japanese because of the extremely brutal WW2 occupation. The Japanese are notorious xenophobes, but I can't think of any reason for them to feel contempt for the Chinese. Jealousy over China's economic explosion in the last five years? Maybe? Probably not.

[Julius Seeker]

Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Malaysians, ALL hate each other. Those are just the four groups that I know of too. I don't know any Thai, but there are a few Taiwanese who live around here, all own restaurants or shops of some sort, I am just not sure what they think of other Asians. I never see any other Asians EXCEPT Taiwanese in their restaurants though; and the occaisional Chinese. It might be that Taiwanese and Chinese actually get along together, gives me a little hope for East Asia =)

What was Orwell thinking when he created Eastasia in 1984 though?......
Isn't it funny how Asian people can't get over world war 2 when Europe did A LONG TIME AGO?

[kali o.]

Off topic, but:

What is it with Asian people? This is something I could never understand and it drives me nuts sometimes. The only people in the world that they seem to have a problem with are OTHER F***IN' ASIAN PEOPLE!!!!

I mean, people don't get bent all out of shape when a Swedish guy plays the role of a Russian boxer in a Rocky movie. Or an English guy plays the role of a German or Russian in a Bond movie. Did anyone have a problem with Don Cheadle playing a Rwandan Hutu? Or a native of the tribes of Manitoba playing a Navajo in Windtalkers?

Anyone is welcome to disagree, but I've been informed by a number of japanese friends and clients that there is a subtle but strong element of racism (or more appropriately, superiority) in japanese culture...

If never really gotten a straight answer as to "why"...

I'd be inclined to dismiss it as a simple flawed generalization if I hadn't heard it from so many people.