01.03.2004

In today’s NYTimes, Motoko Rich examines portrayals of Japan in recent films such as “Kill Bill,” “Lost in Translation,” and “The Last Samurai,” as well as the Aussie film “Japanese Story.”

It’s not just the setting that unites these movies. They are the objects of heated debate, particularly among Asian-Americans and Japanese, about whether Hollywood’s current depictions of Japan are racist, naïve, well-intentioned, accurate — or all of the above.

One interesting thing about the article is how often bloggers’ opinions (from as far away as Hong Kong) are referenced in the article, illustrating how Google’s indexing of weblogs and message boards is becoming a kind of Lexis/Nexis search for sampling public opinion, one possibly a lot more diverse and interesting than reporters’ old tricks of calling up acquaintances or hitting up people on the street. Article in full: Hollywood’s Land of the Rising Cliché, by Motoko Rich.

comments 1

[add a comment]

more shey.net

01.03.2004: burger safety no. 2
If the last post freaked you out, the Post did a nice thing for everyone the other day, and published this article about safety precations you can take if you’re set on still eating beef.

01.13.2004: japan 2: robots
Robot invasion!

shey.net archives