Why are some religions taboo even in story, or are always considered evil. I used to be a wiccan and got a lot of stares when I told people. It is a religion like any other. People give you the sign of the cross and any other warding symbol if you tell them something like that. Wicca is just an earth based religion and all the craft is the same as prayer. You are performing a ritual to make something happen.
Dave, I have yet to see the movie. I have watched a Cantonese tv series from the 90's called "Journey to the West" (there were four parts, I believe), and I thought it was pretty hilarious. There is also a series out in Japanese called Saiyuuki. Monkey King = Son Goku, Zhu Bajie = Cho Hakkai, Sha Wujing = Sha Gojyo, I believe. I guess that would mean that humor in Chinese myths, and Chinese myths in general, translate well for Japanese audiences, or else we wouldn't be borrowing so much. >>;
The movie is worth watching despite the use of a white protagonist and the subplot about the love that develops between this archaeologist and a Celestial Goddess. I would rather have seen this lead role played by Jackie Chan. I was disappointed that Hollywood couldn't have handed the lead to an Asian actor as given the cultural context, this should have been a purely Asian film. On the other hand, outside of martial arts movies, you rarely see Asian men play leading roles in the U.S. I do not know whether this is because of audience target markets, the fact that there are relatively few Asian actors in this country, or whether Hollywood is simply biased.
A modicum of research proves you to be correct! (I've never actually heard the term used outside of Australia, and I have always had to explain what it meant, bleh - goes to show you what making assumptions leads to!) On another note, I've read Wu Cheng En's Journey To The West, and I'm an avaid fan of the older Japanese series based on it - Monkey Magic (and by avid, I mean have the opening speech/theme memorised... :redface. The only American version I've seen was an awful Hallmark production that I couldn't sit through, it may be the one previously mentioned, can't be sure though. As I've mentioned before, I grew up watching Asian cinema - Hong Kong films for the most part. The only humour that is really lost on me is language-based, as it just doesn't translate. (A lot of Stephen Chow's films had a large portion of language-based humour, as well as slapstick, particularly his films mid-90's). Slapstick, at least in HK cinema has been around for a while - the movies of Sam and Michael Hui are prime examples.
Saiyuki is freaking awesome. Although the japanese seem to love the Idea of the journey west I believe. If you have ever seen the original Dragonball it was based off the jounery west as well Monkey king = Goku Yamcha = Zhu Bajie Bulma = Sha Wujing I know Bulma is a woman but she is essential the foil that son Goku and Yamcha play off against. Really i believe Akira Toriyama liked the character of Zhu Bajie because quite a few of the characters seem to be gluttonos pigs, especially Krillin. In Saiyuki who was sanzo supposed to represent or was he just there for story element. On a side note I saw a live action Cantonese film was made in 1989 and a American version should be out in 09. Best believe I will be there
I see what Chef Dave is talking about. I was looking into that Dragonball movie a little more. Bulma and Goku, both japanese in the anime and manga will be played by a Brit and a Brittish Canadian respectively. Spike from Buffy will be Piccolo and all the other minor characters will be chinese or japanese. God bless American cinema.
I'm embarassed to say I've never seen Monkey Magic, but I remember attending a tv music variety show in Japan a while ago and the man who played Goku (he's really old now, and I'm not sure what his name is) showed up and they aired a clip of him playing the part of Goku. He has a singing career now.
I also find cultural differences fascinating. They allow you to look at the world with new eyes, and they can form the basis for hilarious clashes and misunderstandings. For example, I love the special type of humour that developed in the eastern bloc countries, where the government kept a close eye on everyone and things were absurdly inefficient. This is one of my favourite jokes, from Poland: - Why are there three policemen to a police car? - One of them knows how to read, one of them knows how to write, and the third is keeping an eye on the two intellectuals.
I had to laugh at this. Living on Newbury Street in Boston back in the 1970's there were typically two officers in each patrol car. I referred to them (not to their faces of course!) as the Gorilla and the Trainer. Usually, but not always, the Trainer was the driver. When they interviewed a victim, the Trainer would do all the talking and take down the notes. The Gorilla, twice the size of the Trainer would fill the doorway and survey the room with a scowl. I imagine that in a domestic disturbance, or clearing out a bar, the Gorilla would probably start stuffing people through the doorway while the Trainer stayed safely out of the way, until it was time to get him settled and reward him with some fruit. I really did see a lot of these Magilla and Mr. Peebles teams on patrol, and when one of my neighbors was burglarized, the victim interview took place exactly as I described.
