Raya and the Last Dragon

I'm a couple weeks late on this, but I learned about Disney's upcoming animated feature, Raya and the Last Dragon from a friend on Facebook. And at first I thought "okay, ha ha, cute". Another Disney princess animated feature, it ought to do well.

But then, with the success of anime', and films like Mulan and Kung Fu Panda, it made me realize the size of the business prospects of the southeast Asia movie audience.

(copyright Disney, taken from polygon.com, taken from Twitter during D23 in Anaheim.)

Long ago, TV and movies have made me a fan of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Speed Racer, not to mention Osamu Tezuka and Hayao Miyazaki. Anime and Kung Fu action movies already have a foothold in the U.S. with a healthy fan base, and animated features like Kubo and the Two Strings, and The Princess Mononoke have shown positive and empowering examples of female characters.

While older anime' films and TV shows may have brought a distorted, and cliched view of Asian culture to me and the west, I hope that it has made Americans more aware of current events happening overseas. Not to mention giving Hollywood more cash flow. 'Nuff said!

https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/24/20812723/raya-and-the-last-dragon-disney-animated-movie-release-date

Another factor seems to be the news of protests in cities like Hong Kong show a demand for democracy, although the authoritarian governments there are clamping down hard on free speech and human rights. In a backhanded way, Hollywood may be helping to bring democratic values and human rights to our tattered world.

https://variety.com/2019/film/news/mulan-cast-d23-boycottmulan-1203311115/

https://time.com/5653973/mulan-boycott-liu-yifei/

And then, cliches and stereotypes may be scrapped, and new life may be brought to beloved Asian characters:

https://www.businessinsider.com/marvels-shang-chi-could-be-huge-at-china-box-office-2019-7

But it all comes down to business. I hope they can continue to entertain, while respecting cultures and maybe helping humanity in the long run. I've only scratched the surface on this subject.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/movie-box-office-in-china-now-bigger-than-us-as-domestic-films-draw-big-audiences-2018-05-21

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-china-movies-20181213-story.html

https://screenrant.com/american-movies-better-china/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_films_in_China

https://variety.com/2018/film/asia/china-box-office-global-biggest-first-quarter-2018-1202742159/https://www.salon.com/2019/07/13/the-international-movie-market-is-transforming-hollywood_partner/

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/filmart-a-market-by-market-169343

Cookies notification for new European Union privacy laws

Trying to understand and comply with the new European Union privacy laws for EU visitors, and their information about cookies they may encounter on this blog. I'm not spying on anyone, but I'm not sure what third party apps are doing. Here is Blogger's statement:

"European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used and data collected on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent.

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"Don't run, we are your friends!"

Ghosts of Christmas Future

Politicking is dangerous, but not speaking out is also a great risk.
These are my opinions, and I have tried to be well informed.
It's not so much about how Trump won, but how Hillary lost.

HRC needed to be more than just the anti-trump. She finally adopted some of Sanders' talking points, but the DNC could not connect with the battleground states, and took the "firewall" states for granted.

Millions of voters in middle America believe liberals have left them to rot. And they have proof. There are other factors at work, and critics can't lay this at the feet of Jill Stein or Bernie Sanders:

Billions of dollars in free media exposure for Trump.

Electoral college countermanded the popular vote.

Voter suppression among minorities.

Public's perceived electability of candidates vs. actual capabilities.

Low voter turnout due to unappealing candidates on both sides.

Mysogyny, and the hatred of Obama.

Gerrymandering.

* * * * * * * * * *

Trump has exploited the fears, prejudices, and misery that the GOP has created in the South and the Midwest. Many people there believe the money elites have abandoned them, left their towns to rot, and also coddled other people who are "unworthy". A Trump administration may toss a few bones to these states with infrastructure projects, but will also run up colossal deficits. I believe quite a few people in the U.S. also hope the "unworthy" people will quickly deported... or imprisoned.

This post is grim, and it is meant to be. The idea the pendulum will swing back to the left is obsolete. We also thought George W. Bush was the worst, but conditions in the U.S. will only bring out people like Trump. And worse.

Happy Holidays.

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC

Managed to stumble on this while channel surfing in Ohio before Christmas.

Very good discussion.

Will have to get back down to Columbus someday soon.

Charlie Hebdo

 First of all, these cartoonists should NOT have been murdered.

Period.

These events have challenged me once again to live up to the quote Voltaire is credited for: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." It's tempting to say that the Charlie Hebdo artists and editors were "asking for it". But if they were censored, then where would it stop? I learned the hard way what happens when you don't stand up to bullies, and failing to do so means living in fear and self-censorship. Life with religious extremists has always been par for the course. Unfortunately, so many extremists have easy access to war materiel these days.

From what little I have seen of the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, personally I  don't think their work was really any good. Their cartoons are cheap, hostile, vulgar, and promote the same old stereotypes. But again, this does not sanctify murder. Works like Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" turned me off, but it wasn't enough to drive me to violence.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ

I don't have time to play into someone else's game. We need to grow up, and laugh off the drunks at the party, and walk past the garbage lying in the gutter. IMHO. And have the confidence in the things we believe to be sacred, and not freak out, no matter what others say.

Personally, if work in comics, or any other medium is going to be provocative, (hey, what work isn't?) then the creators should be able to take legitimate criticism, but not a hail of bullets. And in my opinion, artwork should have some educational, or at least uplifting undertone. Right wing groups in the U.S. publish and broadcast very hostile and denigrating material, and claim that it's their 1st Amendment right. To me, this still borders on yelling "FIRE" in a crowded movie house, but that's a discussion for another day.

I don't know which Muslim or Arabic publications make some sort of editorial response to magazines like Charlie Hebdo. They also have a right to heard, and be the voices of reason in those cultures. Spiegelman on Democracy Now! stated that  the Charlie Hebdo cartoons afflict the already afflicted.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/11/france-unity-rally.html 


http://america.aljazeera.com/topics/topic/event/Charlie-Hebdo-attack.html

But in the case of today's assaults, this shouldn't mean you have to turn your studio into an armed bunker. The worst thing to happen is someone getting sued if the courts decide that their statements are slanderous. (or, down on the street level, when you dare someone to take a swing at your chin, you had better be ready to defend yourself. But men of honor will fight only with their fists, right?)

 

 (art copyright Art Spiegelman)

We live in an age where violent action and deadly force is becoming more and more the first course of action. Someone will always lash out in the name of ___. It's safe to say this will never be settled.

Thanks for reading my thoughts. Check out Art Spiegelman on Democracy Now! on KPFK. 

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/1/8/comics_legend_art_spiegelman_scholar_tariq 

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/1/8/scholar_tariq_ramadan_harpers_rick_macarthur

Warning: Some viewers will find these links offensive.

https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/09/23/carloslatuffs-cartoon-suggestion-for-charlie_hebdo_-turning-islamophobia-into-freedom-of-speech-in-europe/

 https://prod01-cdn02.cdn.firstlook.org/wp-uploads/sites/1/2015/01/Charlie-Hebdo-attack-Altagreer-ENGLISH.png

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-no-2-man-on-al-qaeda%E2%80%99s-hit-list-is-not-in-hiding-after-paris-attack-he%E2%80%99s-selling-french-fries-in-florida/ar-AA82VS5?ocid=mailsignout

Charlie Hebdo Attack in Paris

Will try to get more info asap. I don't want to go off half cocked on this. But what a way for artists to start off 2015.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/07/paris-terror-attack-huge-manhunt-under-way

http://abcnews.go.com/International/deadly-shooting-reported-french-satirical-newspaper-office/story?id=28050771

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/europe/charlie-hebdo-paris-shooting.html?_r=0

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/paris-magazine-attack/charlie-hebdo-shooting-12-killed-muhammad-cartoons-magazine-paris-n281266

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30710883

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-attack-on-cartoonists.html