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Re: You bring up good points about Hollywood's idiocy generally. I don't disagree. Cannoli Send a noteboard - 31/05/2010 07:08:36 AM

I do disagree with your statement that "about anyone who isn't black could pass for some kind of 'Russian'". There is a much larger degree of homogeneity in the Russian Federation than in the US or many Western countries.

I got the impression that there were lots of orientals in the eastern part.

Of course, James Caan doesn't play an Italian (as your signature states - I'm sort of confused why you would say he was).

Santino Corleone is pretty much an Italian name. In the film, his biological father is shown as being an immigrant from Italy, and his parents' names are Vito & Carmella. I gotta go with "Italian" for him. Sorry.

I think that to some extent, some of the roles for Americans tend to work because Americans are such a mixed bunch that you can have someone with a Polish last name who looks Italian, or an Irish last name who looks Swedish, etc.

Except when such movies detail the lives of immigrants from a more ethnically homogenous country. Such as "The Godfather" (Marlon Brando, James Caan, Eli Wallach & Abe Vigoda as Italians)or "Scarface" (Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia & F. Murray Abraham as Hispanics).

For the record, it pisses the Hell out of me that the tanks in Patton were almost exclusively Pershing and (ironically) Patton tanks. When I was 10 I loved the movie but as I read more about World War II and started trying to identify the tanks, I realized something was wrong.

I hate it whenever there is a WW2 movie and you can tell the German tanks are just Russian tanks with gray paint. Even when they try to make them look German, you can tell because the turrets sit so far forward.

Finally, why would illicit passport deals be brokered in a shady alley in the first place? Some minor government bureaucrat would invite people into his office (or a restaurant) and do it by the light of day. Corruption is a major problem in Russia, and the lack of any interest in doing anything about it is evidenced by how brazenly it is done.

THAT I would guess to be a sop to American audiences who might not believe that level of corruption exists, as there has always been a vast blind spot in the US, particularly in the entertainment industry, towards the reality of Russia's shortcomings. It goes all the way back to WW2 when Hollywood was the willing propaganda tool of the USSR-allied government, with works like "Mission to Moscow" and such.

Cannoli
"Sometimes unhinged, sometimes unfair, always entertaining"
- The Crownless

“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Deus Vult!

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saw it yesterday at a friends house imlad - 05/05/2010 04:28:33 PM 401 Views

Not amazing, but enjoyable. (no spoilers) Craig - 06/05/2010 12:46:51 AM 436 Views

Enjoyed it, despite a few flaws, as much as the first *spoilers* ironclad - 07/05/2010 08:30:04 AM 436 Views

Perpetuates Hollywood's complete idiocy with respect to anything Russian. Tom - 07/05/2010 06:28:12 PM 465 Views

Who cares? It's Russian. *NM* Kotagg - 07/05/2010 06:45:42 PM 191 Views

I don't imagine I need to tell you they do the same with most other cultures. *NM* Legolas - 08/05/2010 01:03:22 AM 182 Views

I know. On the other hand, as movies become more global they should improve on that. Tom - 08/05/2010 04:32:09 AM 394 Views

Why don't they just do like Team America and Durka Durka their way through the language. *NM* MightyYT - 09/05/2010 05:56:14 PM 179 Views

I could respect that more.

Tom - 10/05/2010 03:35:36 AM 358 Views

Hollywood? Her character was named and introduced in Tales of Suspense in 1964. TaskmasterJack - 08/05/2010 02:18:49 AM 413 Views

Yes, I forgot about those pathetic fanboys. *NM* Tom - 08/05/2010 04:33:10 AM 187 Views

Yeah, because Hollywood invented Vanko, Natasha, and Chekhov.

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Re: Perpetuates Hollywood's complete idiocy with respect to anything Russian. Cannoli - 08/05/2010 11:55:57 AM 612 Views

You bring up good points about Hollywood's idiocy generally. I don't disagree. Tom - 08/05/2010 02:12:10 PM 429 Views

Re: You bring up good points about Hollywood's idiocy generally. I don't disagree. Cannoli - 31/05/2010 07:08:36 AM 383 Views

insert Arab or Muslim where you have Russian and then you know how i feel. *NM* Aisha - 11/05/2010 05:33:04 AM 179 Views

Or insert German and replace everything else in the rant with "they are Nazis!!!!111!!!1"

*NM* ßelals Girl - 05/06/2010 02:24:26 AM 166 Views

Re: Perpetuates Hollywood's complete idiocy with respect to anything Russian. Monkey - 21/05/2010 06:41:04 PM 391 Views

Her real name was Natasha Romanoff.

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All round good movie *spoilers* Sidious - 07/05/2010 10:04:48 PM 404 Views

I loved it. 5 stars. (spoilers within) Dreaded Anomaly - 08/05/2010 04:46:25 AM 373 Views

Stupid villains. Really, really stupid villains. Ghavrel - 08/05/2010 05:21:45 AM 440 Views

This was the same villain pattern as Batman 2 Cannoli - 08/05/2010 11:20:53 AM 431 Views

Batman Returns or The Dark Knight? Ghavrel - 08/05/2010 09:20:24 PM 395 Views

Batman Returns, clearly. Craig - 09/05/2010 07:24:51 AM 376 Views

Hence my confusion. Ghavrel - 09/05/2010 05:26:28 PM 381 Views

Or Depp as Batman for that matter... MightyYT - 08/05/2010 11:56:35 PM 376 Views

Re: Stupid villains. Really, really stupid villains. Sidious - 09/05/2010 04:41:49 PM 422 Views

I didn't really mind Vanko wanting Stark dead, although it was pretty silly. Ghavrel - 09/05/2010 05:29:32 PM 383 Views

Going to see it tonight! Yay! *NM* Darth_Katie - 08/05/2010 09:42:59 PM 192 Views

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But WAY at the end this time, not just half-way. *NM* Zalis - 18/05/2010 11:58:29 PM 164 Views

Friggin' Legendary. j-whitt987 - 09/05/2010 01:23:49 AM 404 Views

The only reason I went.... Jeordam - 10/05/2010 05:46:40 PM 417 Views

I liked it about as much as the first one. MonCul - 11/05/2010 03:45:03 PM 356 Views

Great movie soilent brad - 24/05/2010 01:30:25 AM 339 Views

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<quote id="112646">
<quote id="106063">I do disagree with your statement that "about anyone who isn't black could pass for some kind of 'Russian'".  There is a much larger degree of homogeneity in the Russian Federation than in the US or many Western countries.</quote>I got the impression that there were lots of orientals in the eastern part.

<quote>Of course, James Caan doesn't play an Italian (as your signature states - I'm sort of confused why you would say he was).</quote>  Santino Corleone is pretty much an Italian name.  In the film, his biological father is shown as being an immigrant from Italy, and his parents' names are Vito & Carmella. I gotta go with "Italian" for him.  Sorry.

<quote>I think that to some extent, some of the roles for Americans tend to work because Americans are such a mixed bunch that you can have someone with a Polish last name who looks Italian, or an Irish last name who looks Swedish, etc.</quote> Except when such movies detail the lives of immigrants from a more ethnically homogenous country.  Such as "The Godfather" (Marlon Brando, James Caan, Eli Wallach & Abe Vigoda as Italians)or "Scarface" (Al Pacino, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia & F. Murray Abraham as Hispanics).

<quote>For the record, it pisses the Hell out of me that the tanks in Patton were almost exclusively Pershing and (ironically) Patton tanks.  When I was 10 I loved the movie but as I read more about World War II and started trying to identify the tanks, I realized something was wrong.</quote> I hate it whenever there is a WW2 movie and you can tell the German tanks are just Russian tanks with gray paint.  Even when they try to make them look German, you can tell because the turrets sit so far forward.

<quote>Finally, why would illicit passport deals be brokered in a shady alley in the first place?  Some minor government bureaucrat would invite people into his office (or a restaurant) and do it by the light of day.  Corruption is a major problem in Russia, and the lack of any interest in doing anything about it is evidenced by how brazenly it is done.
</quote> THAT I would guess to be a sop to American audiences who might not believe that level of corruption exists, as there has always been a vast blind spot in the US, particularly in the entertainment industry, towards the reality of Russia's shortcomings.  It goes all the way back to WW2 when Hollywood was the willing propaganda tool of the USSR-allied government, with works like "Mission to Moscow" and such. 
</quote>

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