Racist comments in Movie review?

[Locut0s]

I was reading an interesting review by Roger Ebert of the Korean Movie Oldboy. Now I have no idea if the movie is actually any good, but his review piqued my curiosity so I checked it out at rottentomatoes to see what other reviewers had said. The blurb from Rex Reeds negative review caught my eye so I decided to take a look. I don't like rex reed anyways but what followed really shocked me. Now I have nothing against people not liking a movie for gratuitous violence but I don't care for reviewers who slam a good movie that also happens to be violent solely for the gore. Which seems to be his main complaint. Same goes for sex. Anyways it's the first few lines of his review that really caused my jaw to drop:

"
For sewage in a cocktail shaker, there is Oldboy, a noxious helping of Korean Grand Guignol as pointless as it is shocking. What else can you expect from a nation weaned on kimchi, a mixture of raw garlic and cabbage buried underground until it rots, dug up from the grave and then served in earthenware pots sold at the Seoul airport as souvenirs?
"

WTF?? Sure kimchi may taste bad and I have nothing against saying something like this movie is as bad as kimchi tastes. But this is just insulting IMNSHO.

You can read both his review and Roger Eberts here:

(At the very bottom of the page)
http://www.observer.com/pages/onthetown.asp

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbc...24/REVIEWS/50310001/-1/email_headlines

I'm sure lot's of people will tell me to quit my whining, don't get your panties in a knot, grow a thicker skin, blah blah blah.

 

[Mrvile]

:shocked:

 

[notfred]

Since when are countries races?

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Originally posted by: notfred
Since when are countries races?

Yeah, he's really being more of a countrist.

 

[imported_Mike]

I don't see it as racist

 

[BespinReactorShaft]

IMO it's more tongue-in-cheek than anything. I guess he still bears the scars of being trapped in some Korean train with kimchi odor oozing out of the pores of the commuters.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

What else can you expect from a nation weaned on kimchi, a mixture of raw garlic and cabbage buried underground until it rots, dug up from the grave and then served in earthenware pots sold at the Seoul airport as souvenirs?

That dismissive generalization sounds quite derogatory to the whole country to me, borderline racist, but fully ignorant.

 

[SKC]

Originally posted by: Yo_Ma-Ma

What else can you expect from a nation weaned on kimchi, a mixture of raw garlic and cabbage buried underground until it rots, dug up from the grave and then served in earthenware pots sold at the Seoul airport as souvenirs?

That dismissive generalization sounds quite derogatory to the whole country to me, borderline racist, but fully ignorant.

agreed. It seems a little too much for tongue-in-cheek.

 

[dighn]

well cheese is just rotten milk if he wants to put kimchi that way. what an idiot.

 

[Amused]

Slamming a culture is NOT racist.

Cultural norms are NOT inherent.

 

[RelaxTheMind]

Still not exactly needed.

 

[Red Dawn]

[Caveman] That's really condescending [/Caveman]

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

I think he was just trying to be funny, not realizing he sounded like a condescending redneck asswipe. Movie critics do that a lot.

 

[jonnyGURU]

<flamesuit> It'd be racist if it wasn't true. Sorry, I spent two years working in a computer store next door to "Kimchi Depot." </flamesuit>

Actually, what makes his sentence really harsh is that, in a sense, he wouldn't expect anything better from a nation that enjoys kimchi. That's inappropriate. That's like saying he wouldn't expect a good movie out of Ireland because they like Guinness and almost-raw potatoes (Mmmm... With some salt and vinegar.) or he wouldn't expect any good movies out of Russia because "every one is drunk on Vodka."

It's sort of a blurred line between racism and stereotypes. Since racist coments are based on stereotypes, I can completely see where one would think the comment was racist. But it's not like he said, "What do you expect from a nation of bad drivers that drive five wide on three lane highways..."*

* Had a friend stationed in Korea. Said this scared him to death. People would pass on breakdown lanes to the left and right. I thought this was odd too, but then I got stuck in Boston rush-hour traffic and noticed the signs that said "breakdown lane open for passing" and realized... what's so abnormal about Korea?!?!

 

[syzygy]

the comment is bigoted and the racism is implied. reducing any culture down to a few select practices and then generalizing off them is textbook definition for bigotry.
rex is blaming the Nation for producing a work of art that he deems lousy. nations dont produce art, artists do, and to judge the artist as a national type with inherent
national flaws is old world bigotry. like a german from 1900 unloading on a slav for their practices, appearance, and the like.

 

No more racist than claiming Americans are fat asses from eating McDonalds three meals a day.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
[Caveman] That's really condescending [/Caveman]

Cheers! :beer:

I feel very Zim-like.

 

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
[Caveman] That's really condescending [/Caveman]

haha:thumbsup:



Get over it.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: syzygy
the comment is bigoted and the racism is implied. reducing any culture down to a few select practices and then generalizing off them is textbook definition for bigotry.
rex is blaming the Nation for producing a work of art that he deems lousy. nations dont produce art, artists do, and to judge the artist as a national type with inherent
national flaws is old world bigotry. like a german from 1900 unloading on a slav for their practices, appearance, and the like.

I hope you never see SouthPark... it will short circuit all your politically correct views.

It's not like he said they only eat fish heads and play Starcraft. :laugh:

Learn to laugh.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well, you have to admit, kimchi is just about the nastiest stuff on the planet.

 

[smithdj]

A poor choice of words, but why does everybody yell "Racist or Racism" all the time these days. I swear it is like some people (Not you OP) just try to bring it up all the time, like if we dont have Racism, it is a bad thing.

 

[DennyD]

Never had kimchi, and I really doubt I ever will. But we all know that MOVIE REVIEWERS DON'T KNOW JACKSHIT ABOUT MOVIES! Something that is really entertaining and makes a lot of money is always panned by critics. Screw' em... I never listen to reviews.

 

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by: Locut0s
I was reading an interesting review by Roger Ebert of the Korean Movie Oldboy. Now I have no idea if the movie is actually any good, but his review piqued my curiosity so I checked it out at rottentomatoes to see what other reviewers had said. The blurb from Rex Reeds negative review caught my eye so I decided to take a look. I don't like rex reed anyways but what followed really shocked me. Now I have nothing against people not liking a movie for gratuitous violence but I don't care for reviewers who slam a good movie that also happens to be violent solely for the gore. Which seems to be his main complaint. Same goes for sex. Anyways it's the first few lines of his review that really caused my jaw to drop:

"
For sewage in a cocktail shaker, there is Oldboy, a noxious helping of Korean Grand Guignol as pointless as it is shocking. What else can you expect from a nation weaned on kimchi, a mixture of raw garlic and cabbage buried underground until it rots, dug up from the grave and then served in earthenware pots sold at the Seoul airport as souvenirs?
"

WTF?? Sure kimchi may taste bad and I have nothing against saying something like this movie is as bad as kimchi tastes. But this is just insulting IMNSHO.

You can read both his review and Roger Eberts here:

(At the very bottom of the page)
http://www.observer.com/pages/onthetown.asp

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbc...24/REVIEWS/50310001/-1/email_headlines

I'm sure lot's of people will tell me to quit my whining, don't get your panties in a knot, grow a thicker skin, blah blah blah.

Send him an email at:
mailto:rreed@observer.com

And let him know where you think his head is located on Korea.

BTW, don't pay any attention to anything Mr Reed writes or says because his head is usually up his butt.

 

[tk149]

I wouldn't say it's racist, unless you consider "Koreans" a race. Some people do.

It is tasteless, and a very poor choice of expressions for someone who knows his writing will be read by a wide spectrum of people. It's like saying "no wonder all American films suck, all their starlets have big bewbies." Just like the Chewbacca defense.