What do you guys think of the controversy of the Cloud Atlas movie?

I've heard some controversy with the casting of Cloud Atlas. I understand that the characters were portrayed in multiple nationalities on purpose because of the story BUT there was a plotline where each black slave was portrayed by black actors while white actors and even a black actor was ok in yellowface. There seems to be a double standard here because it's ok for yellowface but not ok for blackface. Also, the prosthetics for eye make up for non asian men as asian men were so badly done that when the movie was pre-screened to an asian audience, they were all laughing because it looked so fake and typical of Hollywood racism like Kung Fu with David Carradine. On the other hand, filmmakers made sure asian actresses's makeup were painstakingly done to make them appear believable to be European. And there weren't any east asian male leads. When will Hollywood cast asian male hotties? Hollywood filmmakers really can't find asian actors like John Cho or Steve Yeun who are capable of taking on those leads considering (and I'm quoting here from vice president of MANAA) "it has a complex storyline where they can make creative leaps in time, place, characters, race and gender, but they can't also take a creative leap in the casting?" I would wait for this movie to be rented, it's getting mediocre reviews. Plus Jim Sturgess from the whitewash film of "21" once again is in this movie except in yellowface...do women really find him that attractive? I think he's just average looks.

It's his accent and the fact that he can sing "I've Just A Face" pretty damn well, mate .

I'm not saying he's not talented, on the other hand, there's this exclusion of asian male actors over favorable white male actors in American films. That's twice now he's been in films that's been in controversy with an asian storyline with non asian person.

I also think there aren't enough women in the U.S. supporting asian men that's probably why you see more asian women with white males (also in movies) because there are more women supporting white men. So the desirability isn't there and also for black women. Probably 40 or 50 years from now, race wouldn't matter...but by then most of us probably won't be young enough (or even be alive) to enjoy it.

I recognized this while watching the film and, yes, it troubled me.

I agree that the so-called "yellow face" was in bad taste and that they should have found real Asian actors. Well, what was their excuse? I'm sure even Keanu was like, "Wtf"?

I know I've posted in a different thread saying that I enjoyed the movie, but the more I think about the movie now I just find it mediocre at best.

You're right that was very racist. About as racist as Tom Cruise murdering a samurai and then hitting on the deceased samurai's widow and becoming one himself. Now that was one weird flick.

It doesn't bother me. If they one day decided to make a movie about me. I wouldn't care if they casted brad Pitt to play my role

I understand there are asians that weren't bothered by it, but there were quite a few asians and non asians who were. Here is a quote I got from Kathryn Schulz from Vulture:

"Cloud Atlas may mean well — but its racial dynamics are still troubling: I understand what Cloud Atlas is going for, says Kathryn Schulz at Vulture, but "I think you have to be oblivious to the history of racism in the United States" to dismiss the yellowface concerns entirely. Yes, Doona Bae and Halle Berry appear in what could be called "whiteface," but Hollywood's long bias toward white actors means that there's "no easy equivalency between white actors playing nonwhite roles and nonwhite actors playing white ones." And even without the yellowface concerns, why do all the "Asian" characters in 2144's Neo-Seoul speak English in unconvincing faux-Korean accents, instead of subtitled Korean? Cloud Atlas' heart may be in the right place, but its use of tired racial signifiers "is, in every sense of the word, alienating."

Also Daniel Henney, Roger Fan, Dennis Joseph O'Neil, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Will Yun Lee and Archie Kao are just some of the asian actors I could think of that would've been perfect for that asian role...these are all good looking, talented guys. Obviously many women in the States don't know about these asian hunks.

Yeah, a friend of mine who went to see it said he didn't like it, it was hard to follow.

Having actually seen the film, I didn't notice. All of the characters looked a little off. I thought it was a decent sci-fi flick as sci-fi is concerned. Not terribly profound, but I liked the message of the film.