Nowadays, there are frequently questions raised when an actor or actress is cast to play somebody of a different race. It’s referred to as ‘whitewashing’ and there are plenty of recent examples of controversies over casting decisions.

Scarlett Johansson got the lead role in the live-action “Ghost In The Shell” while many called for a Japanese actress to bag the role. Other modern films to cause a stir were “Exodus: Gods And Kings”, “Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time” and “Gods Of Egypt”. However, it’s nothing new to see Hollywood cast white people in non-white roles. Infamously, John Wayne was cast as Genghis Khan in “The Conqueror”.

However, some characters caused controversy not just because they were played by performers that did not match their race and ethnicity but because the characters themselves were seen as racist stereotypes. Characters such as Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto and Fu Manchu were popular in the film industry for many years before large sections of society began disapproving of them. Some feel these characters were demeaning to people from China and Japan as well as the wider region but others are happy to accept them as purely for entertainment purposes. It’s even true that Charlie Chan was popular in China back in the day with China even deciding to make some of its own Charlie Chan movies. Modern audiences across the world would likely feel more uncomfortable with these characters than they would have decades ago.

It’s interesting to evaluate this criticism because both Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto were certainly not negative stereotypes in the traditional sense. Both were talented heroes that always managed to outwit their foes. There doesn’t seem to be the same backlash about Austin Powers, who is routinely depicted as having bad teeth simply because he is British. Fu Manchu is obviously a villain but he’s portrayed as intelligent. Just think about Hans Gruber in “Die Hard”. Is Fu Manchu really any more offensive to Chinese audiences than Gruber is to German audiences?

Obviously, few people want entertainment that would seek to merely antagonise or demonise other groups of people based on their race or ethnicity but are we at risk of culling some of the most famous East Asian characters? Could there ever been another film to feature Charlie Chan or Fu Manchu without it being self-aware? Can society accept them as purely fictional characters?

Quite possibly the most iconic action star of the 80s and 90s, Arnold Schwarzenegger started off as a bodybuilder before getting into films. Here is my personal ranking of the 5 best Arnold Schwarzenegger films.

5. The Terminator

Along with the “Conan” films, this is what made Arnold a star. An innovative sci-fi/action picture that is very ambitious considering its relatively small budget. A little rough around the edges yet still very entertaining.

4. Red Heat

A somewhat underrated addition to Arnold’s library. An entertaining buddy cop film with a fun performance from Schwarzenegger.

3. Total Recall

Features some terrific sci-fi concepts and memorable visuals. A film that maintains the intensity throughout and takes many intriguing twists and turns.

2. Predator

Introduced us to one of the greatest villains in cinema history: Predator. A great action movie with a brilliant jungle setting. Besides “Star Wars”, this is probably the most quotable film too.

1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Truly one of the great sci-fi/action flicks of all-time. Builds upon the concepts of the original film and makes terrific use of its larger budget. The special effects still look remarkable even today. Definitely Arnold at his best.

Honourable mentions:
Kindergarten Cop and The Expendables 2

“Oblivion” should be an intriguing sci-fi that shows us things we’ve never really seen before. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to ignore the numerous plot points that are stolen right out of plenty of other (better) sci-fi movies. It’s definitely not any kind of revolutionary piece like “Blade Runner”, “Metropolis” or “Dark City”

In “Oblivion”, Tom Cruise (“Mission: Impossible”, “Risky Business”) stars as Jack Harper, who along with his partner Victoria, maintains robot drones that protect large machines that turns water into energy. This all takes place supposedly after aliens invaded Earth, the planet has been nuked countless times and the rest of humanity lives on Saturn’s moon Titan. However, Jack is going to find out the truth about what really happened.

Cruise is average at best in this film. I thought Mr. Cruise would be better at picking sci-fi pictures to do after he did the truly magnificent “Minority Report” but here, he has done something with hardly any originality. I was sad to see Morgan Freeman (“The Dark Knight Rises”, “March of the Penguins”) has very small amount of screen-time because he’s by far the best actor in the film. The other characters in the film are really boring and that’s another reason to dislike the film.

You may remember I didn’t really care for “The Matrix” and that’s because the so called ‘new’ sci-fi seen in it had already been done in both “Star Trek” and “The Twilight Zone” (in the 60s). That just copied ideas from the past but “Oblivion” copies a lot of the presentation of other work. It looks awfully like “WALL·E”, it then clones quite a few plot elements and visuals from “2001: A Space Odyssey” and the original “Planet of the Apes”. This film should have been a captivating sci-fi but sadly, we can only appreciate the action sequences because we can’t fail to notice the picture’s copycat nature.

“Nowhere To Run” is not bad as such but it is one of the most lifeless and dullest action films that have ever been made. The acting isn’t terrible, the plot isn’t awful and the action sequences aren’t poor but there’s just nothing about them that you’ll remember shortly after viewing the picture.

In “Nowhere To Run”, Jean-Claude Van Damme (“Universal Soldier”, “Hard Target”) is an escaped criminal, who finds himself helping a widowed farmer (Rosanna Arquette “Pulp Fiction”) and her family fight off greedy property tycoons. It turns out the bad guys aren’t going to stop so Van Damme is going to need all his fighting abilities to save the day.

Van Damme is of course not one of the great actors of all-time. I’ve enjoyed him in his roles where he recognises that his strength really is in his fighting but in this film the action sequences are so mundane that Van Damme’s skills seem to go to waste. Rosanna Arquette is okay as the farmer Clydie but the film is so bland that she also becomes quite bland. One of the sort-of amusing aspects of the films are the villains because I love how cinema likes to portray loggers, industrialists or property tycoons as bad guys when in reality, it’s a perfectly legitimate line of work.

“Nowhere To Run” isn’t as entertaining as some of Van Damme’s pictures (I much preferred “Universal Soldier” or “Sudden Death”) and it certainly isn’t an ambitious project. Like a lot of his films, Van Damme’s pictures really don’t feel all that memorable and “Nowhere To Run” is definitely not memorable. I really can’t see anybody enjoying “Nowhere To Run”; I think even a lot of Van Damme’s fans will see this as a really forgettable entry in his filmography. In case you didn’t get the hints, “Nowhere To Run” isn’t worth your time.

Directed by and starring Dan Aykroyd (“Ghostbusters”, “The Blues Brothers”), “Nothing But Trouble” is meant to be a comedy but it instead plays out more like one of the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” movies. I imagine the filmmakers were trying to make another “The ‘Burbs” or even “Beetlejuice” but the enormous effort that clearly went into this film is incredibly misguided.

A New York businessman (Chevy Chase “Fletch”, “Funny Farm”) and his friends become the prisoner of the sadistic Judge Valkenheiser (Aykroyd) in the bizarre and very unpleasant town of Valkenvania. What follows is a series of ugly images with poor comedic dialog accompanying them.

Dan Aykroyd plays multiple roles in the movie but you mainly see him as the judge character. He looks pretty creepy as the make-up guys have done a good job but the he isn’t interesting and he isn’t funny. Chevy Chase is not remotely funny as Chris. John Candy (“Spaceballs”) isn’t funny as Valkenvania’s police officer and he certainly isn’t funny when dressed up as a woman when playing the judge character’s granddaughter. Demi Moore (“Indecent Proposal”) is easily the most entertaining cast member here as she plays another protagonist by the name of Diane and she is the closest this film gets to being funny but that’s not saying much.

The set design looks great and some of the atmosphere created is great but this movie should not have been a comedy; Demi Moore is mildly amusing at best but everybody else tries to make us laugh and they fail… miserably. You have to admire the work that has gone in here but at the same time, you can’t help but feel that something went horribly wrong during the pitching of this movie. Allegedly, the movie is loosely based on a real experience Aykroyd had back in 70s and this movie came out in 1991 and he hasn’t sat in the director’s chair since… which experience do you think was worse for him?

“Nosferatu” is one of the earliest adaptations of “Dracula” and remains an iconic silent horror film. Interestingly, several changes were made from the source material as this was unauthorised take on Bram Stoker’s work. Although other “Dracula” films have since come and arguably improved on the formula with the 1931 Béla Lugosi version and the Francis Ford Coppola rendition of the 90s being among the highlights, “Nosferatu” remains a terrific film.

Transylvanian vampire Count Orlok (Max Schreck) leaves his castle and travels to Wisbourg, Germany to his new home. He brings death and destruction to German lands like a plague on mankind. What can stop this evil beast?

Many interpretations of Dracula have the vampire as a suave gentleman. That was certainly true of the Lugosi version and that really shaped future versions of the character. However, Schreck’s portrayal of the character has him as a freakish entity. Some of the most famous shots from this movie with Orlok are still somewhat unsettling. Schreck’s excellent performance even led to totally unfounded rumours that he himself was actually a vampire. This myth was later cemented in pop culture when Willem Dafoe played Schreck as a real vampire in “Shadow of the Vampire”. The other characters in this movie are all fine.

There is something about horror films from the silent era, they really seem like they are from another world. “Nosferatu”, “Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari” and even “Metropolis” (although that’s more sci-fi than anything else) are all perfect examples of the creativity of German silent cinema. If you’ve seen the Universal ones, the Hammer ones or any of the other countless “Dracula” films out there then you also need to ensure that you don’t miss out on “Nosferatu”. This remarkable came out in 1922, just a couple of years after “Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari”. I recommend watching both as a double feature.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”), “Noah” is a movie I can’t believe ever got made. It takes inspiration from famous the biblical story yet it also adds lots of other bits and pieces. I guess maybe stories change, from Hercules to Superman, things just never stay the same.

In this film, Noah (Russell Crowe “Gladiator”, “L.A. Confidential”) and his family are on a mission to build an ark to house themselves and all the animals for when a large flood comes. That’s all well and fine but the movie also features lots of extra strands of plot such as parts with giant rock monster beating the hell out of people to ensure they don’t get on the ark. However, the next scene then has one of the most in-depth dives into religious that I’ve ever heard so yeah… it’s strange.

Lots of the complaints about this film have been directed at the character of Noah. Here, he seems mean and is intent of making sure his family are the last humans ever to exist and needs to be turned around by his family. Crowe is truly amazing. I think this extra dimension is actually interesting. Jennifer Connelly (“Hulk”), Ray Winstone (“Beowulf”) and Emma Watson (“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”) all appear but are forgettable. Anthony Hopkins (“Silence of the Lambs”) is good as always.

“Noah” is definitely weird but I’m not against new interpretations of stories. The original story from “The Bible” is incredible because it teaches great morals and as long as the morals are kept then a new version of the story can be good. It doesn’t dumb things down by making a disaster movie set in the present because this is still very much a biblical epic. It has a few moments that seem to distract a little from the main story, the inclusion of rock monsters makes the film enjoyable and some of the dialog makes it thought-provoking. It’s flawed yet still worth seeing as there aren’t that many modern biblical films to compete with.

The “Ip Man” franchise is arguably the most entertaining martial arts franchise out there. The first film remains a classic and I think this fourth and final entry in the series is the best since the original. It’s definitely much more engaging than the third film and a terrific end to a wonderful series.

Ip Man (Donnie Yen “Hero”, “Kung Fu Killer”) has now been diagnosed with cancer. His rebellious son faces expulsion from school so he decides to travel to San Francisco to find a school for his son. There he also catches up with his most famous student, Bruce Lee (Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan “Kung Fu Hustle”). Together the two must deal with the hostilities facing the local Chinese community.

Donnie Yen is as great as always as Ip Man. I thought he may have slowed down now that he’s got older but the fights in this movie are as energetic as ever. Danny Kwok-Kwan Chan does a reasonable job as Bruce Lee. He’s not in the movie all that much but the scenes with him are entertaining. The person who steals the show has to be Scott Adkins (“Ninja”, “Triple Threat”) as the merciless Gunnery Sgt. Geddes. Adkins has improved his American accent since some of his earlier films and he has clearly been perfecting his fight skills over the years.

“Ip Man 4: The Finale” contains one of the best fight sequences ever as the final battle sees Donnie Yen face off against Scott Adkins. It’s a truly exhilarating spectacle where we see two of the best guys in the business go at it. There are some moving moments throughout so it has some good drama elements too. For anybody that even vaguely likes martial arts movies, you owe it to yourself to see the “Ip Man” franchise.

The Coen brothers (“Fargo”, “Raising Arizona”) bring you a thrilling crime/drama in the form of “No Country For Old Men”. The film defies film conventions and plays by its own rules so while some may find this an awkward and dull watch, I think most will find it original and fascinating.

A hunter by the name of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin “The Goonies”) stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong as well as millions of dollars in cash. He’s soon on the run from a terrifying hired killer (Javier Bardem “Skyfall”). The film takes some creative twists and turns and while some will almost certainly find the ending anticlimactic, I think it is fitting.

Josh Brolin is good as Moss; everything the character does is understandable given the circumstances he’s in. Javier Bardem is brilliantly sinister as Chigurh and I love the captive bolt pistol (used to kill cows before slaughter) that he uses throughout the film. Tommy Lee Jones (“Men In Black”) feels criminally underused despite giving an enjoyable performance. Jones plays Sheriff Bell, who is trying to help save Moss. Interestingly, none of the main stars are ever in the same shot and that itself creates an intriguing dynamic. I think Woody Harrelson (“Zombieland”) is underused as well.

“No Country For Old Men” is filmed exceptionally well and has some very intense moments. Perhaps its greatest feature is that I think it accomplishes the most when it features scenes with little to no dialog. Easily one of the best scenes is where Moss is waiting in a hotel room and he’s expecting Chigurh to come through the door at any minute. I’ve enjoyed several of the Coen brothers’ films such as “Barton Fink” and “The Big Lebowski” but I think this is my favourite one yet. This is a very smart film and a very stylish film.

Japanese cinema has always been home to some very strange types of films including the giant monster ‘kaiju’ films as well as some of the early cyberpunk movies such as “Akira” and “Ghost In The Shell”. However, arguably the strangest films to come out have Japan have been the ‘splatter comedies’ such as “Tokyo Gore Police”, “RoboGeisha” and “The Machine Girl”.

These films contain a ludicrous amount of gore as well as perverse sense of humour. They remind me a little of the movies of Troma such as “The Toxic Avenger” and “Terror Firmer”. Many of the titles for Japanese splatter comedies are even somewhat perverse such as the “Rape Zombie: Lust of the Dead” franchise and “Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead”. The films typically have female main characters and they often wear provocative clothing. They also contain rather disturbing and somewhat sexual imagery. Examples include the woman with an alligator lower body with the female genitalia in the alligator mouth in “Tokyo Gore Police” and in “Shyness Machine Girl”, her machine gun comes out of her rear end.

Other films in this bizarre genre include “Mutant Girls Squad”, “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl”, “Alien vs. Ninja” and “Dead Sushi”. These movies seem to perfectly capture the perception of Japanese cult as strange. Throughout the years, many have noted and even mocked the weird nature of Japanese entertainment. Many have focused on ridiculing anime (Japanese cartoons) for their stark difference to their American competition. Shows such as “Pokémon” seem so far removed from the standards of American kids’ shows. Japan has also been the source of many videogames that seem to defy the convention of games released elsewhere in the world. Franchises such as “Metal Gear Solid” have been noted for their unique design choices that often seem to serve no real purpose.

There seems to be no sign that Japanese splatter comedies are on the decline. They certainly offer something outrageous.