tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42162329664866257432024-03-05T21:32:42.475-08:00I Will Not Love You Long Time.Musings, rants, and other good stuff on the evolution of the depictions of Asians/Asian-Americans in television, films, and pop culture.
Lick-Wilmerding Independent Study '11Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-30008318100022659372011-08-16T20:24:00.000-07:002011-08-16T20:24:18.095-07:00The Hangovers: An Examination of Mr. Chow<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Warning: Explicit Content Below.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Like all good (cough) teenagers, I have seen both <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/">The Hangover</a> and </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1411697/" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Hangover 2</a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. And yeah, they were funny. Funny whenever <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0421822/">Ken Jeong</a> wasn't onscreen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Hangover (first one) was a very funny movie. The writers were very clever in taking the three protagonists out of the Wild Night and putting them in the horror of the next day. However, I think that the movie could have worked very well </span><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">without</i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> the character of Mr. Chow or even without the performance by Ken Jeong. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yeah. Mr. Chow is the weirdest portrayal of an Asian that I have ever seen. And none of it is funny. He's a kind of Fu Manchu stereotype because he's quite threatening and he does kidnap and is an international crime kingpin - but he isn't a <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/02/mask-of-fu-manchu.html">Fu Manchu</a> because he's... well, he's supposed to be comedic. He's also not going to rape all the white women - he'll probably assault some squeaky white males with a crowbar first. Mr. Chow is some sort of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/charlie-chan-in-london.html">Charlie Chan</a> stereotype because he's rotund-ish and effeminate and supposed to be funny... He's also a bit of a <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/04/jackie-chan-atrocity-rumble-in-bronx.html">Jackie Chan</a> stereotype because he kicks Alan/Stu/Phil's butts in Hangover 2 while being weird and slapstick and obnoxious. So what is he? </span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I suppose he's the vulgar version of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/slim-chin-metro-pcs-indian-guys.html">Slim Chin</a>. Which is just as, if not more painful. Oddly reminiscent of Long Duk Dong as well. <br />
So. What exactly does Mr. Chow do that is so terrible and painful to watch? Well... he frequently mispronounces words with that typical Asian accent. You know, "Engrish." "Lun away." You know. Read the script of both Hangovers and replace every "l" with and "r" when Mr. Chow speaks. Cheap and overused stereotype? You betcha. Hath Ken Jeong no shame?<br />
He makes up strange, "Asian-sounding-Asian-language" verbal commands for his henchmen (Henchmen! What is this, <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/02/mask-of-fu-manchu.html">The Mask of Fu Manchu</a>?!)<br />
Also damaging is Mr. Chow's highly vulgar vernacular (alliteration!). While it is great to hear an Asian, normally portrayed as so demure and goody-goody, cursing like a sailor, there is a line that needs to be drawn. Perhaps the swearing streak was merely for over-the-top comedic effect. Who knows? I certainly thought it was too much... his constant streams of curses just pushed it too far.<br />
There's also the issue that Mr. Chow is as effeminate as... the most effeminate thing you can think of. Jeong's portrayal also pokes fun at gay people - wow, managing to offend two minority groups at once! Fantastic! (Sarcasm done) The vulgarity earns big yuks, of course. Constant male genitalia jokes, you know. There's the issue of him running around stark naked all the time. There's the issue of him beating up people with crowbars. It's just... too much. Too much. It goes beyond being mildly humorous to being incredibly offensive and difficult to watch. Not sure that was what the writers and directors were aiming for (who, by the way, are middle-aged Caucasian males)... </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZqNqNdiRwyc" width="640"></iframe><br />
The most painful part about the whole Hangover franchise is that I hear more people quoting Mr. Chow's lines than any other funny lines in the whole movie. I hear more people talking about "that hysterical Asian asshole." Mm. Lovely. Of course, both Hangover movies poke fun at all types of people - women, people of color, old people, babies, harmless monks... It's just that the character of Mr. Chow is based on cheap, degrading stereotypes that are horrifying to watch. It's completely based on the stereotypes that have been around since Asians have been appearing in films - in other words, not progressive at all. In addition, the only characters that are <i>not</i> made fun of extensively are upper-middle-class Caucasian males - which isn't really a departure from certain trends in Hollywood... Disappointment abounds. <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qm41-LtxBhY" width="640"></iframe></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ken Jeong's big-screen debut was actually in Knocked Up, where he played a doctor (and oh my LOLs, he's a doctor in real life). </div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2FdJlKc4W68" width="480"></iframe><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This scene is actually pretty funny. Wanna know why? I don't have to listen to some fabricated and screeching accent a la Leslie Chow. In fact, this scene proves that Ken Jeong does not have an accent - so why did he adopt one for both Hangovers? I'm currently tearing my hair out in frustration. <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Basically, the character of Mr. Chow is the next Charlie Chan stereotype. The Charlie Chan of our generation. He was created only for this movie and already an ad campaign used the exact same formula to sell a product. He'll last forever and people will love him - and a few generations from now, people will be frantically trying to erase and move beyond him.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The one thing that I am very grateful for is that both Hangovers were rated R. Which means, unlike the character of Long Duk Dong, desperate pleas for Mr. Chow imitations will not be heard on elementary school playgrounds at all. Asian-American children will not be asked to yell, "Toodaroo mothafucka!" or something like that. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jeong's portrayal of an effeminate and dangerous FOB, exorbitant use of profanity, and horrendous accent crossed the line. It was never a positive portrayal of an Asian to begin with, and it got more and more offensive as the movie went on. Sadly, it looks like Mr. Chow and his henchmen are here to stay, possibly spawning several more rip-offs before the year is through. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div><a href="http://blog.angryasianman.com/2009/06/in-theaters-hangover.html" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Angry Asian Man's take on the Hangover</a>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-63421416496126252102011-04-22T15:54:00.000-07:002011-04-22T15:54:40.312-07:00Romeo Must Die<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was so excited to watch this movie. You have no idea. I was ready to move on from the horrendous Jackie Chan stuff and onto some real action and some <i>real</i> representation. But alas... it didn't really come true. It fell flat. On its face. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Disclaimer: This movie does not follow the original Shakespeare play at all. </i></span></span><br />
<a href="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff7/irishwarrior1122/music/romeo_must_die.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff7/irishwarrior1122/music/romeo_must_die.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It starts with the son of an Oakland Chinese gangster being at a "black" club called Silk's. The son's bodyguards, headed by Kai (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005568/">Russell Wong</a>) show up and there's a lot of gunshots. The bodyguards, Kai, and the son are asked to leave. Kai berates the son for going into an "enemy" club, but The Son rolls his eyes and drives away. His body is found the next morning... dead. The father, Chu Sing (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0642912/">Henry O</a>), finds out, as does his rival head-of-the-stereotypical-black-gang, Isaak O'Day (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005148/">Delroy Lindo</a>). It makes the situation between them very sticky. The Son's brother, Han (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001472/">Jet Li</a>), finds out while he is imprisoned in Hong Kong, so he escapes using his badassedness and somehow gets to Oakland (which is really Vancouver but whatever). Isaak gets worried that the Chinese gang will retaliate and attack his daughter, Trisha (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004691/">Aaliyah</a>), so he puts a bodyguard on her, comic relief by the name of Maurice (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0026364/">Anthony Anderson</a>). They go to a record store together and Trisha runs away because she doesn't like her bodyguard. She jumps into a cab that Han has just stolen and then they drive away. Han can't drive. That's okay, because it starts a nice conversation. And they flirt and it's <i>reaaaaaaally </i>cute. Meanwhile, Isaak meets with a white businessman named Roth (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0050737/">Edoardo Ballerini</a>) about selling some of his waterfront property to build a NFL stadium and own a football team. Isaak has decided to give up his life of crime to own the stadium and team, so he is willing to do whatever in the deal with Roth. Later, Han drops off Trish at her store (yeah, she owns a store) and she finds her brother Colin (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0940851/">D.B. Woodside</a>) making shady business deals over the phone. Naturally, this upsets her, but he consoles her and they hug. It's cute. Meanwhile, Han breaks into his brother's swanky high-rise apartment and finds out that the last number his brother dialed was that of Trish's store. Trish is then called to a diner to meet with Isaak's second-in-command, Mac (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0913460/">Isaiah Washington</a>), who warns her to be careful. Trish rolls her eyes and goes home... and Han followed her home! He asks her about the phone call but she says she doesn't know what it's about. But then Maurice and some of his cronies show up and immediately suspect Han of something, even though he presents himself as a dim sum delivery kid. No matter. There's a badass fight anyways, and Han wins, because he's a winner. Han then steals Maurice's SUV. Han then goes to his brother's funeral and confront his father, Chu, about his brother's death. Apparently, Han and his brother were very close. Chu refuses to even talk about his son's death, so Han decides to talk to Kai. Kai informs Han that the Chinatown gangs (yeah, you read that correctly) and Isaak's gang are fighting over the waterfront properties, as both gangs want to own the NFL stadium and stuff. Kai and Han have a fight because it's fun, and Han goes back to Trisha's and they hang out and flirt some more and it's really cute. Later that night, Colin and his girlfriend are thrown out of the window of their high-rise apartment by someone mysterious and they both die. The next day, Han returns to his brother's apartment and finds it completely trashed. He then finds his brother's car with a list of addresses of waterfront properties. Going back to the apartment, Han finds Trisha, who tells him about Colin's death. They decide to work together to figure out the mysterious waterfront property list. They arrive at the first waterfront business, which is owned by a Chinese man, but he's been murdered, along with his coworkers. Han and Trish spot the assassins as they are motorcycling away, so they give chase. While fighting, Han discovers that the assassins are Chinese, which makes him worry. Han then informs his father, who dismisses it as a plot by Isaak to "get even" or one-up him on the waterfront properties. Meanwhile, Mac tortures a black waterfront property owner into handing over the property deed to him. So both Kai and Mac are killing and doing bad things to obtain the businesses and land that they want. Isaak freaks out and has Trisha move back into her childhood home to be safe. He also forbids her to see Han ever again and stresses the dangers of the Chinese. Trisha then gets suspicious and asks her dad if he had anything to do with the murder of Han's brother, which Isaak denies. Then they have a heart-to-heart, but Roth calls and tells Isaak he wants to seal the deal now. They agree to meet at the Silk's, the bar where the first fight scene takes place. Han and Trisha decide to go to Silk's too, unaware of the meeting that is happening there. When they show up, everyone stares at Han because he's Chinese - however, this doesn't daunt Trisha, who decides to dance with Han. Scaaaaandal. Silk (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0229422/">DMX</a>), the owner of the bar, sees them and smells trouble, so he scoops them off of the dance floor and takes them up to his office. There's some exposition about Isaak's gang buying up all of the waterfront properties... blah blah blah... until Mac bursts in and shoots Silk and takes the property deed! Han is beaten up and Trisha is taken away. Han gets taken away to a weird warehouse that looks like the set of the final chase scene in The Fugitive. There's another badass fight sequence and Han escapes to find Trisha! Later, Isaak refuses to sell the newly acquired waterfront properties to Roth, claiming that he wants to be a partner. This makes Mac upset, who then reveals that he's been working with Chu to kill off the other property owners and that he was the one who killed Colin. This makes Isaak very angry, and he launches himself at Mac but gets shot. Then Roth's guys start shooting everywhere and most of Isaak's men get killed. Roth steals all of the deeds and tries to make it to a waiting helicopter but drops all of the deeds. Han shows up and interrogates Mac about the death of his brother, who says that it happened "in house," and then is about to shoot Han when - SURPRISE! Trisha shoots Mac! Han and Trisha go back to Isaak to make sure that he gets to a hospital, and Isaak gives his blessing for Han and Trisha - awww. Then Han departs to avenge his brother. He shows up at his father's house and confronts Kai, who confesses that he was the one who killed Han's brother. Then Kai and Han have a ginormous fight and ends with Kai being killed. Han then goes and confronts his dad, who asks that Han kill him. Han decides to step away and leave it to the police, but his dad shoots himself. The film ends with Trisha and Han hugging (not kissing like they are obviously supposed to) and walking away holding hands (what are they, fourth graders?!). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jayepurplewolf.com/AALIYAH/romeomustdie2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://www.jayepurplewolf.com/AALIYAH/romeomustdie2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're cuuuute. But they aren't fourth graders. So they should do more than just hold hands.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phew. Long-winded plot, eh? Kinda puts those <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/04/jackie-chan-atrocity-rumble-in-bronx.html">Jackie</a> <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/jackie-chan-atrocity-spy-next-door.html">Chan</a> films to shame.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, about <a href="http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2010/01/The-50-Most-Racist-Movies/romeo-must-die">the kiss that got cut and replaced with a hug</a>. A bit of context: The original cut of the film featured Jet Li and Aaliyah kissing and then the movie ending. However, when showed at test screenings, viewers did not like the fact that Jet Li and Aaliyah were kissing. So they replaced the kiss with a hug. Stupid, right? I know. And it was a <i>hug.</i> The hug implies that they're only good friends, which is just utterly false and an understatement - Trisha and Han obviously have chemistry together - so... they just hug? It's an anti-climactic ending, especially with all the bad stuff going down in the rest of the movie. Just a hug? Come on, they had been holding in all their sexual tension the whole movie and they just <i>hug?</i> Liberate yourselves, kiddos! Kiss her!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dvdactive.com/images/reviews/screenshot/2001/11/romeo_must_die_r4_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://www.dvdactive.com/images/reviews/screenshot/2001/11/romeo_must_die_r4_003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No kissing!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I digress. This film came out in 2000. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-miscegenation_laws">Anti-miscegenation laws</a> had been nonexistent for 33 years. It was 16 years after the release of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/long-duk-dong.html">Sixteen Candles</a>. Hard to believe that in the year 2000, people still had issues with interracial kissing. But here's <i>my</i> question. Was it the fact that it was a black girl and an Asian guy kissing? Or was it the fact that it was <i>Aaliyah </i>kissing a relatively unknown Asian actor? Aaliyah was a very famous, very talented singer who was just starting her film career - she already had a fan base because of her musical career. Did her fans think she was too - dare I say it? - <i>good</i> for Jet Li? Was it because Jet Li did not have the status as a sex symbol that Aaliyah did? Would it have made a difference if it was a different black female actress? Who knows? I just wonder <i>why</i> it was such a huge issue. I mean, there was some serious in-your-face interracial kissing back in <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/crimson-kimono.html">Crimson Kimono</a> - that film was released in <i>1959</i>. In 2000, audiences couldn't have a badass Asian dude kiss a pretty black girl. What's up with that?!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite the lack-of-kiss controversy, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_Must_Die">Romeo Must Die</a> was a groundbreaking film. Well, sort of. Well, not really. More of a groundbreaking premise than an actually important and impressive film. There's the fact that it stars Jet Li as a calm, cool, funny dude who just <i>happens</i> to be from Hong Kong and he just <i>happens</i> to be a badass. If you cut all of the martial arts scenes from the film, you would get a film about a normal Asian dude who falls in love with a black girl. Normality! His character is almost <i>boring</i> - and you have no idea how refreshing it is. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only similarities between the <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/enter-dragon.html">Bruce Lee</a> caricature and the character of Han is that they both excel at martial arts and are quite noble. There are almost no similarities between Han and Jackie Chan - Han is not loud and clumsy, nor is he silly or bumbling. It's great!</span><br />
But of course, Han remains a badass. And here's proof!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6OOuK_pHwOk" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something also has to be said about <i>who</i> this film is appealing to. Essentially, this is a movie of martial arts and love for the hip-hop generation. It's definitely marketed as an action movie for the 13-25 age range (I'm guessing here). So if a bunch of 13-25 year olds were watching this movie and they see a positive representation of... well, one Asian guy, the impact would have been notable. The normality of Han's characteristics shows that some Asian guys are pretty darn normal. They play football and try to impress girls. They're funny and goofy and they're just like any other kid you'd meet on the street. On the other hand, Han's supercool martial arts skillz make him into a hero. His ability to take out a group of bad guys makes him somebody to look up to. When was the last time people looked up to an Asian guy? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Han even beasts at American football! Look at that! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another merit of this film is that it doesn't rely solely on the fight scenes - there is a (long-winded and slightly convoluted) plot, and it works (ish). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember how Jackie Chan's debut film in America was that awful pile of poop called <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/04/jackie-chan-atrocity-rumble-in-bronx.html">Rumble in the Bronx</a>? Well, this was Jet Li's American debut film. (I'm ignoring <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethal_Weapon_4">Lethal Weapon 4</a>) No comparison needed, no contest - Jet Li is the winner. He wins on a positive portrayal, a semi-tolerable movie, better fight scenes, and he has a happy smile. And he never gets too subservient or too anything, really. However, Li isn't a winner <i>just </i>because of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_Must_Die">Romeo Must Die</a>. He has not caricature-ized himself while acting in America at all and has retained a very good public image. Jet Li has consistently chosen roles that are not completely stereotypical portrayals of Asian people - so not only is he a badass, he's also a conscious, smart human being! Is it any wonder that I'm on Team Jet Li and <i>not </i>on Team Jackie Chan?!</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zAi53EhNPOA" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is, of course, the issue of gangs, regardless of racial background. I'm going to focus specifically on the Chinese gangs, however. Eerily reminiscent of the <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/sherlock-blind-banker.html">Sherlock</a> episode I wrote about, this idea of warring families and all the Chinese families banding together just rubs me the wrong way. The entire plot of the film definitely rests on the race-based gang premise, so that kinda makes this whole film... uncomfortable. Chu Sing isn't a nice guy - he puts his enemies in refrigerators and his right-hand man killed his own son for the good of the business. He's a kind of frail Fu Manchu, with Kai acting as his mercenary. Not the best portrayal, and it isn't really redeemed with Han's character at all... <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a></span><br />
I wish this film had used this topic (so much potential!) to make some sort of social commentary about race relations or organized crime or <i>something</i> - but it never does. Never ever. And there's never any Shakespeare references either! Hmph.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EeHQPQtk6Pg" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So overall... I think this was a movie that had a lot of creative potential, and had the potential to be really groundbreaking. The concept was interesting and showed a lot of promise, but none of it was actually achieved, which is hugely disappointing. Then of course there's the no kissing thing. And the gangs. I'm taking solace in the fact that I can watch the Russell Wong vs. Jet Li fight scene over and over again... </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh well. You can't win them all. </span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-64691690364960404402011-04-15T09:20:00.000-07:002011-04-15T09:20:22.546-07:00A Jackie Chan Atrocity: Rumble in the Bronx<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the thing about these kung fu ass-kicking movies: they tend to have no plot at all. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113326/">Rumble in the Bronx</a> is no exception. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">See? Even the trailer admits it (sort of) - plot is not necessary! At all! This movie is not a story - it's a montage of Jackie Chan kicking biker-gang-butt with a little bit of plot thrown in. And honestly, the plot only moves the story onto the next fight scene. It's kinda like the producer, director, and writer had a montage of fight scenes but couldn't figure out how to turn it into a movie - so they added this very weak and quite unbelievable plot. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan">Jackie Chan</a> plays Keung, a recent immigrant from Hong Kong who has come to the Bronx for his uncle's wedding. His uncle (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Tung">Bill Tung</a>) also owns a small supermarket in the neighborhood, but he is planning on selling it to a girl named either Elaine or Elena (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anita_Mui">Anita Mui</a>) - the summary, subtitles, and dubbed versions were all different - who thinks Keung is cute. D'aww. Keung's uncle gets lent a nice shiny car for his wedding. He parks it outside of his apartment where Keung is also staying. That night, a super stereotypical biker gang has a race on their street. One of the cyclists is about to run over the nice shiny car when Keung deflects it! Unfortunately, he has now earned the wrath of the very 90's biker gang that coincidentally has been harassing Elaine/Elena at her supermarket. Then Keung shows up and does some ass-kicking and the biker gang leaves the supermarket alone. Keung also made friends with a little Chinese-American boy named Danny (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0482668/">Morgan Lam</a>) who sits in a wheelchair and is being raised by his older sister Nancy (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7oise_Yip">Françoise Yip</a>), an exotic dancer in a sleazy club who also happens to be dating the leader of stereotypically 90's biker gang (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Akerstream">Marc Akerstream</a>). They seem to be falling in love, but that plot line isn't important. What's important is that the Number Two Guy in the biker gang, who goes by the name of Angelo (stuntman <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0189162/">Garvin Cross</a>) gets mixed up in a diamond theft that's organized by a big-time gangster dude called White Tiger (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1349171/">Kris Lord</a>). Angelo is running away with the diamonds and hides them in Danny's wheelchair cushion. Two of the White Tiger's associates vandalize Elaine/Elena's supermarket and kidnap two of the biker gang dudes to interrogate them about Angelo, who has since gone missing. One of them gets shredded in a tree shredder (gross) to send back to Angelo to threaten him with the return of the diamonds. Keung then goes to biker headquarters and fights the bikers in retaliation for trashing Elena/Elaine's supermarket. Then Keung decides to ally with the bikers to get the diamonds and return them to the White Tiger. God this plot is tedious. "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">Keung convinces the street gangsters to reform, then brings the big-time criminals to justice after another long-winded street battle. The syndicate and Keung work out the diamonds are in the boy's wheelchair, and the handover is botched after Nancy and Tony are held hostage by the syndicate; the diamonds are lost after the syndicate uses towtrucks to pull the supermarket apart and the diamonds are spilled as Keung is in the building and knocked over. A long battle occurs in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666;">the Hudson River after White Tiger's men hijack a hovercraft and are pursued by Keung and the New York Police Department. </span>The hovercraft finally ends up running through the streets, causing much damage to property. Keung ends the chase by stealing a large sword from a museum and clamping it onto a sports car window and driving into the hovercraft, shredding the rubber undercarriage and immobilising the vehicle and capturing the syndicate men. After shooting one of them non-fatally to force them to reveal White Tiger's location, Keung drives the hovercraft, with the rubber implausibly re-patched with tape, across town to a golf course where White Tiger is playing with subordinates. He runs them over and squashes them non-fatally into the ground. The film ends with White Tiger being squashed, his clothes ripped off his back, leaving him naked." (from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_in_the_Bronx">Wikipedia article</a>) </span> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's Jackie Chan playing... Jackie Chan! But what's weird is that I only thought it was Jackie Chan playing Jackie Chan because I've seen other Jackie Chan movies that came out <i>after</i> Rumble in the Bronx. Because this was Chan's Hollywood debut, American audiences didn't know that he could be capable (cough) of handling different roles - roles that weren't just bumbling badass buffoons. Because that is exactly what Charlie - excuse me, <i>Jackie</i> Chan's role as Keung is. He's a kid who could definitely kick your ass if you cross him, but he's a smiling, good-natured, clueless FOB at the same time. And I say FOB because he is. Keung's character arrives in America (fine, an <i>airplane</i> - technicalities, yeesh) and begins speaking in Chinese when his uncle tells him that he should speak English because he's in America. Did I mention that this was Chan's debut film in America? Yeah. FOB. A badass FOB, but an FOB just the same. The fact that dear old Jackie hasn't even <i>tried</i> to develop as an actor until the remake of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155076/">The Karate Kid</a> (which wasn't even much of a departure from all the other crap he's put out) shows that he's very comfortable being <i>the same character all the time. </i>So he just plays Jackie Chan. All. The. Time. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buffoon. Yeah.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now would be a good time to quote my previous "Jackie Chan Atrocity" post on <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/jackie-chan-atrocity-spy-next-door.html">The Spy Next Door</a>:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i>"While it's great that Asians/-Americans have someone like Jackie Chan as a familiar/extremely famous face in the media, it's awful that he portrays the same characters over and over again, and that he really doesn't do anything other than beat up bad guys. It's all that he is really "good" for, and it's shameful. Has Jackie Chan been typecast as a slapstick-y foreign ass-kicker? Unabashedly, yes. He's made some attempts to get out of that stereotype, but unfortunately, he can't. It's too hard to imagine this "yellow Uncle Tom" as anything other than a slightly dumb, slightly FOB-y martial artist. That's it. All brawn, no brain. Maybe a tiny hint of a brain. But no emotional depth. A perpetual foreigner whose only purpose is to bust out some karate chop hands and take down a group of evildoers. Disappointment abounds."</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jackie Chan often gets compared to <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/enter-dragon.html">Bruce Lee</a>. The only similarity that they have is the ability to kick some serious ass. Jackie Chan is the humble, bumbling, odd FOB who just so happens to be able to take you down without breaking a sweat. Bruce Lee, on the other hand, is the "noble" warrior - he fights alone and in order to avenge his sister's death and take out a traitor of the Shaolin Temple! God, what a guy! Jackie Chan just fights because biker gangs are coming after him for some reason. Which portrayal is better for Asian Americans? I vote Bruce Lee. At least Bruce Lee showed that Asians can be cool and collected and have a mission in life, as opposed to... Jackie Chan. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dummy? Yeah.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I watched the New Line Cinema version, which was dubbed and re-edited for international distribution. Dubbed? Yeah, dubbed. The most irritating thing was that the dubbed track was half a second off from the visuals - disorienting, much? I really think that it made the entire film more laughable and annoying - a feeling that wasn't helped by Chan's portrayal of himself and the horrid plot and dialogue. 17 minutes of original footage got cut as well. What does that mean for the story? Was there 17 minutes more of a cohesive plot? Who knows?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alright, I'll admit it. Jackie Chan is a badass. He jumps from one building to the other. Cool. That still doesn't excuse his poor representation of Chinese/Asian/-Americans! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SHAME. </span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-24637306395373302552011-04-03T13:50:00.000-07:002011-04-03T13:50:08.863-07:00The Wedding Banquet<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d-4u3C7CJbI" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107156/">The Wedding Banquet</a>, directed by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000487/">Ang Lee</a>, is a great story about a gay Taiwanese-American man in his mid-twenties named Wei-Tung Gao (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152061/">Winston Chao</a>) who has been in a happy relationship with his white physical therapist boyfriend Simon (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0509033/">Mitchell Lichtenstein</a>). However, Wei-Tung's traditional Taiwanese parents know nothing about their son's sexuality, and are constantly nagging him about getting married and having a son soon. His mother, Mrs. Gao (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0013833/">Ya-lei Kuei</a>) sends Wei-Tung a form that will be sent to a matchmaking firm and will find him a nice wife. Simon an Wei-Tung have a good time filling out the paperwork with outrageous demands (must speak five languages, have two Ph.Ds, be an opera singer) but the matchmaking firm ends up finding a girl who matches... exactly. On their first and very awkward date, the other girl finds out that Wei-Tung is gay and that the girl is actually already dating a white guy - they both agreed to the matchmaking forms/firm/thing to appease their parents. So Wei-Tung's off the hook... for a little bit. However, his parents are not at all pleased. That's when Simon has the brilliant idea of getting Wei-Tung's immigrant mainland-Chinese artist tenant, Wei-Wei (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0157771/">May Chin</a>), to marry Wei-Tung so Wei-Tung's parents leave him alone and so she can get a green card. All three of the twentysomethings agree to the plan, and Wei-Tung tells his parents. Of course, they are overjoyed at the news and announce that they will come to the US for the wedding. Wei-Tung's father (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0485950/">Sihung Lung</a>) also just had a stroke, but that does not deter him from wanting to come and have a big wedding for his son and daughter-in-law-to-be. Wei-Tung's parents arrive at the apartment that Simon and Wei-Tung share - all five people will be sharing the house for two weeks. However, both Wei-Tung and Wei-Wei want to get the marriage of convenience out of the way as quickly as possible, so they plan on having only a courthouse wedding. This doesn't really line up with Wei-Tung's parents' idea of a wedding, and Mrs. Gao breaks down crying because it isn't a Chinese ceremony and there isn't a banquet. The only way to make up for this tragic mistake? Accident? is to hold a huge banquet for everyone to attend. The banquet is large and shiny and Simon looks hurt and left out. After the banquet, Wei-Wei seduces Wei-Tung and he gets her pregnant. Whoops. This makes Simon <i>really </i>angry, and their previously stable and happy relationship starts to crumble. Wei-Tung's father (Mr. Gao?) has another stroke, and in a fit of anger and desperation, Wei-Tung comes out to his mother in the hospital hallway. She is immediately shocked and takes it personally and Wei-Tung begs her not to tell his father. Later, Simon is taking Mr. Gao for a walk and he discovers that Mr. Gao already guessed that Wei-Tung and Simon were in a relationship. Mr. Gao then accepts Simon as his son and gives him a hongbao filled with money but asks that he not tell Wei-Tung that he knows. Wei-Wei decides to keep her baby and asks Simon to be the other father of her child. Then it's time for Mr. and Mrs. Gao to go back to Taiwan, and they do, leaving the unconventional family behind. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First thing first - some of the acting performances are really contrived and quite cheesy. But don't let that get you down! Watch it with subtitles and turn the sound waaaay down. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, the entire purpose/story of this film is quite groundbreaking - it's TWO minorities represented in ONE film. And that representation is a positive one! Nowhere in the film do you see a negative or stereotypical portrayal of a gay person or an Asian person. All of the characters are written as believable, down-to-earth and normal people. Nothing is overblown or contrived (except the performances...). And on top of that, the film got nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award! It doesn't get much better than that, folks.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, this film is not at all about the Asian-<i>Am</i><i>erican </i>experience - while the story takes place in the early 90's in Manhattan, most of the dialogue happens in Mandarin, and the Asian characters are all "transplants" (if you will) from Asia in America. There's not really any culture clash or assimilation issues perse in this film, mostly because the entire movie takes place in the context of recent immigrants from China and Taiwan. In that sense, this film doesn't tackle the issue of being Asian in America - it's more about being gay and being Chinese at the same time. Granted, that's an important subject, but there isn't really much here for me to analyze that pertains to my original questions and ideas. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, fine, there's some culture clash. Like this above scene. But is this really culture clash? I feel like this is language clash, which could be something entirely different... or not. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This film is like <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/03/chan-is-missing.html">Chan is Missing</a> in the sense that the characters and their relationships are all extremely relatable. However, they are different because while Chan is Missing has a great universal story that doesn't rely completely on "the Chinese-ness," <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wedding_Banquet">The Wedding Banquet</a> does rely on that to help move the story along. Regardless, both are great representations of Asians and Asian-Americans - and that's quite a cause for celebration. </span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-34100000644835338722011-03-29T08:31:00.000-07:002011-03-30T21:40:21.858-07:00Chan is Missing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-azuOgqvG5lx9_aQA8F-KDUn4LinPS64bsg_qyIkdXO6ShV7fNpBMYpXhjak_BLh2id-4L5XjNtUM0nvTav6rlVAK9ohagfdc3IsN6538IKRlAgPi6IM8HELUrukOzotr0UGdUEeIKlC/s1600/Chan+is+Missing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-azuOgqvG5lx9_aQA8F-KDUn4LinPS64bsg_qyIkdXO6ShV7fNpBMYpXhjak_BLh2id-4L5XjNtUM0nvTav6rlVAK9ohagfdc3IsN6538IKRlAgPi6IM8HELUrukOzotr0UGdUEeIKlC/s1600/Chan+is+Missing.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083728/">Chan is Missing</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is the story of two cabbies, Jo and Steve, (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0610337/">Wood Moy</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0370634/">Marc Hayashi</a>) who were trying to get a cab driving license. They enlisted the help of a man named Chan Hung, giving him $4000 to obtain the license. Before Chan can get the license, he disappears, taking the $4000 too. Jo and Steve, wanting their license and the $4000 dollars, decide to go find where Chan could be. The resulting journey takes them all over San Francisco Chinatown, through middle-class apartments, a Filipino senior center, Chinese restaurants, and ESL schools. They begin by asking Chan's friend, a restaurant cook with a degree in astrophysics and engineering who hates making sweet and sour spareribs, the restaurant's most popular dish. He says that Chan went back to China, but Jo doesn't believe this. Jo says that Chan would only go back to China once he made an impact on America. Later, Jo and Steve find out that Chan was involved in a traffic accident, where he received a ticket. That same day, Jo and Steve hear about the argument between Chan and another elderly Chinese man that resulted in the other man's death. Chan and the other man had recently been in an argument about which flag should have been flown at an annual parade in Chinatown - the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China">People's Republic of China</a> flag versus the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China">Republic of China</a>'s flag. Jo and Steve head to a Manilatown senior center, where they find out that Chan enjoyed eating Hi-Hos and listening to the mariachi music performed there. They find Chan's coat there, with newspaper clippings in the pockets of the story of the murdered elderly Chinese man and of the story of the controversy surrounding the flags. Jo and Steve's search for Chan keeps leading them astray and they hear a different story about him every time. Next, they decide to talk to Chan's wife, an Americanized, headstrong lawyer who said that Chan"was too Chinese" to fully assimilate into America. Ties to Communist China keep appearing as well. Eventually ties to an "other woman" surface, and Jo receives a mysterious call telling him to "stop asking questions about Chan." We never actually find out where Chan went, but his daughter brings $4000 to Steve and Jo to make up for the money. The film has a very ambiguous ending with long shots of deserted Chinatown streets with a scratchy recording of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/flower-drum-song.html">Flower Drum Song</a>'s "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBYcFD7lCyM">Grant Avenue</a>." </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The great thing about Wayne Wang films is that they are incredibly relatable. You don't even have to be Chinese or Asian-American to enjoy them. Universal messages, people. They work well. Chan is Missing is no exception. However, it does draw attention to the differences in mentality and worldview between Asians from Asia and Asian-Americans. A part of the last 30 minutes of the film act as Jo's monologue about how the reason he couldn't find Chan Hung was because Jo couldn't think like a Chinese-Chinese man. This monologue is said over a montage of iconic yet dismal scenes of San Francisco. Jo was born in America - he found that it was this cultural difference that kept him from finding Chan. And just as Chan can't be found in the city at all, he's also found embedded in the city itself. This is spectacular because it highlights the difference between those who immigrate from Asia and those have Asian heritage and are born in America, something American mainstream media can't even seem to accent now. If you've been keeping up with my blog, you'll realize that this sort of "highlighting" of cultural differences within the Asian-American race is <i>huge.</i> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Scroll to 4:13 for <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chan_is_missing/">Chan is Missing</a></i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The style and feel of the film also gives a boost to its relatability (just making up words here). Most of the shots are hand-held and take place in people's kitchens. There is a distinctive home-movie quality to the film which makes the film way more familiar to anybody regardless of their race. Also, the film has characters speaking both Cantonese and Mandarin. Hello! Haven't heard any Cantonese since... Oh yeah, Double Happiness. <i>Still. </i>It's not all in Mandarin! And it's funny! Funny without making fun of Asians! This film was a huge step in the integration of proper representations of Asian-Americans in the movie industry, even if it didn't really make a big splash at the time. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As dear old Ebert said, this is the first film that doesn't rely on <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminology-thats-what.html">all those handy stereotypes</a> that I've been studying. There are no Fu Manchus, no Lotus Blossom girls, no Long Duk Dongs. There's a few Charlie Chan jokes, but they're all making fun of the "venerable" detective. All of the characters (Jo and Steve, in particular) are portrayed as normal human beings who just happen to be Chinese. The normality of the characters and setting is what make this film really stand out (okay, yeah, the cinematography's great too) - this could have been a film about any particular group of people, and the story would not have had to been altered one bit. Not once does the film mock or fetishize Chinatown or Chinese people - and that's probably because it was directed by an Asian-American director.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think that when a movie that just so happens to be about Asian-Americans is directed or written by Asian-Americans, the story becomes so much richer and way more relatable. These films end up more authentic because it's not some white director or writer who knows next to nothing about the Asian culture or the experience of Asian-Americans. Those films (<a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/flower-drum-song.html">Flower Drum Song</a>, anyone?) end up appropriating Asian culture and either making a mockery of it or just representing it in the wrong way (<a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/world-of-suzie-wong.html">The World of Suzie Wong</a>? <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/02/mask-of-fu-manchu.html">The Mask of Fu Manchu</a>?) People always talk about Flower Drum Song as the "first" and the "best." However, it was not <i>authentic. </i>And usually, inauthenticity makes people angry. So what's the best way to capture an authentic picture of the Asian-American experience? Get an Asian-American writer, director - or just Wayne Wang behind the camera.</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KFY_X_CjFbQ" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just like <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/joy-luck-club.html">Joy Luck Club</a> before it, <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173CE760BC4C51DFB2668389699EDE">Chan is Missing</a> presents a story with a universal message that just so happens to be about Chinese-Americans. Chan is Missing deals with loss, identity, mystery... you name it. But it's not specifically about Chinese-Americans. Sure, that's a common thread, almost the backbone of the story, but it really isn't the only thing going on in the movie. An example of the Asian-American-ness taking over the plot of a film would probably be <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/03/double-happiness.html">Double Happiness</a>. Of course, these aren't even in the same category of films - but they both deal with the subject of being an Asian who has heritage/blood ties to Asia but doesn't fit in there. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of course, films like this beg the question: <i>Is this a film that just so happens to feature Asian-Americans? Or is this a film made for Asian-Americans?</i></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/12/12/chan-is-missing_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2010/12/12/chan-is-missing_1.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-7965255237971758552011-03-20T22:52:00.000-07:002011-03-20T22:52:42.449-07:00One Voice<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Recently I've volunteered at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and got to see one (yeah, just one) film, and it was this one. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"One Voice," directed by <a href="http://www.onevoicemovie.com/about-the-film/film-crew/director/lisette-marie-flanary">Lisette Marie Flanary</a>, is a documentary about an annual choral contest in Kamehameha High School in Oahu, Hawai'i. The school has a very large emphasis in learning and living Hawai'an culture and has a preference towards admitting Hawai'an students. All four grade levels compete to be the best performers of </span><em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mele</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, a type of Hawai'ian spiritual in four-part harmony and is about how beautiful Hawai'i is and having pride in being Hawai'ian. The documentary follows the 3rd quarter lives of the student conductors for each grade - after all, they're still students at school in addition to being conductors. There are three conductors per grade - one for girls, one for boys, and one for the coed choir. For Kamehameha, the "Song Contest" is the biggest deal since sliced bread, but the pressure on the student conductors is incredible. All of them want to win and be the representative (of sorts) of their class, so the amount of preparation they put into the songs is insane. One girl's song was about the island of Moloka'i, which also happened to be where her family was from, so she went back to really understand the song. Talk about commitment! The story was quite moving and emotional, especially with the last scene of all of the performances lead by the student conductors who the audience had grown attached to. However, the Song Contest wasn't the only thing that really drove the movie. The other side of the movie consists of a short background of the Kamehameha Schools, the Song Contest, and the history of </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mele,</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> while educating the audience about what it means to be Hawai'ian.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This film was great for me to watch because I previously knew next to nothing about Hawaiian culture. I knew that there was immense pride in being Hawaiian, but you get that same pride in almost any other AAPI culture. However, this was one of the film's drawbacks. Not a lot of the movie was devoted to educating the audience about Hawaiian culture - most of it was devoted to the Song Contest (which is great, don't get me wrong). I just wish I had been given a little more background - remember how uneducated I am about Hawaiian, let alone Pacific Islander, cultures in general? </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Seeing this movie pointed out to me that I haven't really been seeing any Pacific-Islander specific films, with the exception of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/02/south-pacific.html">South Pacific</a>. I've been focusing a lot on just the East Asian experience and the more "traditional" Asian-American experience. I don't know much about Hawaiian culture or Pacific Islander culture at all, but I know plenty about East Asian and a little bit of South Asian culture. It's led me to wonder whether the Pacific Islander experience is something that needs it's own independent study or if I should start incorporating it into my blog/studies now. I mean, that's what I'm doing right now. But is it part of the Asian American experience? I've heard people say, "Yes, it absolutely is!" And it does fit, at least on legal documents and forms and things. But on the other hand, I've heard people say, "No, Pacific Islander culture and East Asian culture are extremely different, even under the umbrella of AAPI." Which is also true. So... where does it go? Should Pacific Islander be put in the same category as East Asian? Does South Asian fit in there too? Do I even have the right to question where the PI of AAPI "belong?" </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">I'm not really sure. But if there's one thing that I'm sure about, it's that this movie is great. And it's directed by a female Hawaiian director! Yay! Go see it! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.onevoicemovie.com/home">One Voice website</a></span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-23252957459822711592011-03-10T21:41:00.000-08:002011-03-10T21:41:58.181-08:00Double Happiness<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once upon a time, a movie called <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/joy-luck-club.html">Joy Luck Club</a> came out. (Most) everyone loved it. Soon afterwards, many other JLC rip-offs debuted and just didn't measure up. This is one of those rip-offs. Except that this one is Canadian.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514f8pEeEkL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514f8pEeEkL.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"Forget that they're a Chinese family, just think of them as any old family. You know, any old white family... </i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>I grew up wondering why we couldn't be the Brady Bunch... But then again, Brady Bunch never needed subtitles.</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Jade Li (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0644897/">Sandra Oh</a>) is a twenty-two year old aspiring actress who lives with her extremely traditional Chinese family somewhere in Canada. Her parents only want four things in life - to get money from the penny stocks, to put on the "best" public persona to save face, to marry Jade off to a nice Chinese boy, and have prosperity. Jade couldn't care less about getting married or prosperity, causing her parents to be very worried about her. All she wants is to be an actress. She's also attracted to a nice Caucasian grad student named Mark (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0719678/">Callum Keith Rennie</a>), even though she knows her parents would be very upset with her. However, her parents (and extended family) keep on trying to set Jade up with a nice Chinese boy. They introduce her to Andrew (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0536689/">Johnny Mah</a>), and they go on a date together. However, Andrew tells Jade that he's gay, and they decide that they can only be friends. The plot rambles from there, taking Jade to auditions to awkward dates with Mark to awkward-er dates with faceless nice Chinese boys. Finally, Jade gets fed up and moves out of her family home, causing her to be disowned by her strict, one-dimensional Chinese father. Fin. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/61/Double_happiness_ver1.jpg/220px-Double_happiness_ver1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/61/Double_happiness_ver1.jpg/220px-Double_happiness_ver1.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109655/">Double Happiness</a> is one of those movies with funny bits and pieces but the overall story just rambles and doesn't seem to have a point. It's release seemed to be riding on the coattails of Joy Luck Club too much. It was another one of those bankable "family-culture-clash-Asians-are-people-too" movies that really didn't measure up to the still sub-par JLC. Also, the idea of "double happiness" never even gets mentioned in the movie - or if it does, it's mentioned in passing and I missed it. Either way, that's uncool. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The similarities between Joy Luck Club and Double Happiness are eerie. Both feature Asian families with immigrant parents and Americanized children. Both have "studly" white guys as love interests. Both have strong, independent Asian American women trying to break free from the overbearing Chinese-ness of their families as the main characters/plot devices. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Both have these weird, now-you-see-them-now-you-don't messages - almost like an "It's okay to be Asian American!" sort of thing.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Both have themes about staying true to your family and being true to yourself as well (take this opportunity to wipe away the tears), while assimilating into Western culture while remaining faithful to your "true" heritage and culture. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, they both have their own "defining" characteristics. Double Happiness is meant to be a lighthearted comedy - God forbid you even crack a smile during most of the scenes in Joy Luck Club. Double Happiness has no plot - Joy Luck Club has several of them. But it really ends there. Unfortunately, there aren't all that many <i>things </i>in Double Happiness to compare to anything. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This, however, is one of the funnier moments in the movie. This is a scene where Jade is auditioning for an itty bitty role in some random movie. She has a total of 3 lines in the scene that she is reading, where she is a waitress. After she finishes the reading, the director asks her to do it in an accent. Jade responds with a pretty spot-on French accent... but that's not what the director wants. Then Jade is forced to belittle herself by saying, "A very good Chinese accent I can do for you." Cringe. Poor girl. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/23/A70-11743" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/23/A70-11743" width="137" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I found this scene hilarious because (I've been told) it's true. Asian actors are usually reduced to auditioning for bit parts in big movies, and at the auditions, they're usually asked if they can do some sort of generic Asian accent. If they can't, they probably won't get the part or won't be considered for other parts. If they can, they will probably land the part of some Perpetual Foreigner with some awful accent. If they're "lucky" (and luck is relative) they'll get famous for their accent and rocket to a fame based solely on a stereotypical portrayal (see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0421822/">Ken Jeong</a> of the <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/slim-chin-metro-pcs-indian-guys.html">Slim Chin</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1119646/">The Hangover</a>). Yuck. That isn't "lucky" in my book. In my opinion, Ken Jeong is my generation's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gedde_Watanabe">Gedde Watanabe</a> - the similarities are uncanny.</span><br />
<a href="http://media.ifc.com/img/movies/main-image/310x229_doublehappiness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://media.ifc.com/img/movies/main-image/310x229_doublehappiness.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But I digress. Jade's audition scene is probably a common occurrence for aspiring Asian-American actors. Directors seem to buy into this Perpetual Foreigner stereotype a little too much - it's almost like the assumption is "If you're Asian, you can do the accent." Very different from Ye Olde Days of Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu, when putting on an accent was the very <i>least </i>of the actors and directors' concern. Now, it's the opposite - and you can't be <i>white </i>and do the accent. You have to be <i>Asian </i>and do the accent. Perpetuating stereotypes - yay! Jade seems to realize this after her "Parisian accent" gets a look of confusion from the director and the other chick. And, lo and behold, she later "stars" in a scene where her face doesn't even get shown. She's cast as the headless, semi-mute, foreign Asian waitress, and it's depressing. That's why I found this scene so compelling - it shows the dilemmas that Asian Americans face in the audition rooms, and, subsequently, in the movie industry. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now look at this scene. Sandra Oh starts off pretending to be the mute Geisha-girl while Callum Rennie hits on her awkwardly. I don't actually care about Callum Rennie and his being awkward - it's the mute Geisha-girl thing. I have no idea what the purpose of this was. Is she trying to get his attention? It seems like a bad idea - I mean, if you're mute, you're not going to be grabbing anyone's attentions, right? Or is Jade/Oh trying to get him to leave her alone - the whole "I no speak Engrish" thing? I can't tell. Either way, it must work, because they end up sleeping together. My question, however, is <i>why. </i>Why does she adopt this weird foreign girl persona, when she is clearly (judging on looks alone) very very very Canadian/Westernized? What's the purpose? This may have been the most random part of the whole movie - and I still don't get it. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/84/1180915425_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/84/1180915425_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The one other good thing I can say about this film is that it was written and directed by an Asian woman, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mina_Shum">Mina Shum</a>. Props to Shum for being a woman in an industry which has always been male-dominated, and props for being an Asian-Canadian at the same time. We need more of her type. More of her type and fewer JLC rip-offs. </span></div>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-22084256926578963932011-03-01T14:56:00.000-08:002011-03-01T14:56:57.659-08:00Charlie Chan in... LA?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was in Los Angeles last week on holiday. It was nice... cold. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was driving around downtown LA when I passed this...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRzsGBd3oYqiZxapQIQ2DQtA9i_lhDqy3tfEDEHFBAJV45o4hl_kfge-EUah53zfyYFGQcQBflbokXs2H_Eex2Ua5xxCUJfCrFCM1m6OndvsDjl0xOf6X6tCLBZ3KC8XJYLJ0Z0WK2WIC/s1600/IMG_6956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRzsGBd3oYqiZxapQIQ2DQtA9i_lhDqy3tfEDEHFBAJV45o4hl_kfge-EUah53zfyYFGQcQBflbokXs2H_Eex2Ua5xxCUJfCrFCM1m6OndvsDjl0xOf6X6tCLBZ3KC8XJYLJ0Z0WK2WIC/s640/IMG_6956.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Charlie Chan Printing. What?!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did the owner of the business know about the movies and thought that the name would draw buyers? Or was the owner actually named Charlie Chan? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funny coincidences. Either way, it made me go:</span><br />
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</span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-79993158030608639622011-02-20T19:40:00.000-08:002011-02-20T19:40:41.043-08:00The Mask of Fu Manchu<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was supposed to watch this one three whole weeks ago... but because Netflix is stupid (kinda) I didn't get to see it until now. Better late than never, I suppose. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDbiytfZAu-0Kgsr-E03Bimn1Ow-AleBOd8FaDZ2doMYadqFakGMNBmNmG-UzXo7zr91U24PqU5lqBOzXnauUVSv19YNAiSz5bgoQYLgkq043xP8_tSHC4t_d3wynOtQJuCTvpKVzyMdF/s1600/The+Mask+of+Fu+Manchu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDbiytfZAu-0Kgsr-E03Bimn1Ow-AleBOd8FaDZ2doMYadqFakGMNBmNmG-UzXo7zr91U24PqU5lqBOzXnauUVSv19YNAiSz5bgoQYLgkq043xP8_tSHC4t_d3wynOtQJuCTvpKVzyMdF/s320/The+Mask+of+Fu+Manchu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023194/">The Mask of Fu Manchu</a> is about a group of English archaeologists, commissioned by a certain Sir Nayland (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Stone">Lewis Stone</a>) who race against the power-hungry <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminology-thats-what.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Dr. Fu Manchu</span></a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Karloff">Boris Karloff</a>) for the contents of Genghis Khan's tomb in the Gobi desert. But before the expedition can begin, the lead archaeologist, Sir Lionel Barton (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Grant">Lawrence Grant</a>) is kidnapped by one of Fu Manchu's henchmen and taken away to his palace, where Fu Manchu tortures him for the information about where the tomb is. He is kept there for many days until his daughter Sheila (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Morley">Karen Morely</a>) and her fiancé Terry (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Starrett">Charles Starrett</a>) begin to worry. They go to Sir Nayland and tell him that they will continue the expedition without fear of Fu Manchu and that they will try to find Sir Lionel anyways. Nayland lets them go, but soon accompanies them on the journey as well. The expedition team starts off and soon finds the tomb with no problems. There, they take the Mask and Sword of Genghis Khan to put in the museum, but Fu Manchu wants the Sword and Mask to "become" Genghis Khan and take over the world! They get the artifacts back to where they are staying for the night and set a guard to watch them just in case. The guard is killed in the middle of the night but the sword and mask aren't stolen. The next day, one of Fu Manchu's henchmen comes to the house where the team is staying and offers to trade Sir Lionel Barton for the sword and mask. Sheila jumps at the offer despite Terry's doubts, so Terry brings the sword and mask to Fu Manchu's palace, where he is looked over in strange ways by Fu Manchu's Dragon Lady-China Doll daughter Fah Lo See (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrna_Loy">Myrna Loy</a>). Fu Manchu takes the sword and tries to do some freaky electrical stuff to it, demonstrating his scary powers. However, Nayland secretly swapped the real sword of Genghis Khan's for a fake, so Fu Manchu's special electricity experiment doesn't work. Terry is whipped as punishment under supervision of Fah Lo See, who later plans to make him her sex slave and then kill him. Fu Manchu steps in and injects Terry with a mind-control serum and sends him back to bring Sheila, Nayland, and the real sword and mask to Fu Manchu. He does so and they all walk right into the trap. Fu Manchu plans his world domination strategy and decides he needs a ceremony to celebrate it. He sends Sheila off to get ready to be sacrificed at his ceremony, who gets angry and says to him, "<b><i>You yellow beast!</i></b>" He sends Terry off to be bedded by Fah Lo See. He sends Nayland off to be eaten by some crocodiles. And he goes off to put on his fancy robe for the ceremony. Nayland then manages to escape and rescues Terry, while Fu Manchu assembles his army of Middle Easterners, black guys, and some other Asian-looking people for a pep rally where he wears the mask and wields his sword. Nayland and Terry find a big electronic death ray zapper and zap Fu Manchu as soon as he is about to stab Sheila. Then, for good measure, Nayland and Terry zap his followers as well. Fast forward several days, and Nayland, Sheila and Terry are aboard a boat back to England. They toss the sword over the side of the boat (but not the mask?) so that it will be safe from any future Fu Manchu.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f3f3f3;">Watch </span><a href="http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/horror/watch/v194198163QzDCdBz"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f3f3f3;">6 - The Mask of Fu Manchu [1932].avi</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f3f3f3;"> in </span><a href="http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/horror"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f3f3f3;">Horror</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f3f3f3;"> | View More </span><a href="http://www.veoh.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #f3f3f3;">Free Videos Online at Veoh.com</span></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>"Will we ever understand these Eastern races?" </b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-</span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sir Nayland</span></b></i></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember how I wrote about <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/02/flash-gordon-emperor-ming-and-other.html">Flash Gordon</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_the_Merciless">Ming the Merciless</a>? He is Fu Manchu, just from outer space. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The horror. Quite literally, I'm afraid. This movie is the embodiment of Yellow Peril. It's the Perpetually Foreign and Inherently Evil Scary "Oriental!" Because Dr. Fu Manchu wants to <b>take over the world! </b>He wants to <b>lead all of Asia in an uprising against the accursed white race! </b>He enjoys <b>torturing people! </b>He <b>injects funky serums</b> into the bloodstreams of <b>next-to-naked white men!</b> He wants to <b>sacrifice a white woman to an accursed pagan god! </b>The horror! The indignity! </span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cszbDdpa8Zw" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>"Should Fu Manchu put that mask across his wicked eyes and take that scimitar into his bony, cruel hands, all Asia rises. He'll declare himself Genghis Khan come to life again. And that, my friend, is what you have got to prevent." <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Sir Nayland</span></i></b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some background on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu">Fu Manchu</a>: Originally conceived by British author <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sax_Rohmer">Sax Rohmer</a>, Fu Manchu was "yellow peril incarnate" an an evil scientist to boot. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Helvetica, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">"Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green. Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resources of science past and present, with all the resources, if you will, of a wealthy government--which, however, already has denied all knowledge of his existence. Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Helvetica, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">-- Nayland Smith to Dr. Petrie, </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Helvetica;"><i><div style="text-align: center;">The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, Chapter 2</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Scared, huh? I know I am. He's everything scary and bad about Asians compiled into one dude with freaky long fingernails and some funky facial hair. In fact, this sounds like a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Moriarty">Moriarty</a>-type criminal mastermind trapped in Sherlock Holmes' body! Whoa! Strangely enough, the Fu Manchu books were sort of like Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series, featuring Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie versus the (apparently) insidious Fu Manchu. Except that Nayland Smith isn't brilliant, and neither is Dr. Petrie. They're just racist and often voice the anti-Asian sentiments of the book (and presumably Sax Rohmer as well). It's just Fu Manchu that's cunning and clever and supremely evil and anti-white. So not only do you fear his evildoings - you have to fear his intelligence as well! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">What does this remind you of? The model minority? This fear that China will take over the world? Yes and yes! He's super smart (model minorty) and he wants to take over the world (China takes over the world)! Captain Obvious, reporting for duty!</span></div></i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>"Men of Asia! The skies are red with the thunderbolts of Genghis Khan! They rain down on the white race... and burn them!" <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">- Fu Manchu </span></i></b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's ignore Fu Manchu's scary intelligence for a moment, shall we? Let's focus on his sadistic scariness instead. He puts Nayland on a weird seesaw that gradually lowers him into a pit of (presumably) hungry alligators (or are they crocodiles?). He puts some other white guy on a platform between two walls of spikes that inch closer and closer together until... well, you get the idea (Said white guy is rescued, but not before he freaks out sufficiently). He has Terry whipped into a pain-induced stupor and then injects him with funky serum. He puts the good Sir Barton under a giant, endlessly clanging bell for days without food or water or reprieve from hearing the sonorous clanking, eventually driving poor Sir Barton insane. What does this do, you ask? This makes Fu Manchu an even <i>more </i>frightening character. Not only will he kidnap you, he'll torture you too! It's another little aspect to this already disgusting character that makes his foreignness and his evilness even more intolerable. He'll torture you in ways unimaginable! And he'll get a kick out of it! And on top of that... he's Asian! Asian and evil! Evilly Asian! Asianly evil! My eyeballs are rolling in terror!</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Rm7HQ-EzZEY" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there's Fu Manchu's army of Asians. Of course, this screams of perpetual foreigners and peril of all types - that's to be (hate to say it) <i>expected </i>from a movie from this time period. However, the only "<i>East</i><i> </i>Asians" we see in the movie are Fu Manchu and his creepy little daughter, plus or minus a few mute extras. The rest of Fu Manchu's army is made up of... Middle Easterners? What's the subtext here? That the East Asians are the power-hungry ones, and the Middle Easterners are the ones who will follow their leaders like little woolly sheep? I have no ideas. Care to help me out on this one? </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://hwcdn.themoviedb.org/oldimg/posters/28406/The_Mask_Of_Fu_Manchu_poster1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://hwcdn.themoviedb.org/oldimg/posters/28406/The_Mask_Of_Fu_Manchu_poster1.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This one's right up there on the So-Racist-it-Makes-Me-Violently-Sick list with <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/mr-moto-takes-chance.html">Mr. Moto</a>. Shame.</span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-25294923845347318762011-02-17T08:38:00.000-08:002011-02-17T08:38:43.274-08:00South Pacific<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another Rodgers and Hammerstein (same guys who did <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/flower-drum-song.html">Flower Drum Song</a>). <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052225/">Mediocre musicals</a> for the win! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The entire musical takes place during WWII in the Solomon Islands. There is an American naval base on one of the islands, and the rest are occupied by the Japanese. An American lieutenant, Joe Cable (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0449734/">John Kerr</a>) lands on the island occupied by the US in order to plan an attack on the Japanese-occupied islands. He lands there and is greeted by Luther Billis (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001827/">Ray Walston</a>), another sailor stationed on the island, and Bloody Mary (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355765/">Juanita Hall</a>), a Tonkinese grass skirt vendor. Bloody Mary shamelessly flirts with Cable while Billis sees Cable as his chance to get to the one unoccupied and seemingly magical island, Bali Ha'i. Cable falls in love with the idea of the island as well, and Bloody Mary sings a song. Then a Captain Brackett (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0114612/">Russ Brown</a>) arrives and shoos Bloody Mary and her grass skirts away from the navy base while introducing himself to Cable. Cable tells him of his plans to take the islands from the Japanese, but he'll need the help of a certain Frenchman living on the island, Emile de Becque (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0106387/">Rossano Brazzi</a>). Meanwhile, Emile de Becque is entertaining a certain Nellie Forbush (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0310989/">Mitzi Gaynor</a>), a naval nurse working at the hospital. They fall in love quite instantaneously and sing a song about it. Then Emile proposes to her (what? It's only 35 minutes into the film!) and Nellie says she'll think about it. Then Emile tells her that back in France, he killed a man (nice timing, bro) and she's slightly horrified but still wants to marry him. She returns to the hospital for work and is summoned to Capt. Brackett's office. Brackett and Cable have learned about Nellie and Emile's romance, so they question her about it and Cable tells Nellie to forget it all. Then Nellie goes and takes a shower and vows to "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIAP364nxEo">wash that man right outta [her] hair</a>." Then the captain talks to Emile and tells him to join in the secret operation with Cable. Emile refuses because he loves Nellie and Cable is distraught. Captain Brackett tells Cable to take some time off, and Cable seizes the opportunity to go to Bali Ha'i with Luther Billis. They both get a boat and sail to the magical island where native women cover them with flowers and they watch a pig-killing ritual. Then Bloody Mary shows up and drags Cable off to her house, where he meets her daughter Liat (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0638395/">France Nuyen</a>). Liat and Cable fall in love/lust and stay with each other until the bell for the boats rings and Cable has to return to the other island. Meanwhile, Emile has hosted a grand party for Nellie to meet all of his friends. She speaks horrible French, by the way. Both are rather drunk, so they sing a song. Emile decides to introduce Nellie to his two children, who he had with his previous wife, a woman of Polynesian descent. When he tells Nellie this, she becomes remarkably upset and flees his house. INTERMISSION! Act II begins with Cable returning to Bali Ha'i to be with Liat, where he is told that a rich French planter wants to marry Liat. Bloody Mary tells Cable that he must marry Liat to make her happy. Cable says that he can't, but he gives a watch to Liat as a keepsake. Bloody Mary is unsatisfied, so she takes the watch and gives it back to Cable, who returns to the other island depressed. Thanksgiving is nearing, and Nellie is planning to put on a comedy show in celebration. However, she is depressed as well, and she demands a transfer to another island. Captain Brackett talks her out of it, and after the show, Nellie receives some flowers and a note from Emile. Distraught, she runs from the stage and out... away... to where she bumps into Cable, who has just recovered from malaria (what?!). They talk about love, and Cable confesses that he loves Liat, and Nellie suggests that they both need to go back home to America. Emile shows up to talk to Nellie, who confesses that her racism made her hate the fact that Emile used to be married to a Polynesian woman, while Cable decides against going back to America and decides to marry Liat. Emile then reluctantly joins Cable's mission to take back the Japanese-occupied islands. The two of them make it to the other island safely and are able to relay information back to the naval base. Unfortunately, the Japanese detect their presence and open fire on them, killing Cable. Nellie hears of this and must comfort Liat, who has refused to marry anyone but Cable. Nellie realizes that she still loves Emile despite his past marriage, and she goes to his house and begins to care for his two children. Emile returns safe and sound and they all eat soup together. The End!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Bali Ha'i,</span></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Bali Ha'i,</span></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Bali Ha'i!</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Someday you'll see me floatin' in the sunshine,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">My head stickin' out from a low fluin' cloud,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You'll hear me call you,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Singin' through the sunshine,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Sweet and clear as can be:</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"Come to me, here am I, come to me."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">If you try, you'll find me</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Where the sky meets the sea.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"Here am I your special island</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Come to me, Come to me."</span></i></div></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This movie is part of a whole other aspect of Asian American-ness that I haven't really investigated prior to this. I've mostly stuck with exploring <i>East </i>Asian stereotypes, but I've never really gotten into the Pacific Islander thing. It is definitely included in the Asian/-American thing, but Pacific Islanders usually get left out of these considerations. I realized this and thought that I needed to include a movie or television show that showed potential stereotypes surrounding Pacific Islanders as well. I lucked out, huh?</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rMSWEVtmHvk" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I watched this musical mostly for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juanita_Hall">Juanita Hall</a>'s performance as Bloody Mary. Hall, an African-American woman, played the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonkin">Tonkinese</a> woman who sells grass skirts to the sailors stationed on the unnamed island. She's loud, and brassy and pidgin English abounds. Everything about Bloody Mary is disgusting. She can't say the word "lieutenant" - she's forced to call Joe Cable a "sexy Lootellant" in that halting, fingernails-on-chalkboard accent. She sets up her daughter with the "sexy Lootellant" and purrs at him, "You riiiiiiiiiiiiike?" Once he refuses to marry Liat, she calls him a "steen-gee steen-kah" and waddles away in a huff. Accent aside, however, there's the issue of yellowface. Is it considered yellowface to have an African-American playing a Pacific Islander? She's not playing an East Asian, but she's still playing someone of a different race - a race that, nowadays, is grouped with East Asians. What's up with this? I'm unsure how to classify this particular casting choice at all. The role has been played by women of all races, but that doesn't excuse the fact that this role is based on cheap stereotypes and lowbrow comedy based on her preposterous accent. The character of Bloody Mary is basically creating another stereotype, but this time only one that can be applied to Pacific Islander women <i>of a certain age </i>- middle-aged, roly-poly and sassy women. Bloody Mary seems to be made fun of all the time by the sailors stationed on the island, and she doesn't seem to have any love interests - she's just there for kicks and giggles. Bloody Mary is kind of like Charlie Chan in this way. Both are subservient, rotund, laughable, and speak their own brand of pidgin English. She's like an old, un-innocent Suzie Wong - now ain't that too damn bad?</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cMORAZCog5A" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there's the island girl Liat. She's pretty and sweet and mute. Another <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminology-thats-what.html">Lotus Blossom</a> - although it begs the question of whether or not she should be a Hibiscus Blossom or something. Liat has only one line in the entire movie - "Je parle francais - un peu." And that's it. Nothing more. When she's onscreen she's either kissing Lootellant Cable or smiling at him or, in the above video, doing some sort of funky hula-esque/sign language dance. Liat represents the white man's fantasy - a young, pretty, exotic island girl who doesn't talk but dances and is pretty all the time. Eye candy. That's all Liat is. And she's completely devoted to her Lootellant - what more could the guy want? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(Sidenote: That actress is France Nuyen (19 at the time of the shooting), who played </span><a href="http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=54767"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Suzie Wong on Broadway</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> and later starred in </span><a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/joy-luck-club.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Joy Luck Club</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then of course there's the plot line surrounding Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque - Nellie loves him but can't get over the fact that he was once married to (God forbid) a Polynesian woman! And had two mixed-race children with her! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How horrible! Obviously, the French guy had no problem with marrying a Polynesian woman - makes you wonder whether his previous situation was similar to Cable + Liat's, eh? Yeah. This whole White Guy + Asian Woman thing? Yeah, tanned-white-as-white-can-be Nellie Forbush doesn't like that all that much. It's the Reverse Fu Manchu effect: Watch out for those innocent, Bambi-eyed, pretty Polynesian women! They'll enchant and steal your white men! This prompts Emile to (somehow) still believe in Nellie's love and ability to love him and his children. Then Lootellant Cable bursts into song!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You've got to be taught</span></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman';"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">To hate and fear,</span></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You've got to be taught</span></i></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">From year to year,</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">It's got to be drummed</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">In your dear little ear</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You've got to be carefully taught.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You've got to be taught to be afraid</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Of people whose eyes are oddly made,</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You've got to be carefully taught.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You've got to be taught before it's too late,</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Before you are six or seven or eight,</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">To hate all the people your relatives hate,</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You've got to be carefully taught!</span></i></span></div></i></span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well damn. Couldn't have said it better myself (I think?). Now here's the kicker. The tune of this song sounds like a happy-happy-joy-joy song, right? But those lyrics don't... fit? I mean, "<i>You've got to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made</i>"? Wow. Ouch. And in a way, Cable's right. You probably have been taught to fear people with "oddly made" eyes. That's what this study is about, right? How the media teaches us to fear the other - regardless of what kind of other it is. Anyways, I'm pretty sure that this song is supposed to be sarcastic and spiteful, as Cable (at this point in the show) is upset that he can't marry Liat. This song seems to be shedding some light on this idea of inherent racism that is really... nurtured racism? Environmental racism? Interestingly enough, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You%27ve_Got_to_Be_Carefully_Taught">this song was deemed "Communist"</a> by a Georgia legislation when the show was first on tour in the 1950s (Communist? Really?!? I resent that remark!). It claimed that the song "[justified]</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"> interracial marriage [and] was implicitly a threat to the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_way_of_life" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; color: #0645ad;" title="American way of life">American way of life</a>." Ouch. Thankfully, Rodgers and Hammerstein stated that they would continue the show without the cutting of this one song. Progress, people, progress!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.applause-tickets.com/images/south-pacific.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.applause-tickets.com/images/south-pacific.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, this musical is... odd. At some points, it directly draws from and expands upon crude stereotypes surrounding Pacific Islanders, not to mention some East Asian characterizations. But then it has songs like "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" that open one's eyes to the racism that has been, well, carefully taught. It's a mixed bag - but again, it's some crap songs. </span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-80839773345620800782011-02-10T12:16:00.000-08:002011-02-10T12:16:09.971-08:00Dragon Seed<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_S._Buck">Pearl S. Buck</a> novel made into a movie. Dear Lord. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story begins with Ling Tan (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0404158/">Walter Huston</a>), the patriarch of his family consisting of his devoted and snarky wife (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0533956/">Aline MacMahon</a>), his three sons Lao Ta, Lao Er, and Lao San (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0080948/">Robert Bice</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001947/">Turhan Bey</a>, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0368836/">Hurd Hatfield</a>, respectively) and the wives of two of his sons, Jade (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000031/">Katharine Hepburn</a>) and Orchid <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0706261/">Frances Rafferty</a>). Lao Ta and Orchid have two children together, a baby girl and a toddler boy. Lao Er and Jade have no children because they don't know they're in love yet (and I haven't even gotten to the real plot yet). Ling Tan and his wife (credited as "Ling Tan's wife") try very hard to keep the "old ways" going in the house, while Jade, who is a sort of pseudo-femme fatale, tries to tell them about the new ways of the world. The movie takes place during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_war">Second Sino-Japanese War</a> (which, honestly, I know very little about). "Evil dwarfs" from Japan invade the village near Ling Tan's farm after invading other parts of China and bombing the land, and soon take over, raping all the women and killing all the sons and eating all the food and being evildoers. The whole family joins a resistance group and begins killing Japanese soldiers and burying them under their floors. Even Jade joins in, poisoning some food and knocking out an entire regiment of Japanese soldiers. Eventually the Japanese are too evil to hang around, so all of Ling Tan's family (or what is left of them) up and leave for the mountains. The End.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/80/Dragon-seed-1944.jpg/220px-Dragon-seed-1944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/80/Dragon-seed-1944.jpg/220px-Dragon-seed-1944.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There really is no plot to this movie. I mean, there is... But the first 30-45 minutes is just Jade and Lao Er getting to know each other and planting rice and reading books together. The next hour and a half consists of alternate shots of the Japanese being evil and Ling Tan's family taking revenge. That's all there is to it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The similarities between this movie and <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/good-earth.html">The Good Earth</a> are uncanny. Both have subservient yet strong women who are not particularly beautiful but make good wives and bear sons. Both have supportive husbands who are also not particularly beautiful and love the fact that they have sons. Both movies have a stock character who is lazy and fat and a kissass. Both movies (and novels too, I guess) glorify the hardworking Chinese peasant while dismissing the upper class and royalty. Both stage large scenes of full-scale riots complete with fire and shouting and running and the works. I was a little freaked out by all the similarities, to be honest. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivW3x1vCHY-vwv7BzEou-yWCPdHG6cGI7EOn7ajYseZz5rFlaah3rB9_NOGqfuLovv9d1fQW4UhrYzTrbXJRXm6BEAPTy2RZr0PowxHxQNEg1-QA5Cd7Ppowd1s9jBX9KfYj5FkH5Akts/s1600/Dragon+Seed+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivW3x1vCHY-vwv7BzEou-yWCPdHG6cGI7EOn7ajYseZz5rFlaah3rB9_NOGqfuLovv9d1fQW4UhrYzTrbXJRXm6BEAPTy2RZr0PowxHxQNEg1-QA5Cd7Ppowd1s9jBX9KfYj5FkH5Akts/s320/Dragon+Seed+(3).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now this is scary. I've seen some pretty horrific yellowface but it's mostly been on males. This takes the cake for Female Yellowface. Look at those eyes. That's just... gross. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have nothing against the character of Jade. Jade is strong-willed and independent - it's great! She's no Lotus Blossom or China Doll - nor is she a Dragon Lady. Of course, she has qualities of a Dragon Lady (poisoning soldiers, being smart) but she lacks the sex appeal that the stereotypical <i>young</i> Dragon Lady has. <i>However,</i> I dislike the way Katharine Hepburn portrayed her. There are two interpretations of her portrayal. One is that Hepburn played herself in yellowface. Vocally, this is very true. It sounds just like Katharine Hepburn being Katharine Hepburn. The other is that she took <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luise_Rainer">Luise Rainer</a>'s interpretation of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Earth_(film)">O-Lan</a> and made her more of an outspoken feminist but kept the same physical qualities. Both O-Lan and Jade employ coy tilts of the head to express their love for their homely husbands and seem to be meek and hesitant with their movements. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pa43Of1DirUpQx0wf_RAfWIXfmvACU01W_iRzF8oQO7Zioyd_AR7UfTzPPsQvcgxT_EIh03wQi7wtZRKysr7ABwpVT5rC0RLt5jAtz9lQyySWEzn3ADuuxS5Lmj61OcI0qUP_jOAaIRy/s400/dragon+seed7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pa43Of1DirUpQx0wf_RAfWIXfmvACU01W_iRzF8oQO7Zioyd_AR7UfTzPPsQvcgxT_EIh03wQi7wtZRKysr7ABwpVT5rC0RLt5jAtz9lQyySWEzn3ADuuxS5Lmj61OcI0qUP_jOAaIRy/s320/dragon+seed7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The purpose of this film was to glorify and build sympathy to the Chinese and to make Americans hate the Japanese. It's quite easy to sympathize with the Chinese characters of the film - they are hardworking, loving, and peaceful, sacrificing themselves for their children and fighting back against the "Evil Dwarfs" that are the Japanese. They are also all portrayed by white people - not actual Asians. And the cameo of Benson Fong doesn't count - he plays a militant hater of the Japanese who takes his anger out on Ling Tan's merchant brother-in-law. However, the Chinese children in this movie are actually played by Asian children. And they are pretty darn cute - just their wide eyes and chubby cheeks elicit prolonged "Aaaawwww"s from the audience, I guarantee you. This makes it even easier for the American audience to sympathize and end up caring about the Chinese. Remember, this film was released during 1944, towards the end of WWII. China was, at the time, our ally, and Japan was America's enemy. The film then shows the Japanese as cunning, sly, evil men with large teeth and an insatiable appetite for women and wine - they're all Japanese Fu Manchus! A group of them attack, rape, and kill Orchid after she is caught by them trying to hide her children. Another group of them kill Ling Tan's mother in his courtyard. They steal all of Ling Tan's hard-earned crops and starve out the rest of the village. And on top of that, all of the Japanese soldiers were played by Asians. In this way, the Chinese take on the more sympathetic role, not just because of the fact that they have "good" qualities but because they were played by white people - and therefore, a bit more trustworthy. However, getting the Asians to play the bad guys was making the fear of the Japanese even more real and tangible - one didn't have to imagine that these were Asians/Japanese, because they were. It was a horribly clever idea to do this, and it probably resulted in American audiences hating the Japanese even more. Granted, the Japanese did do some pretty awful things while occupying China, but... come on! This is a little much!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF48CtcefYiQ3IGHzJSUdlx9qqzXcR4XKh4LFCjBThGqerkv9QwzlmX4JIzm9MCk1evxvIJ4QEjtruX9ZrzFTi5vWO4L8Ju_44866tyIdh7EZfF4xmE-BYPkcD8nJ5RfWkFw02LCGXEPi/s400/dragon+seed9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF48CtcefYiQ3IGHzJSUdlx9qqzXcR4XKh4LFCjBThGqerkv9QwzlmX4JIzm9MCk1evxvIJ4QEjtruX9ZrzFTi5vWO4L8Ju_44866tyIdh7EZfF4xmE-BYPkcD8nJ5RfWkFw02LCGXEPi/s320/dragon+seed9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Awwwww,</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's a scene where Katharine Hepburn is bathing her cute Asian baby and she sings a little song in a pentatonic key and it's about cherry blossoms and the river that flows... something strange and pseudo-Oriental like that. Reminded me of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/world-of-suzie-wong.html">Suzie Wong</a>'s cloud song -only this time, the song was being sung in English. However, that did not detract from the messed-up-ed-ness of the song. Why is it so difficult to listen to these types of songs? Probably because they were composed by white people who have no idea of what a traditional Chinese song sounds like. These types of songs also seem to crop up more often in these old films from the "Golden" Age of Hollywood as opposed to now, with the exception of Jackie Chan's Chinese lullaby in <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/jackie-chan-atrocity-spy-next-door.html">The Spy Next Door</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there's the plethora of accents going on. Not one of them can be classified as "Oriental." Lao Er has a British accent, one character has a Russian accent (what?!), Ling Tan speaks with a standard American accent, and the Japanese just sound... like they're from Britain. It's weird. Very weird. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd1-2Se7HttHWDLnZW5T37xe17bhLD8hG5hspsnmOlNny3kCOIiGFCit4veIDgiIJQlgDLQK0EeltU0aCD4xpMxIdreB1BuQIK__p34qTM_tf2z87sZnUZIHt6xl92zg4NFEX5lz3BFs5/s400/dragon+seed11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfd1-2Se7HttHWDLnZW5T37xe17bhLD8hG5hspsnmOlNny3kCOIiGFCit4veIDgiIJQlgDLQK0EeltU0aCD4xpMxIdreB1BuQIK__p34qTM_tf2z87sZnUZIHt6xl92zg4NFEX5lz3BFs5/s320/dragon+seed11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's also the issue of sexism in this movie. Most of the characters freely joke and toss around the ideas about beating women up and saying that their place is in the kitchen and nowhere else. The first scene with Katharine Hepburn in it shows her at a lecture in the village presented by some university students that are showing how evil the Japanese are. Lao Er shows up looking for Jade and sees her stand up and say to the students that she will help fight them. She says, "Yes! I will come!" And Lao Er shouts, "You come home! I'm hungry!" And everybody laughs. I'm not sure what the intent of this scene is supposed to be. Are we supposed to hate the Chinese for being sexist and keeping women subservient and in the home sphere? Or are we supposed to laugh as well, because a wife's duty to her husband includes making him dinner? Does the fact that their characters are Chinese change the sexism embedded in that exchange? I have no idea. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTIzMDkxODM2NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODQ5MjUyMQ@@._V1._SY317_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTIzMDkxODM2NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODQ5MjUyMQ@@._V1._SY317_.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, this movie was exactly the same as The Good Earth - just more anti-Japanese, more specific about the time period it was set in, and more of a propaganda film. There was still gratuitous yellowface and fetishizing the humble Chinese. </span><br />
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</span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-60107179222636479702011-02-08T13:51:00.000-08:002011-02-09T08:43:53.095-08:00Amy Chua Reconsidered<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/improvised-blog/battle-hymn-of-the-tiger-mother.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/improvised-blog/battle-hymn-of-the-tiger-mother.jpg" width="118" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After all that <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/amy-chua-tiger-monster.html">venting</a> about Amy Chua's crazy article "<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html">Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior</a>," I read her book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Hymn-Tiger-Mother-Chua/dp/1594202842">Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother</a>. Yes, I read it. I read it and I enjoyed it, laughing at the tongue-in-cheek-ness of some of the book and frowning at the bits that still struck me as... questionable. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The article that preceded the release of the book wasn't written by her - it was compiled by some unknown editor at the Wall Street Journal. The article was deliberately cut-and-pasted into the article that we're all familiar with and, honestly, detest. Chua didn't even choose the snarky, arrogant title of the article (Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior). However, it's very interesting to see that in the above interview, Chua states that "[She doesn't] think Chinese mothers are superior" when the caption on the cover of her memoir states "This was <i>supposed </i>to be a story of how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones." Just that sentence alone is enough to make one wonder - but wait, there's more! The cover caption continues with "But instead, it's about a bitter clash of cultures, a fleeting taste of glory, and how I was humbled by a thirteen-year-old." Doesn't Chua now sound... less arrogant? It's much better! Chua accepts her defeat! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>This book isn't a parenting manual</b> - it's a memoir that just so happens to be written by a mother who is Chinese. She's definitely not as crazy dictator as the article made her sound (thank goodness) and she comes across as a strict, but not unloving mother. Chua definitely still sounds like an uppity, holier-than-thou person, but she still retains enough humility that perhaps she was a bit too extreme with her parenting, and she does express some regret in her past decisions. It's a <i>journey.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are still things, however, that I disagree with. Like when she says that playing drums will lead to drugs. Uh, no. There's a part in the book where Chua talks about her parents and their stories, and she describes her grandmother as a (you'll get a kick out of this) a <i>Dragon Lady.</i> When I first read that, I was a wee bit shocked. I'd always been under the impression that <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminology-thats-what.html">the term "Dragon Lady" was kinda derogatory</a>, belonging in the same category as the "Lotus Flower" or "Fu Manchu" stereotype. But here's Chua, using it to describe her own grandmother! I may be reading a little too much into it, and Chua's grandma may have been born in the year of the Dragon, but who knows? All I know is that she's applying cultural stereotypes to her own grandmother, and showing that it's okay to embrace and essentially perpetuate these stereotypes! Then there's this idea of training and pushing her daughters to just get the A. Get the A and everything will be fine. Get a B and you'll work your butt off until you get that A. GET THE A! I'm a little biased, having gone to schools that value learning for the sake of learning as opposed to learning to get the grade. Maybe that's why the emphasis on "getting the A" was so infuriating and confusing to me. Either way, it's still bothersome - how on earth are her children going to learn from their mistakes if they never make mistakes? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She does, however, keep on categorizing herself as the "Chinese Mother" and makes it seem like there is only <i>one </i>kind of "Chinese Mother," which only furthers the stereotype surrounding an ethnicity-based parenting style. And, as we all know, stereotypes can be unfairly applied to anyone who seems to fit the bill - in this case, be Chinese. Only once in the book does she acknowledge that there are many different types of parenting, Chinese or otherwise. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, she states it only once, in one smarmy paragraph in the very first chapter of the book. Chua highlights the diversity of Western parents and leaves them under the umbrella label of "Western parents" but categorizes the über-strict parenting style as Chinese, even going as far as to categorize an anecdotal white mother as a Chinese mother. So... basically... you are a Chinese mother (regardless of ethnic background) if you are as strict as Chua is. Not an Asian mother. A Chinese mother. To be a "Western" mother is to be somewhat free in your label, while it seems like there is one way and no other way to be a Chinese mother... Right? What's up with that? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chua still says that in order to be Chinese (or a Chinese mother, for that matter), one must raise one's children <i>exactly as she did.</i> I still have a problem with this. It's like saying that I'm not Chinese or my mom isn't Chinese because I wasn't forced to play violin or piano or get A's in every single class except gym and drama. It's just a wee bit, you know, wrong. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>In the end though, Chua has every right to raise her children as she wishes, and it's not really our place to make a pariah out of her for doing so.</b> What's <i>really </i>annoying is the fact that she labels this the "Chinese" way. Of course, she hides behind this idea of "the immigrant thing." Well... Chua's not an immigrant. Her <i>parents </i>were. So... was adopting their strict parenting style necessary? Was it because she just didn't know any other way of raising children, and she couldn't be bothered to read up on some child psychology? It seems she did it because she was worried about future generations of children and she wanted filial piety. It's odd. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Fun Fact: Chua's book (Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother) is currently being sold in China under the title "US Mom." </span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long story short: Amy Chua isn't as bad as the article made her out to be. </span><br />
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<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/husband-of-tiger-mom-speaks-out-24025828"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/husband-of-tiger-mom-speaks-out-24025828</span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9hTvzbo8AE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9hTvzbo8AE</span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx8iXyKe4-Q"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx8iXyKe4-Q</span></span></a>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-87017815690982547132011-02-05T23:11:00.000-08:002011-02-05T23:11:39.946-08:00Flash Gordon: The Emperor Ming and Other Offensive Stuff<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I honestly don't know why I watched <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Gordon_(film)">this miserable excuse for a movie</a>. The worst thing I have ever had to sit through - and not just because of the twisted, odd little racist plot details.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The only good thing I can say about this pathetic bit of "filmmaking" is that Queen wrote that catchy, soaring theme song. Yes, that's dear old Freddie Mercury belting out that "FLASH!.... AAAAH!... Savior of the universe!" </span></span><br />
Did you see that <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminology-thats-what.html">Fu Manchu</a>-esque evil space lord dictator guy? Yeah? That's Emperor Ming. MING! And not just <i>any </i>Ming - he's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_the_Merciless">Ming the Merciless</a>! He's an alien and his name is Ming. Translation: They're implying that the name "Ming" (a very stereotypical Asian name) is alien. Foreign. Different. And, judging by the context of the character, evil.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/50/Flash_gordon_movie_poster.jpg/394px-Flash_gordon_movie_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/50/Flash_gordon_movie_poster.jpg/394px-Flash_gordon_movie_poster.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>There's really no need to explain the plot, because there isn't one. Long story short: Flash Gordon (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_J._Jones">Sam J. Jones</a>), the white-as-white-can-be, all-American football star, teams up with some other white aliens to take down the Oriental-esque Emperor Ming (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_von_Sydow">Max von Sydow</a>) from destroying Earth (never mind any other planets that might be in danger).<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ming the Merciless was originally conceived as Flash Gordon's nemesis in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Gordon">comic strip</a> of the same name in the year 1934. This was one year after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_Apana">Chang Apana</a>, the inspiration for <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/charlie-chan-in-london.html">Charlie Chan</a>, died, and a year after Filipinos were barred from immigrating to the US. An odd mix of pro-Asian and anti-Asian sentiments, don't you think? Yeah. And then came <a href="http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0014683/">Emperor Ming the Merciless</a>, a demonic, intimidating evildoer with a penchant for torture and for bedding white girls, not to mention a creepy (incest implied) relationship with his daughter Aura. Now, nowhere in the comic nor the movie (the 1980 version) is Ming the Merciless ever referred to as being of Asian descent or claiming some allegiance to an Asian country. However, the itty bitty hints and details surrounding his character have definitely been inspired by debilitating stereotypes surrounding Asian people. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. The name. I said it before. <b>"Ming the Merciless." </b>The "Ming" bit just screams "Asian!" The "Merciless" bit screams "EVIL ASIAN!" So all together, it screams, "Asian EVIL ASIAN!" And believe you me, it's not a pleasant sound.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. The clothes. It's obvious that the clothes are not authentic Asian garments (well, specifically Chinese garments), but everyone's wearing flowing silky-looking robes that look extremely "Oriental!" Mr. Ming's harem girls are all wearing Chinese-style headdresses that look like they were made out of tinfoil. He's wearing plenty of tinfoil Chinese emperor robes himself. It's all so otherworldly, yet distinctly Asian. Again, fetishizing and making Asian-ness something unnatural and, no pun intended, alien. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/fu-manchu-mustache.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/fu-manchu-mustache.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. The facial hair. Classic Fu Manchu stuff. All that drawn-out beard and moustache? The arched and overgrown eyebrows? Coincidence? I think <i>not</i>!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. The harem. The harem. The harem. Ming's harem. Ming's harem of white women. Ming's harem of white women who wear "Oriental" clothes. Just like Fu Manchu, Ming has an insatiable appetite, it seems, for white women, or just women in general. And this is no Charlie Chan or Mr. Moto. One needn't worry about the Honorable Detective or the Sly Secret Agent stealing and raping your women. But beware of Ming the Merciless, otherwise known as Fu Manchu! He'll seduce your women and add them to his collection of scantily clad alien whores!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. The not-so-subtle reference to opium. When Flash's would-be girlfriend ends up in Ming Manchu's harem, she is offered a drink that will alter her mind and make her enjoy her (ahem) experience with Ming Manchu that night. She drinks it and is completely infatuated with the magical beverage. It's a little too reminiscent of opium for my taste. And we all know about the connotations of opium and Asia were...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6. Ming Manchu's hypnotism ring. He uses it to hypnotize Flash's would-be girlfriend into a session of pseudo-masturbating... It's weird. It's hypersexual, just the sort of thing you would expect from this character. And in our quasi-Puritan society, this is seen as horrific and savage - so the audience begins to make this connection between hypnotism, forced (albeit tame) masturbation, evil men, and Orientalness! All represented by this one character and this one scene! All leading to more distrusting of the "Yellow menace!" And this came out in 1980! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aVFH-sBIcs">The indignity!</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a good example of a trend in Hollywood that's been around since the birth of the Fu Manchu stereotype - the idea that Asia is evil, inherently evil, and that they are determined to crush or take over everything Western society holds dear. It's a classic example of fear of the other and fear of the exotic and mysterious "Orient" taking over and overruling Western society. And this fear suddenly begins to manifest itself in oddball characters (like this guy) that are not designed to spark outright anger and fear of Asian people, but instead to breed a sleepy hate and distrust of those "Orientals." It's really sickening.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1980_Flash_Gordon/big/1980_flash_gordon_wallpaper_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://images.allmoviephoto.com/1980_Flash_Gordon/big/1980_flash_gordon_wallpaper_002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The one good thing I can say about this film is that it was completely panned by critics. They blasted it mostly on campy dialogue and ugly costumes - not on the racial undertones of the character of Ming the Merciless. And because this "movie" was shot down by critics, it did poorly at the box office and was reduced to a cult classic. </span><br />
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</span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-4274210442033413592011-01-27T08:32:00.000-08:002011-01-27T08:32:21.498-08:00Mr. Moto Takes a Chance<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.moviepostershop.com/mr-moto-takes-a-chance-movie-poster-1020413955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.moviepostershop.com/mr-moto-takes-a-chance-movie-poster-1020413955.jpg" width="104" /></a></div><div style="text-align: auto;">Just when I thought I would be moving into less racist, more accepting/progressive roles, I go and watch this movie. Dear God.</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/H9sz1SEIUlI" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030469/">Mr. Moto Takes a Chance</a> takes the Japanese secret agent to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, where he is spying on the king of the village/country/city of Tong Moi for unknown reasons. While he is there, an adventuress, Victoria Mason (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0399955/">Rochelle Hudson</a>) "crashes" her plane after it "catches fire" (she set it with a flare) but survives and is taken to Tong Moi. Two reporters, Chick (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0151334/">Chick Chandler</a>) and Marty (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0448836/">Robert Kent</a>), are doing some wildlife filming when they spot Victoria's plane going down, so they rush on over to the crash site and do some filming. However, Victoria has already been taken to the King of Tong Moi (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0111297/">J. Edward Bromberg</a>) by his magical adviser Bokor (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0716501/">George Regas</a>) after meeting Mr. Moto (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lorre">Peter Lorre</a>), who is posing as an archaeologist. Marty and Chick catch up to Victoria, Bokor and the King of Tong Moi and want to film them. Unfortunately, the King's favorite wife drops dead from a poisoned arrow, but Bokor blames it on Marty and Chick's demon camera, and orders them to be taken away for a "trial by the gods." Bokor takes the two reporters to the Temple of Shiva where he burns them with hot metal and it hurts them (of course). This deems them guilty of their crime and they are about to be thrown in a big pit to die when an elderly guru interrupts them. The guru proves how magical and powerful he is when he doesn't get burned by the hot metal and he charms a snake, so he orders Bokor to let the reporters go. Bokor does so and he is mad. The next day, Moto approaches the reporters and tells them that he would pay a hefty price for pictures of the inside of the temple. Chick and Marty agree and go off towards the temple, but Victoria Mason follows them! However, when they arrive, Bokor and an unnamed servant try to kill them with poison darts too! They duck down and hide, and, lo and behold! The guru! He rescues them from Bokor and the servant but throws Chick and Marty's camera down the well. Bokor sees this, and contacts the guru after Chick, Marty and Victoria leave, and asks the guru if he can kill Moto. The guru agrees and returns back inside the temple. He digs around until he finds a secret trap door that leads to an underground room. In it, there are loads of ammunition. Then another unnamed servant climbs down into the underground room and tries to stab the guru, but the guru strangles the assassin with his own two bare hands! Then the guru runs away through a secret passageway, and reveals himself to be Mr. Moto in disguise! Mr. Moto then writes a secret note saying that Bokor is in charge of a rebellion against the King and that he (Moto) has found the secret stash of ammunition and sends it off via carrier pigeon. The carrier pigeon is then shot down by the King of Tong Moi, who sees the message and reads it. That night, the King hosts a big party with faux-Cambodian dancing and announces that he is going to marry Victoria Mason (airplane girl). He then serves roasted pigeon and gives the one that was a carrier to Mr. Moto, who finds a message on it and realizes the King found out his secret! Later that night, Moto is marking the ammunitions cellar on a map when Bokor and another unnamed servant attempt to stab him. But, in a display of badassery, Moto stabs the servant with his own knife, takes the servant's clothes and runs away. Victoria Mason goes to visit Mr. Moto but finds the stabbed servant. She pokes around in the itty bitty house until she finds Mr. Moto's map hidden in a spear. Bokor spots her and throws a dagger at her, which misses her narrowly. She is then kidnapped by Bokor and taken away to the Temple of Siva for questioning! They are about to subject her to the hot metal torture until - huzzah! - the guru appears. He "hypnotizes" Victoria and whispers to her that he is Mr. Moto. Victoria follows along and is a good hypnotee, until Marty (who followed them to the temple) bursts in and attacks guru/Moto and "rescues" Victoria, although he ends up getting tortured too. Bokor commands his nameless servants to light bonfire signals so that this one Captain Zimmerman (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0900856/">Frederick Vogeding</a>) can bring him his guns. Bokor wanted the guns so that he could overthrow the King </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and "[drive] every foreigner from Asia!" Then he has his unnamed servant shoot Captain Zimmerman and Victoria lets slip that the guru is really Mr. Moto. Then Mr. Moto busts out his karate chop hands and fights everyone. Bokor escapes and rounds up the rest of Zimmerman's men, while Moto, Victoria, Marty, and Chick (who tagged along) become friends and find guns in the temple. There is a big shootout between our Fab Four and Bokor and Zimmerman's dudes, and Chick gets shot in the arm. Then Victoria Mason reveals that she's not a plane girl - she's a spy! And Mr. Moto reveals that he isn't an anthropologist - he's a spy! They're both spies! Then the King arrives with his troops and goes after Bokor and Bokor's guys - but the King wants to take Bokor's ammunition and stage a revolt against the French! The King is revolting! He plans to kill Marty, Chick and Mr. Moto but Victoria distracts him and somehow the King ends up in the ammunition cellar, which Mr. Moto sets fire to. Everyone except the King escapes from the temple before it blows up. And then our Fab Four gets on a boat to go... somewhere else. The end!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No devil in box, just a movie camera! Miss Mason, will you tell Dracula there that we're not gonna hurt anybody?"</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know how everyone talks about how racist the stereotype of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/charlie-chan-in-london.html">Charlie Chan</a> is? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Moto">Mr. Moto</a> takes the cake. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.peterlorrebook.com/img/file383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.peterlorrebook.com/img/file383.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God, the <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminology-thats-what.html">yellowface</a>. It's so awful. I had never seen any prosthetic teeth until I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's with my <i>best </i>friend <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/mr-yunioshi.html">Mr. Yunioshi</a>. These are some serious prosthetic teeth. They don't stick out as much as some caricatures that I have seen, but these are pretty bad. They're large and black around the edges. They're just silly, and <i>painful </i>to look out. And some pretty serious taping of the eyelids. If you look at Peter Lorre's <i>real</i> teeth, they're not much better. But would his teeth be forgiven because he's really Hungarian? Lorre also adopted a horrific accent for this too - lots of slurring of the speech and mixing up the "r"s and the "l"s - pretty standard "Oriental" accent, but it's worse than Charlie Chan's (lack of an) accent. He also says "Oh so?" all the time. All the time. Every time there is something of interest, it gets the "cute" little "Oh so?" and an inquisitive bow. Of course, you can't tell if <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000048/">Peter Lorre</a> had his skin darkened in order to appear more "Japanese," but the bows at the waist, the buckteeth and the slanty eyes are enough! Shame! </span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">"What do you make of that gravedigger?" "If I was castin' a horror picture, I'd have him play the murderer."</span></span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The character of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Moto">Mr. Moto</a> was created in response to the death of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Derr_Biggers">Earl Derr Biggers</a>, author of the Charlie Chan novels. Once there were no more fresh Charlie Chan novels, readers needed another Asian sneaky guy to satisfy their Oriental mystery fetishes. Enter Mr. Moto. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr. Moto is sly and sneaky and smiley. He knows martial arts (judo, jiu-jitsu). He is more than adept at disguise. He speaks 4 languages. He works alone. If <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/jackie-chan-atrocity-spy-next-door.html">Jackie Chan</a> is the son of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/12/terminology-thats-what.html">Charlie Chan</a>, then <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/enter-dragon.html">Bruce Lee</a> is the son of Mr. Moto, and Moto is the brother of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/mr-yunioshi.html">Mr. Yunioshi</a>. It's a whole family of stereotypes! But I digress. <b>Mr. Moto is (possibly) an even more damaging and offensive caricature than Charlie Chan. </b>He's not as subservient as Charlie Chan is - he's more sly and shifty and doesn't seem to be trusted by anyone, whereas Charlie Chan is everyone's favorite roly-poly, subservient detective. There's also the fact that Mr. Moto is a secret agent - it's his <i>job </i>to deceive people. Coupled with the fact that during this time, the Japanese were the "bad Asians," this makes a caricature of Japanese men (showing them as manipulative and untrustworthy). It's really disgusting. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>"Them Nipponese sure are peculiar birds."</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In contrast, I've seen a lot of <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/asianamericanartistry/message/9307">accounts</a> that state that Mr. Moto is <i>not </i>a racist portrayal after all. They state that his politeness, combined with his cleverness, presents a sort of heroic character. It's insinuated that Mr. Moto is a sympathetic character, regardless of his shiftiness in the beginning of the story and how you don't learn he's a good guy until the very last 10 minutes of the film. They also state that while casting Warner Oland as Charlie Chan and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luise_Rainer">Luise Rainer</a> as <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/good-earth.html">O-Lan</a> in the Good Earth was racist, casting Peter Lorre (a white guy) as Mr. Moto was not racist. Uh, what? Mr. Moto is just as humble and polite as Charlie Chan - why does the casting make any difference at all? Was it because Peter Lorre regularly played evil characters, and the role that turned him into a star was a (slightly) more sympathetic role? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>"Everything is possible here in the Orient."</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's really interesting is that this movie takes place in Cambodia. Cambodia? Really? What happened to things happening in Shanghai, or Canton, or Beijing, or something? <i>Cambodia?</i> This seems to be very odd... It seems to be the beginning of this division between East Asians (Japanese, Chinese, Koreans) and Southeast Asians (Cambodians, Vietnamese, etc.) and it's not... all... that great. Everything in this movie is fetishizing Cambodians and making them into mysterious, bloodthirsty savages! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evil Cambodians took away the reporters! <i>Evil Cambodians burned the white reporters with a hot metal rod! They threatened to throw the white reporters into a deep dark well! One white reporter fell into a mysterious tiger pit! Evil Cambodians assassinated the King's favorite wife with a dart-gun-thing! Mysterious Cambodian dancers who are really white danced around as entertainment to the white male guests! Victoria Mason was going to have to marry the Cambodian King of Tong Moi! Mysterious killing Cambodians! They tore off her shirt threatened to burn Victoria Mason with more hot metal! Oh no!</i> It's all... so... bad!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews23/a%20peter%20lorre%20mr%20moto%20collection%20v1/a%20mr.%20moto%20takes%20a%20chance%20PDVD_000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews23/a%20peter%20lorre%20mr%20moto%20collection%20v1/a%20mr.%20moto%20takes%20a%20chance%20PDVD_000.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>"There's something about those ruins that Mr. Moto wants to find out, and it isn't archaeology!"</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are very few Asian extras in this film. Most of them portray servants and peasants, whereas the harem women are all white as white can be. I don't think there's a single sympathetic speaking role for any actual Asian actor in this film. It's become so expected that it isn't bothersome anymore - it just is. The fact that there are lots of unnamed Asian extras seems to justify the whiteface - but it really doesn't. It's all disappointing.</span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-67578594218104398882011-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:002011-01-22T21:53:59.723-08:00A Jackie Chan Atrocity: The Spy Next Door<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who likes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Chan">Jackie Chan</a> movies? <b>Not me!</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This guy started his career as a <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/enter-dragon.html">Bruce Lee</a> imitation - oddly enough, he was an extra in Enter the Dragon. Jackie Chan's movie characters end up being a strange smorgasbord of <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/charlie-chan-pt-2.html">Charlie Chan</a>'s subservience and humbleness, <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/long-duk-dong.html">Long Duk Dong</a>'s embarrassing eagerness, Bruce Lee's superhuman and "inherently Asian" martial arts skills and the slapstick-y, ugly comedic timing of Hnup Wan and Fan Choy a la <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/one-of-our-dinosaurs-is-missing.html">One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing</a> with a hyped-up Perpetual Foreigner thing going on. In other words, it combines all of the really obnoxious traits of the above stereotypes into one atrocious character who appears almost every year in a new C-list movie with weak plots and weaker dialogue. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jackie Chan movies tend to consist of slapstick, martial arts, an atrocious accent, some connection "back in China" and (usually) an attractive white woman as Jackie's (son of</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2011/01/charlie-chan-in-london.html">Charlie</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">?) love interest. It's a formula that has been well overworked and seems to be the only thing that Jackie Chan is capable of, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1273678/">The Spy Next Door</a> is no exception.</span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trailer speaks for itself. Jackie Chan plays Bob Ho, a CIA (Chinese Intelligence Agency, good lord) operative who disguises his true identity under Clark Kent-esque glasses and sweater vests. He's in love with his neighbor Gillian (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005520/">Amber Valletta</a>) and wants to marry her but her three kids hate him. When Gillian's dad ends up in the hospital for unimportant reasons, Bob ends up watching the kids. But some evil Russians (what?) want to capture Bob so they try to do that, but that doesn't work. In the end, there's a big fight and Bob and Gillian get married.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Look, Ma, no plot!</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The plot itself is not important, because this movie was absolute crap. The acting is atrocious. There is no plot. There is only one decent punchline, and it's completely forgettable. You don't even need to watch the movie - the trailer will suffice. It's a Jackie Chan movie, for goodness' sake! It doesn't need a plot, because it has Jackie Chan and fight scenes and nameless, brooding baddies get their asses handed on a platter to them. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact, the only moderately enjoyable scenes in any of Jackie Chan's movies (including this one) are the fight scenes, mostly because they don't usually require Mr. Chan to talk. He just fights and is done. This seemed to work for Bruce Lee too. They fought, and that was about the only tolerable thing onscreen that they could do. However, Bruce Lee's characters were morally upright and super guys, whereas Jackie Chan's characters are all foolish and bumbling but ass-kicking as well. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Dear God, it's called "Chop Suey?" Really? REALLY? "Chop SUEEEEYYY! Chop SUEEEEEEYY! </span><a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/flower-drum-song.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Living here is very much like CHOP SUEY</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">!" </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While it's great that Asians/-Americans have someone like Jackie Chan as a familiar/extremely famous face in the media, it's awful that he portrays the same characters over and over again, and that he really doesn't do anything other than beat up bad guys. It's all that he is really "good" for, and it's shameful. Has Jackie Chan been typecast as a slapstick-y foreign ass-kicker? Unabashedly, yes. He's made some attempts to get out of that stereotype, but unfortunately, he can't. It's too hard to imagine this "yellow Uncle Tom" as anything other than a slightly dumb, slightly FOB-y martial artist. That's it. All brawn, no brain. <i>Maybe </i>a tiny hint of a brain. But no emotional depth. A perpetual foreigner whose only purpose is to bust out some karate chop hands and take down a group of evildoers. Disappointment abounds.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In no way is this a slight on Jackie Chan himself. However, it's a slight on his characters and the roles he has played in movies past, and the persona that has been built up around him. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prepare for more Jackie Chan posts in the future.</span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-18283742863438186012011-01-20T21:27:00.000-08:002011-01-20T21:27:48.203-08:00Charlie Chan in London<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Charlie Chan isn't dead yet. Unfortunately. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024968/">Charlie Chan in London</a> takes Charlie to a large country house in London where he solves another fantastic, mind-boggling crime. In short: Condemned man was framed but his sister doesn't want him to die because she's convinced of his innocence. Condemned man's sister hires Charlie Chan to find that condemned man is innocent, which he is. Charlie Chan sets a trap and finds the real killer. But the plot isn't important. Charlie Chan is who's important here. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember how I thought that watching Charlie Chan in an All-White Setting would be much more interesting? It really wasn't. If anything, Charlie Chan was even more humble, subservient, annoying and extremely foreign. He was "Much honored to be of humble service to British lion" by inspecting the case of Condemned Man. His "humble eyes have had much practice" at making large deductions from tiny details (Sherlock Holmes ripoff, anyone?). When complimented on his deducting skills, he responds with "World is large. <b>Me lowly Chinaman</b>" with a simpering smile. He reminds the audience and his suspects that he's (most importantly) a foreigner - "Regret do not understand English, only American." and "Lowly Chinaman here!" and "[I am] Oriental, not British." and "Not very good detective. <b>Just lucky old Chinaman</b>." It's sickening. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because the character of Charlie Chan is played by a white man, shown belittling himself to everyone, and (essentially) a parody of all subservient Asian men, it is one of the more damaging stereotypes out there. <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/charlie-chan-pt-2.html">I've said this before, haven't I?</a> Along with Charlie Chan being a non-threatening (to other-than-Asian people) stereotype, it's also a very self-incriminating one. It shows that Asian men are ready and willing to demean themselves, but the fact that the character is portrayed by a white man (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Oland">Warner Oland, no less</a>) makes the entire thing a parody of the Asian man and someone (or some<i>thing</i>) not to be taken seriously. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a character of a newspaper reporter in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chan_in_London">Charlie Chan in London</a> that cannot seem to call Charlie Chan by his correct last name. He continues to call Charlie "Mr. Chang." It's always, "I see what you're driving at, Mr. Chang!" or "Mr. Chang enjoys his joke." And not once does <i>anybody</i> bother to correct him. Charlie Chan never bothers to correct him, the other unimportant people at the country house don't bother to tell Mr. Ignorant Reporter off either. What is this? Is this racism? Is this being anti-Asian, by refusing to say Charlie's last name right? Mr. Ignorant Reporter is a bit of a caricature himself, with his bushy handlebar mustache and his pseudo-British accent. Was messing up the Honorable Detective's name part of the caricature? Was it intended for comic relief or just... something random? I cannot decipher what purpose the messing up of the name was, or whether I'm just overanalyzing. I really cannot tell. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then there's the xenophobic, neurotic housemaid with an absurdly fake cockney accent. she's convinced that the Honorable Detective is a hypnotist (Fu Manchu anyone?) because he climbs through a window to talk to the Sister of Condemned Man. She's suspicious of the Honorable Detective because he's a foreigner (<i>"There'll be death in this house until we get rid of that </i><b><i>creeping, murdering foreign man</i></b><i>!"). </i>Homegirl is off her rocker. She represents all the people who remained suspicious of Asian people in general during this time period; however, I can't tell if her character is supposed to be there for comic relief or if she's just reminding the audience that no matter what, we can't trust the foreigner, even if it is our good ol' buddy Charlie Chan. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something that gets me every time I see a clip of Charlie Chan talking, I am struck by how little of an accent Warner Oland puts on. His speech is just slowed down with the funky syntax and grammar thrown in. There's no mixing of the r's and l's, no obvious, exaggeration or appropriation of an "Oriental" accent. I wonder if this was because Warner Oland never met an Asian person, so he didn't actually know how to do the inflections and whatnot? What it just lack of knowledge that kept the character of Charlie Chan from adopting a "real" Asian/Chinese accent throughout the productions.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Would Charlie Chan having a thick "Oriental" accent increase or decrease the amount of offensiveness in the stereotype? I honestly don't know. While I'm bothered that Warner Oland didn't do any research for the role in terms of the vocal performance, I'm also relieved that he didn't because it could have hurt the character's connotations so much more. The lack of research implies a slightly arrogant dismissal of the fact that some Asians <i>do </i>have accents, and it's a bit insulting. But I wonder if it would be twice as insulting if he did do research and try very hard to adopt a really thick, heavy "Oriental" accent. The fact that it would be a drunk Warner Oland (need I remind you that he's Swedish?) with a false and exaggerated accent, combined with the aphorisms and humbleness and subservience - the Charlie Chan stereotype would push a lot more buttons than it does already. An exaggerated accent would definitely add some weight to the whole "Perpetual Foreigner" thing - and not in a very good way (Captain Obvious reporting for duty). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some aphorisms before you leave:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">-Front seldom tell truth. To know occupants of house, always look in backyard.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">-Case like inside of radio - many connections, not all related. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">-When death enters window, no time for life to go by door. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-87493340470345918282011-01-12T21:22:00.000-08:002011-01-14T09:41:10.392-08:00Amy Chua: The Tiger Monster<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Amy Chua's <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html">recent article</a> in the Wall Street Journal has sparked much controversy and angry outbursts from the blogosphere, Asian-American and non-AAPA. Her snarky essay, entitled "Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior," was an explanation of "</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids." And here is how she did it. It's a shocker... </span><br />
<blockquote><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:</i> </div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• attend a sleepover</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• have a playdate</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• be in a school play</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• complain about not being in a school play</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• watch TV or play computer games</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• choose their own extracurricular activities</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• get any grade less than an A</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• play any instrument other than the piano or violin</i></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>• not play the piano or violin."</i></div></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I'm not sure what's worse, her treatment of her daughters, the fact that her daughters accept this sort of dictatorship, her snooty, higher-than-thou attitude, or the fact that she states that this method is exclusively for Chinese parents. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This, in her twisted mind, is the right way, the "<i>real </i>Chinese way" to raise robots (whoops, I mean children). The "real" Chinese way? Amy Chua states that she <span style="color: #073763;">"[knows] some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise."</span> Meaning that because my mom (and probably lots of other Chinese mommies) didn't raise me the same way Chua raised her offspring, my mom is not Chinese? Um...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/images/economy/july-dec03/trade_chua2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/images/economy/july-dec03/trade_chua2.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Amy Chua is totally buying into the model minority stereotype by saying that <span style="color: #073763;">"A lot of people... </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #073763;">wonder what these [Chinese] parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it."</span> She embodies this stereotype and, most horrifyingly, is proud of it, stating that <span style="color: #073763;">"the Chinese strategy (of parenting) produces a virtuous circle"</span> whereas the <span style="color: #073763;">"Western parents tend to give up"</span> and that they <span style="color: #073763;">"can only ask their kids to try their best."</span> She praises the (in her mind) distinctly and only Chinese work ethic, saying that is where the "math whizzes and music prodigies" come from. At the same time, she belittles the Western parenting style as being not strict enough and too <span style="color: #073763;">"concerned about their children's psyches."</span> (Because everyone knows that the emotional stability of your child isn't worth crap next to academic excellency...) Chua turns the model minority on its head by essentially saying that Chinese kids aren't inherently gifted - it's the <i>parents </i>that push their children into being gifted and brilliant. It's the "Chinese way" of having high expectations that gets them so far in academics. Chua, making another grand, arrogant statement, proclaims, <span style="color: #073763;">"If a Chinese child gets a B - which would never happen - there would first be a screaming, hair-tearing explosion. The devastated Chinese mother would then get dozens, maybe hundreds of practice tests and work through them with her child for as long as it takes to get the grade up to an A."</span> So really, <i>she, </i>as the all-powerful "mother,"<i> </i>should be praised for the successes of her children. Chua called her daughter, Luisa, self-indulgent when she was having trouble learning a musical piece - if anything, the way Chua screams for attention and praise for her parenting style is more self-indulgent than her daughter ever was. <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The title that Chua slapped on her parenting method (The Chinese Way) is also concerning. The damages from this newly named parenting style will be enormous and hard to get rid of. Chua's "Confucian filial piety" method on steroids is, so far, the only example of an ethnicity-based method that is at the forefront of everyone's consciousness. The fact that it is so tied to being Chua's interpretation of "Chinese" makes the horrific treatment of the children even worse. This is not an issue of raising children a newfangled way - it's the issue of raising them the (specifically) <i>Chinese </i>way. For people who have never met an Asian person (let alone someone of Chinese descent) or cannot even begin to fathom the existence of this type of dictatorship (sorry, parenting), this title becomes synonymous with Chinese people and therefore, Chinese parents. It may prompt people to think that "those Chinese parents are horrible people who have no love for their children" or something along those lines. It prompts me to think that Any Chua ought to be excommunicated from the Asian-American community. </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZHK5LGHmklCJQm4PdvI0qCqWuWo4sy_wP8kQGodLM4N9XMzL-k2gZGKBm_2rfKlkbOlqqPQF7-q76jooaq2yqiPpdkTP1tXRQmIgJJpEknE-mxKMLYuyNOJU7w6drtlY7okAV9uZyXg/s640/Amy_Chua_and_Daughters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZHK5LGHmklCJQm4PdvI0qCqWuWo4sy_wP8kQGodLM4N9XMzL-k2gZGKBm_2rfKlkbOlqqPQF7-q76jooaq2yqiPpdkTP1tXRQmIgJJpEknE-mxKMLYuyNOJU7w6drtlY7okAV9uZyXg/s320/Amy_Chua_and_Daughters.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those poor girls...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dangers of an article like this one is that there are no other Asian American women with that level of fame who are mothers who could contradict her. Sure, there are other Asian American women out there in the media and whatnot, but they aren't mothers or they aren't recognized for being mothers. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're now left with only one representative of an Asian mother, and it's this Mom-zilla who is "happy to be the one hated (by her children)" and resorts to <span style="color: #073763;">"[using] every weapon and tactic [she] could think of"</span> in order to make her daughter learn one measly piano piece. </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even more depressingly, this article was published in the Wall Street Journal, which, last time I checked, was a pretty widespread newspaper. Any rebuttals to her frankly horrifying methods of "raising" children are only showing up in blogs that may or may not have as big an audience as the Wall Street Journal. Therefore the damage that this article has done will be even harder to rectify, and all the work we've done to diminish the model minority stereotype is going down the drain and into the unfathomable bowels of hopelessness. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This woman is a monstrosity. A smarmy, self-serving, arrogant "mother" with Machiavellian "ends-justify-the-means" and "extreme tough love bordering on abuse" parenting techniques. Ironically, she mentions "all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming, callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids' true interests." Was that a shameless, self-indulgent plug for her own book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Hymn-Tiger-Mother-Chua/dp/1594202842">Battle Hymn for the Tiger Monster</a>? Oops, I mean "Mother." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Check the comments section below for further discussion!</i></span></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">An elegant <a href="http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/raising_happiness/post/how_to_raise_an_unhappy_child/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+berkeley/MMpu+Raising+Happiness#When:19:52:00Z">rebuttal</a> to Chua's techniques and the psychological damages to children that her methods will have.</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://shanghaiist.com/2011/01/10/tales_of_a_chinese_daughter_on_the.php">More</a> links <a href="http://blog.angryasianman.com/2011/01/your-permissive-western-parenting-is.html">all</a> over <a href="http://bettymingliu.com/2011/01/parents-like-amy-chua-are-the-reason-why-asian-americans-like-me-are-in-therapy/">the</a> web - <a href="http://resistracism.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/p-s-you-suck/#more-6375">Especially this one.</a> </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-82455290745679691442011-01-11T21:55:00.000-08:002011-01-11T21:55:44.545-08:00Sherlock: The Blind Banker<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_(TV_series)">Sherlock</a>, a modern day adaptation of the awesome books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is a fast-paced, funny series (with three episodes), produced and written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (writers for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who">Doctor Who</a>). It's a BBC program that debuted on PBS' Masterpiece Mystery in October and many wonderful blurbs have been written about it. I really really enjoy this show (understatement - I'm ever so slightly addicted to it) <i>except</i> for this episode, entitled <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1664529/">The Blind Banker</a>. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adapted from the original stories of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Valley_of_Fear">The Valley of Fear</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dancing_Men">The Adventure of the Dancing Men</a>, this story involves a Chinese smuggling gang, a China Doll/Lotus Blossom, a Dragon Lady, an ancient form of Chinese writing, Chinese acrobatics and a tea ceremony. Oh yeah, and two white people get murdered. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Is it any wonder that I was more than slightly offended while watching this?</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">My Complaints:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/shines-a-little-brighter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/shines-a-little-brighter1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>1. Soo Lin Yao</u> (played by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemma_Chan">Gemma Chan</a>) - The China Doll. She's pretty and innocent-looking, all wide-eyed and silky black hair and a non-whore-y, British Suzie Wong. She works at some museum in London where she performs a tea ceremony for tourists, spewing silly aphorisms about tea and shiny teapots. She escaped from China after being orphaned and joining a gang (called The Black Lotus - <i>cringe</i>) and smuggling drugs. Off she goes to London to a new life where she can do cute little tea ceremonies and have dorky little English boys try to ask her out. But alas! She is not safe! The Black Lotus catches up to her and BANG! She's shot dead by her own brother. Soo Lin Yao is pathetic and lacking in a backbone. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/chinese-circus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/chinese-circus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>2. The Black Lotus Gang</u> - Also referred to as a <i>tong*. </i>The gang, posing as a Chinese circus troupe, threatens their victims by spray painting yellow characters as part of a mysterious cipher onto a surface close to their victims. Then they track down their targets, kill them, and then plant a black origami (which is <i>Japanese</i>, people...) lotus somewhere on their body. The yellow paint is a clear indicator of the sickening racism embedded in the fetishized "Oriental" aspects of the story. Yellow? Can you get any more obvious? The origami lotuses are another indicator of ignorance and dismissiveness. Origami is Japanese. While there were forms of paper folding arts in other places in the world (even China), the art of origami remains a specifically Japanese art form. It is this sort of mixing of the two cultures without research that is increasingly annoying and offensive. The fetishization of the lotus flower doesn't help either. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x2tinBD7dkWPnpqIaqv14wkwsvj9NPfPRT9lx9bXDxeTXURNnzRAi0oq8ipGKvKd5XC8gkITCh7NarBZZ50eBK8DZ4Hrvhn2I8jt-2X5IQNr3LCCys5aGbKoiDrR97-h9gRNzIxJiZDh/s1600/SHAN%2521%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0x2tinBD7dkWPnpqIaqv14wkwsvj9NPfPRT9lx9bXDxeTXURNnzRAi0oq8ipGKvKd5XC8gkITCh7NarBZZ50eBK8DZ4Hrvhn2I8jt-2X5IQNr3LCCys5aGbKoiDrR97-h9gRNzIxJiZDh/s320/SHAN%2521%2521.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>3. "The One They Call 'Shan!'"</u> (not even listed in the Casting Credits - the indignity!) - The Dragon Lady. She controls The Black Lotus. She tortures John Watson. She wields a gun. She speaks with an awful, exaggerated accent, with her l's and her r's getting mixed up all over the place. She is ruthless. She dons a traditional-looking Chinese opera outfit and facilitates "death-defying acts from the Yangtze River!" She doesn't seduce anybody (Thank goodness) but she does watch Sherlock and John Watson do their mystery-solving from behind shady (pun intended) black glasses with an evil warlord-esque smirk on her face. She's the female Fu Manchu, with Sherlock playing the role of the great good white knight out to save the day and prevent "The One They Call 'Shan!'" </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">4. The Villain of Indeterminate Race But is Obviously Not White</span> - This character makes a brief appearance in the very beginning of the show as a samurai-sword-brandishing, turbaned, long-robed assassin enters 221B and attacks Sherlock! But, with Sherlock being the great white knight, this Assassin of Indeterminate Race is no match for our white-as-white-can-be hero (no slights on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1212722/">Benedict Cumberbatch</a> intended), who easily defeats him with no weapons at all. For starters, the samurai sword being wielded by the man dressed in Berber-esque clothing? Mishmash of cultures, even a culture that deserves its very own independent study. Uncool, making that mishmash of cultures into the villain. And even worse, the bits of Sherlock versus Villain of Color and interspersed with John trying and failing to do the self-checkout line at the grocery store, so that the entire opening sequence really comes off as slapstick. All in all, it's a slapstick Unnamed Villain of Color versus White Knight Sherlock. Come on, we can do better than <i>that</i>, BBC!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/416845607_4cb2d58ab6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/416845607_4cb2d58ab6_o.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">5. The Dangerous Mystique of London's Chinatown</span> - I don't think there was a single shot that was located in this setting that didn't scream, "This is a creepy, shadowy, mysterious place full of shady people who may or may not be assassins, and who knows? Maybe you'll find an opium den if you look hard enough!" Not only that, but Sherlock and John decide to go into the "Lucky Cat Emporium" to look for clues, where an old lady tells them, "You buy Rucky Cat? Onry ten pound! Your wife, she will rike!" In the "Lucky Cat Emporium," an old Chinese lady tries to sell a "Rucky Cat" to John, which he politely refuses. I am not joking. Do I even need to explain the incredibly blatant racism in that one little bit of a scene?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/grafitti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://janeaustensworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/grafitti.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">6. The Code!</span> - There's a cipher code thing used to communicate with other members of the Black Lotus, and the code starts with a series of numbers that refer to page numbers in a certain book and then the first word on that page. The numbers are written in Suzhou (mistakenly called "Hangzhou" by Sherlock - tsk, tsk, writer of the script, do some research!), which then refer to the book "London A to Z." Again, more mysteriousness for shading dealings of drugs and other goods... Sneaky sneaky. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bokunosekai.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/02-the-blind-banker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="http://bokunosekai.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/02-the-blind-banker.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">7. The Music</span> - The Sherlock theme and the usual background suspenseful music is stellar. But whenever Soo Lin Yao or The One They Call Shan showed up on screen, there was a sudden bout of Zen-like flute and some atmospheric zithers to accompany it (Thankfully, no obscenely loud gongs a la <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/long-duk-dong.html">Long Duk Dong</a>). I'm getting sick of zithers. And when Unnamed Indeterminate Race Villain of Color made his dastardly appearance there was - you guessed it - some funky funky sitar sounds. It was painful. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's really frightening that this slipped under the noses, maybe even was applauded, by the producers of the show. But is it because it was made in Britain? Is being Asian different over there? Would all the things I found offensive be considered offensive in the UK, or all over the world? Should I just start lowering my expectations for media that features either a token Asian or some sort of Asian-themed thing? <b>Who knows?</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Predictable and degrading stereotypes aside, the most frustrating this is that the original plot of The Dancing Men does not involve a Chinese gang at all, nor does The Valley of Fear. The Dancing Men has an American criminal chasing down an old flame and the Valley of Fear has no foreign criminal involvement at all. So why incorporate a Chinese crime ring involved in smuggling drugs and other goods around the world? That decision seemed to come completely out of left field with no real reason for it other than the fact that it would provide cheap entertainment and mystique to a story that would have been just as exciting as if it didn't have that "Oriental" vibe going on. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can only hope that next season doesn't feature stuff like this again. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/no-shit-best-sherlocks-ever/sherlock_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="http://www.wired.com/underwire/wp-content/gallery/no-shit-best-sherlocks-ever/sherlock_2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*The word "tong" has come to have unfortunate connotations because of its association with the term "tong war," referring to armed conflicts between rival Chinese groups seeking to control illegal activities such as gambling, opium smoking, and prostitution. "Tong" actually means "hall" or "parlor," in the sense of a society or association, and most Chinese tongs were men's fraternal or social organizations that existed to provide benevolent services to their members. (From </span><a href="http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/LS/AACC/SENSITIV.HTM"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/LS/AACC/SENSITIV.HTM</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://madammiaow.blogspot.com/2010/08/sherlock-and-wily-orientals-bbc-stuck.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: cyan;">A super great review</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> of the Blind Banker, please read for more insight on the topics above!</span></span></span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-58084214780347712802011-01-03T09:47:00.000-08:002011-01-03T09:47:37.400-08:00Fresh Starts<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's the start of a new semester and the start of some new theme exploration! Yippee!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">What to Look Forward To:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. More movies! More books! More television shows! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Possibly an entire section on children's TV shows and all their craziness.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Another collage!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But there will be less of this:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.asianweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/yellow-face.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://www.asianweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/yellow-face.png" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And more of this:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQlAILjOPOTTUCFenv9bpGJmojKg3-NehK0OQ1KrA1OxrhDUqygekxbTFRd7-LrO4Rp_64wAyBZLr6JEAsOffjnNvb0q9V_U7ftEIcjhfDXuWe8LbqMF_71gz8btXgw6oQyFhoKFUtGBk/s1600/Last-Airbender-Whitewash-Race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQQlAILjOPOTTUCFenv9bpGJmojKg3-NehK0OQ1KrA1OxrhDUqygekxbTFRd7-LrO4Rp_64wAyBZLr6JEAsOffjnNvb0q9V_U7ftEIcjhfDXuWe8LbqMF_71gz8btXgw6oQyFhoKFUtGBk/s320/Last-Airbender-Whitewash-Race.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there will be more of a focus on whitewashing and the positions that Asian American actors are in nowadays in the film industry than focusing on yellowface and its historical context and implications. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Huzzah! </span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-43742569823530623842010-12-27T10:27:00.000-08:002010-12-27T10:27:58.665-08:00Collagin' into Stop-Motion?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hell yeah. </span><br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZrQmqMDhTfU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZrQmqMDhTfU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Culmination. Enjoy!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Music by Omodaka</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Images/Animation by me. </span></span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-7782929182848973722010-12-15T14:10:00.000-08:002010-12-15T14:10:56.771-08:00Looking Backwards<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Warning: Somewhat incoherent and wiggly wonderings ahead. Enjoy!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As the year/semester draws to a close, I have begun thinking about all of the things I've learned, gotten mad at, felt offended or inspired by, or that have just left me speechless. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's daunting, actually, to scroll back through all my other posts and summarize what I've learned. It's like completing grade school and then having to go back and remember what you did on the 100th day of school in kindergarten. Daunting.</span><br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://rlv.zcache.com/i_will_not_love_you_long_time_tshirt-p235527325598926191856ku_152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/i_will_not_love_you_long_time_tshirt-p235527325598926191856ku_152.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before I went into this study/blog/craziness, I had relatively little understanding of how Asians have been represented in the media, how they have been treated in America, and how it continues to exist today. I had virtually no idea about what it means to be Asian American. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm not saying that because of this blog I've had this great epiphany and I know and understand every single Asian American's experience. Instead, I have a deeper understanding of the stereotypes that still exist today and a better understanding of <i>why </i>I may have perceived something as racist (with historical context to boot). </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What are the connections between social and historical forces and the representations we see?</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Why is yellowface still acceptable? When and how did yellowface turn into whitewashing?</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How do these representations create and/or perpetuate stereotypes that are present in our world? What is the impact?</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">These questions have been hanging over my head all semester, and I keep wondering if I'm answering them fully. Or if I'm keeping them in mind as I type and try to analyze the movies and television shows I see. Or if my readers even stopped to read these questions. Sometimes I'm even wondering if these stereotypes matter. I know that's a blunt way of putting it, but what if nobody else sees the things I do? Is it my job to get up on my soap box blog and tell the world about these stereotypes and how damaging they are? Do people care? I care. That's kinda why I did an Independent Study in it... </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm also wondering if yellowface <i>is</i> acceptable to other people, or if it's even part of society's consciousness. I've read so many comments on the IMDB listings for the movies I've watched that have yellowface, and they all say things like, "Ignore the fact that there's Caucasian actors playing Chinese people, this movie is awesome!" Or "I don't think this movie is racist. It's so funny when the white guy imitates the Oriental!" Or "LOL i luv jake gyllenhaaaaaaaaaal!!!!!!11111!!!!1!!!!!1111111111!!!!!1" These comments make me not only concerned about the state of humanity, but also whether or not yellowface is accepted and... liked? Or is it even given a second thought except for me and a few other people? </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwpJ-2vDatmjwYB5qCePF0PsKU5ZD6mnDz6ybhiSOwggpv6_KVGTIpP0swmgQ6klbtLBOqOnr0Zy4-n5mBy7brIWbETKjeN2S4ps8atQNX8cB8c6uV9Gwvk0nuXfc_cOi1OgvaZbxOtcr/s1600/ff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuwpJ-2vDatmjwYB5qCePF0PsKU5ZD6mnDz6ybhiSOwggpv6_KVGTIpP0swmgQ6klbtLBOqOnr0Zy4-n5mBy7brIWbETKjeN2S4ps8atQNX8cB8c6uV9Gwvk0nuXfc_cOi1OgvaZbxOtcr/s400/ff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Look at my <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/09/come-come-whats-this-all-about.html">first post</a> ever. I've come a long way. Seriously, I have. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Be prepared for 2011. Even more analysis and soap box soliloquies to come. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">More reflections to be posted in the comments section below!</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://rlv.zcache.com/i_will_not_love_you_long_time_card-p137722254090139407q0yk_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/i_will_not_love_you_long_time_card-p137722254090139407q0yk_400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span></div></span></div>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-35081954468174214782010-12-08T11:31:00.000-08:002010-12-08T11:31:45.425-08:00Margaret Cho and the Dilemma of Comedy<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me start by stating that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Cho">Margaret Cho</a> is a badass. She really, truly is. She's sassy and brilliant. She has no qualms about giving the finger to society. She's a champion for Asian American and LGBTQ rights. She's fantastic! She was on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouWjJWRqheg&feature=related">Dancing With the Stars</a>!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yOZh_g13Oi8?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yOZh_g13Oi8?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comedy is an iffy arena for Asian Americans. Comedy is iffy for anybody, because you can't "make it" as a comedian unless people find you funny. But. People find Margaret Cho funny! And I can't say I blame them. </span><br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gevWOlEI5cc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gevWOlEI5cc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first 2 minutes and 8 seconds make such a nice summary of the sentiments of this blog - Asian Americans have always strived for acceptance, tried to assimilate, but based on the cultural stereotypes we have seen perpetuated in the media over the years, it's been made pretty difficult. </span><br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kc6mLwOa2Ig?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kc6mLwOa2Ig?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These "people who don't understand the concept of being Asian American" are the ones who keep on believing in the "Perpetual Foreigner" stereotype. Cho's standup highlights that marvelously. Those questions/statements are annoying and something that Asians/-Americans must face almost every day, but the fact that they can be turned into comic material and can be accepted by the audience is something in itself.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, of course, there's Cho's "Mommy" material that she employs heavily in her standup. It's mostly her squinching up her face and speaking in an exaggerated "Asian/Korean Mommy" accent. In any other non-Asian comedian's hands, that could come off as racist or demeaning. On it's own, it's slightly racist and demeaning. Is it acceptable because it's Margaret Cho, because she's Asian-American? Is it okay to do because that's what her audience wants? Should she just cut that part of her act completely, because it is potentially offensive? Has anyone been offended by it? I often find myself halfheartedly laughing along with her "Mommy" impersonations, wondering whether it's okay for me to laugh or not. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is it possible that Margaret Cho would still be as popular if she completely cut the "Mommy" bits from her stand-up routines? I think she would, she's still very funny and witty and sassy enough to be hilarious. But would other people still enjoy her? Obviously, you can't be holding out for universal popularity as a comedian, but.... Would she still be as immensely popular as she is now if she had no "Asian accent" going on? Do people expect that an Asian comedian will employ the "Asian accent" and it'll be so funny and awesome and ohmygod they are my new favorite comedian! </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/82AONhw7roQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/82AONhw7roQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comedy is about making people laugh, making your jokes accessible to everyone. But when an Asian-American employs an accent of their people in their routine... is that catering to non-Asian people's taste? Do other Asian-Americans find it funny? We afraid to speak up and say, "The accent is not funny. The accent is the perpetuation of the Foreigner stereotype." Let's dump our Model Minority umbrella, proclaim "The accent is dead!" and have a successful stand up routine with <i>no </i>accents! With no caricaturization of the Asian accent or Asian people! REAL representation is needed! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">More coming soon!</span></span></div>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-87357762819318735562010-12-02T08:45:00.000-08:002010-12-02T08:45:29.608-08:00Terminology. That's What.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/state-of-the-arts/content_images/Yellow-Face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/state-of-the-arts/content_images/Yellow-Face.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Yellowface </b>- the practice of putting a non-Asian actor (usually white) into makeup and prosthetics that alter the actor's appearance and make them "look" Asian. The actor will also usually employ some garbled interpretation of an "Asian" accent. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/f/fu_manchu_karloff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/f/fu_manchu_karloff.jpg" width="163" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Fu Manchu </b>- a catch-all name for the male Asian antagonists in movies that are evil and evilly Asian and Asianly evil. Sometimes will speak with an accent, sometimes without. Often portrayed as sly, manipulative, cunning, and in some cases, with an insatiable appetite for sex, usually lusting after white woman.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://charliechangallery.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bwygallery20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://charliechangallery.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bwygallery20.jpg" width="162" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Charlie Chan</b> - another catch-all phrase for the polar opposite of the Fu Manchu. A character that is a Charlie Chan or a son of Chan is subservient, "adorable," a kiss-ass to white characters, asexual (towards anyone in any race), often portrayed with a heavy accent. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/AnnaMayWong2.jpg/220px-AnnaMayWong2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/AnnaMayWong2.jpg/220px-AnnaMayWong2.jpg" width="158" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Lotus Blossom/China Doll</b> - a subservient, demure girl with no backbone and no feelings. Often shown as an innocent, beautiful sexual toy who is corrupted by and infatuated with white men. The accent or lack thereof changes with every role. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.njedge.net/~knapp/WONG_DRAGON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.njedge.net/~knapp/WONG_DRAGON.jpg" width="175" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Dragon Lady </b>- the female Fu Manchu. Often has a penchant for killing people or busting out some karate chop hands. She is fierce, cunning, manipulative, powerful and a dangerously sexy gold digger. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.callieflowerkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/mr-miyagi-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://www.callieflowerkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/mr-miyagi-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.gungfu.com/pics_background/bruce-lee-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.gungfu.com/pics_background/bruce-lee-01.jpg" width="113" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Badass Mute </b>- also known as the Bruce Lee, or, depending on the age of the character, a Mr. Miyagi. A buff and wise kung fu master who only speaks in proverbs and remains serene until it's time to kick some ass and then meditate. Sometimes a sexualized character, sometimes not. Enforces the idea that Asian people all have the innate ability to perform martial arts. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l2w2i8dsIP1qaffs9o1_400.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l2w2i8dsIP1qaffs9o1_400.png" width="193" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Model Minority </b>- referring to a minority group who is considered "successful" in a society where the majority is not. When applied to Asians, it implies that they will keep their head down, earn perfect scores on their SATs, not make a fuss when made fun of. Asians are considered hardworking and incredibly smart in math and science, or piano prodigies. The model minority stereotype foists higher expectations on people of Asian descent to do well and be naturally good at everything, except perhaps having a backbone or be socially present in white-dominated society. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://abagond.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/dumpyourpenfriend.jpg?w=214&h=321" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://abagond.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/dumpyourpenfriend.jpg?w=214&h=321" width="133" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Perpetual Foreigner </b>- the assumption that Asians will never fully integrate into American society because of their race, and that they will always have an accent, always be loyal to their "mother country," and never be truly American. This is more of a subconscious stereotype that serves as a backdrop to the top 5 definitions listed here. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">I'll add more later, promise. </span></span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-17029133798537610952010-11-29T23:44:00.000-08:002010-11-29T23:44:44.807-08:00Joy Luck Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/joy-luck-club-DVDcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/joy-luck-club-DVDcover.jpg" width="141" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's no way I can claim to have a decent Asians/-Americans in the media blog without mentioning this movie. No way. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Based on Amy Tan's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Joy_Luck_Club">book of the same name</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107282/">Joy Luck Club</a> (1993) is the story of four Chinese immigrant mothers and their relationships with their grown Chinese-American daughters. Su Yuan, Lindo, Ying Ying, and An-Mei were all born and raised in feudal China, and get together once a week to play mah-jong and drink tea and hope to be lucky in their lives. Their daughters, June, Waverly, Lena, and Rose, were born and raised in America. Su Yuan (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0157905/">Kieu Chinh</a>) has passed away before the movie begins, and her story is told by June, her daughter. We learn about all of the seven other women in their various flashbacks to adolescence and childhood. Su Yuan was married in China to a different man and had twin baby girls. The Japanese invade China and she is forced to evacuate her village and head for Chungking with nothing but her babies. Along the way, she contracts dysentery and is worried that if she dies, it will bring bad luck on her babies and they won't be rescued. So she leaves them at the side of the road with a note asking whoever finds them to contact their father. She then winds up in America, remarries, and has her daughter June (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001840/">Ming-Na</a>), but she is forever haunted by the loss of her babies. Su Yuan has June begin to play the piano, hoping that she is gifted and will be a child star. However, June doesn't really want to do that, and she doesn't get why her mom wants her to - in fact, she doesn't get her mom at all. Lindo (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0157796/">Tsai Chin</a>) was given away by her mother at age sixteen as part of an arranged marriage to a boy who was sixteen as well. Her husband had no sexual interest in her at all, and they became like brother and sister. Unfortunately, the boy's mother wants Lindo to produce a grandson for her, so she restricts Lindo to her bed until she gives birth to a baby. Lindo makes a plan to get out of her marriage which relies on her mother-in-law's belief in superstition. She escapes to America, remarries, has a daughter, Waverly, and becomes Su Yuan's best friend. The two women raise their children together, and Waverly and June grow up as rivals. Lindo makes Waverly (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000674/">Tamlyn Tomita</a>) into a chess champion, but has very high expectations of Waverly. When Waverly thinks her mom is using her champion status to draw attention to herself, Waverly quits chess and never plays again, but remains constantly afraid of her mother's criticisms. Ying-ying (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0638395/">France Nuyen</a>) grew up meek and quiet and ended up marrying an abusive douchebag who sleeps around and treats her like dirt. They have a son together, but Ying-ying, wanting revenge, drowns the son. Her husband dies, and she goes to America with her new husband. They have a daughter, Lena, who grows up like her mother, quiet and unable to express herself. Lena (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0866300/">Lauren Tom</a>) winds up in a marriage where her husband makes their relationship financially "equal" and therefore saps their relationship of all tenderness and caring. Lena ends up divorcing her husband and meeting someone new. An-Mei's (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0523734/">Lisa Lu</a>) mother was raped by a wealthy man, and, having nowhere else to turn, she becomes his Fourth Wife and leaves An-Mei to be raised by her grandparents. Eventually, An-Mei's mother comes back for her and brings her to the house of her new husband, where she gave birth to a boy (as result of the rape) who has been adopted by Second Wife, a cruel and manipulative woman. An-Mei's mother commits suicide by eating opium before New Year's. An-Mei realizes her worth, and what has been going on in her new home, and demands that her "stepfather" treat her and her half-brother like they were his children from a First Wife. When An-Mei moves to America, she marries and has a daughter, Rose. Rose (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001034/">Rosalind Chao</a>) ends up marrying a white man who married her just to spite his racist mother. She is entirely dependent on him and he makes all of the decisions in their relationship. However, he ends up losing interest in her and having an affair. Rose and he decide to split their property and custody of their daughter, until Rose finally learns to stand up for herself and ask for her proper share of the property. All of these flashbacks are occurring during a farewell party for June, who will be going to China to meet the lost twins, who are now grown women and want to meet their mother. However, they don't know that their mother has died, so June must be the bringer of bad news. She goes to China and tells them that their mother has died, but that she came to take her mother's place. And so it ends, with an abundance of Kleenex and tears. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/photo/06/large/06986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/photo/06/large/06986.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Notice how the entire main cast is all Asian/-American women? There are hardly any white people in this film too - two husbands (of Waverly and Rose, respectively) and extras. Everyone else is Asian. Really Asian. No yellowface here, no sir. Remember <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/flower-drum-song.html">Flower Drum Song</a>? How it boasts an all-Asian American cast, and being the first of its kind? How it was applauded for being such a great portrayal of Chinese-Americans? Remember how it focused so much on being the first of its kind that it lost sight of the plot, dragged on too much and generally sucked? Not so with Joy Luck Club! It's a cast with talented, relatively unknown (back then) Asian-American women and it <i>never </i>loses sight of its plot, <i>never </i>has any contrived dialogue - it's solid all the way through. It tugs at your heartstrings. It's well-made, <i>real, </i>with no cheesy song-and-dance numbers or Monkey King ballets. There are real Asian people in both of the casts, but Flower Drum Song relies too much on its "groundbreaking" cast and forgets that there is something called plot, and it's rather important to a movie. Joy Luck Club has an all-Asian main cast, but it moves beyond that and strives to be a good movie. Sure, this movie deals with being Chinese, being Chinese American (the book even more so), but it doesn't get lost in that. It acknowledges it and moves on. The film uses the Chinese-ness as a backdrop to a compelling story about love and family and moms and daughters. I love this movie. Why did it take so long to make a movie with a primarily Asian cast that wasn't bad? Probably because we had to wait for Amy Tan to write the book, and because it wasn't a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein. </span></div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gjpgeCKL2hg?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gjpgeCKL2hg?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are some really lovely, normal bits in this film, like all the scenes at June's farewell party before she leaves for China. Watching those scenes is like watching any party video. Everyone is acting normal, being regular human beings. If you were to cut out all of the flashbacks and just watch the party scenes, you would see normality, where (in the words of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfBQpklkoSk">John Cho</a>) "race is a fraction of their identity rather than the sum of their identity." We saw this a little bit in <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/21-jump-street.html">21 Jump Street</a> and a little more in <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/11/harold-kumar-go-to-white-castle.html">Harold & Kumar</a> - cool people in America doing regular people things and they just <i>happen </i>to be Asian. They're not smoking opium in dark corners (and there are no references to opium at all in this movie! Joy!) or something. True, there's a mah-jong game being played, but... that's still pretty normal. The people at this party are chatting, eating, drinking (not excessively), being pleasant. There are moments of tenderness (when June is telling Rose's daughter a story), short moments of happiness and gaiety (when a bottle of champagne is opened and it goes everywhere and everyone laughs), moments of chuckle-to-yourself-sweetness (when June is invited to join her mother's best friends at their mah-jong table). It's incredibly human, and that is some REAL representation. Normality! It's great! </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/27/MPW-13867" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/27/MPW-13867" width="133" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Empowering towards women (especially Asian women), this movie is. The plot, the characters, the relationships - all showing women in a positive light.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only women who are really portrayed as evil or corrupt are left back in China or ignored. The mother figures are shown as caring albeit misunderstood leaders who channel their inner strength in times of need. Almost all of the mothers had previous marriages and escaped them. Their daughters find their inner strength and overcome their own obstacles as well, with nothing but themselves and their mommy's anecdotes to get them through it all. Three of the daughters also end their primary marriages and pursue new ones. Almost none of the Asian stereotypes surrounding women are perpetuated here. There are no murderous, scheming, devilish Dragon Ladies. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">None of the women act in the manner of</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/world-of-suzie-wong.html">Suzie Wong</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. They don't parade around in body-hugging qipaos doing the cha-cha or seducing white men or selling themselves.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only stereotype that you see here is the one of the Lotus Blossom; however, that stereotype is overcome and pushed aside as the characters mature into stronger women. Joy Luck Club shows this transformation and rejection, not of the stereotype, of the role and oppression of their situation which causes them to act in accordance of that stereotype. The daughters might begin by subscribing to the model minority stereotype (the prodigy children, June and Waverly), but they end up quitting those roles and going on to be themselves. Strong women and the mother-daughter relationship is at the center of the entire film. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">So watch it with your mom and I </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">dare </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">you not to cry. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.yai.bz/assets/07/920/l_p1005092007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i.yai.bz/assets/07/920/l_p1005092007.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I understand, however, how this film could not do so well in representing men. There's the creep who got his Fourth Wife by raping her, who doesn't end up feeling bad until she dies and her daughter (An-Mei) tells him that her mommy's ghost will come back to settle scores. There's the abusive and manipulative husband who sleeps around and isn't afraid to show it in front of his wife (Ying-Ying). There's the money-grubbing, unloving control freak (Lena's husband). Two sexual predators, one eunuch. All are misogynistic. The eunuch we can immediately classify as a Charlie Chan spin-off - uninterested in love, roly-poly, comical-looking, annoying. The two sexual predators are descendants of our favorite Fu Manchu, or maybe <a href="http://iwontloveyoulongtime.blogspot.com/2010/10/bitter-tea-of-general-yen.html">General Yen</a>. Preying on women all the time, being manipulative, sly, crafty, cunning, you name it - they are portrayed as overly sexualized, threatening men. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's only one good portrayal of an Asian man in this film, and that is of June's father. June is about to leave to go meet her half-sisters in China. She finds her father sifting through a box of her mother's possessions to find things for the half-sisters to have, because "We have memories of Mommy in here [points to his head], and now they can have memories of Mommy." It's heartbreaking. And sweet. Because June's father loves her and loved her mommy. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Reach for Kleenex, go ahead.</span> But this character, who spends maybe all of seven minutes on the screen, is the only really positive male character we see in the film. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Granted, neither the movie or the book are about men. It's about women, and the relationship between mother and daughter. But the men still matter. And I am unsure whether a movie like this one, with all it's groundbreaking, it's heartfelt-sobfest-ness, can be considered "real representation" if only the women get the proper portrayals. True, women have historically been the more repressed sex, but we can't call it equal representation if it's segregated by gender towards the female side. And, historically, Asian men haven't been represented in that great of a light either. This film is great for the portrayals when you ignore all the men (except June's dad) and focus solely on the women being mommies and daughters. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Fun Facts About The Film (just because):</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005568/">Russell Wong</a>, who plays Ying-ying's abusive and cheating husband, also had a lead role in the episode of "The Dragon and the Angel" on 21 Jump Street. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amy Tan has a cameo in the very first scene. She enters the party with her movie family and gives a hug to another guest. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My cousin was an extra. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming-Na">Ming-Na</a>, who plays June, was also the voice (talking only, not the singing voice) of Mulan in both Mulan and Mulan II. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the scene of June's piano recital, the girl who is before her is singing "I Enjoy Being a Girl" from Flower Drum Song. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nancy Kwan is not in this movie. Neither is James Shigeta. I wonder why?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.eskimo.com/~webguy/writings/joysucks.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dissenting Opinions</span></span></a><br />
<a href="http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?joy_luck_club_revisited_8853.aspx"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And more!</span></span></a><br />
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</span></span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4216232966486625743.post-60671087208402967942010-11-28T13:06:00.000-08:002010-11-28T13:06:14.369-08:00Collagin' #13<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How many has it been? Whoa!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrocnpDypZ5559C6tDRYy87E6tVGJpWkUOxJM5C2RMUkPPtHb4h7jtvbQYBncShjlJLnsUbInJDSJOYvMeFQELAx91NI6YiyNCoipdm8E-hOTVBm3nvj9LzBtAPOIhzptew4XDQ-VOeJ3o/s1600/IMG_0653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrocnpDypZ5559C6tDRYy87E6tVGJpWkUOxJM5C2RMUkPPtHb4h7jtvbQYBncShjlJLnsUbInJDSJOYvMeFQELAx91NI6YiyNCoipdm8E-hOTVBm3nvj9LzBtAPOIhzptew4XDQ-VOeJ3o/s320/IMG_0653.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBUJege6V8tpY2iivm6f1mMDUHGW220nZQmS7WdHHzF8MWEHIgJ_UCGDxFAp57SDA43tDilPeNI0sp98O22SEgsXLOPiaoEGgz8YBKaerf3LBvnrErdFbGkZ6uKJ8HWNEWD69YBElaCyO/s1600/IMG_0654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBUJege6V8tpY2iivm6f1mMDUHGW220nZQmS7WdHHzF8MWEHIgJ_UCGDxFAp57SDA43tDilPeNI0sp98O22SEgsXLOPiaoEGgz8YBKaerf3LBvnrErdFbGkZ6uKJ8HWNEWD69YBElaCyO/s320/IMG_0654.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloe-iD1GwhtrMVaRljLIIYnlCc5Guef-wy57cuWbG1xAKWUuBTfuKkiDkq9WmcTBLq8jCqDlqEjTAMRIyErIXPoS2d__ymvnQZhPy7QOFheqxN2X-C4rHGKnAJBHqb3bMmgm-buCu2Vnk/s1600/IMG_0666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloe-iD1GwhtrMVaRljLIIYnlCc5Guef-wy57cuWbG1xAKWUuBTfuKkiDkq9WmcTBLq8jCqDlqEjTAMRIyErIXPoS2d__ymvnQZhPy7QOFheqxN2X-C4rHGKnAJBHqb3bMmgm-buCu2Vnk/s400/IMG_0666.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, that is the 5th Harry Potter book holding down a corner</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coming Soon:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Joy Luck Club</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All-American Girl</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Jasmine E.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03522652913037216705noreply@blogger.com0