A Miyazaki-Ghibli Sampler
October 24, 2011 § Leave a comment
I’ve taken it upon myself to watch all of Hayao Miyazaki‘s feature films [and by extension, all Studio Ghibli films]. The first one I ever watched was Spirited Away (2001), in high school [or was it middle school], which introduced me to the magical world of Miyazaki’s animation. Some people began with My Neighbor Totoro, but I was a latecomer.
I had watched anime before, but it had never felt so…deep. [Arguably I had only watched questionable anime series that I don’t even remember anymore.] Next was Princess Mononoke (1997), which I barely remember but for the wolf and the forest and the lake. Then, when Howl’s Moving Castle was released in 2004, I watched that one online too. Miyazaki didn’t create another feature film until I was in college, so in 2008, I was delighted to watch Ponyo. It didn’t seem as well-received among my friends, who deemed it weird and childish, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. After that, I waited until this summer to watch The Secret World of Arrietty (2010), which was beautiful to watch even though the storyline didn’t really go anywhere.
Now, I’m going through the archives, digging for films that were released before I was even born. I’m normally apathetic about watching old movies [there’s barely enough time to watch all the new ones!], but I love animated films, and these are undoubtedly some of the world’s best. Besides, all the movies currently in theaters are mind-numbingly unappealing, so the choice was pretty easy. It doesn’t hurt that Miyazaki’s bio mentions a few times that he explores feminist themes by casting female characters as leads in his films. Could he be any more perfect and wonderful? Apart from that, some of Miyazaki’s expressed viewpoints remind me of Shel Silverstein, who also produced pieces for children in a deliberately non-condescending and non-patronizing way.
First on my list was Laputa: Castle In The Sky (1986). It came up in a Gchat conversation with VY, and I was all “what is this laputa, sounds like a spanish curse word” [those were my exact words], so I looked it up and decided to watch it. It’s weird to watch old-school animation that isn’t all slick like modern anime, but the hand-drawn style is one of Miyazaki’s many distinct charms, from the way food looks so freaking plump and delicious to the way a character’s facial expression and hair rises when he or she is alarmed.
FEED ME!!!!!!!
Here’s To The Little Guys
July 24, 2011 § Leave a comment
The trailers for Captain America were enough to rouse my enthusiasm for yet another Marvel superhero movie. For starters, I am a total Chris Evans fan. His muscular physique and tender blue eyes framed by magnificently long eyelashes make him delightful to watch on the big screen, and he did not disappoint. However, the more I think about this movie, the less impressed I am by it.
As most should know, Evans starts out as a scrawny man cursed with the asthmatic body of a 14-year-old boy. I know that the first half of the movie was establishing his good character, but it was so pitiful. I found the grenade scene overdone and contrived. I suppose the biggest complaint is that Steve Rogers is too simple. He’s even less tortured than Superman, who’s as vanilla as they come. I know I shouldn’t expect too much from a movie like this, but that doesn’t keep me from desiring more.
Though some might disagree, I think that the movie got better [but not by too much] after the transformation. Evans’ pecs seriously rippled as he sprinted barefoot down the street — ladies, it was a delight. Still, the image of his digitalized, creepily puny self is hard to shake from my mind. I’m curious to see what his body double looks like.
I soon realized that despite being psyched to see this film, I really knew nothing about Captain America, his origin or abilities. And along those lines, I couldn’t tell if it was lazy writing or just being true to the comic, but what’s unfortunate is how tired and cliché the whole plot is, almost every aspect of it. Villain bent on taking over the world via some superhuman source of energy and ignoring the feeble moral protests of the scientists he exploited, the good guy doing typical good guy things like suddenly gaining super-intelligent tactical abilities…yawn.
Speaking of the villain, I really hate it when foreigners inexplicably speak heavily accented English. If it will add to the authenticity and believability of the movie, I would gladly just hear German and read subtitles. Although then I suppose the hero and villain wouldn’t really be able to communicate during the final battle. BUT STILL..!
More, please
There are quite a few no-nose villains in theaters these days. [Lesson learned: If you don’t have a nose, you will not win!] I’m not sure why the serum made the villain’s skin loose enough to go parading around like Darth Maul, but it was weird. And his Hydra grunts look like they came straight out of Tron, with blue lasers and everything.
The explosion/takeover montage was like watching a video game trailer, and that’s not a compliment. As AC remarked to me after the movie, the editing in certain parts seemed rather poorly done. I suppose there aren’t that many options when your hero just punches people and flings his shield around, the action wasn’t that spectacular, and we even watched it in 3D. As is usually the case, I can’t say that the 3D was worth it. A second pair of glasses sitting awkwardly on the tip of my nose, my face muscles tensed to keep them from slipping off…
Kenneth Choi’s role was really something though. He had funny lines [or maybe it was just one]! He didn’t have to speak with an accent! And he didn’t even play the stereotypical nerdy or perverted or half-naked/insane character! It’s a veritable miracle for Asian Americans everywhere!
Despite my negative comments, I still enjoyed this movie, and the ending [plus the post-credits ending] was the perfect way to segue into next summer’s Avenger’s movie. There will be so many beautiful men on the screen I won’t know what to do with myself…somebody help me!
God Of Thunder
May 8, 2011 § 3 Comments
I wanted to watch Thor because I thought it would be a solid action movie after the mild disappointment that was Fast Five. Thor seemed unique — very rarely do we get movies based on Norse myths, and having done no research except watching the trailer on TV, I had no idea this was a Marvel production. So I went into the movie with no expectations except to be entertained.
After watching it, though, I’d say that Thor was a bit of slapstick comedy combined with a lot of hot mess.
First of all, I forgot [or never knew] that Natalie Portman was in this movie. After all the hullabaloo with the Oscars and the ballet, I’m frankly tired of seeing her face everywhere despite having watched neither Black Swan nor No Strings Attached. My affection for her is waning in tandem with my love for James Franco.
Anyway. The main problem with Thor was that it tried to incorporate too much, which made for a baffling and sometimes incoherent narrative. There’s the brother vs. brother drama. Father vs. sons drama. Abduction and self-hatred drama. That random race of frost-giants drama. That frustratingly inexplicable split-second romance. The group of federal agents whose presence and purpose are never explained. How Natalie Portman is following sky-static in the middle of New Mexico with poly-sci major Kat Dennings and her dad’s old bud and is somehow getting college credit. And what exactly was that glowing blue cube??
Everything is just piled on, and I can understand that they tried to pour in so much in order to help the plot move along, but it was just too much. B even fell asleep on my shoulder for half an hour and essentially didn’t miss much.
Can I also point out the racism in this movie? The only Asian person in the whole film speaks with an accent. It would be fine except HE’S FROM ASGARD, the mythical realm in which EVERYBODY ELSE speaks with a Viking accent [LOL I don’t know how to describe it exactly]. I mean, I get that Tadanobu Asano is a Japanese actor and that’s probably just how he normally speaks English, but the perpetual foreigner thing really grates my nerves.
At one point during the second half of the movie, one of the secret agents sees the group of four warriors strolling down the quaint New Mexico street and mutters into his walkie-talkie, “We’ve got Xena, Jackie Chan,” and some other description I’ve since forgotten. It was funny — the theater laughed, because it was mostly true. I get the Xena reference; Jaimie Alexander played a female warrior who was dressed like this:
But what about this looks like Jackie Chan?? [Note that the agent was standing on a rooftop, so all he could really see was the hair/costume.]
It’s because he’s Asian, isn’t it? It’s the equivalent of calling a black guy Chris Rock just because he’s black.
The frost-giants looked like they were styled after the Green Goblin. It’s always interesting to see just how much a movie will make an alien look like a deformed humanoid. I get that we’re limited in our scope of imagination, but do foreign species really just have to look like people with acute epidermodysplasia verruciformis [I don’t know how to pronounce it either]?
I was surprised to see that Kenneth Branagh directed this film. I remember watching his many Shakespeare films in middle & high school English classes. Good to see that he’s moved on to bigger and better productions!
Lastly, let it be noted [once again] that I have a thing for blondes with icy blue eyes, so let’s take a moment to appreciate Chris Hemsworth in all his squinty Taylor-Swift-esque glory:
[Movie stills courtesy of Yahoo! Movies.]
Chin Chen Chins Chens
March 1, 2011 § 3 Comments
Last October, news of a brand new Asian-American sitcom stirred the interest of the APIA community. This show, called The Chin Chens, has finally released a trailer:
[The video has since been “removed by the user ” & replaced with this.]
Extended trailer has been discovered by Angry Asian Man:
The plot revolves around a Chinese father and Vietnamese mother who live with their three children and grandmother. The Chin Chens was created by Will Hollins, CEO of the Atlanta-based Bright Ideas Entertainment company.
Angry Asian Man has already deemed the trailer “unfortunate” and “just not funny.” I have mixed feelings.
On one hand, I applaud Hollins for his endeavor. We all know that American TV could use more Asian-Americans. The most prominent sitcom featuring Asian Americans was the 1994 All-American Girl, and more recently, NBC’s Outsourced. The actors in the Chin Chens seem like genuinely likable people, and I want to root for this small show with a small budget to succeed.
Yet, there are quite a few unavoidable things wrong with this production, starting with the name of the show. The alliteration of “Chin Chens” bears a remarkable similarity to “ching chong,” which hits home for anybody who has been mocked by this derogatory phrase. I’m not saying that the resemblance is deliberate, but it certainly makes it easy for ignorant people to mistake one for the other.
“I felt the Asian community didn’t have a proper voice on broadcast television,” Hollins said back in October. His cause is noble, but I’m not convinced that the execution is quite right. If you look on the Bright Ideas Entertainment website, this is the description of the show, which appears to be in need of an update:
Both Will Hollins and Lady Gaga need to learn that “Orient” and “Oriental” are considered outdated and offensive terms. It makes me worry because it demonstrates a lack of knowledge and sensibility to the contemporary APIA identity. We are no longer content to lie under the weight of stale stereotypes or false representation.
My concern that the writers of the Chin Chens might not be in contact with a comprehensive group of real Asian Americans who care about the characters being presented as well-rounded people who are funny on their own without having to draw on clichés such as “my teenage daughter is a terrible driver” or “grandma hates your ‘hippity-hoppity’ music.”
At this point, it seems that the Chin Chens is pandering to a non-Asian audience who will understand Asian Americans no better after watching the show. I urge the producers to reevaluate. Yes, profit is important, but if Hollins is truly concerned about the Asian community having a “proper voice,” he should portray them as more than one-dimensional personalities.
It’s possible for a show like this to be outstanding. A look at the immensely popular community of Asian Americans on Youtube is enough to prove that we can create and star in entertainment of good quality. I still have hope for the Chin Chens. After all, it can’t be worse than the K-Town reality show, right?
auradis 