Two new films about Wuhan were released on Jan. 22, the eve of the anniversary of the start of a 76-day lockdown in the central Chinese city where the coronavirus was first detected. How they were released and who their audiences are stand in stark contrast.
A-pop! Three white ladies Columbus’d mahjong … and other stories!
Welcome to the first 2021 edition of A-pop! I have some reheated leftovers from the end of 2020 for you (mmm, I love leftovers!) as well as some shiny new items to share. Let’s get to it!
Bling Empire: sparks criticism for being what it is: a reality TV show
Netflix has been receiving a lot of criticism lately for its lineup. No less “Bling Empire,” which premiered Jan. 15. An Asian version of the Kardashians, this reality television series has been slammed for being racist and thrown in with the movie, “Crazy Rich Asians,” as an unfortunate trend of Hollywood depicting Asians and Asian Americans only as rich people behaving badly.
Ang Lee on ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ 20 years later
It’s physically impossible to get to the forest fight scene that hovers atop slender bamboo trees in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’’ and not say out loud “Whoa.’’
Latest ‘Ip Man’ installment hits its mark, hard
I had to laugh at the first review I found of this latest installment of the “Ip Man” saga, available from Magnet Releasing on Dec. 11. The reviewer suggested that nobody in the film looked like a real fighter.
A-pop’s 2020 hall of fame/shame—The brightest and the very worst—from a truly craptastic year
Man, I can’t wait for 2020 to be over, too! Writing this roundup was kind of hard because the high points were hard to come by, the low points were plentiful, and everything—when it comes to Asian popular culture, constantly revolved around the pandemic and how every white person thinks that Asians are the problem. (Instead of white people’s pervasive racism being the problem.)
Diverse TV holiday season includes all-Asian Lifetime movie
In one scene from the Lifetime TV movie, “A Sugar & Spice Holiday,’’ a co-worker says to Suzy, an Asian American architect in Los Angeles: “I didn’t know if Christmas was a big deal where you’re from.’’
“I Hate New Year’s” unites music, moods, and meaning
The two stars of the new movie “I Hate New Year’s” grew up in America at the same time. Some of their experiences dovetailed. But others could not seem more different.
“Vanguard”: Sad Jackie Chan slips a few gears
My old cinematic friends called it “whupass.” You spell that either “whupass” or “whoopass.” A two-syllable brand for action films. They are often brainless action films, films that pushed the whupass, or the whoopass, in the absence of any strong elements of character development, nuance, or memorable dialogue past a few curt, comedic catchphrases.
A-pop! On dogs, public-shaming, accidental racism, and true love!
“The Pack” is a reality show featuring dogs and their owners (or as I like to say, their human mommies and daddies). Each team goes around the world competing in athletic challenges for a chance to win $500,000.
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