Movies and/or portrayals every Asian American should see

[nameless]

Heh, Big Trouble in Little China is a classic for sure.


I think American Desi is a must see. Even though it's mostly South East Indian issues and humor, there are a lot of parts that Asian Americans (especially guys) will be able to relate to. I found the father / son relationship especially poignant.

[SunWuKong]

Originally Posted by nameless

Heh, Big Trouble in Little China is a classic for sure.

i like Big Trouble in Little China because of the supernatural characters. plus it was hilarious.

Originally Posted by nameless

I think American Desi is a must see. Even though it's mostly South East Indian issues and humor, there are a lot of parts that Asian Americans (especially guys) will be able to relate to. I found the father / son relationship especially poignant.

that was a great movie. and it's got Kal Penn in it.

[yoMAMA]

Originally Posted by PropellerheadCP

I can't believe no one's mentioned "Kung Phooey".

haha...i heard it was pretty funny.

[moJo]

Originally Posted by kitty

I liked Robot Stories but to be honest, I'm not sure if it's a 'must-see' movie for APIA awareness. I mean, it's great to see Asian men in sexualized roles, and the discussion of Asian identity in relation to cybernetic technology is really great, but ...

I dunno... I just didn't think it's a 'must see' movie for every Asian American. At least not initially. Maybe it's cuz i think every APIA should have a good grasp of our history before we start with the contemporary identity pieces.

i see what yer sayin', jenn. it's just that i am not a fan of older movies. anything older than the 90's, and some 80's films. i figure there are others out there who are the same way...

East is East was hilarious. but i don't know if it's something that is crucial for all asian ams to see.

[yoMAMA]

did anyone mention joy luck club ?

[hides in a corner].

[YuheiCarreau]

Originally Posted by moJo

i see what yer sayin', jenn. it's just that i am not a fan of older movies. anything older than the 90's, and some 80's films. i figure there are others out there who are the same way...

East is East was hilarious. but i don't know if it's something that is crucial for all asian ams to see.

Well, EAST IS EAST is set in England and it's about a mixed family with a Pakistani father and White mother, so I'm not sure how much the average AA is going to identify with it... It's also set in the 1970's, which makes it a even less relevant to the modern-day AA identity.

It is a really good movie though. My mom thought the violent scene towards the end was a little jarring, but overall I really liked the way it depicted the family.

[yoMAMA]

Bend it like Beckham!

I heard it's really good.

[moJo]

Originally Posted by yoMAMA

Bend it like Beckham!

I heard it's really good.

eh. overrated and kinda cliche.

[yoMAMA]

Originally Posted by moJo

eh. overrated and kinda cliche.

I see.

[kimpossible]

Originally Posted by yoMAMA

Bend it like Beckham!

I heard it's really good.

Great soundtrack.

[Shuriken]

Originally Posted by moJo

it's just that i am not a fan of older movies. anything older than the 90's, and some 80's films. i figure there are others out there who are the same way...

I'm very sad to read these words. And there are indeed others out there who feel the same way. Already, Peter (Lord of the Rings) Jackson is working on a remake of the 1933 classic King Kong on the premise that many audiences simply will not watch a black & white movie — this despite the stinking and sinking of a 1976 color remake of the same film.

How can a community or a society know where it's going if it doesn't know where it's been? It's hard to imagine moJo saying that she would refuse to read a book or view a painting done before the '80s. Her words seem to suggest that movies have nothing to say to an audience beyond their sense of "nowishness," their connection to current concerns. She is denying herself the plentiful pleasures that abound not only in such demanding cinematic exercises as Citizen Kane and The Godfather, but also in such agreed-upon entertainments as The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain.

I probably can't say anything to moJo that will get her to change her mind. But is it any wonder that the larger society lives with such a willful ignorance of history? Currently, President Bush is engaging in Iraq the very same practices that bogged down U.S. troops in Vietnam — with the same results. Yet, many U.S. citizens are simply too disengaged in what happened all the way back in this country's ancient history (namely 1965 to 1975) to glean from this country's past mistakes. The Spanish-born American philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) once said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Granted, repeating a historical blunder is different that remaking a film. But something is still lost. If movie audiences lose all (or even much) appreciation for the flickering images that have gone before — from Chaplin's acrobatics to Bogart's assertiveness to Streisand's voice — we will have relinquished part of our true artistic inheritance. Instead, that is something we ought to claim, to revitalize, and — most importantly of all — to enjoy.

[Irezumi Kiss]

^ I feel you on that, Shuriken. When I first got my VCR back when I was going to art school, the first movies I snatched up for rent were some of the classic japanese b/w joints from Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kurosawa, et. al...Asian cinema still had yet to "hit" like it does now and Janus Films had some stuff on tape that you wouldn't see on the still-rare film festival circuits. But mostly I think that was because the market back then was pretty much "classics" only for the museum theater-goer cliques that saw them...how times have changed since then!

But I feel what Mojo's saying cuz I had also wanted to see what was going down "now," you know? It's funny these days because I'm getting old joints from the 70s and 80s and it's amusing to see dated fashions, tastes and mindsets as they were "hot" back then.

Sun Wu: If you are still looking for the Chan is Missing joint, check Kim's Video next time you roll through NYC. Or I can stop by next time I go there and see if it might be up for sale. They might just have it on DVD now, but I rented that a loooooooooong time ago from their first store way back when VCRs ruled the land!

[kimpossible]

Originally Posted by Shuriken

I'm very sad to read these words. And there are indeed others out there who feel the same way. Already, Peter (Lord of the Rings) Jackson is working on a remake of the 1933 classic King Kong on the premise that many audiences simply will not watch a black & white movie — this despite the stinking and sinking of a 1976 color remake of the same film.

How can a community or a society know where it's going if it doesn't know where it's been? It's hard to imagine moJo saying that she would refuse to read a book or view a painting done before the '80s. Her words seem to suggest that movies have nothing to say to an audience beyond their sense of "nowishness," their connection to current concerns. She is denying herself the plentiful pleasures that abound not only in such demanding cinematic exercises as Citizen Kane and The Godfather, but also in such agreed-upon entertainments as The Wizard of Oz and Singin' in the Rain.

I probably can't say anything to moJo that will get her to change her mind. But is it any wonder that the larger society lives with such a willful ignorance of history? Currently, President Bush is engaging in Iraq the very same practices that bogged down U.S. troops in Vietnam — with the same results. Yet, many U.S. citizens are simply too disengaged in what happened all the way back in this country's ancient history (namely 1965 to 1975) to glean from this country's past mistakes. The Spanish-born American philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) once said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Granted, repeating a historical blunder is different that remaking a film. But something is still lost. If movie audiences lose all (or even much) appreciation for the flickering images that have gone before — from Chaplin's acrobatics to Bogart's assertiveness to Streisand's voice — we will have relinquished part of our true artistic inheritance. Instead, that is something we ought to claim, to revitalize, and — most importantly of all — to enjoy.

Or you can consider that the average American movie goer sees few or no non-English or foreign films and considering moJo's background she's probably well versed in international films, including many non-English language films. There's only so much film each one of us can watch since we don't make a life out of it so I don't see why we either have to single out moJo or make the rash judgement that since she's not watching many older American films that she's limiting herself in absolute terms.

[Shuriken]

Originally Posted by kimpossible

There's only so much film each one of us can watch since we don't make a life out of it so I don't see why we either have to single out moJo or make the rash judgement that since she's not watching many older American films that she's limiting herself in absolute terms.

Well, I've put my case in the best way that I could under the circumstances. If my words didn't sway you, I shall try to do better next time. Only to say that I tried not to "single out moJo" by connecting the tendency to a larger part of the culture.

Suffice it to say that some of us "make a life" out of old movies because there's a lot to value in the vaults. I think that some of this would be interesting even to those who aren't inclined to seek out a movie past a certain period.

But I do think that there's a kind of connection between a disinclination for older movies — and literature and the arts — and a disinclination to be more familiar with history in general. That's not to say that current movies are somehow "inferior" or "less valuable" than what came before. But what came before shouldn't be buried, either.

[PropellerheadCP]

Originally Posted by yoMAMA

Bend it like Beckham!

I heard it's really good.

Indian girl, being saved by a white dude. Oh, yes... because we should all have our white knights.

Originally Posted by Shuriken

Well, I've put my case in the best way that I could under the circumstances. If my words didn't sway you, I shall try to do better next time. Only to say that I tried not to "single out moJo" by connecting the tendency to a larger part of the culture.

Suffice it to say that some of us "make a life" out of old movies because there's a lot to value in the vaults. I think that some of this would be interesting even to those who aren't inclined to seek out a movie past a certain period.

But I do think that there's a kind of connection between a disinclination for older movies — and literature and the arts — and a disinclination to be more familiar with history in general. That's not to say that current movies are somehow "inferior" or "less valuable" than what came before. But what came before shouldn't be buried, either.

Dude, I was a film major. I'm right there with you.