I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry
Friday, August 31, 2007 at 12:34 am | In being asian, faith, movies | Leave a CommentSometimes, your instincts are correct. I had misgivings about watching this movie, but didn’t heed the voices and instead paid good money and watched this movie in the theater. Although, to some extent, some of the scenes were funny, by the same token, there some extremely crude scenes that were full of stereotypes. And as always, his buddy Rob Schneider had a minor role in the movie (albeit a rather sad and pathetic one).
I have to say, there were scenes in the movie which were extremely shocking and disappointing. Watching the movie in Northern California, where there is a high percentage of Asians in the theatre, one couldn’t help but notice that was actually a moment where one could hear loud audible gasps of shock when Rob Schnieder appeared in the scene as a kooky, ugly, and extremely stupid Asian minister. It was an exact replica of the Asian portrayed in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, (a role executed so rudely by Micky Roonie). Only this time, the Asian looked more authentic, and had more stupid lines to say in this modern version. I wish I could say it simply bordered on offensive… but unfortunately it didn’t…. it actually was offensive.
I can even make excuses and say how Breakfast at Tiffany’s was produced during a time when the US was at war with Japan, and it was OK to demonize and evilize the Asian, showing them to be ridiculously stupid, and extremely ugly. But in this day and age, I have to wonder what the reason is TODAY for portraying Asian Americans in such a negative light !!??
The only thing that made it worse was the fact that it was played by an authentic looking Asian, Mr. Rob Schneider himself, who is BTW half Asian himself. One can’t help but wonder if he truly hates his Asian side of his cultural background…..and only embraces his Jewish side?? I was angry that someone who is half asian could portray what he himself is, in such a negative, and racist light. There was no humor in his interpretation of the Asian minister. What humor is there in finding an Asian American minister to be stupid, nonsensical, and incomprehensible in speech, and ugly, near-sighted, full of buck teeth and deformed eyes in appearance.
Likewise, it’s always ironic how Hollywood movies have to portray the beautiful, Caucasian, blonde woman as the highly intelligent and well spoken professional (i.e. doctor), while the Asian woman becomes a sleezy, stupid, bimbo prostitute that sleeps around at the drop of a hat. The only words the Asian woman often says in her panties and bra are, “ooooohh” and “aaaahhh”.
And do Asian actors have such little work in Hollywood that they have to jump at the mere chance of portraying their culture and ethnic background in such a negative and unreal light? Do they have no ounce of intelligence to refuse such portrayal of asian roles in media? And where are the Asian voices that have power and strength to speak out against such vicious and racist propaganda? Where are the Asian journalistic spokesmen, or the Asian journalists, or the Asian actors?
Why is it that Hollywood thinks that it is OK to bash Asians in media, while leaving other ethnic minorities unscathed? Since when did it become OK to trash Asians? It is no longer politically correct to be racist towards blacks, hispanics, or even native americans. But for some reason, it’s all fair game when it comes to Asian bashing. WHY?
All I can say is that I am going to cut down on the useless garbage I watch on big screen.
Hollywood & Pop Culture
Saturday, April 14, 2007 at 8:30 am | In movies | Leave a CommentI’ve noticed more and more lately that certain phrases from Hollywood movies have made their way into our pop culture. For certain reasons, there are phrases which gain so much popularity that others start using them on a regular basis.
Here are a few I’ve heard recently:
You…. complete me. (Jerry Mcguire)
You love me just as I am… (Bridget Jones on the Edge of Reason)
Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn! (Gone with the Wind)
Show me the money (Jerry Mcguire)
Life is like a box of chocolates, never know what you’re gonna to get (Forest Gump)
Stupid is as stupid does (Forest Gump)
Keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer (The Godfather)
You can’t lose something you never had (How to lose a guy in 10 days)
There are countless others obviously that have not been listed. What I want to focus on are the ones related to love, cause love is pretty much a common theme in movies in Hollywood. The reality of the 2 quote I’ve bolded above shows perhaps how ridiculous and un-Christian they are in theology.
“You… complete me” is this rather idolatrous quote that says there is ONE other person out in the world that makes us complete. The last time I checked the bible, the only other person who can complete me was God. But maybe it’s because deep down in all of us we want to be completed, so we have latched onto this saying in pop culture like it is a life preserver. And we hope with all our might that if we simply find that single right person for us out there, somewhere, somehow……. our life will be made perfect.
“You love me just as I am…” Wow. This speaks of unconditional love. The last time I checked that out, the only being who truly loved us unconditionally was (and is) God. Anyone who tells us that our parents or our spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend or friend loves us unconditionally is telling a pretty outright lie. The reality is that we have traits, qualities, and attributes that make us attractive and lovable to others. You take that away, and the first people not to love us would be our spouses, and significant others. I would say that our significant relationship we have with our spouse/loved one is actually the most conditional love of all. Think about it.
The true cold hard factof reality is that the only TRULY unconditional love we seek is actually available from God. All other loves are conditional at various levels. For instance, lets assume that you are wildly popular with your friends. You are witty, charming, intelligent, bright and talented. You have very pleasant looks, and to boot, you are extremely talented at whatever you do. I am sure people would flock to you and want to be your friend. They would absolutely love and adore you.
Then, lets say you had a tragic accident… major brain trauma that reduced your intelligence to a 2 year old and to boot, you body becomes becomes horribly disfigured (and difficult to look at). You lose all mobility and movement and become spastic. You cease to recognize yourself, your friends, and your loved ones. And the only conversation you have, when you do decide to speak, is to yell horribly abusive words within hearing distance of you. To make this example even more worthy, lets also say you suffer from a mental disorder of various kinds. And.. this change is permanent, and there is no cure, and this condition (physically, mentally and emotionally) will remain until the day you die. Tragic. Essentially you are no longer the person you once were when you were so beloved and “loved just as you were” before the accident.
I wonder exactly how many of those previous so-called “unconditionally loving” friends/significant others who loved you “just as you are” would decide to continue to be loving and attracted. I wonder how many would truly be able stick around day in and day out, providing physical and emotional care for the rest of your days? If this condition lasted your entire lifespan to death (i.e. 70 years), would they be still there at the end of 70 years?
The point is that ultimately the love people harbour for each other is conditional. No matter how much Hollywood tells us otherwise of love… the reality is that all loves are conditional and never fully fulfilling. What we yearn goes far deeper than what we can find in our significant other, or our friends, or our families…
The departed…. the movie… plot spoiler warning
Saturday, February 24, 2007 at 8:37 pm | In gripes, movies | Leave a CommentI used to be a huge movie buff in my university days. Nothing was more of a treat than going out and watching a movie. Then the fun of dissecting it to pieces and debating it over dinner….
Now, I’m lucky if I get to watch a movie in the theaters once a month. Anyways, I saw a bit of the “The Departed” by Martin Scorsese on a plane recently. About halfway through, we landed, and I never did finish it off. So trying to figure out the ending was literally making me antsy. I raved on and on about the movie, and said, “no wonder it’s being considered for an Oscar… it’s a great film…”
Well… as any true Martin Scorsese movie buff would tell you, the ending is obvious. I was told, “well, if it’s a Martin Scorsese film, expect everyone to be killed off at the end.”
”Not possible!” I replied in disbelief. “The film has developed the characters and the plot so well… there is no way he would kill them off at the end. That would be just stupid.”
Well… prepare to be stupified. Last night we rented the DVD for “The Departed”. Needless to say, I felt immensely disappointed by the ending. Not only was it a blood bath, but it also left me feeling a bit cheated.
What a beautifully developed story line, with fully fleshed out characters, and then… just a mass of shootings and killings. No explanation, nothing. It’s anticlimactic. It’s like he spent so much of his energy building up the characters, plot and storyline, that he ran out of energy and didn’t know what to do, and in a puerile fashion simply decided if everyone died, it would solve his dilemma and end the story.
Now having seen the ending, I think that he deserves not to get an Oscar. But I can only surmise he will get one, given that movie critics are prone to liking the unusual and the unexpected.
sigh. I felt so unresolved at the movie ending… never mind the gruesomeness of the killings. I have to say though, Leonardo DiCaprio is a great actor. His depth of acting never ceases to impress me.
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