2010 is gearing up to be a big year for Louis Ozawa Changchien. The half Japanese half Taiwanese actor has a major role in Robert Rodriguez’s Predators coming out this summer and Michael Golamco’s Year Zero at New York’s Second Stage Theater, as well as Doug Liman’s Fair Game about former CIA agent Valerie Plame.
But let’s get back to Predators. I know I’m not the only one excited about this return to a classic Hollywood thriller. While most of the movie industry seems preoccupied with remaking old projects (see: Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Omen), Robert Rodriguez is presenting a new chapter about the alien race that still haunts my nightmares.
I was lucky enough to catch up with Louis to talk about Predators, pursuing his acting career, growing up bi-ethnic and where we can find him next on the big screen (and stage!).
Tell me about your background being both Japanese and Taiwanese. What was your experience growing up with those two cultures?
My family background is pretty interesting because my father studied in Japan and my grandfather went to medical school in Tokyo. And he speaks Japanese fluently, and my great grandfather spoke fluently, as well. So on my father’s side, which is Taiwanese, the one language that’s common (since I don’t speak Taiwanese or Mandarin) that we could all communicate in was Japanese.When I was born, Japan was really a superpower in Asia and he thought English and Japanese were the most important languages to learn. So I went to Japanese school on the weekends. I grew up in New York City.
Those weekend schools were awful.
They were terrible. My mom was manipulative in the way that she made it seem like it was my choice [to go]. She’d guilt trip me, like “You know, someday you’ll thank me. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. You only have to go until 6th grade.” I really didn’t have a choice; she just made it sound like that.
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I don’t care what you say. Life is supremely unfair when the one week I’m out of the office, John Cho comes in for a special visit on Attack of the Show. I don’t know if this is the universe’s way of telling me that things between the two of us are just not meant to happen, or that our eventual meeting, courtship and marriage will be even better than ever when it FINALLY happens. Or maybe his handlers read this post and made sure I far away from him as possible.
I may be a little bitter now, but his on-air interview made up for it, where he gives away details about his character on FlashForward, news on the Star Trek sequel and the Harold & Kumar trilogy (3D!!!). Sadly, he makes no mention of me, not even in the behind-the-scenes interview after the cut. Continue Reading »
Shopping With GASP!
If you live in a big city, you may have subscribed to Daily Candy for their dispatches regarding things to do, places to shop, and where to eat.
In the latest “Weekend Guide” from Washington, D.C., Daily Candy recommends the Terra Cotta Warriors Film Festival this weekend at the National Geographic Society. They say that you can watch “Kung fu classics like Lao Tou Ho introduced by martial arts guru Craig D. Reid.” Cool!
But why is this worth attending? According to Daily Candy, it’s because “It makes total sensei.” LAME! Do I need to tell you that “sensei” is a Japanese word and kung fu is not Japanese? Should I mention that all the films in the festival are Chinese?!
WTF, Daily Candy? Who do you think you are?! Karate Kid 2010?! Bah!
(Don’t let Daily Candy’s idiocy prevent you from checking out the Terra Cotta Warriors Film Fest, if you are in DC, though. I love the NGS and the film festival features one of my favorite Chinese films– despite Zhang Ziyi’s inclusion in it– Hero (2002).)
h/t: Ming & Stephanie
Every so often, we get clips of movies: In this case, MOTHER 마더, Korea’s official entry to the 2010 Academy Awards Foreign Language Film and directorial follow-up to Bong Joon-ho’s 2006 horror movie, The Host. The link to the trailer was sent to the 8Asians mailing list, to which the following conversation ensues:
Jun: the movie has been available online for a while now if you do a little googling. [It] did well both critically and at the box office in Korea. I didn’t think was that amazing of a movie; I tend to think Korean directors overplay the retarded/mentally challenged character role, so I I’m always biased on the negative side on those types of movies. But the scene in the field of the mother dancing was epic.
Christine: I already saw this film and met the director; it was OK. I like his other one better — incapable characters annoy me. The best part is that I saw it as part of a VISA Screening room event and got a whole bunch of Ferrero Roche chocolates.
Jee: Okay, I might really hate you if you met Won Bin. I LOVE him. Okay, I don’t really love him. I just think he’s major eye-candy. A while back i saw photos of him holding kids in Africa and I about died. It made me want to have his children. Well, sorta. I’ve been wanting to see it, but anytime a movie depicts a person living with a disability mistreated, I cry all liquids out of my body, so I haven’t brought myself to do it yet.
But enough about us: for those that have seen it, what do you think?
When I first saw the movie poster for Extraordinary Measures, starring Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford, I had no idea what it was about. I guessed Harrison Ford played some kind of heroic character, but beyond that, I had no idea. Nor did I really care — the movie poster looked “eh.”
Then I read this article on racebending.com and found out that Harrison Ford’s character, a doctor who finds a cure for Pompe disease, is actually based on an Asian doctor, Dr. Yuan-Tsong Chen. Here is a portion of Roger Ebert’s review of the movie:
Dr. Robert Stonehill doesn’t exist in real life. The Pompe cure was developed by and his colleagues while he was at Duke University. He is now director of the Institute of Biomedical Science in Taiwan. Harrison Ford, as this film’s executive producer, perhaps saw Stonehill as a plum role for himself; a rewrite was necessary because he couldn’t very well play Dr. Chen. The real Chen, a Taiwan University graduate, worked his way up at Duke from a residency to professor and chief of medical genetics at the Duke University Medical Center. He has been mentioned as a Nobel candidate.
I know this isn’t the first time a Caucasian actor was hired to play a role based on an Asian or Asian American — far from it. But that doesn’t make it any more bearable each time it happens. I’ve always had respect for Harrison Ford as an actor, but I wonder if the movie — which opened to just $7 million this weekend, for 7th place — would’ve been better had an unknown Asian actor been cast. I understand the studio probably wanted a famous actor to carry the role. Yet, if you look at previous unknowns like Gabourey Sidibe in Precious and Carey Mulligan in An Education, you know this is the year of the breakout star.
I don’t know about you, but I believe America is more than ready for Asian Americans starring in non-martial arts films. Even if Hollywood isn’t.
If you’ve been to as many weddings as I have, then you’ve also received your fair share of “Save the Date” notices. Though I’ve seen some really creative ones cross my desk, I’ve never seen a “Save the Date” as EPIC as Jeff & Erin’s!
Jeff Wong & Erin Martin met while they were in college in Southern California in 2000, but their love has landed them down-under– Sydney, Australia. Ten years after they first met, they are tying the knot in the Los Angeles area, and they’ve created a wedding website, a “teaser poster” and a “wedding trailer” to lead up to the wedding date. Since Jeff did some video production in college, they “started with a simple idea that was going to be a weekend project.” But then, in their own words, they “just got a little carried away.”
With all the attenion that they are getting on this trailer– they’ve been written up in HuffPo & Boing Boing– I am guessing there are going to be high expectations for their wedding. (No pressure, guys!)
I’m also guessing that they’re going to have to lockdown parts of their website which was originally started just for their friends and family. The site is already being innundated by visits from strangers who are congratulating them — and wanting to know where this wedding is going to be so they can crash it– are you with me Moye & Jee?!?!?
Anyway, congrats to Jeff and Erin and best wishes on their big day!
h/t: John
Which is awesome, how they’re totally doing karate. Oh, wait.
–Ernie
Oh, where to start with the mockery?
Let’s start with the whole karate/kung-fu thing. Simply put: Karate = Japan; Kung-Fu = China. Martial arts nerds can go on about all the various details and differences, but on the surface, the biggest thing that stands out about this movie entitled KARATE KID, is that it’s being set in China with a well-known Chinese martial artist who is known for his kung-fu background. I’m hoping there is some explanation in the movie about this — any guesses as to what it will be?
Next, let’s talk about the fact the original Karate Kid is a classic, and any attempts to remake it will be lame. Okay, so I’m biased: the movie may have been called “The Karate Kid,” implying that the “kid” was the main character. No offense to Ralph Macchio or his Daniel-san character, but let’s face it — Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi made those Karate Kid movies what they were; you could replace Ralph Macchio with Hillary Swank, but you couldn’t do any of those movies without Mr. Miyagi. (He was even selected as the #1 Greatest Fictional Angeleno in 2006 by blogging.la.)
Jaden Smith is a cutie-patootie, but I’m not interested in watching him “take his jacket off” and “put it on” again — it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as “Wax on. Wax off.”
I’m going to stop ranting because I realized I sound like one of those old people who talks about how great things “used to be” and hates everything new. So I pass the torch to you: what do you think of the new trailer?
I’m not going to even comment on Sarah Palin. It is too easy. I try not to pick on people who are intellectually inferior. What I do want to discuss is her (and other people’s) conceptions of Hawaii.
First, let’s do a mind exercise. Imagine you are in Hawaii. Honeymoon. Vacation. Whatever. Look around you. What do you see? Palm trees? Beaches? Clear skies? Paradise, right? Now focus on the people. What do they look like? More specifically, what race are they?
According to the article, Sarah left Hawaii because “the presence of so many Asians and Pacific Islanders made her uncomfortable.” Now think back to my mind exercise. Clearly, before Sarah moved to Hawaii she must have imagined paradise full of Caucasian people. This made me think.
When most people close their eyes and imagine Hawaii, do they see it full of Caucasian people too? Or is this just a Sarah thing?
I’m afraid of the answer. I’m afraid that Sarah isn’t the only one. I’m afraid that most Americans are like her. The reality is of course that Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders/Hapas Americans make up more than half of the Hawaiian population. What a shock it must be when people who think like Sarah visit there. Do they feel like they are still in America? Or do they feel like they’ve left the country and are traveling in some far away (and dare I say, exotic) land?
Why does this happen? Simple. Look at movies, books, and/or television shows that take place in Hawaii. The Hawaii being portrayed is Sarah’s Hawaii and not the reality. I’m dreaming of a day when people will see Hawaii for what it is… a paradise full of people that look more like me than the Bradys.
Over the weekend, I saw Ninja Assassin, the new movie starring the Korean pop star Rain. It was what you imagine it to be. Pretty cool action scenes surrounded by a bad story and horrendous acting. (Surprisingly, Rain’s acting wasn’t that bad. Maybe one of the better performances of the film.)
None of this is why I am writing about Ninja Assassin today. What interested me most is whether this is an example of a post-ethnic Asian film. Let me explain what I mean. The opening scene takes place in a Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) bar with Japanese writing all over the place. The head of the Yakuza is a Korean American actor, Sung Kang. Ninjas are Japanese. But the ninja training school is somewhere in the mountains of China. And of course, the star ninja (Rain) is Korean.
Some would argue that this is just another example of Hollywood confusing and combining all Asian groups together. Japanese. Chinese. Korean. There is no difference. They are all the same. And maybe that’s exactly what they did. But I’m hoping that this is a sign of things to come. A time when Asians (and Asian Americans) can stop defining themselves by their country of origin but by the bigger and broader term, Asian. I’m probably giving too much credit to the makers of Ninja Assassin. But I believe that only by coming together can Asian (and Asian Americans) truly be a cultural and intellectual force on the world stage.
I try not to take for granted the vast number of cool events that happen in Los Angeles. I know that a screening of an almost 60 year-old Japanese movie doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that you can only find in L.A., but it is! The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is presenting a stunning new restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Rashomon, taken from a 35mm print created in 1962 from the original camera negative.
The truth of the matter is that because the heart of the film industry is here in Los Angeles, so is the heart of film restoration efforts. Film restoration is extremely tedious and costly, and many of our film treasures are being lost at a rapid rate. Because are we lucky enough to be in a city where much of the restoration is done, occasionally beautifully restored films are publicly screened here!
In this case, we’ll get to see the groundbreaking Kurosawa masterpiece Rashomon, starring Toshiro Mifune in the role that catapulted him to stardom. The film depicts the rape of a woman and the apparent murder of her husband through the widely differing accounts of four witnesses, including the rapist and the dead man (through a medium). The stories are mutually contradictory, leaving the viewer to determine which, if any, is the truth. Rashomon has become synonymous with the unknowability of truth, and spawned the term the “Rashomon Effect.” regarding the subjectivity of perception on recollection.
Regarding this particular restoration:
While the [35mm print from 1962] print itself was in good physical condition, the source material from which it was made was extremely battered. Due to the extensive printing and handling it had received over its lifetime, many shots were already starting to shrink and warp, and there were numerous scratches, dust, and dirt in the damaged negative. Scanned at 4k resolution, that 47-year-old print has been meticulously cleaned both digitally and by hand, complete with a new, seamless soundtrack. This essential restoration has been made possible by the Academy Film Archive, the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and Kadokawa Pictures, Inc., with funding provided by Kadokawa Cultural Promotion Foundation and Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation.
Rashomon opens Friday, October 2, 2009 at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre, showing through Thursday, October 8 for an exclusive one-week engagement. Showtimes: Fri-Sun at 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00; Mon-Thu at 5:00, 7:30 & 10:00. Landmark’s Nuart Theatre is at 11272 Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of the 405 Freeway, in West Los Angeles. Program information: 310-281-8223; www.landmarktheatres.com
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (Thai: องค์บาก), also known in the United States as “Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior” was a Thai action film from 2003 that was considered the breakout film of Tony Jaa. Because of Ong-Bak, Jaa was hailed as the next international martial-arts star.
Now Ong-Bak 2: The Beginning is here today on VOD, Amazon and XBOX Marketplace. Jaa stars in and directs this epic tale of revenge set hundreds of years in the past. Featuring a huge cast and hordes of elephants, this film takes Jaa’s skills to the next level, showcasing him as a master of a wide range of martial arts styles.
What? The past? Well, Ong-Bak 2 is not a sequel, but a prequel to its predecessor, which sounds kind of confusing, right? Well, no need to be confused!
Why not get a Tony Jaa refresher course by watching the Ong Bak DVD, which you can win right here on 8Asians! And, if that weren’t enough, we’re also going to throw in a DVD of 2008 Thai action film Chocolate (Thai: ช็อคโกแลต), also known as Fury! (Chocolate was directed by Prachya Pinkaew and has martial arts choreography by Panna Rittikrai, the same pair who directed Tony Jaa in Ong-Bak.)
If you love martial arts and action films, you need to check these movies out! Ong-Bak 2 is available now on VOD, Amazon and XBOX Marketplace and the film will be in theaters Oct 23.
What you could win from 8Asians: 2 DVDs: Ong-Bak + Chocolate!
How do you enter?
Simply leave a short comment stating why you want to be chosen as the winner for the DVDs. (Be sure to use the email address you’d like to be contacted at if you’re the winner.)
Hurry, the deadline to enter is: Wednesday, September 30 at 11:59 pm (Pacific Time)
FIVE lucky winners will be randomly selected and contacted on Thursday morning.
Rules for entering:
1) Please be in the US or Canada. Sorry, I will not be shipping anywhere else!
2) Contributors to 8Asians and their immediate family members are not eligible to win.
Prize courtesy of: 8Asians.
Asian American groups protest THE GOODS: hate crimes are not funny, originally uploaded by !!! :: jozjozjoz :: !!!.
As reported by Angry Asian Man and also by 8Asians, various Asian American groups protested The Goods for its “Pearl Harbor” scene which depicts Ken Jeong’s character getting attacked by fellow auto salesmen for looking Japanese.
In addition to using this particular scene in the trailer, Paramount Pictures released an unapologetic statement:
“We understand that when presented out of context, jokes and situations in the movie about a variety of topics might be offensive to some people,” it said in a statement.
“To be very clear, ‘The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard’ is in no way meant to be mean-spirited, disparaging or hurtful to any individuals and we regret any offense taken,” it said.
In other words, “A hate crime can be funny in the right context!”
I’d like to excerpt Ken Narasaki’s letter to Sumner M. Redstone (Executive Chairman of the Board & Founder of Viacom, Inc., which owns Paramount):
I’m writing to protest the disgusting depiction of a hate crime-as-humor in the film, the television trailers, and the online ads for THE GOODS. I know, I know, everyone keeps saying that “it’s a joke,” “it’s satirical,” “the film is intentionally offensive to many different kinds of people,” but this is beyond hurt feelings and offended sensibilities – this is racist hatemongering disguised as humor. I’m assuming you’ve heard similar analogies, but I have to ask: If those white car salesmen had beaten up a Jewish salesman “for killing Christ”, and Jeremy Piven’s character egged them on by describing “the Kikes nailing our Savior to the cross”, would you expect your Jewish audience to just take it as a joke? Especially if your company ran the clip as part of its ADVERTISING on network TV? How about if Ken Jeong’s character was black and Jeremy Piven’s character urged the white salesmen to cover up their hate crime by saying he attacked them with a spear? Can you imagine your African American audience sitting still for that one?
…I have a personal incident to share with you: On December 7, 1991, the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, it was impossible not to see the footage of the bombing, playing over and over on all media outlets. Fair enough, it was the Day that will live in Infamy. It didn’t matter that my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles were all put into concentration camps as a result; it didn’t matter that my father fought in Europe as part of the famed segregated Japanese American fighting unit, the 442nd: Someone decided to commemorate that day by throwing a brick through my front window. The brick and the glass landed on my then baby daughter’s changing table. Luckily for us, we were not at home at the time.
I’ve seen Paramount’s incredibly lame non-apology, and I, for one, am sick to death of Asian bashing masquerading as humor, and ask that you, in your capacity of Executive Chairman of Viacom, demand that this scene, which laughs at the very idea of hate crimes, be removed from the film and that Paramount Vantage issue a very real apology this time.
As I type this, MANAA and JACL, along with other community groups, are wrapping up the protest outside the front gates of Paramount Studios. When I stopped by about an hour ago to take some snapshots, Friday night traffic was at a peak and cars (including mine) honked their horns in support of the protesters.
More opinions: KTLA newsman Frank Buckley, Darleeneisms
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