Filmaker, producer, and a founding member of the Taiwanese American Film Festival, Roxy Shih, sat down with Rachel in LA. They talk, they laugh a lot, and talk some more about film, representation, and inspiration.
The Taiwanese American Film Festival is on July 8th in Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now! https://www.taff.la/
Happy Pride Month! In honor of our friends in the LGBTQ+ community, we (and guest Orville Mendoza) watched Spa Night. Spa Night is the directorial debut of Andrew Ahn, and was featured at Sundance in 2016. This indie flick is more than a coming out story. It's about family, immigrants, class, and more.
This week, we talk in depth about Asian American Poverty in Power Rangers, as well as just how fun and silly this franchise can be.
That's right! We watched the latest Power Rangers reboot. And guess what? We don't regret it! This episode we talk about cutie pie Ludi Lin, filling a diversity quota, and using Power Rangers to promote Asian male role models.
We're back with guest, actor Orville Mendoza (@orviactor). We talk Vin Diesel, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Orville's current gig, a sold out production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures with Classic Stage Company.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 made a gajillion dollars opening weekend. So we went to check out it. Helping us talk about Dave Bautista (Drax) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) is NYC actor Orville Mendoza.
Deathnote, the beloved Japanese anime series, has been given a Netflix adaptation. The trailer is out and it stars......not a lot of Asian folks. Not like they didn't try. According to actor/producer Masi Oka (Heroes) "our casting directors did an extensive search...[but] the actors we did go to didn't speak the perfect English." What??? Well, Zoe Kim, Jenapher Zheng, and Sylvia Ray were having none of these shenanigans. They put together a great video explaining why these statements are ridiculous, and they also feature several Asian American actors who DO speak perfect English.
Watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/theLLAG/posts/10106496593770908
Edward Zo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdxz2htgPiQ
@jenapherzheng
@thezoekim
@vkrtycreative
We place each Kubo character into Hogwarts houses, wax poetic about Harry Potter (cos we're big nerds), and rant about representation in voice overs.
After Wes Anderson's poster for Isle of Dogs was released, we thought it was pretty important to cover another stop motion animated film that used animals in a Japanese backdrop. In this episode, we talk about monkeys, gender steretypes, and seriously, why was Matthew McConaughey in this movie?
A few weeks ago, Henry Golding was cast as the lead of Crazy Rich Asians. Women swooned and men....had a different reaction. Especially this guy (http://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2083148/hollywood-adaptation-crazy-rich-asians-has-cast-its-chinese-male).
But is casting a hapa as a full-Asian white washing? We brought together a panel of our hapa and full-Asian male friends (Viet Vo, Kevin Shuering, Eddy Lee, and Matt Park calling in) to give us some perspective.
*Melissa totally misspeaks and says that she read somewhere that Nick is meant to be part British in CRA. That's incorrect. She's sorry. :(
Gaby Wilson (MTV) returns for the second half of Ghost in the Shell. We cover the spider tank, Adwoa Aboah, transracialization, and our own mixed race heritage.
- Why Japan Won't Save GITS From Being A Box Office Flop from The Hollywood Reporter
- Ghost in the Shell: The Major's Body from Women Writing About Comics
Gaby Wilson (MTV) is our special guest this week! We all watched Ghost In the Shell, which means we contributed to its 19 million dollar flop.
*Jes Toms "Ghost in the Shell PSA"- https://youtu.be/0Ll7gt0meuU
*Ornamental Orientals and using Asian Bodies as Narrative Props- http://www.onstageblog.com/onscreen/2017/4/4/ornamental-orientals-and-using-asians-bodies-as-narrative-props
It's a Rogue One Bonus! This episode features long discussions about how this might be the best starter Star Wars, how Melissa ships Chirrut and Baze, and how special this story is in the Star Wars cannon.
Dedicated to the memory of Carrie Fisher. RIP.
Sta Wars is the biggest movie franchise there is. This episode, we're talking about Chirrut, Baze, and Bodi.
Welcome to the first ever Hapa Hour Bonus Episode! Host Alex Chester, and her theatre company We So Hapa, is putting on a cabaret. Alex and I sat down with Rebecca Lee Lerman, Kevin Shuering, Stephanie Mieko Cohen, and Carlos Martin to talk about what their upcoming performance, and what being hapa means to them.
Hapa (noun): a slang term for a person of mixed ethnic heritage
6:51- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAndx2oLYk8
This week, we consider The Great Wall and how it's like Pacific Rim, Game of Thrones, and Ghost in the Shell. At the same time.
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter
Matt Damon saves China. Or does he? The first foray into a Chinese-American creative partnership, The Great Wall has some ups and some major downs.
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter
In this bonus episode, Melissa Slaughter and Keith Chow gush over Hamilton, breakdown the importance of casting, and recast La La Land.
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter and Keith Scopinich
Keith Chow, founder of Nerds of Color, joins Melissa to talk about Moana. In a host-lite episode, Melissa and Keith talk about Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Rock, and what it means to be a Brown Disney Princess
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter and Keith Scopinich
Is Memoirs of a Geisha really a Cinderella story? Or is it just a male fantasy? We'll discuss that and so much more!
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter and Keith Scopinich
So are geishas artists or prostitutes? Is Ken Watanabe sexy or creepy as the Chairman? Does it matter that Ziyi Zhang is Chinese and not Japanese? Alex, Melissa, and Rachel discuss Rob Marshall's Memoirs of a Geisha.
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter and Keith Scopinich
Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle Bonus round! This week we talk about how all Asians, and South Asians, know each other. And we've got a webseries idea for Chris Meloni. With special guest, Aneesh Sheth
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter and Keith Scopinich
Special guest Aneesh Sheth came to the studio to help us discuss the stoner classic, Harold and Kumar. This week we talk about weed, Neil Patrick Harris and riding cheetahs.
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter and Keith Scopinich
It's the last episode of 2016! In this bonus episode, we talk about Justin Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow, the "model minority" stereotype, Roger Ebert, and Hogwarts House Sortings.
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter and Keith Scopinich
This week we talk about Justin Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow. High school haunts us all in this 2003 MTV movie. Starring Sexy Asian John Cho.
We're Not All Ninjas is a movie review podcast focusing on Asian American Representation in Hollywood Films.
Hosted by Melissa Slaughter, Rachel Liu, and Alex Chester
Music by Ryan Majoris
Image by Brett Love
Edited by Melissa Slaughter and Keith Scopinich