"I Used to Be Funny" Movie Review

I recently joined to be a member of Toronto International Film Festival annual membership and saw the local indie dramedy "I Used to be Funny". Going in, I didn't read too much about it except to know it was under the umbrella of "Women in Action" in the now showings and a local production about a woman in comedy. Suffice to say, I had no regrets watching it, and I actually found it quite suspenseful and a pretty good balance between the comedy and drama genre (I would say the latter is heavier). 

This arts majored comedy who became an au pair in Europe comes back to Toronto to find success in comedy and her love life. As she dips her toes back into being an au pair in the GTA, she finds herself in an interesting relationship with her assigned "minor". As the story slowly but beautifully unfolds, you are on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what had happened to this protagonist. 

There's only some minor defects with it if you must press me to say something, but because that will be a bit of a spoiler alert, I'm going to stop here. But I will give it a bit higher than it's IMDB rating and give it a solid 7.5. Either you do the real math or artistic math and decide whether to watch this movie now showing at TIFF Lightbox.  

Crazy Rich Asians movie review *mild spoiler alert*

To say I was anticipating the movie is an underestimation. After reading all three of the delectable books, jumping up high when I heard of the adaptation, announcement of the cast, following Constance Wu's every Instagram move and down to the very last minute of the premiere, I have been waiting and waiting. This not only consolidates the success of Kevin Kwan's genius writing, but is a huge inspiration for Asian writers out there. It is an exciting time to see Asian representation from writing all the way to directing and acting. Anyhow, let's get into it:

Given all the details and subplots in the original book, the movie was well paced. It retained the dramatic opening scene in London, quickly breezed through the news of Nick going back to Singapore and also developed the subplot of Astrid's marriage. I love the humor that was instilled into the movie by Ken and Akwafina.

Some scenes that were not in the movie but still very appropriately dealt with was the majong scene. Though arguable a copycat of "Joy Luck Club" was still appropriate and touching (truth be told I cried). Omg the proposal scene was absolutely different but still very cute.

Let's talk music. My gosh, I loved how they rendered old Shanghai tunes but also mixed it up with a Mandarin version of Coldplay's Yellow- an obvious reference to the ethnographic depiction.

I was not quite happy with how they left Astrid's story the way they did. They spent more time on developing Bernard and Kitty than they could have with Astrid in which I think was an important storyline. I don't even know how they will continue that in the next movie.

But in general I liked the adaptation. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and more importantly, it made me think and reflect on the love God has blessed me with in this life time.

Beauty and the Beast review *spoiler alert*

OMG! I mean I have been looking forward to the adaptation ever since it announced its revival. And boy did they not disappoint (or should I say barely) and here's my three cents (lol):

First of all no wonder the adaptation of the screen play was so good: it was written by Stephen Chbomsky!!! Literary genius if you ask me! So adding in my favorite quote of all time "Love looks not in the eyes but in the mind, and therefore is winged cupid painted blind." from A Midsummer Nights Dream William Shakespeare cannot be a coincidence! And them debating whether Romeo and Juliet is a great play was beyond stellar if you ask me!

But let me start at the very beginning.So for them to create a story line out of Belle's mother and the Beast's parents was a really great idea, making them a lot more relatable. When Belle came up with the idea of a washing machine and teaching a girl how to read was so gutsy! Oh and an African American or Brit or whoever he was to play the bookshop keeper was such a nice touch to show not just diversity but the contrast between the "white normals" and the only two readers in that small town. That also goes to the other two African Americans or Brits in the castle. Great casting call there! (She can sing damn well btw). More about casting is Kevin Kline. Though a supporting role had to be the one who delivered the best, but I mean we all know he's an acting veteran. I recognized Emma Thompson's voice immediately after Mrs Pot said something but I was like wait she wasn't in the interviews either...is it really her? But it was! She can deliver some good lines but let's just admit it, she can't really carry a tune. I did however like the change of the last few lines in the end song "winter turns to spring, famine turns to feast, nature points the way, nothing left to say, beauty and the beast." Genius! I don't particularly feel Emma and Dan can carry the two new songs well either. Let's just admit Celine and Josh did a much better job. And may I also say (and this is coming from an Ariana and John Legend fan) that the original was better than the new adaptation, I just thought it didn't bring anything new to the table.

Okay the only part I did feel did not quite live up to my expectations (but I also know why due to the interviews:) is the dance (and here's the rationale: Dan Stevens was on stilts when he made this movie, so come on give him a break). I also felt like the room lacked that the magic the original had but then once he lifted her and lights were shining everywhere I was then amazed, stunned and basically transfixed.

In short Beauty and the Beast was a daring project itself and it amazed me more than disappointed and I will if you are not annoyed by a lipsyncing movie companion to go with them I will watch it again on the big screen.

Toodles as I enjoy my new downloads of the soundtrack! =)

Asians in Hollywood

From Jacky Chan and Jet Li continuing Bruce Lee's footsteps but yet to play the real Romeo, to Lucy Liu and Jamie Chung playing the wingwomen in major works, and now Maggie Q having her own TV show; Chinese or Asians have fought hard and came quite far. But it just got started.

Earlier this year I started to watch Fresh Off The Boat, and I loved how us Chinese got to be the center of the stage, with our very own story. There are so many relateable things from that show, how you assimilate to a culture but also retain your roots in the all too stellar 90s.


Earlier this month I found out about the new TV show Into the Badlands, a production directed and starred familiar Hong Kong celebrities Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung. And as I read the transcript and videos of the interviews of the conception of the movie, I am amazed how they were able to take a Chinese traditional myth and mold it into something so relateable in the 21st century yet still highlight a lot of oriental roots. This show does have a lot of amazing martial arts scene but the beauty of the show is also the complexity of the plot and the character development; the many layers of strategic decisions made with every detail, from the setting and costume design to sound effects and music. This is a show that is really pushing Chinese in mainstream TV to a new peak.

And now here I am watching Indian and Chinese writers, Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang's creation of Master of None, a story about Asian millennials trying to survive in the 21st century New York City. Again it delights me to see Asians not only playing trivial support roles but being at the center stage. It also shows that we Asians are diverse too. We are not cookie-cut-out doctors and lawyers, nor do we only just know martial arts. Today, Asians are a variety of things, we are fun, we are funny, we are punny, we are artistic. And because we know how hard it is to break through those stereotypes, we respect diversity too.

Korean actor Ki Hong Lee is now starring in the major blockbuster The Maze Runner, and a really inspiring anecdote he shared in an interview is that he asked his mom if he can change his name to be more western for his acting career, and his mom gave the best answer. "You think Dostoevsky is an easy name to pronounce? But if you are good enough, people will want to learn how to pronounce your name. Make them learn." And that became his motivation to strive in the industry.

As of last night I heard Philip Ng is casted as Bruce Lee in an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster. Asians gaining recognition in Hollywood only just got started. Discussions just started to stir. And our role in these conversations should not only that we support them, but we also acknowledge we are all different and we should have that same support for the next Coco Lee, Amy Tan or Olivia Chow. This morning I received news from my friend Alex Chao who is a Cornell educated engineer took a leap of faith and with his friends started an acapella quartet called the Six Feet Barbershop.This is what pushes us to new heights. Taking a chance in what you believe.

However while we are different, we still celebrate similar values, such as being family-oriented, such as our beautiful language and thousands of years of history on literature, art, hell we have Confucius on our side. The goal now is to transcend our roots to be relevant in the 21st century arena. And I have a strong feeling we will be able to do this.

#notyourasiansidekick