published by ANBM on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 21:30
New York, NY – Feb 07, 2012— Two of Hollywood’s top Asian Pacific American actors star in the follow-up film to the 2008 hit, “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Chinese-Filipino American actress/singer Vanessa Hudgens (Disney’s “High School Musical” series) and Samoan American Dwayne Johnson (“Fast Five”) take center stage in this year’s anticipated family adventure film, JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. The 3D movie is a New Line Cinema presentation of a Contrafilm production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. The film will be released in IMAX® theaters worldwide on February 10, 2012. For more information about the film, visit http://www.themysteriousisland.com.
published by ANBM on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 19:25
Be sure to check this film out! the film Wedding Palace wins Best Feature & Best Cinematography at Cine Gear Expo! Written by Christine Yoon.
Starring Jean Yoon and Stephen Park, Charles Kim plays the "Professor Uncle"
Reviews by Scott Eriksson
"Christine Yoo has written and directed a film that is masterful in the way it moves from comedy to romance by blending the two seamlessly. That's the good news...the bad news is that by virtue of the fact that it is a film with an Asian cast and a few subtitles thrown in, it will probably not receive the wide release and the sold out American audiences it deserves. Although it is a film about Korean culture and traditions of parents whose son is a Korean-American raised in a very different world than his immigrant parents, the comedy is ultimately about generational differences among family members, something everyone can understand. While every good film starts with a great script, without the right director and cast it can't succeed.
published by ANBM on Tue, 08/09/2011 - 20:44
FINAL DESTINATION 5 FEATURES THRILLING VISUAL EFFECTS
BY ACADEMY AWARD®-NOMINATED FILIPINO AMERICAN FX MASTER
Sequel marks Visual Effects Supervisor Ariel Velasco Shaw’s return to
the Final Destination series and his first foray into 3D filmmaking
published by ANBM on Tue, 06/14/2011 - 01:49
Let me begin by firstly admit to my personal skepticism of any mainstream movie that attempts to portray Asian people positively, in particular Hollywood movies.
We are about to see an upcoming release titled 'Snow Flower', an adaptation to the original story. We have been informed that this is not a rehash of the old pain known as 'Joy Luck club', perhaps the Asian Americans may feel relieved.
However this has yet to be confirmed as the question still poses as to whether this movie be end up as another Hollywood-ized packaged disappointment for the Asian audience.
The big question, will this movie differ to it's evil predecessor 'Joy Luck Club' film, as we had already known to draw criticism from many Asian Americans, as a fabrication of Chinese culture to entertain the masses.
All thanks (but no thanks) to Tan and her "Joy Luck club" co-writers, our Asian American youths could only ever grow up misguided by false representations of identity.
published by ANBM on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 14:15
Jeff Yang writes another great article in contrast to the latest Asian stereotyped sellout piece 'Hangover 2' and in this article he touches on the economics of Asian Americans and their appraoch to the mainstream movie industry. The challenges are clearly there, no doubt Asian Americans are full of talent in the entertainment industry, we have notable directors, actors and actresses . Asian Americans are also more than capable of setting up their own alternative media sources but is that just enough?
published by ANBM on Mon, 05/30/2011 - 23:10
A Hollywood movie was met with an awkward situation on Saturday in China. While fans are standing in long queues to watch the first show, others are advocating a boycott on the American movie with Chinese story elements.
After "Kung Fu Panda", a cartoon movie telling a story about a panda' s Kung Fu master journey, hit China's silver screens in 2008, its sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, was released in China just ahead of International Children's Day, adding more Chinese elements such as shadow play and lion dancing.
However, some Chinese artists and scholars argue that the movie, produced by DreamWorks, has twisted Chinese culture and serves as a tool to "kidnap" the mind of the Chinese people.
published by ANBM on Tue, 01/11/2011 - 22:57
It’s highly likely that you’ve heard of Jay Chou before—he’s the
Taiwanese singer-songwriter behind hits such as “Cute Girl (Ke Ai Nu
Ren),” “Simple Love (Jian Dan Ai),” and “Silence (An Jing).” If you
haven’t heard the original songs, you may have seen YouTube covers by
Mandarin and non-Mandarin speakers alike (our favorite: sisters Riney and Bam, who used Chou’s music to learn Chinese), or heard his catchy melodies while singing karaoke.
If you’re a fan (or if you grew up in Asia), you may have even caught
him on the big screen. He’s acted in movies such as “Initial D” and
“Curse of the Green Flower,” and even directed a movie called “Secret”
in 2007, with a sequel planned for next year.
But if you haven’t heard of Jay Chou before, get ready to get
introduced to him in January, with his first foray into Hollywood as
Kato in “The Green Hornet.”
published by ANBM on Sun, 01/09/2011 - 15:25
Eco Chef Bryan Au has just released a new recipe book that will "rawck your world".
He also launched his much anticipated Eco Chef App available for the PC Computer, MAC Computer, iPhone, iPod, iPad, iTouch through iTunes and App Store last year.
The multi-talented entrepreneur, actor and activist recently answered a few questions about his latest book:
Tell us about your latest book Eco Bryan Au Raw Star Recipes: Organic Meals, Snacks & Desserts in 10 Minutes:
published by ANBM on Thu, 11/25/2010 - 13:37
The 1940's period drama "Shanghai" still awaits its U.S. premiere.
Filmed in 2008, "Shanghai" was given an international release in China, India, Hong Kong and more recently Isreal, but has yet to be given a U.S. release.
The film stars several Asian stars Gong Li, Rinko Kikuchi, Chow Yun Fat and Ken Watanabe, along with American stars John Cuscak, David Morse and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. It was directed by Mikael Hafstrom from a script by Hossein Amini.
Produced by the Thai company Living Films and the Weinstein Company, it was originally intended to be shot on location in Shanghai, but, due to the controversial WWII time period the film is set in, the Weinstein Company had its permits taken away by the Chinese government one week prior to when filming was scheduled to start.
The film crew relocated to Bangkok, Thailand, where it built an elaborate two-block replica set of 1940's Shanghai.
But despite its all-star cast of Asian actors, the film, which was produced for an estimated $50 million, has earned a mere $7.5 million at the Asian box office during its limited release this year.
published by ANBM on Thu, 11/11/2010 - 22:28
Last month was exciting in terms of entertainment news. Musicians made Asian American history, San Diego hosted its annual Asian Film Festival, Jon M. Chu’s career took off, Yao Ming returned to the basketball court, and Brenda Song received an award. Let’s get started!
Making beautiful music — for the mainstream!
For the week of Oct. 30, members of Far East Movement became the first Asian Americans to hit the top of the Billboard charts. Even more exciting was the fact that the number two spot was held by singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, who is of Filipino and Puerto Rican descent.
Far East Movement is made up of Kevin Nishimura “Kev Nish,” James Roh “Prohgress,” Jae Choung “J-Splif,” and Virman Coquia “DJ Virman.”
In a New York Daily News story, Oliver Wang, an assistant professor of sociology at California State University-Long Beach, said, “Far East Movement and Bruno Mars didn’t come just out of nowhere. There’s been a slow push to make it happen through social media. It’s finally hit that tipping point.”
San Diego’s Asian Film Festival: action-packed!
published by ANBM on Sat, 11/06/2010 - 00:20
LOS ANGELES, CA - Visual Communications is proud to present a special screening of the 1916 Chinese American film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, 3:00 pm, at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, in Little Tokyo, to celebrate the release of a limited-edition DVD anthology by renown filmmaker Arthur Dong.
The earliest known Chinese American feature film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON was directed in 1916 by Marion Wong of the Mandarin Film Company in Oakland, Calif. One of the few films directed by a woman at that time, the 36-minute silent film is about the assimilation of Chinese in the United States. It stars the director, her sister-in-law Violet Wong, mother-in-law Chin Shee and Harvey Soo Hoo.
published by ANBM on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 17:50
On Sunday, Asian-American actors Daniel Dae Kim (”Hawaii Five-O”), C. S. Lee (”Dexter”), Harry Shum Jr. (”Glee”), Ellen Wong (”Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”), and Aaron Yoo (”Friday the 13th”) talked casting, graduate school and stereotypes at the Asian Americans in Hollywood panel at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
In particular, each of the actors stressed that their current status as recognizable faces didn’t happen overnight. Lee and Kim both studied acting at graduate school (Lee at Yale and Kim at NYU; the former even asked latter for advice about where he should go), and Shum Jr explained that he first moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to act. After realizing he could “kinda dance,” he built up his skills and his dancing ultimately took over. (For “Glee” fans, he added: No, he doesn’t really sing as badly as Mike Chang does, and yes, there will a continuing storyline for his character this season).
published by ANBM on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 14:43
THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, A 1916 CHINESE AMERICAN SILENT FILM, WILL HEADLINE NOVEMBER 6 DVD RELEASE SCREENING AND RECEPTION
LOS ANGELES, CA - Visual Communications is proud to present a special screening of the 1916 Chinese American film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON, on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010, 3:00 pm, at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, in Little Tokyo, to celebrate the release of a limited-edition DVD anthology by renown filmmaker Arthur Dong.
The earliest known Chinese American feature film, THE CURSE OF QUON GWON was directed in 1916 by Marion Wong of the Mandarin Film Company in Oakland, Calif. One of the few films directed by a woman at that time, the 36-minute silent film is about the assimilation of Chinese in the United States. It stars the director, her sister-in-law Violet Wong, mother-in-law Chin Shee and Harvey Soo Hoo.
published by ANBM on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 20:44
Calling all APIs to get involved with PACT: Pan Asian Community Together
WHAT:
We will be shooting 3 different targeted PSAs next Saturday, October 30, 2010 or Sunday October 30, 2010 from 10 to 5pm in either Los Angeles, CA; or North Hollywood, CA; Details to be confirmed on Tuesday with complete logistics to be detailed.
Focus 1: Preventing gay suicide—APIs for The Trevor Project (“It Gets Better”)
Focus 2: Stop Anti-Asian Violence
Focus 3: Get out the API vote
WHY:
Recently there have been 4 gay suicides arising out of bullying.
Anti-API violence still occurs, with a rash of attacks in Philadelphia
API voter turnout is dismal, and this election is important.
published by ANBM on Tue, 07/20/2010 - 23:32
The most anticipated film of the summer had its big Hollywood premiere at Mann's Chinese Theatre on Tuesday, and fans carrying both English and Japanese-language signs stood patiently behind barricades, waiting (some since 6am) to catch a glimpse of their favorite actors. Photographers crowded each other for shots of Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page. Security guards positioned themselves on either side of Leonardo DiCaprio as he walked along the street to greet his fans and sign autographs. One of the earlier stars to arrive, Ken Watanabe gamely waved at the fans, inciting cheers as he walked down with his wife Kaho Minami.
published by ANBM on Thu, 07/01/2010 - 18:23
The Media Action Network for Asian Amerians (MANAA) will stage a protest of the new film "The Last Airbender" on Thursday July 1st at the Arclight Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.
Guy Aoki, Founding President of MANAA, which is the only organization solely dedicated to monitoring the media and advocating balanced, sensitive, and positive portrayals and coverage of Asian Americans, has stated that "the film sends the message that Asians can’t be the heroes in their own story."
published by ANBM on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 18:10
The movie is based on the true story chronicled in the book The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million and Bucked the Medical Establishment in a Quest to Save His Children by Geeta Anands. There is a real John Crowley who really did start a biomedical company to develop a cure for Pompe disease.
But the real guy who developed the cure was not a Dr. Robert Stonehill, nor looks anything like Indiana Jones. The real guy is a fellow named Dr. Yuan-Tsong Chen, who developed the treatment with colleagues at the Duke University Medical Center.
I learned this from, of all places, Roger Ebert's movie review:
published by ANBM on Mon, 01/11/2010 - 01:37
Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun is set to appear alongside Chinese movie star Zhang Ziyi in a new film by Wayne Wang, according to her agency Sidus HQ on Wednesday.
The film, titled "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan", will be based on the 2005 novel of the same title by Chinese-American writer Lisa See.
Set in 19th century China, the film chronicles the lives of two women -- Lily and Snow Flower -- and their intimate lifelong friendship. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi is set to play the main character Snow Flower while Jun's role in the film has not been decided as of yet.
Wanye Wang, a Chinese-American filmmaker, has directed several notable movies such as "The Joy Luck Club" (1993), "Maid in Manhattan" (2002) and "Smoke (1995)", for which he won the Silver Bear award at Berlin International Film Festival.
published by ANBM on Sat, 01/02/2010 - 21:37
In this new year of 2010 I hope everyone can continue to be optimistic as this ever struggling economy still has a heart beat, although we have been told our economies have recovered our wages are still just as terrible ( I think not ). There is still no excuse for not making the best of what we have and we should continue to strive for new heights.
In the past, this website had primarily worked on with publishing Asian related content, intelligent opinions, informative articles and any positive Asian media.
This year there will be a slight adjustment to the style of posting, usually we would publish news without actual commentary but as of today we will be adding in our 2 cents worth to everything post. Ideally would like to throw topics in the air and have people take it upon themselves to think about issues.
We'll try to remain objective about each issue.
The first fear mongering article I've come across since the beginning of this new year sums up all the forecasts of "experts" panic stricken and fear mongering media who can only see this world burning in hell.
published by ANBM on Sun, 12/06/2009 - 14:22
To the people who thought racism was a thing of the past and no longer exists in the 21st century.... you are dead wrong. Some of us probably live in the nicer places in the country with some good multicultural friends but the people in the next town/city may not be so friendly.
To all my other dearest Asian Brothers, Sisters, Families, Civil Rights Advocacy groups, Asian Activists in western countries. We know racism is very much alive and it comes in all shapes and forms in mainstream society.
While we continue to experience it's reoccurring unpleasantness and Deja Vu's, I am all convinced we are still living as second class citizens and are still sunjected to different forms of racial oppression.
Ancient Taoist once believed the driving universal life principles are found in Yin and Yang, nature will seek neutrality and find balance between interchangeable opposing forces. Though my analogy might sound a little ancient in the philosophical works but you would eventually understand my point in our society at present.
published by ANBM on Fri, 11/27/2009 - 23:47
It’s Raining, y’all! With the advent of his first starring role in a major Hollywood feature, the Korean pop god known simply as Rain sat with us exclusively to talk up his martial arts manifesto, Ninja Assassin. We chatted about the film’s surprising violence, his future as a singer, his fans and his mom. Never let it be said that LMD was ever smart enough to come in out of the Rain.
Dig it.
The Lady Miz Diva: Ninja Assassin is a really violent, bloody film. Were you concerned that so much of your fan base, which consists of younger kids and people who might not usually go to this type of movie, wouldn’t be able to see your big Hollywood film?
Rain: Yeah, I know, but it’s gonna be huge. I believe they will like my movie. I am a little bit worried, but it’s something different from what I’ve done, so it’s interesting that way. And I believe more male fans will be interested in this movie.
published by ANBM on Sun, 11/15/2009 - 15:51
Actor Takeshi Kaneshiro, one of Asian cinema's biggest superstars, could soon be following in the footsteps of fellow Asian stars Rain , Jay Chou and Lee Byung-hun and heading to Hollywood.
The 33-year-old was recently spotted by fans in Los Angeles, fuelling speculation that the Taiwan-based actor is in talks to star in a Hollywood film.
While Kaneshiro's agency has confirmed that the actor is indeed in Los Angeles, it said he is actually there on vacation to visit friends.
The actor has always been cautious about taking on foreign films. In 1998, he starred in "Too Tired To Die" with Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino but has kept his distance since, and even turned down a role in "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise.
In recent years, the actor has once again caught Hollywood's attention after starring in 2004's "House of Flying Daggers" with Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi and Hong Kong director John Woo's war epic "Red Cliff".
published by ANBM on Fri, 11/13/2009 - 22:19
Scholarly blogger deals with cultural fallacies, ethnic misconceptions.
When you think of an angry Asian man, the image of a ninja wielding formidable weapons comes to mind. The stereotype isn’t far from the mark when you visit “Angry Asian Man,” a blog run by University of California, Berkeley alumnus Phil Yu.
“The name of my blog is provocative and scary,” said Yu. “It’s different from most people’s idea of what an Asian person is supposed to be. Most Asians in this country are not seen as people who are willing to rock the boat. We’re seen as meek people who just let things slide, but that’s not true at all.”
At a panel in the Texas Union on Thursday, Yu and Nhi Lieu, a UT American studies professor discussed Asian-American media representation and identity in America, as well as the influence of Yu’s blog on the Asian-American community.
published by ANBM on Sun, 10/18/2009 - 00:15
Kelly Hu, who previously appeared in The Scorpion King and X-Men 2, has signed on to star in indie romantic comedy Almost Perfect. Hu will play a 30-something career woman who has to juggle her high-maintenance family just when she finds the perfect boyfriend. Writer/director Bertha Bay-Sa Pan said in a statement: “I am so excited to work with Kelly, who not only kicks butt as an action hero, but is also an incredibly thoughtful and nuanced actor, with a killer sense of humor.” The film will start shooting this month in New York City.
Edison Chen will appear in his first movie since his career was derailed by a sex photo scandal more than a year ago.
The 28-year-old Chinese-Canadian actor-singer will feature in the English-language comedy, “Almost Perfect,” which stars Kelly Hu, according to the Web site of New York-based production company Slew Pictures.
published by ANBM on Sun, 10/11/2009 - 13:46
BOSTON - It's one of the great closing lines in movie history, "Come on, Jake. It's . . . Chinatown." Those words, spoken to Jack Nicholson in, of course, "Chinatown," suggest all too accurately the sheer otherness of the Chinese experience as seen by Hollywood.
That otherness has run the gamut. Patronizing, reductive depictions of China ("The Good Earth," say) have gone hand in hand with Chinese-American stereotypes (cooks and laundry operators mostly, with the occasional opium smoker, for variety's sake, and, more recently, kung fu masters). The most famous Chinese and Chinese-American characters have been shameless caricatures - Fu Manchu, for example, and Charlie Chan.
published by ANBM on Sun, 10/11/2009 - 13:32
That Minority Thing - Some 93 percent of studio directors were male this year — Nora Ephron with her “Julie & Julia” and a handful of other women notwithstanding. Damien Dante Wayans, with “Dance Flick,” joined Olatunde Osunsanmi of “The Fourth Kind” as black directors with studio releases, while a few directors were Asian or part Asian.
Uniformity would seem to shut out potential viewers and revenue. But there is really no way to be sure whether sales would go up or down if the studio directing pool were more diverse.
In some ways, studio directors are looking even more uniform than in the past. In 1999, a report on diversity from the Directors Guild of America, whose statistics include nonstudio films, found African-American directors to have worked 5.4 percent of total days covered by the guild’s film contract, while women logged 7.4 percent , Asian-Americans 1.5 percent and Latinos 1.1 percent.
published by ANBM on Sun, 09/27/2009 - 15:04
What can be more depressing than a story like this to remind us of our current society and the state of human morality. It is important that we should continue to advocate against human trafficking and foriegners who go overseas to find Asian wives or sex touring for Asian women (or in this case, Children too).
Typically, these are the types that have the imperialist mindset, they prey on those who are inpoverished and live in difficult conditions. The circumstances that exposes a vulnerability can be said without reference, human trafficking or sexual exploitation of Asian women.
We have similar issues that exist in first world countries only that these problems exist on a another level. In the social context, racism comes intertwined with stereotypes, race sexual fetish, Asian fetishism, Pedophilia, Asiaphiles, Sexism, Rapists, murders etc all that commonly share the same basis on the grounds of racism.
published by ANBM on Sun, 09/13/2009 - 01:05
New trailer movie for Astro Boy has been released. Astro Boy movie is based on a popular Japanese comic book is set to be released this Fall. The US movie version has Nicolas Cage, Charlize Theron, Kirsten Bell and Samuel Jackson as voice actors. While the Japanese version has Aya Ueto and Koji Yasusho as voice actors. .
Japanese idol and actress, Aya Ueto, will be the voice behind upcoming movie, Astro Boy (known as Atom). Astro Boy began in 1952 as Comic but became a hit through television series in the 1960s. The movie is scheduled for October 2009 release in Japan and followed in the US.
Actress Aya Ueto appeared in a public recording event for the Japanese-dubbed version of the computer-generated animation "Astro Boy" on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
published by ANBM on Wed, 09/02/2009 - 22:27
2point6billion - If the Indian firm Reliance ADA Group’s US$325 million investment in Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks movie studio is any indication, Hollywood may increasingly turn to India and China for funding now that U.S. firms are taking longer to recover from the financial crisis.
Hollywood will also need international funding to expand its market overseas where the emerging market offers a huge opportunity for growth. “If you have capital to invest, you can probably cut a better deal now than any time in the last ten years,” Larry Gerbrandt, principal at consultancy Media Valuation Partners told Reuters.
He added: “A lot of Indian and Chinese companies have excess capital these days and Hollywood, aside from the fact there’s a certain glamour factor, those (Indian and Chinese) markets also need content, so there’s interesting deals to be made.”
published by ANBM on Tue, 08/18/2009 - 23:00
Examiner (Ed Moy) A recent blog post by Asian American actor Roger Fan on his website has drawn a lot of attention on the Internet.
In his post, Fan describes what it's like working as an Asian American actor in Hollywood and goes into detail about his recent decision to turn down an opportunity to do a "table read" of the sceenplay for an upcoming remake of "Red Dawn."
For those who have never seen the original "Red Dawn," it was a Cold War era movie written and directed by John Milius, who devised a World War III invasion of America by the Soviet and Cuban forces.
The original film follows a group of Midwestern teenagers who take on their high school mascot name, "Wolverines" as a rallying cry of resistance.
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