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East Main Street ch. 4, 13, & 17
& The Wedding Banquet

 

In group today, my group discussed chapter 4 of East Main Street, and I felt it had a great deal to do with the film. The film was largely about how race and gender fit into the every day lives of people, as well as a great deal of amazing food. And, naturally, sexuality. It’s why it was such an excellent correlation to the reading, which was all about these things, as well as many others. The over sexualization of Padma Lakshmi is a good example of this, but also an antithesis of sorts. While the movie was very genuine, Padma was very staged. She had difficulty in the kitchen with comedic laughter in the background, most ingredients or spices were pre-measured, and most of her fanbase were largely horny men, with no one really interested in the cooking. From the sounds of it the entire thing was very fake – it lacked in anything truly cultural.

The Wedding Banquet, on the other hand, was really refreshing to see. While it was full of standard traditions, it also had a good balance. It was life for Chinese people in America, as well as their families back home, without explicitly being about these things. There was no struggle with race or ethnicity, or any real judgment outside of the typical family judgment. It was about a man, his gay lover, his very traditional parents, and a woman willing to do a number of things in order to get a green card.

I wouldn’t say that the film had a happy ending, because it didn’t. The ending was a relief for all involved I think, but to say that it was happy is overlooking a great deal. Even as she was leaving, Wai Tung’s mother did not accept him, thinking right until her several minutes on the screen that it might ¨be a phase¨ or that she ¨went wrong¨ in raising him. His father was considerably more accepting, even if he didn’t actually want his son to be aware of that fact. It was a wonderful fusion of tradition and modern struggle.

On different note, does anyone know if there was some symbolism about red in the movie? At least two of Wei Wei’s dresses at the start of the film were red if I recall correctly, and all the gifts she was given by Wai Tung’s family were red as well. I wasn’t sure if that was correlation/director’s choice or tradition.

East Main Street, Cibo Matto, + The Wedding Banquet

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During this mornings seminar, I came away thinking about the word “resistance”. Typically when I think about resistance in music, I think about folk songs and protest songs over the years, but I guess I never really thought of lyrical resistance against stereotyping and cultural identities. Exploring Cibo Matto will obviously bring this notion to the forefront as they are a group who are constantly defying stereotypes. They are a group who exist on the fringe, not really fitting into any category. You have two women who are venturing into hip-hop and utilizing technology as their instrument – already you’re breaking boundaries. They defy the notions of stereotypes typically associated with the words female, Asian, Japanese, hip-hop and others, creating a sound and voice unique to themselves. Because of this resistance,  Cibo Matto give us a reason to celebrate how things in society have changed in the past 40 years or so, and I think help us embrace new points of view as well.

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In the Wedding Banquet, Wei-Wei is a woman who is a product of her time – independent, artistic, and open minded. There is a scene between Wei Wei and Mrs. Gao later on in the film in which Mrs. Gao comments on how older women sometimes grow envious of younger generations because of that independence and spirit, which speaks volumes about the differences between generations and the times we live in. Wei Wei is definitely a form of resistance against the traditional gender roles and routes women have taken in the past. It is Wei Wei who makes the choice to keep her baby, and I love how she embraces Wai-Tung and Simon’s relationship (another form of resistance) and asks them to the be the fathers of her children.The shot of the three of them together as they watch the Gaos leave is touching and almost marks the new family as the new nuclear family – one that embraces new ideals and individualism.

The Wedding Banquet

 

When it comes to America, things are just…. well… different. Being an immigrant from another country, or the child of immigrant parents, brings up many obstacles. From tensions at home and clashes with traditional culture to dealing with racist Americans and trying to adjust to a life in America; there are many reasons to push people towards secrecy and deceit. I loved how this movie showed these different aspects throughout the film, even if it had some sort of happy ending. The whole movie was based around secrecy and conflict. It showed the differences between the generations that lived in America and their parents who remained in Taiwan. As the movie progressed, I began to think about the article from East Main Street on Keanu Reeves and Smallville. Although these characters were not trying to pass as white, they were trying to pass as heterosexual. This made me wonder if an average viewer of this film would look at the sexuality of the characters before their race, and how that would impact somebody viewing this movie. We know that it is not easy living in America and being from a different country or having parents from a different country. If you add on top of that the struggles of being different from the sexual norm in America, you get a plot full of tension with many moments that almost expose the secret for Wai-Tung and Simon.

While Smallville had many hidden messages that can be read in to, The Wedding Banquet dealt with those same issues but on a much more up front level. While in Smallville, the relationship between Clark and Lex is kept very secret and protected, this movie used the relationship between Wai-Tung and Simon to drive the plot. Similar questions can be drawn from both sources but The Wedding Banquet was definitely not trying to leave those for the viewer who can dig deeper. It presented the issues and questions throughout the movie and left them there for the viewer to tackle. Smallville, on the other hand, could be viewed through different lenses, depending on one’s initial knowledge and ability to read into the show, that could change one’s outlook on the show. I like that The Wedding Banquet was able to bring those things to the forefront of the film and was not afraid to raise awareness to the issues regrading race and sexuality and how those may come into play for somebody in a position similar to Wai-Tung.

 

 

 

 

The Wedding Banquet?

I’m not entirely sure why we have watched two movies that explore the process of coming out to your family as a semi positive experience. I say ‘semi positive’ because in the end, everything is better at the end and the families in both ‘The Wedding Banquet’ and ‘Saving Face’ accept their child’s homosexuality.

I’m not trying to make a generalization here though, I don’t want to state that all families would be much harsher towards their children if they were to come out of the closet but I can say from my experience that the Japanese side of my family would never be accepting of this if I were to ever come out of the closet. The times that I have told my mom about different friends coming out of the closet, she was always very quiet about it and would occasionally make a remark on how unfortunate that must be for my friends parents.

I would have liked to see a film that didn’t have so much a happy ending.

However, like I wrote about in my previous post about ‘Saving Face’, this  movie also explores the pressure that Asian American kids feel about the obligation to their parents. It’s really hard to just live freely in America when you know that at the end of the day you need to be faithful to your family and to make sure that you meet your families needs and expectations.

Better Luck Tomorrow

Feb. 4- I’ve had this post in my drafts for a while now because I really don’t like how I’ve written it. However in the spirit of re-analyzing and reviewing, here is what I have to add.

Love triangle? Stupid. Better luck tomorrow? For who? No one, they’ve potentially ruined their lives. Since the film plays off of stereotypes, rather than a specific race, the characters are presented as a “default” pan-Asian. Possibly one of the best things is checking out the IMBD page for this film and seeing everybody theorize that this Han is the same Han (both actor and character) from the Fast and the Furious and trying to place this film within the chronology.

Understandably, as a film about breaking stereotypes the characters would be played in extremes. But why did they go this far? Why did they turn to drugs, violence, and partying? Scamming is one thing, but prostitutes and cocaine is a totally different one. The film is loosely based off of the Stuart Tay murder.

Jan. 16- I thought the film was very strange and disturbing. I never imagined that the dead body from the beginning to be the victim of the main group. I liked the use of text on the screen paired with the situation of the character of Ben.

Ben is portrayed as fairly plain. He doesn’t have the same sort of presence the other characters do.  He seemed to have the strongest morals of the group, but he is the one that beat Steve to death. He eliminated his opposition in the love triangle.

The character of Virgil was too wild. He seemed too highly excitable and easily angered. His behavior seemed unintelligent, but he is portrayed as a highly intelligent individual. From the start of the film he didn’t seem too bad, a bit of a pervert, but nothing particularly harmful to society. By the time that the group started gaining notoriety, you could see him becoming too drawn into the greed and power. The scene where the group had beaten up the jock at the party and were driving away, Virgil showed such a big change. Going from pumped and excited to scared and crying.

Han doesn’t reveal much of himself in the film. Mainly he is a bit violent towards his cousin Virgil, but he didn’t join in the beating of the jock at the party. In fact, he is the one that pulls Virgil away from the violence.

Deric is originally shown to be the model student, president of every club and the boy who can do no wrong. So when he is the one to bull Ben into the cheat sheet scam, Ben is really surprised. He is initially the most willing to set aside the illegal activities when Ben decided he has had enough. He is also the one who takes charge and ends Steve’s life after he’s been beaten. After this event, he becomes the loose cannon of the group, wanting to tie up all the loose ends in order to protect his future.

Gran Torino

Gran Torino was titled after the car which plays a surprisingly small, but integral role.

Before I watched the film, all I had really known about it was that there was a grumpy old man who sat on his porch and threatened some people with a gun. Watching the film, I realized it was exactly that and more. It’s really about a man who finds a family to belong to and making amends to the wrongs that he felt he committed in the war.

Walt Kowalski, a retired and recently widowed veteran of the Korean war, has a horrible family. One of his sons, and his family, tried to send Walt to a retirement home so that they could have his home and possessions. His granddaughter (after having been very inappropriately dressed for her grandmother’s funeral), rather bluntly, asked for his Gran Torino when he dies. They despise talking to him, whether in person or on the phone. The only time Walt is seen to really try and connect with his son is after his hospital appointment, and his son brushes him off.

He forms an odd friendship with Sue after saving Thao from being taken by Spider. She brings him into their home and introduces him to the Hmong culture. While at first, when Walt wants nothing to do with them, the offerings left on his porch are bothersome and inconvenient. He quickly becomes drawn to Hmong cuisine when she lures him in with the promise of food and beer. After-which the doorstep offerings were quick to enter the house. I think Walt’s and Sue’s bond is the best thing about the movie. He is really heartbroken that so much has happened to her.

Walt’s time with Thao is spent in a mentorship type of role. He gets him into doing construction around the neighborhood and eventually get him a job. He gives Thao advice on how to be a man, and deals out dating advice so that “Toad” and “Yum Yum” can start dating. He really takes care of Thao and his family, as well as he can, as the initially reluctant hero of Hmong community.

I am really glad that Mr Kowalski give the Gran Torino to Thao. I thought it was sweet. He gave it to someone who would really take care of the car, and isn’t a total shark like his granddaughter.

I also thought it was a bit cute that Clint Eastwood got his sons involved in the film. One of his younger sons played Sue’s date when she was being manhandled before being rescued by Walt. His oldest son did the musical score for the film.

Takaki 10-13

Chapter 10 - Watershed is also a term used to mean a major change or turning point. So for the title of Watershed of World War II means the changes occurring during the war era.

One of the things that was happening was that each of the races took to wearing buttons indicating their race. Another major issue that the United States was undergoing was the conflict of racial discrimination. On page 369, “It [the US] could not oppose the racist ideology of Nazism and also ‘practice’ racial discrimination. America had to put its ‘principle of equality’ into its laws and policies.” I thought that this was a great quote because it really showed the parallels between the continents where there were groups of people wearing identifying markers of a certain society and being discriminated against. Even if changes only came about to avoid being hypocritical, it possibly opened eyes to the utter bad-ness of the situations.

Chapter 11 - What made the second wave immigrants “strangers?” It’s so upsetting that highly educated individuals that immigrated were unable to get jobs that they trained for. They had to work in stations far below their abilities in both their home country and America. However, by moving to America, it would give their future generations a chance to prosper in ways that they would have had no chance to do in the home country.

Chapter 12 - I think that it’s really great that so many people took a stand to break the “model.”

Chapter 13 - I’ve never really heard much about the Los Angeles riots of ’92. I knew they happened. I knew they were bad, but to what extent and the specifics, I had no idea. I really enjoyed the quotation “There are no Asians in Asia, only people with national identities, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, and Filipino. But on this side of the Pacific there are Asian Americans.”

Saving Face

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I liked this movie. It touched on so many different issues. Specifically, some that I can personally relate to. One thing that grabbed my attention after pondering about the movie was the irony throughout the movie. More specifically, the fact that here is Wil’s mother being unaccepting that she is a lesbian, meanwhile she is pregnant at an old age with a male who she is not married to and who is also a lot younger than her. We see them both struggling, yet instead of embracing the struggle and dealing with them together, they are pushed further away from each other until near the end of the movie. This was where Wil finally straight up told her mother that she was a lesbian and although her mother did not want to hear it, she still realized she had to accept it. In the end, they both learned from each other’s experiences.

The Generation Gap between Wilhelmina, her mother, and Wil’s Grandfather was obvious through the series of events as well. The fact that her mother was nearly disowned by her father because she was pregnant and not married was an embarrassment to her father. When it is pretty common now days with younger generations to have children and not be married yet. However, her father took this as a slap in the face. Moreover, Wil’s mother had married once to please her father and was about to marry again for the same reason. Wil’s girlfriend taught Wil the importance and power of love which then transferred to a lesson taught to her own mother. Happiness is what is most important, regardless of the situation.

 

 

 

Identity Crisis?

I was noticing a theme of an identity crisis this week.

It started out with the first documentary we watched about Asian women being portrayed in the media. They were either one of two women. 1.) the quiet Asian girl that would make the perfect wife. She would never argue with you because she never starts conflict. She’ll pamper you! She’ll wash you back in the tub AND have dinner ready when you get home. Or 2.) She was the evil dragon lady. She’s sneaky, she’s smart, she’s charming even. She’s not afraid to use her body to get what she wants and has no mercy about it.

That got me thinking a lot about the sinner and the saint complex that is ridiculously amplified in media aimed towards women. This constant need to be both, but only show the saint side. Women should appear to be innocent and modest but still sexy. Yet, if you come off as too modest you’re a prude. Too sexy? You’re a slut. You can’t win.

The Joy Luck Club had an identity crisis in the case that the younger generation of girls were fighting their mother’s demons. Yes, all the girls fought with their mothers and the mothers just didn’t understand their daughters. It’s still like battling two personalities, two different paths. Doing what makes you happy and doing what makes your mom happy. I don’t think parents always understand the influence that words unsaid can have on their children. All the girls seemed to be looking for some kind of reassurance from their moms and at the same time trying not to end up like them.

Saving face once again had the identity crisis of who you are and who your parents perceive  you to be. First off we have Wil who is gay. She knows she is gay, she isn’t questioning or bi, she’s a lesbian. Yet her mom still sets her up on dates with men in hopes that it’ll all magically change. THEN there was the mom who got pregnant by a guy that could be her son, and even thought she has feelings for him too she keeps him a secret. In both instances neither the mom or the daughter have done anything wrong by any means, but they still hide this because they know how their parents will react.

All of these kind of boiled down to never feeling 100% yourself. Always trying to be something else for someone else. Never feeling completely complete. Feeling like something is missing. I don’t think anyone fits into these perfect molds, no one is a complete sinner just like no one is a complete saint. There are layers to everyone, opinions. You might be completely black on one issue and totally white on another but it all equals out to a nice gray. We’re all just sades of gray.

 

On a side note can we just talk about the fact that Andrew McCarthy was in the Joy Luck Club! Don’t know who he is? He was Larry in Weekend at Bernie’s where he basically dragged his dead boss around a beach…bernies He was also in a movie called Mannequin and he falls in love with a mannequin but who can really blame him when the mannequin in Kim Cattrall?Mannequin

He was also in St. Elmo’s Fire and he totally stole Judd Nelson’s girlfriend in the movie.st_elmos_fire_pack

And if you still don’t know him then he was also in PRETTY IN PINK!! He was Blane and he had a crush on Molly Ringwald’s character. He’s sweet but he’s kind of an asshole for choosing his friends over her…but that’s besides the point because this all leapretty in pinkds back to…

LONG DUK DONG. Who was in Sixteen Candles that also starred Molly Ringwald and was also a John Hughes’ films like Pretty in Pink.long_duk

Yeah…connections :D

 

Dave Post

pg. 206 Dave talks about Japanese American Women having to compete with white standards…UGH I just don’t even like that whole topic of “white or caucasian” beauty. Who even said what was what and did people go with that?  Dave also talks about assimilation and beauty [207]…They are either too Japanese or not enough. So they create pageants to build confidence and self esteem, however it’s seen as the Japanese distancing themselves further from “American or white culture” so they are not assimilating..and if they were, white society still saw them as an other.On pg. 211 There was an “outcry” from the Japanese community even though the pageants were considered “outdated and sexist”..I ask myself what are the 2 arguments? I’m sure that the pageant queens had a lot of guts putting themselves out there like that because, it could go or bad. On one hand they are representing their ethnicity and culture, but on the other hand they could be looked at as not being American enough. Just like Dave says it “Ironically, community concerns have come full circle from the 1930′s. At that time the pageants were a strategy for assimilation, whereas in the 1990′s Japanese Americans were asking whether assimilation had gone too far and how they could ensure cultural preservation.” (216)