Gran Torino

This movie is so good. I liked it.

I judge that  Walt has an old idea and he is racist. For instance, he says “Asian girls should be smart,”  ”dragon lady,” ”Asian is good at math,” etc.. It was kind of funny to hear those images toward Asian Walt had.

Korean War has an impact on  Walf a lot even though it is for only three years in his life and long time ago. He does not forget something. He might feel guilty about killing people in the war. It might make him obstinate. He might protect himself by not trusting somebody else. After his wife’s death, Walt has only his dog because he does not trust his sons too.

Walt meets Thao who Walt feels closed as a son, and then he changes a lot. Although he used to distrust Hmong neighbor, he realize his neighbor’s kindness after he goes to Hmong people’s party. At first, Hmong people judge Walt, but finally they serve Walt a lot of foods and become friendly. He is racist unless he understands different culture and races. But, now he knows. At the end of this movie, Walt gives his life to protect Thao and his family from gangs. I was moved very much at that moment.

 

– Film review “Gran Torino”

This is my second time to watch this movie. My first time was 5 years ago, so I haven’t remember well how I felt after watching this movie. However, I remembered one thing really clear what I felt, when I watched it first time. It was that Walt who was the main character looked like my grandfather. So, Walt remained me the memories with my grandfather. Both of them were too stubborn in their ideals. Also they had kind of racial ideals. My grandfather used to be a soldier at the Japanese Chinese War, so he went and fought there. I can understand the reason why people who had experiences fighting as militaries had stereotypes against foreign people, because they had opposed other counties. In this movie, his son said “he is still in Korean.” I agreed with his words. His mind had been in Korean before he felt people’s love. However, when I saw his tear for Thao, I thought he was released from himself finally. Until then, because he closed his mind, he couldn’t feel people’s love. The fault was in himself, but he blamed others as being a racist. He could change his mind, thanked to have connections with people who had different backgrounds. Today, through this movie, I felt again that making connection with people is good way to be gone racism in this world.

Gran Torino observations and Thoughts

Holding a hand out in a shape of a gun and bang, bang, bang. The dramatic/comedy of Gran Torino where Clint Eastwood plays an American war veteran in a neighborhood where some would not care for his kind. Wanted to be left alone and then everything changed. I thought that the scene where Thao was pushing the tree in the yard reminded me of life itself where Walt and the priest were talking about life and death. Just keep pushing and stay strong. I like how they address the stereotype of Hmong girls go to college and the boys go to jail, and I don’t know how that happens, but some would imply a non father role model figure such as Thao that was looking up to Walt. Walt was keeping him out of trouble and telling him that he had his whole life ahead of him. Horrible things that were mentioned in this film and Walt saying carrying a burden all of that and not confess to it because he was strong willed. I respect the character for that. Also I like the traditional customs that were keep in Thaos house where everyone would look down at him and looking someone in the eye is disrespect and wanted to know is that just Hmong people or do other cultures abide by that too?

Gran Torino

The muscle of cars casting people off his yards, knocking pricks out knows how to clear a crowd, tries to explain leave me alone, Spider causing trouble, he says he won’t be here for long. He protects his own, his house, his dog, his car, himself, he knows what hes doing, hes a Korean war machine from hell.

Just a little something I was messing with as far as the movie goes.

gt2

Gran Torino

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ëveryone a rager, but secretly theyŕe saviors.”This line in the song by Lorde, Glory and Gore describes Walt’s past and present. In the past he was in the Korean war, so everything is hectic and crazy and it gives him a negative view on other Asian cultures (thus, everyone a rager). Then after this war and all the horrible things they had to do, he [Walt] is praised for it and given a silver star and gets this American glory light. Later on in life, however, these Hmong people come into his life and change his perspective. They learn to respect him even though he disrespects them and calls them names right in their faces. While they put up with his insults and still talk to him, in return he becomes at peace with his past and present and gives his life to give Thao a sense of peacefulness.

Glory and Gore also has a line that says, “Glory and gore go hand in hand…you can try and take us, but victory’s contagious.” Obviously, the glory and gore goes along with Walt’s past and how the American’s won the Korean War, but a lot of gore went on during that time. As for the line, “You can try and take us, but victory’s contagious” I feel that it is the reciprocal of was expected. What I mean by that is that the Korean War could change people’s perspectives on Asians, but they still made it to the United States and made little communities. So in the end, though the Koreans lost the war and to Walt, the U.S. beat the “zipperheads,” they still were still able to come into the U.S. and settle. It’s like both the U.S. and Asians lost and won these battles in a different way.

This song not only relates to Walt Kowalski’s perspective, but as the gang bangers perspective as well. For instance, everyone in the Hmong community seemed to know who they were which I think would refer to the lyric, “Glory and gore go hand in hand, that’s why we’re making headlines.” They have this “glory” of being known, feared, and protected by each other, yet what they do is nothing to be glorified for. Also the line, “You can try and take us, but victory’s contagious” At the end of the movie, they all shoot Walt multiple times; however, there were people watching in the neighborhood, so they all ended up getting arrested. Though they got what they wanted by killing Walt, ultimately Walt and Thao get what they want by having the gang-bangers put away; afterall, victory is contagious.

Those were the few lyrics that stood out to me the most and I think portray the storyline behind the movie overall. However, those are not the only lines that I think relate to the movie, those are just the ones that I saw created the bigger picture.

On another note, I feel that Gran Tornio‘s characters portray America and Asians coming together in a sense. Walt Kowalski would protray America at the beginning of the immigration of Asians: Asians are inferior to the white men. However, later on in history American later on accepts Asians. The U.S. eventually extends their laws to protect Asians as if they were native citizens like Walt did to protect Thao from the gang members. Both symbolically and in the movie, Walt saved Thao and Thao saved Walt, which I think makes the movie that much more heart-felt (for lack of a better word).

This movie was very intense and stressful for me. I did like it, though. The Hmong characters that were casted I think had a very powerful effect on the audience as to let us see what their culture is really like. Unlike, How I Met Your Mother‘s episode of the all white cast playing Asian roles. Also, I think the raspy-voiced character that Clint Eastwoood played portrayed his “tiredness” and “discomfort” from his past. I really enjoyed how Walt was completely disgusted with Thao and Sue, but later on gets attached to them. For instance, he starts to let Sue call him Wally, he lets Thao borrow his tools, and he accepts the gifts that the Hmong community had to offer him. Overall, I think the movie was very powerful and moving.

My “Obsession”

So i couldn’t think of something that was an Obsession of mine. I don’t have time in my life outside of work and school to be obsessed with anything at all. But something I do enjoy doing when I have free-time is crafts! I work at Michaels, so I am around crafty stuff and crafty people every day.

But how can I relate this back to Asian American culture?!

Each week I decided I am going to do a different craft based on a different Asian country. I want to find different projects that have meaning to the culture of the countries, or some kind of history with them.

A few ideas I have thought of so far, which are only thoughts at the moment are:

JAPAN- Origami

KOREA- Hanji

CHINA- Jade (Maybe a Jade bracelet?)

INDONESIA- Wayang (puppets) or pottery

INDIA- beaded head jewlery ( I dont know what this is called. Someone help?)

 

Does anyone have any ideas for me ? They would be much appreciated :)

Gran Torino Thoughts

gran torino“How many rats can you get into one room?” That was the first thing that Walt ever said based on his first encounter with Thao and Sue’s family. Walt was an all American white male, who believed in American made anything and beer. He was a veteran that fought in the Korean war which made life for Walt hell. Walt was very, very racist and crude as well…In this film, you either love Walt or you hate him. Walt has been carrying around the burden of what he had to do while he as on Korea. He talks about he justifies his actions with “well that’s how we handled things in Korea.” Over the course of the film, Walt does start to warm up to Thao and Sue’s family, softening his thinking about all asians in general.

Of course from the obvious “white savior complex” the Walts character holds, there is also a lot of gender expectations when came to the Hmong culture. Thao was made fun of because he didn’t act like “the man of the house”. His other family members would also make fun of the fact that Thao didn’t do manly activities like he was expected to. He liked to garden, which was considered to be a women’s job in the Hmong culture. On the topic of gender roles, Sue was a very strong female character. In the film, it was described that the women went to school and got an education while the men went to jail.

Throughout the film, I could watch it again, however I could do without Walt’s constant racism. I fee like..Ok we get it!!!! Enough..I felt uncomfortable after a while watching it. Just when you thought Walt was finally comfortable with Sue and Thao’s family/culture, he would through in another racist remark. At the end of the film, I do not think that Walt giving Thao his Gran Torino justifies anything that he did during the film. The director just wanted things to end on a “lighter” note.

Here’s the trailer **      

Click here to view the embedded video.

T.W. Language ‘Gran Torino’

I am going to define the following words in the way that www.urbandictionary.com defines them. You’ll have to excuse the spelling errors as this website allows for anyone to define a word, however they want. These definitions were the top rated definitions voted by those who have visited the site.

Maybe this style  of defining words will look familiar to you guys as well.

Zipperhead: 

A derogatory term used in reference to people of Asian descent.

It is said to have been coined during the Korean war by frontline troops whom had run over enemy troops in jeeps.

2,751 people liked this.

Gook:

A derrogatory term used for the purpose of describing a korean. (Obtained form the korean pronunciation of their country, Hangook.)

3,668 people liked this.

Chink:

A racist term used to describe the Chinese.

7,027 people liked this.

Nip:

A Japanese person (derogatory, from Nippon, the Japanese word for Japan)

1,071 people liked this.

The reason I included the number of likes a definition got is because I think it paints a sad picture of language within our society. The fact that anyone can attach the word ‘like’ to a word that so many of us have been called in a hateful manner paints a grim painting for the future. Now, people could have ‘like’d the words purely because it is the closest definition to the word and paints the most accurate portrayal of that word and there will always be reasons but I guess that in some sense this relates to pop culture because sometimes we aren’t really sure why we ‘like’ the things that we like that pertain to our pop culture and we just might ‘like’ things purely for the fact that they are just there. Not adding any weight to anything.

I tried to keep count how many times Walt and any other white characters used a derogatory term towards or about Asians. The total was 27 but I may have missed some words. It doesn’t sound like that much especially considering how prejudiced Walt was but that’s still 27. To some people, those words are just words, but for people like me, for the people like the Hmongs, that sort of language, carries so much depth and pain. 27 words could easily equally to 2700 times that we have been called that, 2700 times we felt we weren’t welcomed because of what we look like, 2700 times just in one year, 27,000,000 times throughout our history in the United States, starting from now to when we first landed on the shore of the Land of the Free.

Gran Torino

Keep the tears in Molly! I love this movie…I haven’t seen it since it first came out in 2008, but I am a fan of Clint Eastwood anyways!

It’s been so long since I have seen the movie, so I forgot about everything that happened.  In the beginning I was thinking about why the name of the movie was ‘Gran Torino.’ I knew Gran Torino was the type of car that Walt owned, but what was so important about the car that the whole movie was named after it?

Towards the end I realized that the car represented the relationship between Thao and Walt, and how Walt’s feelings about Asians and Asian Americans had evolved. Before Walt knew his neighbors, he already thought so horribly of them because they reminded him of horrible memories in the Korean War. After he began to know who Thao and Sue really were, he realized that they weren’t the type of people he was thinking of. One of his worst memories of the war was killing the innocent young boy, and he is reminded of this every day when he looks at Thao.  His vision of Asians and Asian Americans started to turn positive when he became close to he became close to his neighbors, and cared enough about them to protect them.

When they were reading his will at the very end, and he gave the Gran Torino to Thao, it showed his love for him, it showed that he truly did care for him, and that he finally accepted Asians.

Gran Torino – Impressions

Gran_Torino_poster

POP !

This movie is pretty interesting, mostly due to the metamorphosis that Walt goes through. At the start of the story, Walt seems like a relic from an old time – lost in the modern age and disconnected from the progression of the world. His friendship with Thao and Sue allows him to break through these old war-time prejudices and embrace new aspects he never thought were possible. His need to protect Thao and Sue serves the need to fill a gap in his life – he is the “man of the house”, the fix it dude. With his wife gone and his relationship with his sons rocky at best, his two neighbors fill the void left in his life.

6a00df35215aa888330111685060af970c-500wi

I think Walt saw in Thao the relationship he desired from his sons, which is why I think he left the Gran Torino in the end. His need to sacrifice himself made for a very powerful scene, and I’m glad the story took a different turn with the whole ‘revenge’ angle. Instead, Walt solves a problem without violence, something that spoke volumes about his personal changes considering he spent much of the film pointing his guns in the faces of others. All to all, I really enjoy this movie. It was only the 2nd time I’ve seen it but I appreciate it more now that we’ve studied more of the Asian American history.