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The Asian Persuasion: My thoughts on “Crazy Rich Asians” trailer

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

By: Nguyen

asianessI’m a type of individual who enjoys good (as well as not-so-great) movies. When I first saw the trailer for Crazy Rich Asians (2018), I had mixed feelings. Should I watch this movie because it had an “Asian-American Cast”? Should I buy tickets to show my support since we all know that there is a lack of  “Asian Representation” in mainstream media..? Or should I not watch it because it does not “really” represent the Asian community as a whole? Since it is a story about “rich” Asians. Perhaps, we need a film like Black Panther (2018) or Get Out (2017) that investigate the dynamics between Asian-America and their conjunction with white America. This trailer reeks of a movie studio wanting to exploit “Asianness”, rather than expose the racism in North America in which Asian-Americans are struggling. Sigh. I am in a predicament in which I want an Asian-American lead protagonist to succeed in the box office, yet the movie I feel is not really about “Asian” identity. I have some concerns that I want to talk about. Read More

Shopping Mall Then and Now

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

By Nguyen –

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Yorkdale, 1964

When I was a young lad (15 years ago xD), my parents took me to many shopping malls (e.g., Eaton Centre, Don Mills Centre and Yorkdale) where Zellers, Future Shops, and Radioshack still exist!

 

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My Top 10 Board Games

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

My Top 10 Board Games

By: Wing & Nguyen

This list was not ranked using high-tech statistical analysis, but rather features our opinions and feelings towards some of the board games we played before. Wing and I are just casual gamers, we are not a professional/hardcore board game reviewer. This list of board games, I believe be great for people who are new to board games or ease into the world of board games!

dixit10) Dixit (2008)
This board game was created by Jean-Louis Roubira and looks beautiful thanks to Marie Cardouat. In this game, players take turns to be a storyteller. As the storyteller, he/she uses a sentence/lyric/a word to describe one of their 6 cards. Then, without showing the cards to other players, the storyteller puts out one card faced down. Each player selects the card in their hands that match “perfectly” the storyteller’s sentence/lyric/ a word. The storyteller shuffles all the cards and the players try to pick the storyteller’s card. It is really fun because it forces players to constantly re-evaluate the importance of cards as the game is played out.

Luck: 3/5
Strategy: 3/5
Game Design: 5/5
Players: 3-6
Rating: 3/5 Stars Read More

Ching Chong Ling Long Portrayal: Asian American Actors in Hollywood

Posted on by Wing & Nguyen

By: Nguyen

What is the reasoning behind the lack of Asian American actors in leading roles?

My opinion is that the movie studios have no guts to take a risk on Asian-American actors and of course systemic racism in the Entertainment industry.

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Left: Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen & Jackie Chan

When I ask my Non-Asian friends as well as Asian friends, “Can you name some Asian actors in leading roles?”, they always say: “Jackie Chan” and “Jet Li” (occasionally Bruce Lee). It’s pretty sad and funny that all these Asian actors are associated with martial arts and nothing else. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Asian men were always portrayed as “Mr. Miyagi” (wise elderly person), “kung fu masters”, “nerds”, “asexual friend” and so forth. What about Asian romantic leads, got any of those?

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