The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract. While it now needs to go to a ratification vote, the 148-day long WGA strike — the second longest in the union’s history — has come to an end.
Continue reading “From the Outside Looking In: On Navigating Hollywood’s Double Strikes”
On July 14, Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, The Boy and the Heron (or, as it’s called in Japan, How Do You Live?), was released to Japanese cinemas with no marketing for it whatsoever, aside from this poster:
Continue reading “An Alluring Story is Glimpsed in ‘The Boy and the Heron’ Teaser Trailer”
Last Friday, the highly anticipated final film from Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki (that is, unless, he decides to come out of retirement again for the umpteenth time), How Do You Live?, was at long last released in Japan. That same day, film distributor GKIDS announced that it had acquired the North American distribution rights for the film, and set it to come out later this year. The big kicker is that it will be released not as How Do You Live?, but under a different title, The Boy and the Heron.
Continue reading “‘The Boy and the Heron’ is an Unnecessary Title Change for Hayao Miyazaki’s Final Film”
The Legacy of Yangchen is the latest book in the Chronicles of the Avatar series, and the last of the Yangchen duology. In the aftermath of the events of The Dawn of Yangchen, the airbending Avatar finds herself in the difficult position of having to de-escalate conflicts between heads of states of the Four Nations, in the midst of the threat of a powerful new weapon. To makes things even more difficult for her, she must turn to assistance from Kavik, whom she’s not on good terms, following an act of betrayal by the latter from their previous adventure together.
Continue reading “F.C. Yee Talks Exploring a Deliberate Contrast in ‘The Legacy of Yangchen’”
Nimona is on its way to being released on Netflix this week. Based off of ND Stevenson’s 2015 graphic novel of the same name, the film follows Ballister Boldheart, a knight framed for murder. With everyone in the kingdom having turned their backs on him — even his former flame, Ambrosius Goldenloin — Ballister does whatever he can to clear his name, with a little help from Nimona; a zany, unapologetic shapeshifter.
Continue reading “‘Nimona’ Cast and Crew Talk Bringing the Timely, Queer Positive Graphic Novel to Film”
It’s halfway through Pride Month, and the official trailer for Nimona is out. The highly anticipated adaptation of ND Stevenson’s queer-centered 2015 graphic novel of the same name gives a more in-depth look at what the audience can expect.
Continue reading “Chaos, Fun, and Adventure Unfolds in ‘Nimona’ Official Trailer”
What do you get when you have a story set in a futuristic medieval world, centered on a character dynamic akin to Pedro Pascal and the Child(-ren) in his care these days? You get Nimona!
Continue reading “Netflix Gives First Peek and Release Date for ‘Nimona’”
Earlier this month at Star Wars Celebration Europe, fans were finally treated to the first good look at the upcoming limited series, Ahsoka, when the official trailer for it was released. Aside from seeing the former Jedi knight in action, several characters from the animated series, Star Wars: Rebels, are also set to have prominent roles in the story.
Continue reading “Reasons to Watch ‘Star Wars: Rebels’ in its Entirety”
Spirited Away is undoubtedly one of — if not the most — well-known film from director Hayao Miyazaki. The Academy Award-winning fantasy-adventure of a young girl having to navigate the spirit world she’s trapped in is a story that has captivated and inspired audiences all over the world.
Continue reading “Audiences Will Be ‘Spirited Away’ in Stage Adaptation of Miyazaki Classic”
Makoto Shinkai has been directing animated films for over two decades now, but it was his 2016 film, Your Name, that garnered critical acclaim both in Japan and abroad. While both Your Name and his 2019 film, Weathering with You, are notable for the creative development of their respective magic systems and intricate plots, they lack in substance of their female leads and development of the romantic tension between the male and female characters.
Continue reading “Makoto Shinkai Brings His Best in the Rollicking Adventure of ‘Suzume’”
We have arrived in the month of release for the next John Wick film. As our coverage on the latest installment really kicks into gear, I wanted to make sure I got in my thoughts about its 2019 predecessor well before then.
Continue reading “Thoughts and Reactions to Watching ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ For the First Time”
Two months to go until the latest chapter of the John Wick franchise drops. I’m moving right along as I continue exploring its three predecessors for the first time.
Continue reading “Thoughts and Reactions to Watching ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ For the First Time”
One day remains until the return of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. For its second season, audiences will get to continue riding along with this troop of genetically altered clones as they navigate the ever-changing galaxy following Order 66, and where they fit into all of this.
Continue reading “‘The Bad Batch’ Stars and Executive Producers Discuss Making the Second Season”
In 2019, in the midst of the Keanussance, I watched and documented my thoughts and reactions to watching The Matrix for the first time. Over two years later, in the lead-up to the release of The Matrix Resurrections, I watched and reacted to its sequels and anime anthology film as well. Now I am doing so once again, but this time for a different franchise.
Continue reading “Thoughts and Reactions to Watching ‘John Wick’ For the First Time”
A peaceful-looking island on an unknown planet, followed immediately by members of the squad of genetically altered clones, the Bad Batch, being chased by large crabs, breaks the ground for a glimpse at what’s to come from the upcoming second season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Set in the aftermath of Order 66, the show follows these group of rogue clones, as they navigate a galaxy under this questionable new Empire.
Continue reading “New ‘Bad Batch’ Trailer Teases Action Packed, High Stakes Second Season”
For the third consecutive year of its 42-year run, the Hawai’i International Film Festival has a large selection of films available to view virtually. With titles ranging from Hawaii, the mainland, the overall Asia-Pacific region, and other parts of the world, there are so many for viewers to watch from the comfort of home, each of which expressing voices and stories of all kinds.
Continue reading “Highlights from the 42nd Hawai’i International Film Festival’s Virtual Program”
It’s been three years since the first-ever Star Wars live-action series, The Mandalorian — as well as the platform it lives on, Disney+ — debuted. In celebration, viewers received a little treat, by way of a collaboration between two beloved studios.
Continue reading “NOC Review: When Grogu Met the Soot Sprites”
One of the positives — in my opinion, anyway — to come out of streaming services creating their own original content is making space for short films to be created and to live on. Whether they be standalone tales or bits and pieces of a larger franchise, they are opportunities for filmmakers to tell a moving story within a short span of time.
Continue reading “Background and Filler Stories Unfold in ‘Tales of the Jedi’”
WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Season 5 of Cobra Kai.
For five seasons, I’ve been saying the same thing: For a show – and franchise, for that matter – centered on a Japanese martial art, there aren’t a ton of Asian people on the Netflix series, Cobra Kai.
Continue reading “The Quality of Asian Representation in ‘Cobra Kai’ Season 5”
New York City/San Francisco/Los Angeles: Mixed Asian Media proudly presents their second annual Mixed Asian Media Fest (MAM Fest) September 14-18.
Continue reading “Mixed Asian Media Fest Returns with Virtual and In-Person Programming”
For about as long as the COVID-19 pandemic itself, Asian Americans have faced numerous cases of harassment. With the first reported cases of the virus originally hailing from China, people have been quick to scapegoat those of Asian descent.
Continue reading “Samantha Futerman’s ‘From Here’ Explores Anti-Asian Hate from Korean Adoptee’s Lens”
Yesterday, Star Wars fans got a new trailer for the upcoming live-action series, Andor. Starring Diego Luna returning as Cassian Andor from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the show begins five years prior, as we see him at the beginning of his journey in both making a difference in the galaxy, as well as getting involved in the burgeoning Rebellion against the Galactic Empire.
Continue reading “New Looks and Release Date for ‘Andor’”
In 2019, author F.C. Yee brought the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender into the young adult fiction space, when he authored The Rise of Kyoshi. The first of the Kyoshi duology, readers got to explore one of Avatar Aang’s more notable previous incarnations in how she came to be one of the more hardcore Avatars.
Continue reading “From Kyoshi to Yangchen, F.C. Yee on Chronicling Stories of the Avatars”