Ben Wang was just six years old when he moved from Beijing to a small rural town in Minnesota. He recalls having to start all over and figure out his place in this new life and city. It’s one of the reasons he feels closely connected to his character, Li Fong, in the new Karate Kid: Legends.
Continue reading “Ben Wang is Ready to Kick Stereotypes and Tropes in ‘Karate Kid: Legends’”
Ming-Na Wen is excited to return to the big screen in Karate Kid: Legends.
Continue reading “Ming-Na Wen on Motherhood and Her Return to Film in ‘Karate Kid: Legends’”
A fact that doesn’t get nearly distributed far enough is that Lexi Alexander was the very first woman to direct a Marvel film with the ultra violent and ultra delightful Punisher: War Zone back in 2008.
Continue reading “Lexi Alexander Returns to Filmmaking with ‘Absolute Dominion’”
Although it’s been just under two months since Cobra Kai came to an end, the Karate Kid universe is soon to welcome a new entry in the form of Karate Kid: Legends. Starring Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, and Ben Wang, the seemingly separate worlds of the original Karate Kid and the 2010 remake congregate, merging the teachings of both kung fu and karate together.
Continue reading “New ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ Trailer Teases Potential for Post-‘Cobra Kai’ Canon”
Nearly seven years after its debut, Cobra Kai has come to an end. The third and final batch of episodes from its sixth and final season dropped on Netflix last Thursday, bringing with it some of the best writing and acting to come out of the entire series, all the while wrapping up loose ends. Did any of it have to do with the show’s dodgy efforts at Asian and Asian American representation? Not at all!
Continue reading “The Final Verdict on Asian Representation in ‘Cobra Kai’”
Last year I reviewed an action movie that I had incredibly high hopes for based on its cast and action-proficient filmmakers, called Argylle. While the movie had its moments, ultimately, it was a pretty big mess. A little over a year to the date at which that film premiered, I found myself about 70 minutes into Love Hurts thinking, “This is 2025’s Argylle; just only slightly better.” That is not really a great thing.
Continue reading “NOC Review: ‘Love Hurts’ is a Sweet But Messy Valentine”
Love Hurts starring Ke Huy Quan is hitting theaters this Friday. In the film, Quan’s Marvin Gable finds the ultimate villain in Daniel Wu’s Alvin “Knuckles” Gable, Marvin’s brother. After all, you can’t have an epic series of stunts and fights from the team behind John Wick, without two incredible forces of action leading the charge. Recently we were given the tremendous opportunity to chat with Wu about his role in the movie, as well as Asian representation in cinema.
Continue reading “‘Love Hurts’ Star Daniel Wu on Asian Representation in Cinema”
Despite its historic and ironic namesake, the TCL Chinese Theater has seen only a handful of hand and foot print ceremonies for Asian and Asian American actors. Naturally, this can be attributed to the lack of Asian and Asian American representation in cinematic history overall. However, with that now changing gradually, it fills us with joy to learn that on February 3rd, a new legend will join the ranks of Jackie Chan, James Hong, John Woo, and Justin Lin in this tremendous honor: Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan!
Continue reading “Ke Huy Quan to be Immortalized at TCL Chinese Theater”
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2.
Cobra Kai is a Netflix title I’ve had a love-hate relationship with since its debut in 2018, initially on YouTube Red.
Continue reading “The Outrageous Plot Choices and Treatment of Asian Characters in ‘Cobra Kai’”
Ahead of its New York Comic Con panel, Sony has released the title and poster of the anticipated Karate Kid film, starring the franchise’s living legends: Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han. The title of the new movie is Karate Kid: Legends.
Continue reading “Sony Pictures Reveals New ‘Karate Kid’ Title and Poster Ahead of NYCC Panel”
Have you even watched Enter the Dragon recently? Nielsen reporting suggests that maybe you have.
Bruce Lee’s iconic influence, epitomized by Enter the Dragon, sparked a pop-culture revolution, and remains perhaps THE critical moment for Asian Americans in Western cinema.
Continue reading “It’s a Bruce Lee Year: Return of the Year of ‘Enter the Dragon’”
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”
There is so much to say about The CW’s Kung Fu.
It’s just so good.
Now in its sophomore season, Kung Fu is getting darker than ever with its’ big bad Russell Tan (Kee Chan) trying to take down Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang) and her family. Things become even more complicated with the return of baddie Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman).
Continue reading “‘Kung Fu’ Star Yvonne Chapman on Zhilan’s Course for the Season”
The first season finale of The CW’s Kung Fu answered a lot of questions for fans, while raising new ones for season 2. Sure, the Shen family seems to all be doing great the last six months — Nicky (Olivia Liang) is kicking butt as the new protector of Chinatown; Harmony Dumplings is doing great; Ryan (Jon Prasida) is a full-fledged doctor; and, Althea (Shannon Dang) is happily married with several job prospects. But, of course, things happen. Russell Tan (Kee Chan) is still up to no good and in search of Nicky’s long-lost cousin, Mia (Vanessa Yao).
Continue reading “‘Kung Fu’ Showrunners Discuss What’s Ahead for Season 2”
It’s hard to not associate the actor with the character they portray on television/film, especially if the character is as sinister and haunting as the enigmatic villain Russell Tan on The CW’s Kung Fu.
Of course, this isn’t the case for actor Kee Chan, who plays Russell Tan.
Continue reading “‘Kung Fu’ Star Kee Chan on Finding Humanity in the Villain”
Kung Fu season two is set to return in March!
Since its season finale back in July, there were many new questions that popped up in the finale — Who is Nicky’s cousin? How is she connected to the ruthless Russell Tan? Is Kerwin going to be okay? What’s up the the ‘biàn gé’ flower? How is Zhilan going to get out of prison? What is Athena going to be wearing this season? Okay, the last one is really just for me.
Continue reading “The CW’s ‘Kung Fu’ Season Two Promo Reveals Nicky’s Long Lost Cousin”
The trials and tribulations of indie filmmaking are taken to their absurd, action-y, lengths in Marc Price’s Nightshooter, a story about a film crew finding themselves at the scene of a harrowing gang (mob?) execution at an abandoned and soon to be demolished business center on the last night of shooting a zombie film.
Continue reading “‘Nightshooters’ is One of the Best Action Films This Year”
The Paper Tigers, the indie martial arts film starring Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, and Mykel Shannon Jenkins that went from Kickstarter to Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes will culminate its improbable journey on the biggest streaming platform in the world when it debuts on Netflix this Saturday, August 7.
Continue reading “‘The Paper Tigers’ to Stream on Netflix”
With the first season of The CW’s Kung Fu now over, many fans have been wondering what’s next for our beloved Shen family. The season finale had Nicky and Zhilan come head-to-head at Pei-Ling’s monastery battling for control of the biàn gé power, with Nicky defeating Zhilan and releasing biàn gé back into nature where it came from.
Continue reading “‘Kung Fu’ Co-Showrunner Robert Berens Spills Some Details For Season Two [Part 2]”
I couldn’t tell you much about the G.I. Joe universe. I know the pamphlet description: a group of U.S. anti-terrorists militants devoted to truth, justice, and never skipping leg day. I know that there are not one, but two live-action movies that I remember seeing, but couldn’t recite either premise even under pressure. And now, I know that whatever those other movies were doing, they were definitely focusing on the wrong Joe.
Continue reading “‘Snake Eyes’ Rolls High With Experimental Take on Classic Character’s Origin”
Robert “Bob” Berens has a really difficult job.
As co-showrunner of the first drama on a broadcast network centering around a Chinese American family, Berens knew he had a responsibility to get Kung Fu right. The 1971 series of the same name starred David Carradine, a white man playing Chinese, and had a dfew other problematic moments. Along with fellow co-showrunner and executive producer Christina M. Kim, Berens really wanted to do right by the Asian community.
Continue reading “‘Kung Fu’ Co-Showrunner Robert Berens Understood the Assignment [Part 1]”
In a survey conducted by The Asian American Man Study that asked “Who is the Asian American man you most admire and why,” the person with the second most votes was Bruce Lee.
The most votes went to “I don’t know/can’t think of one.”
Continue reading “Number One Son: Tarantino’s Bruce Lee Disrespect is Not New in Hollywood”
Actor Ludi Lin has always played the good guy. Whether it be as a Power Ranger or an Earthrealm warrior in Mortal Kombat, Lin has always been on the right side of the law. Now, in The CW series Kung Fu, Lin is getting a taste at playing the bad boy aka the villain.
Continue reading “Ludi Lin is Ready to Show His Dark Side on ‘Kung Fu’”