Gran Torino

Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski’s prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.

A Clint Eastwood film, Gran Torino, is on it’s way and I couldn’t be any more put off than I already am. I don’t know what’s up with these whitey-gon-save-people-of-color movies. Hollywood can keep putting them out and I will never, ever buy that bullshit. Especially this one.

There’s nothing special about this film and it should not be glorified for putting Hmongs on the big screen. Because I can almost guarantee that the portrayal of Hmongs will be plain out silly and demeaning. It’s just one of the many films of it’s kind; Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, High School High, Knights of the South Bronx, and much, much more that escapes me right now. It’s not that I can’t appreciate a good story of an underpriveleged youth of color with little to no resources making good of him/herself, it’s two things about these movies that piss me off.

• It’s always a seamless, determined white person with a heart of gold that so desperately wants to help. (Manifest destiny, anyone?)
• The portrayal of aforementioned youth of color is pathetic. They’re usually shown as these helpless, remedial dummies that have no direction or desire for themselves.

I’ll just reiterate how badly I hate films like this. If anyone wants to waste their money to go see this shit, let me know how it goes. (If I haven’t already told you how it will be.)

“Honestly, who throws a shoe?”

Okay, we all know that an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoe at Bush. But besides just poking fun at the issue, we should recognize this act as something more than just another Bush-hater. Professor Jose Maria Sison, chairman of the International Coordinating Committee, International League of Peoples’ Struggle released this press statement about what had happened:

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle joins the Iraqi and Arab peoples and the peoples of the entire world in hailing the journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi of Cairo-based Al-Bahgdadia as a hero for hurling his shoes at the US imperialist chieftain and No. 1war criminal and terrorist George W. Bush.

When he hurled his shoes at Bush, Al-Zeidi clearly expressed the pain and suffering as well as the resistance of the Iraqi people when he shouted at Bush, “This is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, orphans and those you have killed in Iraq.

Hurling the shoes at Bush expresses the contempt and condemnation of the people for the horrendous crimes of aggression and occupation committed by Bush against Iraq and the Iraqi people. It is a meaningful and courageous act, a powerful symbolic act of protest witnessed by the people of the world through television and other mass media.

The crimes of Bush include the killing and wounding of millions of Iraqi people, the destruction of the social and economic infrastructure of Iraq, US seizure and control of Iraqi oil and other resources and the perpetuation of US military bases and forces through the US security pact with the Iraqi puppet regime.

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle condemns the physical and psychological torture that the hero of the Arab people, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, is being subjected to and demands his immediate release from the clutches of his US and Iraqi puppet interrogators and torturers.

We should always look at everything in the news critically, with this as a prime example. And once we have done that, then we can poke fun at it again. And again.

The World According to…

Last Friday not only was my weekly reminder that I have two full days until I have to go back to my hell hole job, it was also my lola/grandma’s born day. To be exact, she was actually born on Saturday the 13th in Japan but during her immigration they listed the 12th somehow.

Anyways, being born in 1921 that would make her 87. The average person would assume shes this frail old woman with a hump in her back right? Wrong. Although she stopped dying her hair, and has a shorter attention span than I do believe me shes a G. With only a small Thyroid issue, the doctors say shes healthier than most 20 year olds. Shit, who at 87 still drives, does line dancing and bicycle kick situps in the morning.

Which brings me to this…

Grandma’s Top Life Lessons (in no particular order)

1. All that liq, dro, yos, swine and whatever else you put in your body will eventually catch up. Insert obvious cliche here “everything in moderation”, but seriously. Its no surprise that some of the longest livin peoples, live a green leaf lifestyle and exercise everyday. Although their exercise is dialectical to their living, ours is more like to floss for the Social Network site pictures.

I like to think of it like Jenga. Sure you can make a few mistakes but keep doin it and that shit gon’ fall down. Make smart decisions, and you got a solid foundation. I still get asked quiet often how I can give up *insert Filipino/Japanese/Whatever meat related food*. What it comes down to though is keepin your body clean, either through moderation or deadin’ them habits.

2. Recession. My grandma grew up in the Great Depression, and acts to this day like she still is. Prioritize what you need and minimize what you want. Put some of that paper away for a rainy day. Invest smartly in CDs, bonds, shit somthing. Whatever you can that will double up, and add to your pocket. Think of ya (future) kids. I think the rest is self explanatory.

3. Appreciate what you got. I don’t mean to just cover the tab sometimes for the homies, but to let em know you love em. Also enjoy the time you got with people. Sometimes cats get on your nerves, but show a little heart. Like Marx said, in order to change someone you gotta change their environment. Unless they are acting all shady then fuck em. JK!

Filipino Barack Obama

He could come to the U.S. and make a living out of just looking like dood. But unfortunately counterfeit items aren’t allowed through customs anymore. Badaum-ching!

Rex Navarette: Brown and Froud

I had the pleasure of seeing Rex Navarette perform here in Seattle the other night. It’s been a good 5 years since he was here last – at the Filpino Community Center, of all places. A nice, intimate gathering with food lingering in the back and Rex on a crappy sound system being just a few feet from your cackling face. Just imagine, a Pista sa Nayon crowd tighly packed like sardines into the FCC ballroom in the middle of June, literally shoulder to shoulder with your neighbor and laughing hysterically upon a sea of smiling red faces and hot breath being laughed out into the very little bit of air left in the room.

This time was quite the opposite – a glamorous live recording at the 800+ seat Kane Hall with stricly no photographs allowed while it snowed outside. Maybe it was the long, drawn-out performances before he got on, or the disconnect between the performer and the audience, or that I’ve just become more critical, or the fact that his set seemed cut short – I just didn’t find myself as giggly as the last time.

It probably started with the host impersonating Manny Pacquiao. I don’t know what is so damn funny about a man from the Philippines speaking English with a *gasp!* Filipino accent? I mean, we poke fun that it sounds so stereotypically Filipino – but Rex begging for Pacquiao not to speak into the mic after his fights is a joke. I guess I never really understood why people think a Filipino accent is so hilarious – especially when what’s being said has nothing to do with anything Filipino. Just speaking in it about anything is funny to people. Unfortunately.

The art of stand-up comedy has always been a fascinating one to me – and a real fan/supporter of that will recognize that all good stand-up comedy is political. Whether we like to admit it or not. Saying it is political doesn’t take the comedy out of it, though. It’s actually what makes it funny. So while Rex talked about the Filipinos answering your customer service calls to Expedia.com and WaMu, the white males travelling to the Philippines to “find their one and true love” and the bittersweet ritual of packing a Balikbayan box – I recognize the politics behind all of that and had a deeper appreciation for the comedy. I suppose it was tougher to enjoy, especially when the other 750 people in the audience were laughing at his jokes for a different reason.

But Rex was still funny as always. Among Edwin San Juan and Happy Slip – we don’t have much Filipino comedians in the spotlight, and I know there’s more out there. So I’ll give credit where credit is due and give Rex the props for showing Seattle a good time and for always repping our badly-browned selves.

Movie Reviews

Tirador (Slingshot)

Sukiyaki Western Django

Postcards from Leningrad

Donkey Punch

Caregiver

The Hulk

Paris Je t’aime

No End in Sight

I found this drafted entry of movies I was  going to review earlier this year on June 24th.  As best I can recall, I’ll still interview them in one sentence as best as I can. And I might unintentionally make them spoilers so I’m placing them after a jump.