Family Guys and Asian Stereotypes

       

     In the last class of Imagines of Asians and Asian Americans, we have watched several clip of Asian stereotypes that have been displayed in a quite famous American cartoon, it is called Family Guys. In name of cartoon, it actually mostly involves adults’ topics that prefer not to be seen or learned by children.

In three clips of Family Guys, I saw the cartoon making fun of China’s one-child policy, everything tiny that Asian girls love and  underpaid employers in a Chinese workshop. More or less, I feel the intensity for people work in the screen to save the image of Asians or Asian Americans. During this semester, Prf. Tung showed us at least 11 movies that either directed by Asian or Asian American, or played by Asian or Asian American actors and actresses. I want to list all sorts of imagines I saw or learned from this class:

·         Asians always play the bad guys and Caucasians are the good guys who save the day.

·         Asians are undesirable. They are weak, obedient and asexual.

·         Rather than playing super heroes who save the world single handedly, Asians are reduced to being shy and humble sidekicks.

·         They portray Asians as lacking in leadership, innovation and motivation. 

·         The Hollywood moves always portray Asian woman as docile and erotic which means that they are China dolls.

·         All Asian students are expected to excel in school and never cause trouble.

     Either you are an Asian or not, I believe you have seen either one on the list of the imagines of Asian or Asian American. I just want to say that it could be dumb to think every single person as same as those stereotypes. Be more observable and do not mistake anyone for what you see through media products.

Children of Heaven

       Children of Heaven is a perfect movie for both adults and children, as far as I am concerned. It is written and directed by same person Majid Majidi in 1997. This Iranian family drama movie tells a story of a brother and sister and their interesting and adventurous things over a lost pair of pink shoes. 
      
        The film starts with Ali bringing his little sister’s pink shoes to be repaired. He leaves them on the grocer’s counter to buy some potatoes. While he is not paying attention on the hoes, a garbage man accidently took the pair of shoes away. In order to find them, the young boy Ali brought down over the grocer’s vegetable baskets. The grocer was deadly mad then chased Ali away from his store. He got home with guilt to his younger sister and with fear to his parents. Ali tells his sister about the shoes and begs her not to let their parents know and promise that he will find them back for her. During the days she doesn’t have the pink shoes. They decided to share Ali’s Converse sneakers walking back and forth from school to home. The whole movie is on a quite slow pace. But the plots go up and down quite often based on the pair of pink shoes.

        My favorite two scenes made me cry. When Ali’s sister sees his shoes are wore by a little girl in her school, she follows her and finds out how bad situation the family is and as well, the great communication they have in the family members. They give up asking her shoes back. The other scene is when Ali tries his great effort to get the third place in the running race only for getting the prize --- a pair of sneakers for his little sister. Unfortunately, he gets the number one. He is so upset and feels guilty when facing his sister back home. They are very cute couple of brother and sister. And the story between them is BEAUTIFUL!

Strawberry and Chocolate

      

     Strawberry and Chocolate is a Cuban-Spanish-Mexican co-produced movie. It astonished me at the beginning. When getting to understand the director’s pace, it becomes comfortable to watch after then.

      The beginning scene is the young guy David and his girl friend being in the motel room. The girl was upset by his desire for sexuality which makes her think he doesn’t love her for real instead of desire for her body. In order to show his girl friend’s loyalty, he decides not touching her till they get marry someday in the near future. However, things go to be unexpected side. He was told she got marry with a very rich guys and the girl admits that her marriage is based on her desire for wealth. He is heart-broken, by his love one. I feel sorry for him. However, this is just a start of the movie. He met a witty and sympathetic gay guy Diego who attempts to seduce David but fails. Or I can say the relationship morphs into something else. David got to know Diego’s real life little by little. Finally, he accepts him as a normal friend and becomes open heart to him as a close friend. David falls in love with Diego's neighbor Nancy.

      The most thing I enjoy is the friendship between David and Diego. It deepens through the movie. You know sometimes we make decisions then after we forgot the reason why we made those decisions? The characters have very thoughtful things going on and gives audiences a sensual pleasure to watch. =P

Walk on Water

        

       Walk on Water is an Israeli film released in 2004. When the movie just began, I was attracted right away by the main character Eyal who is a hitman works as an agent in Mossad. The actor is named Lior Ashkenazi who is an award-winning Israeli screen and stage actor. I enjoyed watching it a lot. For a film set in three different countries (Turkey, Israel and Germany), Walk on Water really stroke my attention.

        Eyal goes back home from a successful hit in Istanbul. The sad thing is that he finds his wife Iris has committed suicide. A month later, he still refuses  to receive trauma therapy. At this time, Eyal is assigned by his boss to pretend as a personal tour guide for a young German named Axel. This young man comes to visit his sister Pia on a kibbutz. Eyal’s task is to spy on the sister and her younger brother and hoping that either of them will drop some clues related to their ex-Nazi grandfather. However, Eyal has difficulty accepting Axel's wild attitudes and his open homosexuality. Dramatically, when he follows Axel to Germany to attend his father's 70th birthday, Eyal awares that there is a lot of things that both he and Axel have to learn from each other, as their life roles’ changing dramatically.

        At the beginning, Lior Ashkennazi (Eyal) who is wary-eyed, olive-skinned, and hawkishly handsome, brought me so concentrated into the first Israel movie I’ve ever seen. Later on, the actors and actress’ strong performances impressed me indeed. As far as I am concerned, Eyal and Axel are completely different person. Axel ‘s delicateness and magnanimity make Eyal think comparing to his rage. Strongly recommended!

Tsotsi

          

          This was the first African movie I’ve ever seen and I was impressed a lot. The movie is an adaption of the novel Tsotsi. It set in an Alexandra slum, near Johnannesburg, South Africa. It tells the story of Tsotsi, who is a young street hooligan. The movie shows a dark side in Africa and also dsplay the beautiful side of human nature. I loved it and absolutely recommend!

           The main character’s born name is David but Tsotsi. His mother dies of a disease and he had to run away from his home because of the abusive father. He became a homeless child wondering and sleeping and hanging with some other orphans in large concrete construction pipes as a roof. A few years later, David, who now goes by the name Tsotsi is a leader of some people included his friends Butcher, Aap and Boston. They got involved to a serious fight and it made Boston badly injured. Tsotsi run away either for felling guilty or holding the grudge. He saw a woman leaving a car unlocked outdoor and it arouses his evil thoughts. He shoots a young woman while stealing her car. Unexpectedly, he discovered a baby at the back seat of the car. At the beginning, he struggled to take him(the baby) away or not. But he still did. And he starts from knowing nothing of taking care of a baby to loving the baby as his own. It is very touchable and beautiful story. At the last, he went back to that woman’s house and returned baby. He was crying. I cried for Tsotsi.

         Grassroots’ story, a tough thug shows his big heart. 

Better Luck Tomorrow

          


          Better Luck Tomorrow is directed by an Asian American director Justin Lin telling a story of Asian American overachievers who get tired of the boring and repetitive life they have, and indulge themselves into a series of crimes. 

          The story shot in California which I by far the most popular U.S. state located on the West Coast of the U.S. And it is the third most extensive state. As we all know, California is also known for its diversity of population. Recalling my memory back, when I was touring California in March of 2010, it was hard to think I was actually in America instead of walking on a street in China. There are so many Chinese population and it makes everything easier for those Chinese tourists or visitors who don’t speak English well enough to communicate with the locals. Returning to the subject of this movie, the story happens in Tustin ,California involving with four Sunny High School students.  The beginning plot is Ben and his friend Virgil lying in the sun discussing college admissions, but soon discover a human hand in the garden. What a transition! I was sort of worried this movie would go too far I could not handle it mentally. However, it was not too bad.

         Ben and Virgil are highly intelligent students whose goal is to gain acceptance into highly celebrated Ivy League universities. Yet it would be bored to the end if these best-grade students only do what people think. Therefore, the editor and director made them involved in petty crimes. Such as the purchase and return of computer equipment in order to earn easy money. Justin Lin attempts to change the vanilla image of Asian Americans into another wild side of them. Even though it is a highlight of a great change of the previous roles of the stereotypes of Asians we see, as far as I am concerned, it just goes too far. At the ending, Ben and his other friends cruelly killed Stuart Tay, whom is boyfriend of Ben’s brush Stephanie. There’s a quote Stephanie says to Ben when she finds herself actually likes him as he does, “You know how you make decisions that lead to other decisions but you don't remember why you made those decisions in the first place.” I agree. Changes comes faster than plans all the times. In our lives, we just adjust ourselves to fit in more changes. C’est la vie. And I enjoy it.

           

Falling for Grace

     

       Falling for Grace is a romantic comedy movie directed by Asian-American Fay Ann Lee, who also co-wrote and played the main actress in the movie Grace Tang. This kind of cliche is very entertaining to watch with a couple of friends sitting on the sofa with soda, chips, and crackers. The happy ending might not be a surprise but you would be happy to see.
       Grace Tang is a successful woman, at least I think so. She has a very stable and well-paid job in the most exciting city in the world ---- New York. She was born in a Chinese family of four included her mom, dad and younger brother. Her parents don't speak any English and younger brother doesn't have a job. He is  just like hundreds of young adults over in China who don't contribute to family a penny instead of living and being affording by parents on everything at this age. It is pathetic, indeed. Back to our heroine, she is supposed to be satisfied with what she's got. On the contraory, she still yearns for social acceptance among Upper East Side elite. When she finally gets a chance to be invited in a high-end party, she is accidentally mistaken for an heiress from Hong Kong, also has the same name with hers. She missed the timing to correct this mistake and it just seems like one lie has been told, you gotta make a series of other lies to make up the very first one. By this mistake, she got to introduced to a handsome white guy Andrew. Now cliche starts from here. No surprise Grace will fall in love with his "color" instead of choosing an Asian looking guy. It proved!
       Under reliable datas, Asian man is always less desirable by different races of women, whatever she is while, black, or etc. It actual happens in reality. But why an Asian American director just copycated the same cliche like the others? She would have done something more and better than that. All in all, at least, it is still entertaining.