GUEST POST: 5 Favorites by Lynn Chen

Photo by Chopper Platt

Hello!  My name is Lynn Chen – I’m an actress (check out the upcoming “Surrogate Valentine”) and blogger.  Both of my sites are focused around food – The Actor’s Diet and Thick Dumpling Skin.  Since Reel Artsy is all about entertainment, I thought I’d share some of my favorite movie snacks with you.  Most theaters’ offerings are delicious, but usually overpriced and leave me with a tummy ache.

Here's my Top 5 alternatives to sneak in:

1. Popcorners: These are chips made of popcorn.  I actually brought a bag to the movies once and everyone (kids included) preferred them to the giant tub of the concession stand variety. 

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Hot Summer Days

Hot Summer Days is a delightfully quirky movie about falling in love. Set in China, emotions swell as the heat draws people together and conflict arises in entertainingly offbeat ways. Seven romantic stories intertwine in this tale that conjures up a nice dose of  magical realism. Pay special attention to Barbie Hsu as the motorcycle girl and Jacky Cheung as the ice cube guy, their storylines are especially fun!

Here's the trailer...

In theaters October 8th.

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Parade

What happens when you really don't know your roommates?

In Parade, Isao Yukisada masterfully crafts a story that examines friendship, secrets and romance in an eerie yet humorous tone.  Set in Tokyo, four roommates from various backgrounds let a drifter stay in their apartment despite the neighborhoods alarm over a rapist on the loose. Is their new blonde-haired friend as kind as he seems or is there something darker lurking underneath the surface? 

I caught Parade at the L.A. Film Fest last month where it made its U.S. premiere and the director talked about how he brought much of the humor to the film which was adapted from Shuichi Yoshida's novel of the same name. It's a solid movie with interesting characters and one of the best from the fest.

Official Site: www.parade-movie.com

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Two Shadows: A Fresh Cambodian-American Film, Now Casting Small Parts

Los Angeles Production of the exciting new feature film by Greg Cahil (Director of The Golden Voice) begins next week and we still looking to cast a few small roles for a scene that will be shot in Echo Park from 10am - 6pm on June 16th. We are looking for two "groupies", three guys or girls for "bandmates", a "bartender" someone with a greaser kind of look is preferred, and four or more "bar patrons".

Two Shadows is about Sovanna (Sophea Pel) a Long Beach hipster wannabe who receives a cryptic letter from Cambodia claiming that her two long-lost siblings are still alive. Ditching her dead-end lifestyle and alcoholic father, Sovanna travels to her birthplace alone to seek out her brother and sister who disappeared during the civil war 20 years earlier. With guidance from a quirky motorbike driver named Munny (Polo Doot), Sovanna launches her search into the dark corners of Cambodia. Upon discovering a girl who may or may not be her real sister (Lida Lang), Sovanna is ensnared into an increasingly dangerous situation, pitting her in a tug-of-war between her own personal safety, and her hopeful compassion for a stranger.

If you are interested please email Christen at 2shadowscasting@gmail.com with a picture of yourself and the role you are interested in.

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Why Am I Doing This?

Why Am I Doing This? is a comedy about a struggling actor and comedian trying to make it in Hollywood. It stars Anthony Montgomery (I'm Through With Girls), Lynn Chen (Saving Face) and Tom Huang who wrote and directed it. It's the type of quirky multicultural story that independent cinema needs.  I'm hoping that Huang forms a Judd Apatow-like band of actors and crafts more starring roles for Montgomery and Chen (plus Sheetal Sheth, James Kyson Lee and Fernanda Andrade).

You can catch Why Am I Doing This? on the big screen for a limited engagement at the Laemmle Music Hall theater in Los Angeles until May 20th.

Official Site: www.whyamidoingthis.net

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Win $3000 in the API Count PSA contest

Asian and Pacific Islander Communities are underrepresented by Census numbers, but you can help change that! Help get the word out by making a 30 – 60 second video about how the Census is safe, easy and important. Your video could screen at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific American Film Fest 2010, be seen nationally, and win you the grand prize of $3000! Fill out an entry form at www.apicount.com and get started now!!! Deadline for entries is March 26th, 2010.

Four $500 awards will be given in the categories of English language PSA for Asian Audiences, English language PSA for Pacific Islander Audiences, Pacific Islander language PSA, and Asian Language PSA. The grand prize winner will be selected from these four categories and awarded an additional $2500 and have the honor of having their PSA screen before every film shown at the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival.

The direct link to the PSA contest page is: www.apicount.org/contest

Also you can take a look at our no budget PSA promo video. Just one of the things I get to do with the other girls while I am at the office.

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What's Up Lovely

What's Up Lovely is part one of Gary King's upcoming Loneliness Trilogy. If the film conveys the same emotion as the trailer then King is on the right track for establishing himself as an emerging director in the indie film scene. The shot composition and music choice already convey a sense of eerie creativity which makes What's Up Lovely one of my most anticipated movies of the year.

The film is currently in post-production. You can follow his DIY journey on his blog.

Official Site: www.whatsuplovely.com

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Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE)

Our photo contributor Wilki W.K. Tom snapped these photos at last week's CAPE event. Several Asian American actors showed up for the casino night holiday party in Hollywood.

James Kyson Lee (Heroes)

Patrick Gallagher (Glee)

[READ MORE...]

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Red Cliff

Red Cliff is John Woo's latest effort. The story centers on an epic battle between an underdog rebel army and a mischievous prime minister who wants to rule everything. It's a long movie but fans of action will enjoy the creative ways they kill people during combat, some action sequences are brutally clever.

Outside of martial arts the main appeal is Takeshi Kaneshiro (House of Flying Daggers). He plays a war sage who looks quite handsome as he keeps his cool amidst all the chaos.
 

In theaters November 20th.

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The Things We Carry

The Things We Carry will be playing at the San Diego Asian American Film Festival and the Hollywood Film Festival this week. Anyone planning to see it?

When her drug-addict mother dies, Emmie returns home, traveling through the underbelly of suburbia looking for a package her mother has left behind, reconnecting with her estranged sister, Eve, along the way.

It looks good...

Official Site: www.thethingswecarry.com

[H/T Angry Asian Man]

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White on Rice

White on Rice looks strangely cute. Anyone happen to catch during a film festival screening? It features James Kyson Lee (Heroes) in a supporting role, consider me interested.


Official Site: www.whiteonricethemovie.com

[H/T Black Box Office]

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Hollywood Chinese

I watched a great documentary on PBS the other night called Hollywood Chinese.

The 90-minute film illuminates a century of Chinese American cinematic history, from rare silent classics such as Marion Wong’s The Curse of Quon Gwon (1916) to the contemporary critical and commercial success of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Learning about the early history of Chinese Americans in Hollywood was quite fascinating. Their struggles were unique but similar to other minority filmmakers of that time. In the beginning Chinese characters weren't played by Chinese actors, instead white actors did "Yellow Face" and often portrayed them in over exaggerated stereotypical ways. In the 1960s, Flower Drum Song came out, one of the first films that opted to explore the dichotomy between Chinese Americans and recent Chinese immigrants (at least as much as a musical can do). I haven't seen the movie yet but it's on my list! Here's the trailer:


Nancy Kwan was the star of Flower Drum Song and she gave a lot of insightful commentary about the industry in that era.


Bottom line, it's a must-see documentary. Check out PBS.org for more info.

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Angry Asian Man's 30 Under 30

Phil Yu of AngryAsianMan.com has a nice series spotlighting the 30 most influential Asian Americans under 30 including Mindy Kaling (The Office), Brenda Song (The Suite Life of Zac & Cody) and Karen O from the Yeah, Yeah Yeahs.

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Slumdog's Dev Patel as Avatar's Zuko

Avatar: The Last Airbender was an amazing animated show on Nickelodeon:

It's been praised for it's diverse Asian characters, accurate use of martial arts, and beatiful imagery. The series ran for three seasons and gained a large fanbase, me included. I was so excited when I heard there was a movie being made (directed by M. Night Shyamalan) and even more excited when I read that Dev Patel was cast as the evil Prince Zuko:



Besides Sokka, Zuko is my favorite Avatar character and I can't wait to see what Dev Patel does with him.

(source)

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American Fusion

American Fusion is a romantic comedy unlike any that you have ever seen before. It features Sylvia Chang as Yvonne, a 49 year-old Taiwanese divorced mother, as the unlikely star. She is desperate for love but feels she has no time for herself as she is the sole caregiver for her mother and her son. She also gets the blame for most of the family problems.

She manages to find a love interest but he is also unlikely, a Mexican dentist. Esai Morales play Jose, and he is cute. He reminds me of a Hispanic George Clooney. Fearful to introduce him to her family, Yvonne hesitates on opening love's door.

This is one rom-com that is unlike the rest, full of cultural satire and from a perspective unlike those we normally see in Hollywood's cast. So take a chance on some American Fusion.




by Lisa Charleyboy from Urban Native Girl Stuff

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Treeless Mountain

I'm pretty sure Treeless Mountain is gonna leave me a little teary-eyed.

In Seoul, Korea, two sisters must look after one another when their mother leaves them to search for their estranged father.

For fans of...Radio Flyer and Bridge to Terabithia

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Justin Lin's 'Fast & Furious' Tops Box Office

$72.5 million is a strong opening weekend. The main thing that excites me is that it's a success for a minority behind the camera.

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Ocean of Pearls

Ocean of Pearls tells the story of a Canadian Sikh who moves from Toronto to Detroit with dreams of making a positive difference in the medical field. It's one of the many films that will be playing at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival this week. For a full schedule, click here.



Official Site: www.oceanofpearls.com

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The Motel

I caught the end of this film on the Sundance Channel and what I saw was rather engaging. Now I want to see how it all started.

"Thirteen-year-old Ernest Chin lives and works at a sleazy hourly-rate motel on a strip of desolate suburban bi-way. Misunderstood by his family and blindly careening into puberty, Ernest befriends Sam Kim, a self-destructive yet charismatic Korean man who has checked in. Sam teaches the fatherless boy all the rites of manhood" (IMDb).

Director/Writer: Michael Kang
Starring: Jeffrey Chyau and Sung Kang
Soundtrack: "Oh My Dear (Falling in Love)" by Ween

Official Website: www.themotel-film.com

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A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

A Chinese man travels to America, reconnects with his daughter and meets an intriguing Iranian woman. Lots of interesting drama going on here.



Director: Wayne Wang
Starring: Henry O and Vida Ghahremani

For Fans of...The Joy Luck Club and Something's Gotta Give

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