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yuncheng_wang
Reviews
Turning Red (2022)
Turning Red Totally Works
This is probably the best animation I've watched this year, with only two movies on the list. It narrates a story about a tiger Asian mom who goes all her way to keep her child from socialization, even turning into a giant red panda. The animation film is a successful mix of animation, Chinese culture, North American culture, and East Asian parental ideology. It serves as a parody of the conventional ways that Asian parents guard their children. My overall viewing experience is superb.
I've never heard of any folktales about red pandas, but I'd say all the depictions in this movie about Asian parents are very real. My parents are free-range parents, but I've had friends who have parents like that. Their mom would literally keep them in their house all day to supervise them doing their homework, and teenage love is a red flag for most Asian parents. I think Turning Red does a very good job depicting the farcical yet universal struggle of Asian parenting through its coming-of-age metaphorical storytelling and animated hyperbole.
Rosalie Chiang's voiceover is well polished with East Asian characters, particularly her high and crispy vocalization and slight Chinese accent. Sandra Oh's mom is slightly breathy but sounds exactly like a tiger mom. All the other characters are great, and the fact that their characters' ethnicities match their real ones maintains a high level of authenticity to the representation of this movie.
I wish I could also turn into a red panda who can jump around the city, but I am an Asian male.
The Batman (2022)
If You're Not A Batman Hardcore Fan, This Movie is NOT FOR YOU!
There are generally two types of good movies - the ones that make you sit on the edge most of the time; and the ones that bore you in theaters but award you when you watch them again. Matt Reeves' Batman is definitely the later kind. However, it is not a compliment.
The stunning visuals of Gotham city and Pattinson's subtle and vigorous performance add to the overall quality of this film, but the plot line is so cliched and uncreative. This film doesn't even build up anything that stimulates emotion or reason like we saw in Batman Begins - it is piled up with cinematic lighting that embellishes insignificant dialogues and backstories.
Also, for non-native speakers, the mumbling actors will drive you crazy - especially Pattinson's character who doesn't adduct his vocal cords when he speaks (literally all the time, and this is not a joke.)
If you are not a hardcore batman fan - meaning if you only or never watched Nolan's dark knight trilogy - and you are not willing to pay 20 dollars to sit in the rambunctious theater for 3 hours with numb and tedious dialogues just to see a few masterfully colored and composed shots, this movies is definitely not for you.
The Guardians of Justice (2022)
What is Better Than a Suicidal Myth of an Asian "Superman?"
To be honest, this is the best parody of the DC world I've ever seen.
Most parodies try to make you laugh - this one shows you the joke and doesn't tell you about it.
Most parodies try to make you invest - this one is no exception - it throws tons of information to exercise your brain.
Most parodies develop mental representations among viewers - this one casts doubts on whether the DC you knew was false.
Most parodies focus on one author and one work - this one elevates the theme and transcends itself to satire to address multiple social issues such as race and science.
Yet, through its deeply hidden mask of seriousness, I was able to appreciate the nuance and parody of this movie.
We definitely need more Asian superheroes - the main reason I was so upset as a teenager was that every time I woke up, stepped to the basin, and looked into the mirror, I saw a man who didn't look like my hero spider-man at all. But now, with The Guardians of Justice, I'm finally able to look at myself and say, "it's the face and body shape of The Marvelous Man!"