On The Use Of The Word Round Eye

I've had a few questions since I started this thing - what I loosely call a blog - about the name - and while a lot of times I say something like "I think it just speaks for itself, and I think you either get it or you don't" - for some odd reason I just felt like posting up on it.

Slant Eye - just taking it back - you really do either get it or you don't (and hey - my eyes are Slanty so it's kind of apropos that I sign my emails that way - although in person I'll just say "You can call me _____" - however if you decide to fill in the blank yourself - at least come up with something original).

The phrase "Round Eye" though?

I do use it as a pejorative to describe mass media, government, social structures - everyone and everything that looks past who we are as a community - as individuals - who only see our color, hear the way we talk, and never look past the stereotypes they've collected to see and acknowledge what we do bring to the table - how woven we really are into the American tapestry.

In that way I'm just telling it like it is - what it's really about - using a term that I think more than adequately describes where a lot of people and organizations still are in terms of seeing the Asian and API community.

And You Can't Stop Chinese People From Using The Internet

While the Chinese government may be keeping a watchful eye over the content that people are viewing, in some ways you might think that the Internet usage would plateau (well not really...but that just sounded good) - but in all reality - I guess it doesn't matter:

The government-related information center CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center) claims the nation’s online population has grown 41.9% in 2008 to an astounding 298 million users, reports the BBC.

That’s about the size of the entire U.S. population, while eMarketer pegs the online population in the States to be about 200 million.

This further cements China’s position as the world’s largest online population, although internet penetration is still fairly low (22,6%) even if it exceeds the world’s average by almost one percent.

I guess I need to get this blog translated.

Getting Your Asian American Film On Netflix Style

Thought I'd do a random post on some Asian American films that you can get from Netflix (old and new - titles and descriptions grabbed from their site).

The Slanted Screen

In this hourlong documentary, filmmaker Jeff Adachi salutes groundbreaking entertainers while turning a critical lens on the ways in which American cinema has depicted Asian men. Segments focus on the career arcs of playwright Frank Chin ("The Year of the Dragon"); producer Terence Chang (Bulletproof Monk); actors Dustin Nguyen ("21 Jump Street") and James Shigeta (Flower Drum Song); and comedian Bobby Lee ("Mad TV").

Searching for Asian America

Gary Locke, the son of Chinese immigrants who became governor of Washington State, is living the American Dream. Martin Bautista and Jeffrey Lim, two Filipino immigrant doctors living in the American heartland, find that being Asian American in a rural town is more challenging and rewarding than either could have expected. These are just two profiles that address what it's like to be Asian American in today's ever-changing United States.

Planet B-Boy

This Tribeca Film Festival selection affords viewers exclusive access to the underground world of break dancing, charting the highs and lows of five B-boy teams practicing for the all-important "Battle of the Year." Combining stunning dance footage from Japan, Germany, South Korea, France and the United States, documentarian Benson Lee sets out to show that break dancing didn't fade into history -- it merely evolved into a remarkable art form.

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

Having satisfied their urge for White Castle, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) jump on a plane to catch up with Harold's love interest, Maria, who's headed for Amsterdam. But the pair must change their plans when Kumar is accused of being a terrorist. This fun comedy follows the hapless stoners' misadventures as they become fugitives and try to evade being recaptured by the Department of Homeland Security.

Undoing

Set in Los Angeles's Koreatown, director Chris Chan Lee's stylish neo-noir follows a small-time hood named Samuel (Sung Kang) who returns to his hometown to avenge the murder of his best friend. With the help of an aging gangster (Tom Bower), Sam may get the revenge he desires, but can he also find redemption for his past mistakes? Kelly Hu and Russell Wong also star in this tense underworld thriller.

American Zombie

Part mockumentary, part unabashed gore-fest, American Zombie follows filmmakers Grace Lee and John Solomon -- both playing themselves -- as they infiltrate a Los Angeles zombie community in an effort to document the undead subculture. Finding that the reanimated aren't much different from the rest of us -- save for some patches of rotting flesh -- the moviemakers offer a comical look at their marginalized subjects.

Asian Stories

After getting ditched by his fiancée (Lauren Kim), despondent Jim Lee (James Kyson Lee) exhorts his longtime pal Alex (Kirt Kishita) -- a hit man -- to put him out of his misery before Valentine's Day. But while searching for a mountainside funeral site scant days before his scheduled death, Jim falls in love again in this off-the-wall indie comedy. The supporting cast includes Kathy Uyen.

The Namesake

While he respects his immigrant parents (Irfan Khan and Tabu) and their decision to rear him in his United States birthplace, Gogol Ganguli (Kal Penn) is torn between Indian traditions and the modern Bostonian lifestyle. Jacinda Barrett and Zuleikha Robinson also star in director Mira Nair's thought-provoking coming-of-age drama, which explores first-generation Americans' delicate dance between culture and identity.

Robot Stories

This collection directed by Greg Pak includes four stories. "My Robot Baby" features Maria (Tamlyn Tomita) and Roy (James Saito), who must care for a robot child before adopting a real one. In "The Robot Fixer," Wilson is in a coma after a car wreck, prompting his mother (Wai Ching Ho) to fix his toy robots. Pak stars in "Machine Love," about a robot that works in an office. And in "Clay," John (Sab Shimono) fights a memory-merging process.

The Motel

In Michael Kang's compelling story about growing up, Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau) is a Chinese-American teen who works in a seedy motel with his hard-nosed mother, grandfather and younger sister. With no male role model to turn to, Ernest must deal with the trials of adolescence on his own. Sam Kim (Sung Kang), a charming Korean American with a dark past, sees himself in Ernest and decides to mentor the boy, but things don't always go smoothly.

Better Luck Tomorrow

Ah, the pressures of being young, rich and brilliant. Discontent with his current lifestyle of straight A's and upper-middle-class monotony, overachieving high school student Ben Manibag (Parry Shen) seeks a lifestyle of excitement and danger. He finds it with help from a suburban gang of other misguided youths, who get caught up in a disturbing downward spiral of sex, drugs and crime.

The Debut

Talented high school senior Ben dreams of going to art school, much to the dismay of his strict immigrant father. The struggle between his family's Filipino traditions and his own American dreams explodes on the night of his sister's 18th birthday party, when he's pressured by family to attend the event instead of hanging with his white friends.

Charlotte Sometimes

Soft-spoken Michael (Michael Idemoto) is secretly in love with next-door neighbor Lori (Eugenia Yuan), who's committed to boyfriend Justin (Matt Westmore). Unbeknownst to Justin, Michael and Lori develop an intimate -- though sexless -- friendship, and Lori encourages Michael to find a girlfriend. But when he does, jealousies erupt with the other couple, threatening relationships all around. Nominated for two 2003 Independent Spirit Awards.

All-American Girl: The Complete Series

Drawing on comedienne Margaret Cho's impersonations of her traditional Korean mother, this short-lived sitcom follows the efforts of hip, club-hopping Margaret Kim (Cho) to Americanize her immigrant parents (Jodi Long and Clyde Kusatsu) -- and her grandmother (Amy Hill) proves an unlikely ally. While the series didn't last long, this barrier-breaking show was the first to focus on a family of Asian protagonists.

The Crow

Young rock guitarist Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his fiancée are brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals. Exactly one year after his death, Eric returns -- watched over by a hypnotic crow -- to seek revenge. The Crow features Lee's last performance before his untimely death.

Saving Face

Dutiful daughter Wil (Michelle Krusied) sidesteps her mother's (Joan Chen) attempts to marry her off in Alice Wu's romantic comedy set in New York. At 28, Wil's the old maid of her traditional Chinese family, so there's no way she can tell them about her budding romance with Vivian (Lynn Chen). But there's no avoiding mom's meddling matchmaking when she shows up on Wil's doorstep looking for a place to stay.