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Wu duo Jinhua (1959)
Very Beautiful Movie
This movie is one of the few great movies to come out of China during Mao's rule. No doubt this movie has propaganda material, but people in China appreciate this film because it was one of the few subtle propaganda films that contained more artistic direction than blatant brainwashing. What the hater of this movie (the other reviewer) does not realize is that Five Golden Flowers was made before Communist China demonized the artist. So this was when actors and creative people could express themselves (provided they talked the party line). If you traced Chinese history to a couple of years later, then you would not have seen anything resembling an artistic movie. Once the cultural revolution started in China, artists starved and so much talent went to waste. It is essential that you look at this film within the context of nostalgia. This is when the people in China still believed in Communism and thought the future was bright and beautiful. The universal themes mentioned in this movie are timeless. Cultural misunderstanding is a huge source of humor in the plot, and in the end, the movie teaches us the importance of stepping into the shoes of unfamiliar cultures and seeing their views. The acting was also very good. Throughout the movie I rooted for the two protagonists to get together, and I was so happy when it did occur. The humor was very non-typical. One of the funniest scenes was when the wife of a villager cursed out the protagonist in song. So in summary, watch this movie. It is well-written, it is funny, and it represents China at a time before things really got crazy.
Shanghai Kiss (2007)
With Depth
Some of you may complain about the dialogue or the main character's actions, but this movie has more depth than a usual romantic comedy. Liam is trying to find himself, and every Asian American can relate to some of the things he does or has gone through. Most Asian Americans were teased when they were young (whether dick jokes, eye jokes, food jokes, ching-chong jokes), and this makes many have a sense of self-loathing when they are adults. I know so many kids who refused to speak Chinese after they were 7 and forgot their native language just because they thought it is cool to not speak in a weird tongue. If you go to any college campus, you'll see Asian Americans hanging out with each other, and the Asian international students hanging out together (they never ever mingle). The concept of not fitting in with American Culture and not fitting in with the parent's native culture is a struggle properly portrayed in the movie.
The relationship with his father was spot on. You'd be very surprised how many Asian Americans have strained relationships with their parents (especially those who want to go into the creative job fields). What this movie very accurately portrayed was that behind all the tension, the parents still love us and do what they think it is the best for their children.
Liam wanting to go back to China even though deep at heart he belongs in America is something many Chinese-Americans think about. There is something about the charm of a rapidly developing country where people don't judge you based on your looks. But of course Liam, like many Chinese Americans, realizes he doesn't belong in China because everyone considers him American over there, and that is also spot on. I grew up in China, and I started fifth grade here in America. Despite going to school in China, they still say I'm completely American (that was the first thing my cousin said to me off the plane when I went back a couple of summers ago).
And of course, an Asian protagonist who deals with all these genuine problems, and still gets the girl. So many people think there is some sort of Lolita complex going on because Adelaide was only 16 when they met. But if you watch the movie closely, Liam tries very hard to avoid any contact that could be interpreted as sexual with Adelaide (remember the scene in the car where he tells her he's going to China to check out his house, and she tries to kiss him in the mouth, but he declines?).
A lot of people complain about the white friend, who seems to be there only to make the Asian look good because the white guy cannot get the girl. But I have to say, there are many white guys who are shy around girls, just like there are many guys in general who are shy around girls. That's that. I don't think there is a reason to read into this and think they are purposely reverse discriminating.
All in all, there is what is called a collective action problem going on in the Asian-American community here in America. No one wants to take the first step in the process of integrating mainstream. The ones who do try to go into film or the media take on a huge cost onto themselves because of the lack of opportunities for Asian movie makers and the potential disapproval they will get from their parents and their practically-routed friends. The director of this movie, God bless him, decided to take some action and take on a huge risk. This is very admirable. What the Asian American community needs to do is to act collectively. Encourage the young filmmakers, encourage people to do what they want to do, and most importantly, actually doing what you want to do. When we all change our outlook and our actions, we will overcome this collective action problem and effectively change the sad fact that Asian Americans are badly stereotyped on TV and movies.
9/10 Go David Ren!!