And I think it's gonna be a long long time
She said gazing into the void
That had taken her husband
White lawn chairs
Fuchsia petals
Two rings
He remembered
That love would keep them together
As he floated to breakfast
Message on a Bronx underpass (I like to think it applies to my poetry as well)
New York is a feeling
The surge of adrenaline running down your spine as the skyscrapers run up to the sky
To quote the first lines of A Tale of Two Cities would be a disservice and seem somehow an understatement
Being packed elbow to chin in a subway car
Walking down the street and knowing no one at all
and knowing no one you see will ever see you again
The thrill of spotting a friend amidst the sea of anonymous faces
The adventure down every subway line
Ideas, provocation, art in a cacophony which somehow evolves into a symphony
Force- of speech, opinion, machinery, manpower, of spirit
The warm rooftop nights
and
the blustery early mornings
The questionable hygiene of not only the subway pole but also your subway neighbor
New York is growing up
The chaos, the turbulence, the hope, the anticipation of what's to come
After reading reviews promising a film bursting with "passion in every single frame," I was a bit underwhelmed as "Gook" opened. The film, named for the derogatory term used to refer to Asians (especially Koreans and Vietnamese), is set against the 1992 Rodney King riots and depicts the friendship of an 11 year-old African-American girl and two Korean brothers, played by Twilight/21 and Over star Justin Chon and Youtube comedian David So. In the first few scenes of the film, I couldn't help but notice the dialogue laden with f-bombs and often felt it was a misguided attempt at comedic actors attempting dramatic roles. The tone also felt a bit uneven, vacillating from light-hearted and comedic to dark and gritty.
Yet as the film progressed, the characters became more dimensional, some verisimilitude was achieved, and I could feel the film's heart beating through. The creative team behind the movie definitely had something to say without reducing their film to a "message movie." By the end of "Gook," I was in tears (though to be fair, movies are my soft spot as I seem to tear up at a good number of movies).
The LA riots occurred in the spring of 1992, triggered by the acquittal of LA police officers of assault and the excessive use of force (for three of the four officers) against Rodney King. The officers had engaged in a high-speed chase with King after he did not pull over after a speeding violation. Footage of the officers beating King over and over again had been recorded and broadcast widely on news stations prior to the trial, and pictures of a post-beating King had also circulated. The acquittal, then, appeared to many to be a dramatic failure of the legal system and yet another example of institutionalized racism.
Many liquor stores in Koreatown ended up as targets of the riots, incited by already strained relations between Korean immigrants and African-Americans. Ultimately, 2,000 Korean businesses were attacked, 63 people died, over 2,300 were injured, and over $1 billion in damages were sustained.
The riots extended even to Long Beach, the city next-door to the upper-middle class neighborhood of Seal Beach where I grew up. At the time I was peacefully unaware of the turmoil occurring miles away (granted, most 4 year olds would be), and I was shocked when I learned about the riots my freshman year of college. Viewing news footage of Long Beach in flames effectively punctured the comfortable suburban bubble I had been living in up until that point.
The film also shed a light on growing up in impoverished inner-city areas, and it made me reflect on the patients I had seen in the Bronx and how little of their lives I really understood.
Producer Alex Chi was a surprise guest at the "Gook" screening I attended, and he shared about how the film drew from his and writer-director Justin Chon's childhoods. I also found it interesting that they styled the film after French film La Haine, and that they ended up raising most of the funds through their families and Kickstarter after not receiving the funding they had hoped for from the Asian-American business community.
"Gook" is not a movie for everyone, given its dark tones and profanity and it definitely shows its "indie film" roots. Even still, it's a film that will definitely haunt you for a while and potentially spark discussion of the tragic episode in LA's history from 25 years ago. And who knows- maybe it can help us avoid similar events and contribute to increased understanding among people of all different backgrounds.
One of the most surprising things about the Bronx is the abundance of Chinese restaurants. In a primarily Hispanic/African-American community, there seem to be more Chinese joints per capita than there are pizza places which, for New York, is saying something.
There's about seven Chinese restaurants alone on my way to the gym. They all appear to have a similar color scheme and (mostly) have Chinese-sounding names. Unsurprisingly, their reputation among most people here who are not from the Bronx is not very good.
Chinese food isn't limited to a single borough of NYC, though. The cuisine has a sizable presence in the city as well as a decently long history, with restaurants in various areas seeming to cater to the residents nearby. In a city that boasts a Michelin star-rated dim sum place and a restaurant serving giant xiao long baos (soup dumplings), there's certainly a wide variety of Chinese food available.
Manhattan Lower East Side
Though most of the Chinese restaurants in Manhattan are located within Chinatown proper, more and more are establishing themselves outside of the district. The Bao Shoppe is one such joint. It's a hip, semi-Asian fusion type place offering seafood, Korean bbq, and fried chicken in soft, doughy baos, as well as meats wrapped in green onion pancakes. I had a Philly cheese steak wrap- beef and cheese wrapped in a fried green onion pancake.
To be honest, the meat and cheese of the Philly cheese steak worked together fine, but I would have been even more content to have the two separately to savor their flavors more.
One of my family's favorites- for the taste and the price- is Shanghai Cafe on Mott St. They serve a variety of Shanghainese dishes with characteristically brusque yet efficient Chinese service. The biggest draw is the 8 for $5 soup dumplings (xiao long bao) which may not be the best soup dumplings in the city, but are certainly the best for your money!
The soup dumpling assembly line at Shanghai Cafe
My China-born grandma memorably proclaimed the next restaurant "the best Chinese food she's had in the US," but promptly forgot she had ever said such a thing the next time I asked her about it. Nevertheless, Spicy Village offers some of the best spicy hand-pulled noodles and pork pancakes I've had in the US. Many of the dishes are similar to those offered at the popular chain Xi'an Famous Foods, but for a lower cost.
The piece de la resistance is the "da pan ji" or "big tray chicken," a dish full of tender chicken, soft potatoes, and chewy homemade noodles all stewed in a rich red broth full of peppercorn, cumin, and other spices that make your lips tingle in the best possible way when you eat it.
Spicy Village's "big tray chicken"
Flushing
If Chinatown in Manhattan is analogous to Chinatown in LA, then Flushing in Queens (about 11 miles east of Manhattan) is like the San Gabriel Valley of New York. Both Flushing and the San Gabriel Valley (or "626") are the hipper, more modern counterparts to their respective Chinatowns, but still every bit as authentic.
$1 Peking duck baos in the back of market/food court Corner 28!
One third of the New World Mall food court
Co-interns Ann and Rajeev with their giant bowls of Sichuan barbecue at the giant New World Mall food court
Sichuan? Check. Xi'an? Check. Boba? Check. Chinese fried chicken? Check. There's even a new Uyghur place as well as Korean and Japanese places.
My favorite spot in the food court is called "Zheng Zhou Lamb Noodle Soup," which in my opinion has the best potato noodle soup anywhere in the city. It's also part of a chain that Anthony Bourdain has visited, a fact they're eager to remind patrons as they loop a clip of him eating their food on a screen near the cash register.
Bronx
After enjoying the Chinese offerings of the other boroughs of NYC, one cold night I stopped by "Happy Dragon," one of the Chinese places down the street from me in the Bronx. I had heard stories of how awful the food was at these Chinese-Bronx places and how they only catered to the Bronx population. At the same time, I had observed that all the cooks at these restaurants were Chinese and that they would eat the food they made during their breaks.
I was taken aback when a friendly Cantonese-speaking man greeted me as I approached the register. Although there were all sorts of fried foods on the menu to appeal to a non-Chinese clientele, Happy Dragon also served such authentic Chinese fare as chow fun, lo mein, and duck noodle soup. I had a craving for chow fun so I gave it a go.
Dare I say it- I liked Happy Dragon's chow fun even better than the chow fun at the more "authentic" Hop Lee in Chinatown.
Next stop- the strangely ubiquitous mix of Tex-mex and Chinese food in the same restaurant =)
Best Original Song
1) "Another Day of Sun" from "La La Land"
Try not getting the first few bars of "Another Day of Sun" stuck in your head- it's a near impossible feat. I admit to feeling slightly underwhelmed seeing this sequence in theaters- I was a bit disappointed that this incredible LA freeway number I had read about and anticipated for so long didn't have more of a "bang." Having listened to the song more, I feel the song actually works better on its own than in the movie. Divorced from the visuals, the catchiness of the melody (the big band flourishes, the light piano runs) and the poignance of the lyrics (exuberance amidst the disappointing reality of the Hollywood dream) can be savored more fully.
2) "Audition" from "La La Land"
The song that gets to the heart of "La La Land." Audition seems to work on three levels. The first is the personal story Emma Stone's character is telling within the movie about her aunt. On a broader level, it captures the essence of Hollywood artists striving for success. And on a more universal level, it's about the quintessentially human goal of having dreams that are bigger than our ability to achieve them.
This interview with composer Justin Hurwitz and lyricists Benj Hasek and Justin Paul only increased my appreciation for the song. I found it really interesting that Hurwitz intentionally resolved the melodic dissonance in a major seventh ("Here's to the ones who dream"), which allows for a resolution which still retains some dissonance (the bass note and seventh note clash). It seems fitting for a film which is hopeful yet bittersweet.
3) "Can't Stop the Feeling" from "Trolls"
Guiltiest pleasure on this list. I have to admit to typically being a JT hater, but "Can't Stop the Feeling" is one of those summer songs that's undeniably cheesy yet irresistible, one of those songs that makes me want to let loose on the dance floor.
4) "I'm So Humble" from "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping"
"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" had so many clever songs (Incredible Thoughts featuring Michael Bolton and Mr. Fish being a close runner-up), but I'm So Humble takes the cake. It combines a melody as catchy as any top 10 hit with undeniably cheesy/tongue-in-cheek/clever lyrics (my favorite: "I feel more humble than Dikembe Mutumbo after a stumble left him covered in a big pot of gumbo"). Its use in the movie itself is an entertaining and immersive introduction to the movie and the character Conner4Real (a parody of Justin Bieber), and I love how the end of the song is paired with a pan-out of Conner bowing as his many holograms point to him.
5) "Try Everything" from "Zootopia"
The theme of taking risks and persevering permeates this catchy Shakira track which, interestingly enough, was written by pop star Sia. It's got a great hook, great vocals, and most importantly a great message. Try Everything resonates with the hopeless idealist in me- it's a good message for kids as well as adults.
Best Original Score
1) Hacksaw Ridge
Rupert Greyson-Williams' score for Hacksaw Ridge bears elements of the scores from previous action adventure/war films, but manages to convey a sound that's uniquely fitting to this particular film. It's somber, but with elements of grandiosity, that match the situation Desmond Doss both found himself in and created.
2) La La Land
See above for all the virtues of Justin Hurwitz's work on La La Land. In some ways I'm even more impressed with Hurwitz's instrumental pieces than with his work on the big musical numbers set to lyrics. Engagement Party is a beautifully simple solo piano piece and Planetarium is a full orchestral composition with a Studio Ghibli-like melody (as one Youtube commenter put it). And that's before you get to the strictly jazz pieces which I personally don't enjoy as much but admire for adding that much more stylistic range to the score.
3) Lion
I actually haven't seen Lion but I didn't think any of the other scores I'd heard really stood out and this song made me want to see the movie.
4) Moonlight
Nicholas Brittle's score for Moonlight took the already great acting, writing, directing, cinematography, etc. and elevated it to the next level. It was an interesting artistic gamble to score a film about a young gay black man growing up in poverty to a classical score, but it leaves a distinct mark and only serves to enhance the cinematic experience. Britell's piece "The End of the World" highlights the tensions Moonlight's protagonist Little/Chiron/Black feels, while "End Credits Suite" underscores the sadness of what has come before it.
5) 20th Century Women
There's something about Roger Neill's original pieces for the 20th Century Women soundtrack that seems almost ethereal, yet uniquely Californian. They somehow conjure up images of palm trees, free spirits, and acid trips (or what I imagine they would be like). As a sidenote, Greta Gerwig (who plays a supporting role in this film) seems to have a knack for appearing in movies with great scores.
