We're Not All Ninjas: The Podcast

In our final full film review of Season 3, we talk about the Freddie Mercury and Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody! Melissa loves Freddie Mercury but is that enough to save this movie? With special guest Christian Dan Luu, Melissa and Rachel break down the film's interpretation about the first Asian Rock God. 

We've got an update for you! Listen to hear more and make sure to find Melissa at the Werk It! Podcast Conference at the Knockdown Center in Queens, NY on November 13th and 14th. 

In a special October bonus, we interview Nick Neon, writer, director, actor and fellow Hapa. We discuss being a Hapa filmmaker, his film Zero One, and intersectional art.  On Saturday the 27th at 3pm at the Wythe Hotel, we'll be cohosting Nick's film Zero One at KAFFNY (Korean-American Film Festival of NY). Use promo code NOTNINJA30 for discounted tickets!  Buy KAFFNY tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kaffny-2018-infinite-love-tickets-51109847931 KAFFNY Schedule: http://www.kaffny.org/

#AsianAugust live on! This month, we're talking about the thriller Searching. We talking John Cho and other leading Asian men, creating Asian families on screen, and what does the TV world looks like for representation in 2018.  It's Been A Minute with John Cho and Aneesh Chaganty: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/08/636576081/john-cho-and-aneesh-chaganty-on-searching  They Call Us Bruce with John Cho: https://theycallusbruce.libsyn.com/episode-47-they-call-us-john-cho    Avatar and a non-whitewashed cast: https://deadline.com/2018/09/avatar-the-last-airbender-live-action-series-netflix-1202467089/ 

Keeping it going with #StillAsianSeptember. To All The Boys I've Loved Before is out on Netflix now, and we cover Lana Candor, Hapa representation and the lack of Asian males in teenage films.  Callie Crossley for WGBH: https://www.wgbh.org/news/commentary/2018/09/02/im-thinking-of-going-to-see-crazy-rich-asians-again?platform=hootsuite   Lana Candor (The Cut): https://www.thecut.com/2018/08/interview-lana-condor-on-to-all-the-boys-ive-loved-before.html 

Part two of two! We got special guest, Jonathan Castanien (host of Not So Ancient) to help us finish up Crazy Rich Asians. We talk the sequel, new Asian-focused projects, Awkafina's "blaccent", and Rachel drops some knowledge on China's relationship with hip hop.  Yuri Kochiyama: Japanese-American Civil Rights Activist Joel Kim Booster on Conan Michelle Yeoh was called a Banana Find Not So Ancient on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and more! @NotSoAncient

We saw Crazy Rich Asians a week before its official opening because we're, well, crazy like that. So this is our hot take in Crazy Rich Asians, before it's #GoldOpen 35 million dollar opening weekend. This is part one of two, since there's so much to cover, from hot abs to why #representationmatters.  Emily Yoshida's Vulture Review Seattle Times Review Melissa's Nerds Of Color Review 

Almost ten years have passed since The Cove was released; the documentary about Japanese fishermen hunting dolphins and small whales became a international phenomenon. The Cove created a one-sided narrative. Japanese filmmaker Megumi Sasaki saw this disparity in narratives and decided to embark on her own documentary A Whale Of A Tale. Her film is a counter-narrative to that of The Cove. Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1960505270/a-whale-of-a-tale-a-documentary-film 

We are one week away from the premiere of Crazy Rich Asians! Writer/content creator Nathan Ramos (Club Mickey Mouse) guested this week to talk to about Crazy Rich Asians and all the controversies surrounding it from Henry Golding to the "Asian Black Panther." 

This week, we cover Ocean's 8, the all-lady reboot of the Ocean's franchise. We talk Awkwafina, Mindy Kaling, and how one cameo saved them all. So here's to all the little girls who want to grow up to commit some crimes!   Nerd's of Color:  Mindy Kahling's 8 

In a summer bonus, we cover Deadpool 2, and the TV shows Altered Carbon and Sense8. Rachel breaks down the trope of Women in Fridges, and we break down the issue with Yukio's hair streak. 

Our Ocean's 8 episode will come out later. But in the meantime, we got an interview with star on the rise, Awkwafina! Besides Ocean's 8, her latest album, "In Fina We Trust", dropped a few days ago. And next she's starring in Crazy Rich Asians.  So hear her here before she blows up this summer!  "In Fina We Trust" is out now on Spotify, Itunes and anywhere music can be found. Ocean's 8 is in theatres now. 

HB Studio had a panel and we moderated! We talk Sierra Boggess in West Side Story, creating new works, and actors asking the question "Am I right for this role?" Big thanks to panelists Annie Henk, Tonilyn Sideco, and Peter J. Kuo, sound engineer Alexandra Chludzinska, and The New School. HB Studio Panel: https://hbstudio.org/calendar/race-casting-and-representation-a-panel-discussion-live-podcast/ Sierra Boggess and West Side Story: http://www.playbill.com/article/sierra-boggess-withdraws-from-west-side-story-concert  Linda Park and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof: http://www.laweekly.com/arts/for-the-first-time-ever-an-asian-american-has-been-cast-in-a-classic-tennessee-williams-role-8049025 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and the Edward Albee Estate: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/theater/a-black-actor-in-virginia-woolf-not-happening-albee-estate-says.html 

We. Are. Not. Okay! We talk about the latest Avengers installment.  Rachel cries it out, Melissa lives in corrections corner, and Alex is plain mad. Is Wong a stereotype? Is Mantis more than meets the eye? Is there gonna be an Amadeus Cho movie? Find out in this episode! Spoilers start at 13:27 We also breakdown the Crazy Rich Asians trailer and Black Panther.    Keep It (43:47): https://crooked.com/podcast/kanye-dont-impress-much/ Mantis and her original portrayal: https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/17/15624888/guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-2-mantis-wrong  Mantis and Submissive Asian Women: https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/asian-women-abuse-in-science-fiction   

We all watched a bunch of movies in March. Let's celebrate one of our favorites, Tomb Raider starring Into the Badlands' Daniel Wu! Plus a shoutout to our favorite Hapa, Lewis Tan. See how Tomb Raider does on the Abacus, and hear what movies we're excited about. 

We had so many movies to watch in March! We review some faves/dislikes, before moving on to Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs. Find out how we rate it on the Abacus!  LA Times' Justin Chang piece: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-isle-of-dogs-review-20180321-story.html Vulture's Emily Yoshida Piece: http://www.vulture.com/2018/03/what-its-like-to-watch-isle-of-dogs-as-a-japanese-speaker.html Honest Trailers Every Wes Anderson Movie Ever:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWLY6NrS2Q  

Awards season is officially over! We wanted to watch the Oscars and give our own thoughts to the biggest award show of the year. We talk Shape of Water, 3 Billboards, Call Me By Your Name, Abicus: Small Enough To Jail, and so much more! Big thanks to special guest Anne Hu (Cake).  

We're back! On Valentine's Day, we talk about Melissa's OTP, the lovely and talented Kelly Marie Tran, and why fan boys are in such a tizzy over TLJ. Featuring a tribute to the late Carrie Fisher. 

We put out 10 episodes, had some great guests and talked about some great (and not-so-great movies.) This is the end of Season 2, and we talk about all the things we're thankful for! Thanks, everyone! 

Comedian Jes Tom and Melissa sit down to talk about their Ghost In The Shell PSA (the viral video from this spring), their shared Japanese Internment history, and the responsibility of artists.