The Electric Image Express

Episode Swap: 'Boogie' w/ Raymond Luu, Alan Duong, Renee Ya

Sean Niu — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Ray, Alan, and Renee discuss Eddie Huang's coming-of-age, basketball drama and why it resonated differently among the team. They talk about the unique perspective of the Black/Asian cultural interactions, how the basketball scenes were shot, and where this fits in the ranking of popular basketball movies.

Hint: Space Jam is still the best.

Links to donate/educate/organize to stop AAPI hate: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

DONATE so we can improve the show at [https://ko-fi.com/electricimageexpress] E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com Follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

Asian American Tik Tok and 2021 Oscars (Minari, Nomadland, Sound of Metal) with Lily Lei and Katie Quan

Sean Niu — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

In episode 40, we sit down with Tik Tok creator Lily Lei as she shares her jourrney to obtaining Tik Tok fame over the last year. As we are all well aware, Tik Tok is an incredibly influential video platform. As a podcast interested in how Asian Americans portray ourselves across any creative medium, we were really fascinated by how Lily employed many elements of her Asian upbringing into her skits, and how those skits helped contribute to her rise. Lily also gives us insight into her versatile background as a design researcher and entrepreneur and how those experiences helped her gain over 700K followers on Tik Tok.

Before we get to Lily, we also have a 20 minute segment discussing the 2021 Oscars with Katie Quan from This Asian American Life. This year's awards marked many firsts for Asian Americans in Hollywood and Katie broke down her feelings about the necessity of the Oscars in 2021 and how she felt about the three movies that most prominently featured Asian Americans: Minari, Nomadland, and Sound of Metal.

Editors note: Sorry about the sound quality in some parts, some of these recordings were done while traveling!

Katie Quan's This Asian American Life Lily's Tik Tok

Notes:

1) Start of Oscars segment: (1:52) 2) General reactions on the 2021 shows (5:00)
3) Deeper dive into Minari, Nomadland, and Sound of Metal (10:23) 4) Do we (as Asian Americans) need the Oscars in 2021? (20:47) 5) Lily's background and how she decided to become a full-time Tik Tok creator (27:51) 6) How she identified what worked for her audience (35:27) 7) How she outgrew her initial Asian American Auntie/parent skits (38:15) 8) Accents or no accents? (43:06)

Links to donate/educate/organize to stop AAPI hate: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

DONATE so we can improve the show at [https://ko-fi.com/electricimageexpress] E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com Follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

BONUS ANNIVERSARY EPISODE: Surviving Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル) with Raymond Luu and Alan Duong from the Reel Asian Podcast

Sean Niu — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

It's our ANNIVERSARY! THANK YOU to all of our listeners and fans for your continued support! THANK YOU to our guests for lending your time and sharing your stories, and THANK YOU to everyone else who has contributed to the show!

We've added a BONUS episode for our anniversary: Raymond Luu and Alan Duong from [The Reel Asian Podcast] (https://www.reelasianpodcast.com/) join us to revisit Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale.

Notes:

1) The Reel Asian guys explain the appeal of Battle Royale and Sean shares some background and the impact of the movie (3:50) 2) Which characters did our high school selves' identify the most with? (14:25)
3) What does BR say about Japanese society's generational divide? (16:02) 4) We work through our strategies for surviving Battle Royale (24:40) 5) How Battle Royale's ultra-violence heightened its deisrability. (Aka the Streisand Effect (28:44) 6) If it came down to it: would you kill your best friend in high school? (30:50) 7) We draft our ultimate BR team (1 weapon, 1 BR character, 1 Asian film character) (40:13)

Links to donate/educate/organize to stop AAPI hate: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

DONATE so we can improve the show at [https://ko-fi.com/electricimageexpress] E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com Follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

Days of Being Wild (阿飛正傳), Haruki Murakami, and our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY PART 1 with Hon Hoang

Sean Niu — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 13:56:00 +0000

In this episode, Hon Hoang returns to talk about (what else) Wong Kar Wai's Days of Being Wild and some Haruki Murakami. COULD there be a more appropriate topic for a Sean Niu-hosted podcast?

Watch Hon's films and appreciate his photography here: https://honhoang.com/

Notes:

1) An extended introduction discussing the Electric Image Express so far (0:00) 2) Background on Days of Being Wild (7:53)
3) We discuss why this movie could only be made by a young WKW and what it says about his past (13:25) 4) Leslie Cheung's character: a romantization of the fuck boy? (16:01) 5) More of Leslie's brilliance and how only he could play this role (18:13) 6) Andy Lau: the straight and narrow foil to Leslie (19:57) 7) Why Days of Being Wild hints at a Haruki Murakami influence on WKW (24:59) 8) Our one sentence description of the movie (29:45)

Links to donate/educate/organize to stop AAPI hate: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

DONATE so we can improve the show at [https://ko-fi.com/electricimageexpress] E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com Follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

Love Boat Taiwan, Taiwanese Diaspora, Violence against Asians with Valerie Soe

Sean Niu — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Director, writer, and professor Valerie Soe joins Sean to share her creative journey and the making of her newest documentary: Love Boat: Taiwan

You can watch Love Boat here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/loveboattaiwan

and you can watch more of Valerie's activist-oriented films here:

Picturing Oriental Girls

The Chinese Gardens

Notes:

1) Valerie gives her thoughts and action items in reaction to the recent violence on Asian Americans (3:27) 2) Valerie shares her career path as a multi-disciplinary artist and professor. (17:40)
3) As well as her activist history, and how she sees the new generation of activists (20:58) 4) Valerie's thoughts on the recent growth of Asian Americans on screen and how we should think about what we want to see next. (Hint: more creators behind the camera) (28:00) 5) Valerie's experience making Love Boat (32:17) 6) Sean asks Valerie about how making Love Boat helped inform her about Chinese diaspora identity (40:58) 7) Valerie shares what she learned about Love Boat as a strategy for the Taiwan gov to spread policy (52:52) 8) And finally, what surprised her the most while making the documentary. (57:03)

Links to donate/educate/organize to stop AAPI hate: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate

DONATE so we can improve the show at [https://ko-fi.com/electricimageexpress] E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com Follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

A Father's Son, Shanghai Kiss, Asian Father roles (Warrior) with Patrick Chen, Perry Yung and Hon Hoang

Sean Niu — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Director Patrick Chen and Actor Perry Yung join Sean and Hon Hoang to talk about their upcoming film A Father’s Son: A 90’s Chinatown Noir Thriller based on the character’s from Henry Change’s Jack Yu crime novels. Kickstarter

Patrick and Perry are long time filmmaking veterans. You can find some of Patrick’s shorts here: (I personally like Love Express the most bc surprise surprise, it reminds me of Wong Kat Was)

Love Express https://vimeo.com/181145058

Underneath The Grey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6eAKmUDHSI

Sonnet 48 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZUEXWUTZrg

And you probably know Perry Yung as Father Jun in Warrior. He Also plays the protagonist’s dad in Eddie Huang’s new movie Boogie.

Notes:

1) Patrick’s history, how he got into filmmaking, and how that ties into A Father’s Son (7:24) 2) His opinion on East Coast/West Coast life as an Asian filmmaker. (14:54)
3) Western and Eastern movies that most inspired Patrick before we deep dive into a cult classic: Shanghai Kiss, (24:13) which is a surprisingly deep and thoughtful movie, and definitely underrated. 4) Thoughts on the recent growth in Asian American opportunities on screen and behind the camera, and how social media has helped Asian American creatives (33:37) 5) Perry joins at (41:48) and shares how he met Patrick and joined A Father’s Son 6) Perry gives insight into his new string of roles playing the “bad”/strict Asian Father in Warrior, Boogie, and A Father’s Son (46:43) 7) Perry answers Hon’s question on compartmentalizing similar roles with different experiences/lives and create new ones (52:46) 8) Patrick shares how he pitched A Father’s Son with a special shout out to the late Corky Lee (59:42) 9) Perry and Patrick share advice they’d give to their younger selves, or any young Asian American creatives out there. (1:02:52)

Links to donate/educate/organize to stop AAPI hate provided by Patrick: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/stop-aapi-hate https://www.welcometochinatown.com/

DONATE so we can improve the show at [https://ko-fi.com/electricimageexpress] E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com Follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

Kenneth Pai on Taipei People, Chinese/Taiwanese identity, and Asian American literature

Sean Niu — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 18:00:00 +0000

In Episode 35, I’m joined by legendary Taiwanese writer Kenneth Pai (白先勇). Professor Pai’s works pioneered the modern Chinese experience: including as waishengren (外省人) living in Taiwan (Taipei People, Crystal Boys) and as immigrants to America. (Pleasantville, Death in Chicago)

In our conversation, we talk about:

Professor Pai’s colorful background: born in China to a general father, migrant to Taiwan, and later America. (4:28)
How he would represent Taiwanese today and the generational divide (10:53)
Where a young Professor Pai and his peers found inspiration (Translating Western works and Chinese poetry and merging traditions) (17:44)
Why Professor Pai left Taiwan to America (26:25)
Pai’s observations on the evolution of Chinese and Taiwanese identity (28:14)
His opinions on Asian American literature and his part in shaping it (40:00)
And why his works adapt so well to the stage and screen, as well as his favorite filmmakers (49:00)

My further thoughts on Taipei People and Chinese Identity [https://sameseanniulook.medium.com/taipei-people-and-chinese-identity-540741f093b7]

Where you can watch his work: [https://www.netflix.com/title/80233859](A Touch of Green) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goi6t_HCzwg&ab_channel=%E6%9D%8E%E6%98%8E%E6%BA%90](Last Night of Taipan Chin) [https://www.library.ucsb.edu/news/ucsb-library-digitizes-works-renowned-chinese-author-kenneth-pai](Digitized works in the UCSB Library)

Notes DONATE so we can improve the show at [https://ko-fi.com/electricimageexpress] Resources to report AsAm violence and learn more about how to help: [https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/} E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com Follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

Happy Cleaners: Religion, Family, and The Asian American Dream with Charles Ryu, Yeena Sung, and Kat Kim

Sean Niu — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 16:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Season 2! Happy Lunar New Year! 新年快樂! 새해 복 많이 받으세요 ! Chúc Mừng Năm Mới”!

After reflecting for a few weeks I decided to dedicate more time on the show talking to AsAm/minority creators and focusing the conversation around their journeys and experiences. I hope this helps you understand about how to pursue your own creative passions and furthers the conversation beyond variations of “what did you think of seeing someone that looked like you on screen?”

In Episode 34, I’m joined by Actors Charles Ryu and Yeena Sung as well as Writer Kat Kim from the Korean American movie Happy Cleaners. We start at (8:54) by talking about their memories of Seollal, or Korean New Year. Next (14:47) my guests share their varied journeys to become the creators they are today. Charles and Kat figuring out how to integrate acting/writing into their lives as preacher and lawyer, while Yeena pursuing a full-time acting career from a younger age.

Happy Cleaners is a movie that proudly displays its tight-knit Flushing community roots, and at (28:51) Kat elaborates on how their community was the driving force to enable the film. At (34:01) Charles and Yeena give us insight into how their family experiences influenced the characters they portray (father, daughter) in the film. Finally, Charles and Kat highlight the subtle thread of religion that ties the family dynamic together (44:24) and at (52:26) Yeena and Kat explain how their idea of the Asian American Dream influenced the ending of the film.

Notes Happy Cleaners is out now! It can be streamed on Apple TV, iTunes, Amazon, Youtube, and Vimeo and was produced by [https://koreanamericanstory.org/] DONATE so we can improve the show at [https://ko-fi.com/electricimageexpress] Learn more about what is being done to prevent further Asian Elder violence: [https://rb.gy/uno8of} E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

A Very Harold & Kumar (and Akshay and Sean) 3D Christmas

Sean Niu — Fri, 25 Dec 2020 09:52:36 +0000

Merry Xmas and happy holidays to everyone! Akshay Singh returns to make good on the Xmas episode he promised us way back in episode 4.

Akshay and I first determine where we will record our next Xmas special when the pandemic (hopefully) finally ends (7:04) before we get into how we celebrate Christmas as non-Christian minorities in America (13:17) including Akshay's memories of Christmas growing up in Brazil and India. At (23:52) we get into the very bad/good movie that completes the Harold & Kumar trilogy--what's changed since the first movie, (29:14) how the movie reflects on the ugly truth of Christmas (30:36) and how it represents the end of the stoner movie genre. (32:43) (also, how it breaks ground by showing asian american penis on the big screen)

We end the episode by debating waffles vs. pancakes (36:58) and I share my first encounter with Black Ice. (43:01)

Info Subscribe to our newsletter: Electric Dreams E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

To All the Boys I've Loved Before: Happa representation and Gen Z High School hijinks with Blake Lew-Merwin and Shannon Fong

Sean Niu — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 21:50:42 +0000

In Episode #29, Shannon Fong and Blake Lew-Merwin come back to revisit To All the Boys I've Loved Before: the 2018 high school Netflix romcom written by Jenny Han that notably features Lara Jean, a half-asian protagonist.

After sharing our first reactions, Shannon, our resident asian drama expert (and the only one of the shares the movie's plot similarities to Asian dramas (17:04) before we have a roundtable discussion on Jenny Han's "pragmatic" approach to racial representation (21:11), and where the non-asian creators dropped the ball in adapting from the book. (32:41) At (36:27) we react to the male romantic leads and some missed opportunities before Blake, our gen Z intern, gives her take on the accuracy of To All the Boys in representing modern high school culture. (45:17) Finally, I give my hot take on Netflix content (1:00:15) before we end (1:07:36) with Shannon giving her two favorite recommendations of where to go eat and drink in Taipei, a recurring feature that listeners can always find in our Google Maps bookmark on our website. NOTES Blake's interview with her young adult author sister in law Info Find our hidden geo bookmarks here: [Website] (https://theelectricimageexpress.carrd.co/)
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Fallen Angels: The Wong Kar-Wai Experience with Hon Hoang

Sean Niu — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 05:22:55 +0000

In Episode #28, we FINALLY get to the Wong Kar-Wai episode! Hon Hoang, photographer and director, joins me to talk about my favorite (and I suspect, one of his favorite) directors and his movie Fallen Angels. Hon starts by sharing his journey to become a visual artist (10:18) and where he gets inspiration for his stories. At (16:44), we start revisiting Fallen Angels. I asked Hon to pick a WKW movie to revisit, so at (25:11) he explains why, and how it encouraged him to break the rules of photography and filmmaking. At (31:16), I ask Hon as an Asian American filmmaker, if the WKW style has any limits in the visually different landscape of America vs. Asia. At the end, (37:09) I introduce a new segment where I show Hon 5 stills from the movie and ask him to react to the characters, cinematography, and more, including some really fascinating theories on Blondie and the Assassin’s amnesia! NOTES Hon’s website Subscribe to our newsletter: Electric Dreams E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express **

The 2020 Vice Presidential Debate: Through the Eyes of the Asian American Voter with Minh-Thu-Pham, Kim Thuy Seelinger, and Anuj Vohra

Sean Niu — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 11:17:58 +0000

Today we have a special episode of the pod recapping the Vice Presidential Debate! I'm joined by Minh-Thu-Pham, Kim Thuy Seelinger, and Anuj Vohra-- legal and policy experts as well as founders of New American Voices, Asian Americans Against Trump, and Desis United to share our thoughts on Kamala Harris and Mike Pence's performance and what their organizations are doing to help Joe Biden and Kamala Harris win in 2020. After our guests share a little background on themselves and their organizations (1:21) we start with our immediate overall reactions to the debate an hour after it completed and how it felt seeing an Asian American woman on the VP debate stage. (6:47) Then, @ (18:22) we explore topics the VPs covered as they relate specifically to Asian American voters like China (19:04), social justice (31:35), the supreme court vacancy (40:41), and health care (43:50). We close out our final thoughts on the debate and how it will affect the election @ (48:36) before sharing our most important thoughts on how listeners can get out and help win this election! (54:23)

Interested in helping? Check out the links below to our guest's organizations! * New American Voices Asian Americans Against Trump Desis United

Saving Face: LGBTQ Chinese American cinema and family reputation with Katie Quan and Vivian Liu

Sean Niu — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 05:54:35 +0000

In Episode #26, we revisit Alice Wu's Saving Face:quietly one of the most important movies of the last 20 years for Asian American cinema. Our guest is Katie Quan,who teaches Asian American Issues through Film in San Francisco (basically, she's way more qualified than I am to host this podcast!) and runs This Asian American Life, a platform for highlighting and empowering Asian creators from all walks of life. Katie is joined by Vivian Liu, a former student whose passion and personal connection to the movie motivated her to lead and organize discussion in class.

After sharing our reactions (16:50) Katie helps us understand what this movie brings to the table as the cornerstore of her Womxn Up module before I give a quick primer for our non-Chinese audiences of what "Face" means in Chinese society, and why it is crucial to the social fabric. (18:44) Next, we get personal and share our experiences of losing face in Chinese-American society (22:29) before Vivian gives her perspective of where Chinese American society still encoutners pitfalls for understanding queerness in 2020. (29:28) At (35:40), Katie shares how Saving Face succeeded in unearthing taboos around family relationships and race-- we then spend some time understanding Alice Wu's complicated journey and how her new movie Half of It is a spiritual successor to Saving Face. (43:59) Finally, we end with a few questions: Where do we see Vivian and Will's relationship going? (49:35) What would be on Will's Mom's 2020 dating profile? (53:33) and finally, Why has Saving Face not gotten the spotlight it deserves? (56:33)

NOTES Vivian's link on the double standard in rom-com behavior: Rape Culture and White Supremacy in Alice Wu's New Film Subscribe to our newsletter: Electric Dreams E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express **

Parasite (기생충): Impact on Asian American creators, memeability, Kpop, and more with Minji Chang

Sean Niu — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 07:07:55 +0000

In Episode #25, we revisit Parasite: one of the most acclaimed Asian movies of recent history...and the movie that caused our last collective moment of joy in 2020. Minji Chang-- actor, producer, activist and a whole lot more joins to offer her valuable insight into the movie and the Asian American creative community. After sharing our initial reactions to rewatching the film post the ongoing disaster of 2020 (8:55), I pitch a new measure of movie success: the memability of its scenes. (20:22) Parasite certainly has many relatable scenes stemming from themes of class divide and the perils of capitalism that is relatable to everyone. Minji then helps us understand how Parasite has influenced the Asian American film community. (Hint: representation isn't enough if your script is crap) (27:00) before extending our comparison to other Korean cultural exports, like Kpop (BTS, PSY) and how we feel about the American reaction to those trends. (35:04) Later, I put on my economic historian hat and point out what Parasite has to say about neocolonial free market ideals exported from America (42:05) which leads to some mind blowing stories from Minji about how American ideas of beauty were incepted into Korea. Finally, we end the show by bringing back Unanswerable Questions like: 1) How much was Kevin's tutor salary? 2) Is Art Therapy a real thing? and 3) Did our parents really sacrifice for us... or for themselves?

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1998 Mulan: Gender roles, Gen Z, and looking forward to 2020 Mulan with Shannon Fong and Blake Lew-Merwin

Sean Niu — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 08:05:48 +0000

When you think of Asian American icons in animation, The Animated, OG 1998 Mulan quickly climbs to the top of the list. When we started this podcast, Mulan was definitely on the shortlist. What better time to revisit this milestone thanthe release of the new Mulan? Returning guest Shannon Fong and rockstar intern Blake Lew-Merwin join us to share their memories of watching an Asian Disney princess growing up (for Shannon) and for the first time (for Blake). After we share our reactions, we give a brief history lesson on the original ballad (22:42) and where Disney took liberties with the plot. (Hint: the ballad had no lucky cricket and talking dragon) While some liberties are understandable for the audience and time period, we examine where a lack of diversity in the creative board room shows in the movie (25:27). While at least '98 Mulan had one Asian American writer in Rita Hsiao, '20 Mulan is criticized for not having any Asian American or Asian creative leads. Still, '98 Mulan was a huge milestone for Asian Americans, especially Millenials who grew up with her and we discuss why '20 Mulan might be for a different audience. (31:07) We're not making men out of anyone or fighting for any girls in 2020, but we still give '98 props for sticking its head out more than its peers with regards to mixing up gender roles, creating strong, intelligent female figures and masculine asian male characters. (34:21) We finish with a story of Shannon's 11-year old cousin's reaction to the movie (41:09) and choose our fav song from the movie. (48:55)

LINKS Translation of Original Mulan Ballad **

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The Wandering Earth (流浪地球) + 3 Body Problem ( 三体): Science Fiction in the hands of China with Eric Lee and Mazy Yap

Sean Niu — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 07:17:33 +0000

The Wandering Earth gives us a once in a lifetime chance to observe a new superpower get behind the director's seat for the first time and inject their culture's values and world view through science fiction. Eric Lee and Mazy Yap join me to revisit The Wandering Earth, the Mainland China's first modern science fiction epic and explore the Remembrance of Earth's Past book trilogy written by Liu Cixin, whose short story is the foundation for The Wandering Earth.

After reacting to China's first foray into this genre, we discuss what Cixin prioritizes: science or characterization?(16:05) Then, we list our favorite absurd plot holes of the movie (19:06) and discuss how Ken Liu, the English translator of the book, helped avoid some of these issues. (22:08) We then as ourselves: what does this mean for a potential 3 Body Problem series or movie? (24:11)

At (27:06) we get into our big theme: how sci-fi allows you to potray the world hierarchy through your own POV and what The Wandering Earth might have to say about the Chinese government's perspective. We contrast this with how the Chinese government is portrayed in Hollyood movies like Arrival (shoutout to Ted Chiang!) and The Martian.

We then transition to discussing Liu Cixin's background and novels (33:59) and compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the books and movie. (39:51) We toss around topics like collectivism, wall facers (my favorite sci fi concept), long term planning, and the evolutionary limits of an individualistic society.

LINKS Accented Cinema's Wandering Earth Review Wandering Earth Short Story **

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Lost in Translation 2: The Tokyo Expat Journey and Tokyo Secrets with Mike Nikolakakis

Sean Niu — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 06:52:52 +0000

Wait, didn't we already cover Lost in Translation? Yes-- but the Japan ex-pat experience is so close to my heart and so fresh in my mind that I had to get Mike back on the podcast and cover some specific experiences related to living life as a foreigner and a minority in Japan. Mike first gives his reaction to the movie (7:55) before we give our thoughts on the unique expat culture in Japan. (9:28) Foreigners come to Japan for different type of reasons-- and we share why we left America and how living in Japan changed our life goals. (12:33) At (18:40) Mike gives us his POV as a white man leaving America and how living in Japan has given him new perspectives, before I share my own constant internal conflict as a Taiwanese-American in Japan. Later(28:40) I tie up the movie discussion by relating to how expat life can give you a misguided distraction from relationship problems.

TOKYO SECRETS: If you came for the insider knowledge, you can find it at: (38:54) Building on Episode 21 on San Francisco Chinatown, we're back with more of our favorite spots in Tokyo. Mike and I spent a LOT of time poking our heads in random alleys, nondescript basements, and people's apartments as we tried to find the most interesting gems in Tokyo. Tokyo is a city where the more dig, the exponentially more you will understand the city, and so we thought we would provide our listeners with an extra bonus for being such great fans. THIS PART IS OPTIMIZED FOR YOUTUBE SO CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE: YOUTUBE

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Jeremy Lin 10 years later: Linsanity, Faith, NBA restart, and the future for Asian American ballers with Andrew Noh

Sean Niu — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 05:05:49 +0000

The NBA is back! To celebrate, Andrew and I take a look back at Jeremy Lin's historic career through the documentary Linsanity. Can you believe it's been 10 years since he entered the NBA?? Time flies. We start with recalling our favorite memories from those crazy few weeks (10:01) and I break down how some league-defining events shaped his career for the worst. (13:47) Even with the NBA giving up on him, we admire how he took on the mantle as one of the faces of Asian America, even while he was constantly trying to prove himself in a league that always doubted him (18:34)

We can't talk about Jeremy and Linsanity without getting into Jeremy's faith. Having come from a similar religious background, Andrew thinks about how Jeremy's devotion fit into how he approached pivotal moments in his NBA career, and perhaps exacerbated some of the barriers he had to overcome. (23:22)

At (38:37), we start looking into the aftermath of Linsanity and how his success impacted the prospects of other Asian American ballers, and discuss the disparity of success for Asian Americans in team sports vs indiviual sports. (47:04) We finish off with some NBA bubble thoughts: who to watch out for, who can succeed, and of course, how the Lakers will continue their dominance.(1:03:48)

Padma Lakshmi's Taste the Nation: SF Chinatown restaurant recommendations, Lan Zhou vs. Xi'an and the future of Chinese food in America with Eric Lee and Akshay Singh

Sean Niu — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 06:09:44 +0000

Episode 20! Wow! It's crazy how quickly we got here and we couldn't have done it without your encouragement, support, and constructive feedback.

This week Eric and Akshay join me to get real deep into a topic near and dear to our hearts: Chinese Food in America, while revisiting Padma Lakshmi's Taste the Nation "SF Chinatown" episode. Specifically, San Francisco and New York Chinese Food. We start out by explaining why, in a world of self-proclaimed foodies, you should trust our opinions about food (7:22) before explaining why Padma's show is as much about the culture and politics behind food...and how her show chooses an entirely new direction from the GOAT, Tony Bourdain. (15:47) At (41:15), we start getting into the good stuff: CHINESE RESTAURANT RECOMMENDATIONS! Including when to go, what to order, including some off the menu items. To finish the epsiode we look at a (58:13) case study of Lan Zhou Noodles vs Xian Famous Foods: will our favorite mom and pop shops that maintain delicious tradition survive in the face of savvy innovation, superior marketing, and appeal to broader (non Asian) tastes?

The Electric Image Express Map! As a special treat for our 20th episode, We have shared a Google Maps bookmarks list below so if you're interested in any of the restaurants we recommended, you can check them out yourself post COVID! CLICK HERE FOR THE MAP

**Want to tell us your favorite Chinatown restaurants? Want to reassure us that traditional Chinese will survive? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)***

Infernal Affairs (無間道) and how Asian Americans navigate self identity with Michael Yap and Stephanie Cheng

Sean Niu — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 04:12:00 +0000

In Episode 19 Stephanie and Michael Yap joins us to revisit Andrew Lau's Infernal Affairs. We kick it off by establishing some sides: Team Tony Leung vs Team Andy Lau? (8:28) After reflection of our rewatch, I describe how Infernal Affairs represents the wonderful memory of discovering incredible content from one world (Asia) and sharing it with another (America). (16:50) At (21:23), we start exploring the big theme of the podcast: agency over identity. By (43:38), Steph and Michael have gotten real deep into the therapist chair as they explore their radically different approaches to integrating family tradition and expectations into our identity, and at (50:12) I share how my mindset is somewhere in the middle: not having ties to physical space, but still highly prioritzing my family's desires .

I STARTED A NEWSLETTER! Do you want to read an excerpt from my book on Chinese Diaspora identity? Do you prefer reading over listening? Do you want to just have all of our content sent to you in an e-mail instead of checking Spotify? Read and Subscribe here!

*Want to tell us how Andy Lau's character will never be a good man? Want to share how Infernal Affairs compares to The Departed? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Gran Torino and Growing up Hmong American and visibility in Asian America with Lea Vue and Vang Xiong

Sean Niu — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 04:19:29 +0000

In Episode 18 Lea Vue and Vang Xiong join us to revisit Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino and share their perspective on growing up Hmong American, and Hmong America's relation within the Asian American community and with other minorities in America. Although having many problematic portrayals of Hmong culture, we discuss at (4:00) the tradeoff of cutting cultural corners for a perceived foot in the door... and why that foot hasn't led to more truthful portrayals.(9:26) At (17:29), we discuss why Hmong Americans continue to feel that their story is not well understood and acknowledged, even within the Asian American community--and how that relates to the reaction to Tou Thao and BLM. Later, we look at the strong sense of community within Hmong America, (33:56) how that might lead to a focus on representation in activism over entertainment, and why the greater Asian American community has overlooked many South East Asian voices (42:08)

I STARTED A NEWSLETTER! This week's edition of the newsletter was a tough one, but I'm glad I wrote it. I talk about the need to understand, acknowledge, and uplift the variety of stories that constitute Asian America. We haven't always done a good job in the past. Read and Subscribe here!

*Have questions for us? Interested in collaborating? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Lost in Translation: The AAPI expat experience with Deirdre Bosa and Trung Phan

Sean Niu — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 21:39:42 +0000

In Episode 17 Trung brings his good friend Deirdre Bosa to revisit Sophia Coppola's Lost in Translation and share our varied AAPI expat experiences across Asia-- from Japan, China, to Vietnam. At (17:57) we reveal what emotions and motivations brought us to move to Asia before lifting the veil and sharing the lonely lows we encountered after all the fun and partying. (28:07) Later, we reveal which of the varied expat stereotypical groups we fell in with (39:52) before finishing with some theories on one of the all-time ambiguous endings. (50:06)

I STARTED A NEWSLETTER! This week I examine how Scarlett's character redefined Japan to millenials as the solution to our existential crises. Read and Subscribe here!

*Want to share your own AAPI expat story? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Big Hero 6 and Asian American representation in animation with Stephanie Cheng

Sean Niu — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 07:54:52 +0000

In Episode 16 Stephanie Cheng joins us to revisit Disney's Big Hero 6 and examine Asian American representation in animation. Steph is an animation industry insider having worked at Dreamworks and now building Netflix's animation studio. We start by sharing how it felt to just see Asian American protagonists exist naturally in a story that is not explicitly about their ethnicity or culture. (9:55) We then debate whether it matters if a well researched movie that feels genuinely inclusive is not made by any creative leads of the relevant minority. (15:46) Later, Steph gives her expert take on the state of Asian American representation in animation today. (24:15) before giving us a fascinating lesson on the subtle challenges facing animation artists in accurately and respectfully portraying different ethnicities. (35:15)

I STARTED A NEWSLETTER! Do you want to read more about Asian American protagonists not having to operate in a story about their culture? Do you prefer reading over listening? Do you want to just have all of our content sent to you in an e-mail instead of checking Spotify? Read and Subscribe here!

*Want to tell us how Aladdin made you confused as a kid? Noticed how my name sounds just like the villain from Mulan? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Yellow Peril #2: Phuc Bui, Assimilation, and Anglicizing Names with Eric, Andrew, and Stephen

Sean Niu — Sat, 27 Jun 2020 22:50:56 +0000

On the second episode of the Yellow Peril series, we discuss the vietnamese-american student Phuc Bui at Laney College whose professor demanded that she change her name because of his ignorant misunderstanding of the name's pronounciation.

Eric starts the convo by wondering out loud how he and his south asian wife Nadia have approached naming their future children. (7:03) Andrew asks the rest of us @ (14:50) how we would feel if our kid wanted to legally change their name, and finally Stephen brings us back to the key to approach any name you dont know how to pronounce: respect. (30:52)

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE How to pronounce Phuc Bui Atlantic article citing studies on how different names affect decision making

*Questions? Comments? Reactions? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Want to improve the show? Filll out our Feedback Form here: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Akira (アキラ): The Michael Jordan of Sci-fi movies with Mike Nikolakakis

Sean Niu — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 03:04:10 +0000

In Episode 15 Mike Nikolakakis joins us from Tokyo to discuss why Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira might just be the most important Sci-fi movie of the last 50 years. We start by breaking down why Akira's stunning visual style stands the test of time (9:42) and how Akira has influenced pop culture from Kanye West to the Matrix to Stranger Things. (13:11) Later we analyze how Akira's cyberpunk hellscape reflects Japanese sci-fi's unique cynicism and mistrust of technology and industrialization, tying back their often traumatic history with nuclear energy and reliance on technological innovation for their 80s boom. We use these obserations to compare what Akira got right and wrong about Tokyo in 2020. (20:40) Finally, we give our 3 favorite Tokyo hidden bars inspired by Akira, (29:45) our theories on the ending and the iconic last line: "I am Tetsuo" (37:33) and Mike gives us some hidden insight into the eclectic soundtrack that adds to the surreal viewing experience. (49:41)

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you want to learn more about the music, Mike recommends this video by Cel-Shaded Music Theory

*Think I'm crazy for comparing Akira to MJ? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Shaolin Soccer (少林足球): Growing up with Stephen Chow and Mo Lei Tau with Mazy Yap

Sean Niu — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 23:03:50 +0000

In Episode 14 Mazy Yap joins us to talk about Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer. Mazy helps us understand what it was like growing up with Stephen Chow's comedies constantly on TV in Hong Kong (10:00) and helps us break down his unique style of absurd, "nonsense comedy" called Mo Lei Tau (13:45) Later, we discuss how Mazy experienced balancing her Hong Kong past with her more recent Asian American identity (24:00) before we debate why Stephen Chow was never fully embraced by America and changed his style for the mainland Chinese audience. (26:45)

Links mentioned in this episode:

When describing Mo Lei Tau, I reference this extremely detailed breakdown of Chow's humor by Accented Cinema

*Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Be Water: Bruce Lee's impact, athleticism, death, and comparisons to MJ + much much more with Trung Phan and Eric Lee

Sean Niu — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 03:51:03 +0000

A Bruce Lee 30 for 30 documentary dropping right as our podcast starts picking up steam is, to quote the wise Rob Pelinka: "Manna from Heaven"

Trung and Eric come on for our first Triple Threat 3-man episode and we switch up the format into a punchy question and answer roundtable and answer 5 big questions: 1: What was Bruce Lee's impact on you growing up? (3:45) 2: What similarities did you see between Bruce's Be Water and Michael Jordan's Last Dance? (16:20) 3: What hot takes have we heard about Bruce's death? (23:39) 4: How legitimate were Bruce Lee's fighting skills? (31:00) 5: And finally, what was his biggest impact for Asian Americans and what would he think of how we're viewed on screen and in society today? (37:36)

NOTES:

Trung raves about the soundtrack for Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story @ (5:30). You can listen to the full theme song here
Sean mentions @ (28:47) a Chinese MMA fighter who made it his life mission to expose "fake" tai chi and kung fu masters. His name is Xu Xiaodong (徐晓冬). A brief interview including fight footage is here
Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: Feedback Form

YELLOW PERIL SERIES #1: Reactions on #BlackoutTuesday, the view from Vancouver, and not burning out on activism

Sean Niu — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:05:08 +0000

Hey all! Trung, Eric and I were so fired up by everything that happened last week (ending 6/5) that we decided to record an episode only about the George Floyd protests and the surrounding climate. Engagement in understanding, processing, and helping end systemic racism and police brutality is going to be a lifetime marathon-- it won't dissapear just because your friends stopped posting about it, so we want to try and highlight these subjects (and related ones) on a regular basis.

Trung joins us first (4:19) to give his POV as a Canadian-Vietnamese. We start with the protests before moving on to longer term actions (VOTE) (10:00) and why, given all the turmoil in America, he still turns to the country for hope. (13:01) We finish his brief segment with wondering if the current movement needs a clearer end goal. (15:32)

Eric barrels in with a bundle of energy at (22:17) and spits fire in answering 3 questions from me:

What do you think about the #blackouttuesday social media movement? (23:05)
How does a normal person working a 9-5 keep pace with further education and involvement? (40:27)
How have we continued to educate ourselves since Ep. 10? (50:14)

NOTE: Eric wants you to know he is NOT an expert or a professional activist, but is a strongly opinionated curmudgeon who really cares!

Questions? Comments? E-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Gook: The difference between '92 and '20 with Andrew Noh

Sean Niu — Sat, 13 Jun 2020 00:52:12 +0000

In Ep. 12 Andrew Noh joins us to talk about Justin Chon's Gook. Although we scheduled Gook before George Floyd's murder, the movie's human story on how Black and Korean communities suffered in the wake of the acquittal of Rodney King's attackers is clearly relevant to today.

Our conversation starts with our personal experiences talking to our families about traumatic cultural events and how we've approached the conversation around #BlackLivesMatter this month. (20:00) We then discuss how the Rodney King and George Floyd events affected our respective communities (27:00) (fuck #rooftopasians) before opening up on our experiences with the racial slur that doubles as the title for the movie. (37:00)

On the lighter side we give a deserved shout out to the 6th man of the movie Jesus, (51:30) I sharply criticize Justin Chon for his choice of NBA teams to rep in the movie, (58:25) and Andrew wraps it up by explaining his 형 experience compared to Eli and Daniel in the movie. (1:00:57)

TRAILER: The Electric Image Express

Sean Niu — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 08:10:53 +0000

Four Lions: Asians as Terrorists and Terrorists as.... people? with Anupam Sharma

Sean Niu — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 03:32:23 +0000

Everyone knows South Asians are stereotypically portrayed as terrorists in Western film. But have you considered that all terrorists on film have a stereotypical personality? Chris Morris's dark comedy Four Lions portrays terrorists first as people-- misguided, idiotic, clumsy fools who have been swayed to perpetuate evil not by holy scripture, but by anger, hate, fame, or listening to a misguided authority.

Anupam Sharma, a college friend and British Indian joins us to revisit his favorite comedy--that doubles as one of the few British films to give South Asian and Muslim characters almost all the screen time and dialog. Anupam starts with sharing his British minority's perspective on the US protests over George Floyd's murder (11:10) before sharing his view as a part-time actor/comedian on how comedy and Asian representation has evolved in Britain, and how Indians are portrayed differently in the UK and US over the last 20 years. (39:20) Once we get past the serious bits, we do our best impressions of our fav scenes...including my first desperate attempt at an accent on the pod.(55:11)

YELLOW PERIL SUPPORTS BLACK POWER: Enter the Dragon with Eric Lee

Sean Niu — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 01:40:39 +0000

In Episode 10 Eric comes back to talk Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee,(14:30) but most importantly, the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police as the latest in a long string of institutionalized racist acts against black people in America. (21:55) We share how we have digested the events of the last week, how we have begun educating ourselves on the topic, what we and our listeners can do to help, and our largely unqualified understanding of our shared history as minorities in America.

NOTE: I will be donating $1 for every listener of this episode, and episode #9 (Crazy Rich Asians) and $5 for every feedback form filled out. The donations will be made 50% to the ACLU and 50% to Black Lives Matter I measure streams by unique downloads measured by my RSS provider Zencast and listeners measured by Spotify.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express Sean's website: https://sean-niu.squarespace.com/ Feedback for the podcast: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

Other resources

This link includes institutions that need donations, petitions, protest info, and more.[https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/]([Ways you can help BLM)
[https://chorus.fm/blog/ten-steps-of-non-optical-allyship/](10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship)
[https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/anti-racist-books-and-resources](PenguinRandomHouse: Anti Racist Books and Resources) From Eric:
[shorturl.at/svHMXf](Yellow Power: The Formation of Asian-American Nationalism in the Age of Black Power)
[shorturl.at/GHIY7r](DemocracyNow!: Was Bay Area Radical, Black Panther Arms Supplier Richard Aoki an Informant for the FBI?)

Crazy Rich Asians: Family, Money, and Dating in Asia with Shannon Fong

Sean Niu — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 08:10:13 +0000

You can't talk about Asian American identity in media without talking Crazy Rich Asians. Shannon Fong, a close family friend and a Taiwanese American who moved back to Taipei helps us wrap up Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month by talking about her personal experiences with family, money, and dating in an Asian city where everyone knows everyone else. Shannon first gives us a glimpse of how Asians in Taiwan and Singapore reacted to the movie (17:15) before we start giving our opinions on the star-studded asian american cast (26:25). (I'm Selling Constance stock, Buying Awkwafina) Later, we discuss if the film accurately portrays the different values Chinese-Americans have vs. Chinese diaspora in Asia (40:50) and share our own crazy rich asian stories (45:30). Finally, we finish with a Nick Young basketball scouting report (1:03:00) and Shannon gives a detailed gambler's breakdown on why the Mahjong scene was so touching. (1:14:53)

Note: We recorded this before the protests over the murder of George Floyd escalated. We touch briefly upon representation in this movie (21:52) but we dive deeper in Ep. 10. I will be donating $1 for every listener of this episode, and Ep.10 (Enter the Dragon) and $5 for every feedback form filled out. The donations will be evenly split between the ACLU and Black Lives Matter I measure streams by unique downloads measured by my RSS provider Zencast and listeners measured by Spotify.

Updated thoughts from Shannon: https://www.shannily.com/post/after-thoughts-in-the-aftermath

The Big Sick: Finding love for you and your family (Bag of Devotion not required) with Akshay Singh

Sean Niu — Wed, 27 May 2020 09:43:13 +0000

In Episode #8, Akshay Singh makes his return to talk about Kumail Nanjiani's The Big Sick with more of his awkward anecdotes and convincing theories on marrying modern love with traditional, asian parents. As two single guys with our parents breathing down our backs, we put on our introspection aprons and serve up our feelings on the constant underlying pressure on marriage (28:30), why we've waylayed ourselves by looking for the wrong attributes in our partners (29:00) and why the Bag of Devotion is never, ever, ever, a good idea. (51:10) Of course, we can't talk about Kumail without mentioning his fearsome new physique (14:00) and Akshay shares his own Kumail-like story about coming to America. (6:40)

Apocalypse Now IS Vietnam with Trung Phan

Sean Niu — Sat, 23 May 2020 04:58:08 +0000

In this episode, we are joined by Trung Phan and his colorful Vietnamese background. We can't hold back the NBA analogies and at (13:30) throw out our desire for a Coppola-style Last Dance. At (17:00) Trung shares some of his experiences from his expat years, backstory on his great-grandfather Phan Bội Châu, a pioneer of Vietnamese nationalism, and why Vietnamese representation in this movie might not be that important. Later, (33:30) we boldly theorize that Apocalypse Now is Coppola's 1993 Finals. With nothing left to prove, he loses motivation to continue to be the best. We tie things up with the most obvious Linsanity award winner ever...Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore. (45:00)

Links mentioned in this episode: A couple books on Vietnam Trung mentions in the episode: A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam The Best and the Brightest The Sympathizer

The Farewell: forging your identity between two cultures with Eric Lee

Sean Niu — Tue, 19 May 2020 01:00:33 +0000

For our third movie in Asian Pacific American Heritage Month we fast forward to 2019 and revisit The Farewell: one of the standout films of our current "golden age" of Asian-American content. Eric joins us again and takes over hosting duties. We start off with a hilarious story where Eric convinces a woman on his flight he hates his job (6:30), before getting into a lively debate on our big question: What is an Asian-American film? (17:45). Later we relive some of our foundational childhood memories that helped us understand the differences between our upbringing and our family in Asia (29:30), figure out if we would tell our loved ones bad news (46:30) and give a shout out to some of the bad ass women in our life (54:30). We end the podcast with categories by recognizing the "real" China of Changchun (58:40), Tzi Ma, and Diana Lin. (1:05:00)

Sean's website: https://sean-niu.squarespace.com/ Feedback for the podcast: Feedback Form

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Better Luck Tomorrow: East Coast v West Coast, Public v Private School with Eric Lee

Sean Niu — Tue, 12 May 2020 23:30:35 +0000

We continue celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with Better Luck Tomorrow: the movie that has had the most impact on my life and a landmark in Asian American cinema. My former roommate, the less abusive Han to my Virgil, Eric Lee, makes his podcast debut to contrast his East Coast public school Asian upbringing with my West Coast private school background. We talk about how this movie altered the course of my life (5:57), the differences growing up on different coasts (20:00), and with different parental oversight (42:00). We also look at how this movie addresses themes of representation, masculinity, and authenticity (33:00) and where Justin Lin's career has taken him post BLT. (23:10)

Links mentioned in this episode:

Roger Ebert at Sundance: https://youtu.be/LSzP9YV3jbc

Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle and Asian-American stoner comedy with Akshay Singh

Sean Niu — Mon, 04 May 2020 10:13:10 +0000

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month everyone! We kick off the month with Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, an all time Asian-American comedy directed by Danny Leiner. Obviously we had to bring on a co-host for this journey, so my good friend Akshay joins as the first guest not related to Sean!

We get stoned and guess which Kumar line sounds most like Akshay, dive deep into White Castle Fish Nibblers, and praise the universal heroism of the supporting-head-nodding-guy.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

Hero (英雄) and the problems with the CCP with Sean's Mom

Sean Niu — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 03:33:05 +0000

This week we talk about Hero, a beautiful but controversial movie directed by Zhang Yimou. We discuss Zhang's up and down relationship with the Chinese Communist Party, how he uses scale and color to emphasize emotions, and compare Jet Li to Elton Brand. At (42:30) Sean's Mom joins to give some backgroud on ancient chinese culture and customs that we see in the movie.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Hard Boiled (辣手神探) and the struggle of the Asian American Male in Film with Sean's Dad

Sean Niu — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 21:07:02 +0000

This week we use Hard Boiled to contrast the hard, masculine action heros portrayed by Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung with the limited roles given to Asian-American actors and how it affects our identity. We also introduce a new segment: "Sean's Sports Analogy Corner" where we compare Tequila and Tony to Shaq and Kobe. Finally, Sean's Dad joins us to talk about his favorite actors growing up and his experiences as an Asian man in the States.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Please e-mail us at electricimageexpress@gmail.com or give us a follow on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

LINKS: As mentioned, here are some great links to explore more of John Woo's filmmaking

Eat Drink Man Woman (‎飲食男女) with Sean Niu and Sean's Mom

Sean Niu — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 05:04:30 +0000

Welcome to the inaugral podcast! We kick things off with Ang Lee's classic: Eat Drink Man Woman. I explore Ang's return to Taipei, how this movie is a hall of fame foodie movie, and launch the inaugral Jeremy Lin "Linsanity" award. Special guest appearance by my Mom, Jia-pyng Niu, who talks about her life as a Taiwanese-American immigrant and growing up in a family of 3 sisters!

Links mentioned in this episode:

Ang Lee Interview on the Movie: https://youtu.be/v1CAUKYhfRQ

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm