Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.
What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.
In this episode, we welcome our old friends Sujata Day (Definition Please, Heroes' Feast) and Dino-Ray Ramos (DIASPORA) to talk about the action revenge thriller Monkey Man, written/directed by and starring Dev Patel. We discuss this new take on storytelling from the South Asian diaspora, this blessed era of the Dev Patel Glow-Up, some of the political, religious and cultural controversy surrounding the movie, and of course, the badass action sequences (both borrowed and new) -- including the moment that had everybody in the movie screaming. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of Monkey Man.
'Slumdog Millionaire' star makes his directorial debut with a gritty action thriller produced by Jordan Peele.
Holy crap. Dev Patel makes his feature directing debut in the revenge action thriller Monkey Man. Produced by Jordan Peele, the movie follows one man's quest for vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systemically victimize the poor and powerless. 'Slumdog Millionaire' star makes his directing debut with a gritty action thriller from producer Jordan Peele.
Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash.
After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city's sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Elizabeth Warren: A Working Agenda for AAPIs
From the Elizabeth Warren Campaign: "We need to collect comprehensive disaggregated data if we are going to make big structural changes so that our democracy works for everyone. This document is a work in progress and will continue to be updated based on input and insight from Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) activists, community leaders, organizers, policy experts, and stakeholders."
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U.S. Funding Reintegration Program for Laotian and Hmong Refugees
Laotian and Hmong refugees are preparing to face a possible increase in deportations, in part because the U.S. government is funding a reintegration program to help Laos accept nationals with final orders of removal.
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Larry Itliong and the Great Delano Grape Strike
At 15, Larry Itliong came to America with a dream. His plans changed when he learned the truth about his new home. In 1965, he led Filipino farmworkers in a historic fight for their rights. Episode 12 of Long Distance tells the story of the influential labor leader and the Delano Grape Strike.
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The Green Knight
Oh damn. Check out the teaser trailer for The Green Knight, a new cinematic twist on the Arthurian legend -- starring Dev Patel. The medieval fantasy adventures tells the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Dev's got a sword. Dev's on a quest. And I am here for it.
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Netflix to Serve Documentary Series on Naomi Osaka
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka is set as the subject of a Netflix documentary series. The series will cover Osaka's pivotal year, from the US Open in August last year, on tour as Osaka plays in each of this year's Grand Slam tournaments, and prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sooner or later, every South Asian actor gets mistaken for Kal Penn.
Wall Street Journal film critic Joe Morgenstern made an embarrassing error in a review for the movie Lion in Friday's newspaper, when he confused Dev Patel with Kal Penn.
Both actors are of Indian descent, but their careers have been very different. Patel, 26, who plays Saroo Brierley in Lion, is British, while Penn, 39, was born in New Jersey.
In his review, Morgenstern says that Lion is Patel's "richest performance" since 2006's The Namesake. But Patel, the star of Slumdog Millionaire, wasn't in that film directed by Mira Nair. The part was played by Penn, whose other credits include the Harold and Kumar movies, House and How I Met Your Mother.
