Wisconsin Man Harassed Asians For Wearing Masks

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Man Faces Hate Crime Charges for Harassing Asians at the Grocery Store
In Wisconsin, police are recommending hate crime charges against a man they say harassed Asian Americans for wearing masks in a grocery store. 57-year-old Robert Shrote admitted to verbally harassing Asian Americans at the Save A Lot store in Stevens Point. According to police, "customers were called names and harassed for wearing masks because of their race." Shrote faces a charge of disorderly conduct and a hate crime "enhancer," meaning the misdemeanor charge could carry up to 90 days in jail and a $10,000 fine.

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'American Idol' Crowns Season 3 Winner Virtually
The season 18 winner of American Idol was crowned last night -- from home -- and it's worth noting that the runner-up was Dibesh Pokharel (stage name: Arthur Gunn), a 22-year-old Nepalese singer-songwriter who, for had emerged as the front-runner of the competition. I'm told he was clearly the judges' favorite, and many watchers thought he'd end up winning it all. But alas, at the end of the night, amidst the televised confusion of the remote finale, the title awkwardly went to Just Sam, a 21-year-old subway singer from Harlem. Congratulations. And I wouldn't worry about Arthur Gunn -- just watch the video of him performing and you'll see. This guy is runner up to nobody.

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Remembering Our Co-Founder, Thomas Low
Thomas Low, co-founder and CEO of multicultural children's publishing house Lee & Low Books, has died of cancer at his home in Connecticut. He was 78. Low co-founded Lee & Low Books with Philip Lee in 1991. Though they had no previous publishing experience, both men had noticed, and been dismayed by, a dearth of contemporary diverse stories for children and believed there could be a business opportunity in pursuing their passion to fill that gap in the industry. Since then, Lee & Low has been a leader in supporting new voices in children's literature, particularly from authors of color.

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Far East Movement Debuts New Song for Heritage Month
"Identity: Project Blue Marble" is an eight-hour relief event happening March 20 on Twitch in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. To mark the occasion, hip hop group Far East Movement is debuting a new song, "We Are the Truth," which can be heard in the trailer for the event (watch video above).

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Parasite: A Graphic Novel in Storyboards
Remember when Parasite won all those Oscars? That was awesome. Now you can experience the movie in graphic novel form, sort of. With hundreds of mesmerizing illustrations, the new book Parasite: A Graphic Novel in Storyboards, is a fresh look at Bong Joon-Ho's award-winning, genre-defying masterpiece, featuring storyboards drawn by the director himself prior to the shooting of the film. The book also contains a foreword written by Bong that shares early concept drawings and photos from the set which take the reader even deeper into the creative process. If you enjoyed Parasite, the book is a fascinating glimpse at Bong's creative process.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 88: They Call Us That Movie From South Korea

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.

On this episode, we check in to catch up and discuss The Good, The Bad and The WTF of recent weeks, including Parasite's historic night at the Oscars, the bittersweet end of Fresh Off The Boat, and Trump's truly terrible take on movies.

Surprise, Surprise: Trump Has Shitty Taste in Movies

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Trump Trashes Korean Oscar-Winner Parasite at Rally
President Donald Trump is apparently not a fan of Parasite winning the Oscar for Best Picture, his biggest complaint being that the movie was made in South Korea. "What the hell was that all about?” Trump said at a campaign rally in Colorado Springs. "We've got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of that, they give them best movie of the year. Was it good? I don't know." Neon, the U.S. distributor of Parasite, shot back: "Understandable. He can't read." And there it is.

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University at Albany Students Hosted a Coronavirus Party
Over the weekend, students at the State University of New York at Albany apparently hosted a coronavirus-themed party. Video from the party reportedly showed a bucket of Corona beers and a person wearing a surgical mask with the caption, "Corona virus isn't gonna stop anyone from partying." Asian American Alliance, a university student organization, condemned the party, calling it insensitive and racist, while the university is investigating whether the party violated the college's student code of conduct.

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Asian American Content Banner Launches With Valence Media Investment
A-Major Media, a new production company focused on Asian American content, has launched with a majority investment from Valence Media. Led by Mary Lee, projects include I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Yulin Kuang's adaptation of Maurene Goo's 2015 YA novel; an untitled autobiographical project based on the high school experiences of Fresh Off the Boat co-executive producer Kourtney Kang; We Stan, about female friends and fellow K-pop stans, penned by Atypical scribe Lauren Moon; an untitled feature film produced by John Cho; and an untitled television series produced by Gemma Chan, among others.

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'The Black Tapes' Co-creator Inks Multi-Series Deal With Spotify
Podcast veteran Paul Bae, co-creator of fiction series The Black Tapes, has inked a multi-series deal with Spotify, with two new fiction projects in development. In Amanda Chi and the Ghost Sessions, he will tell the story of a Korean-Indian girl who moves to a new school and is initiated into a secret society that finds the town's ghosts and expels them. Boyland, meanwhile, will focus on a disgraced K-pop star who finds new life in Los Angeles when he is recruited into a new supergroup poised to take over the American pop scene.

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The Claudia Kishi Club
If you're headed to SXSW next month, don't miss the world premiere of the documentary short The Claudia Kishi Club, directed by Sue Ding. "For many Asian American women—and other women of color—Claudia Kishi was the first time they saw themselves in popular media. A main character in the best-selling Baby-Sitters Club books, Claudia defied stereotypical portrayals of Asian characters: she was creative, popular, and bad at school. As a blossoming artist, she was a role model for aspiring young creators—many of whom are now making groundbreaking work of their own. Asian American artists and writers share their memories of Claudia and read from their favorite books, alongside stop-motion collages that bring the character to life. Nostalgic yet timely, this film highlights the personal and universal importance of representation."

'Fresh Off The Boat' Series Finale Airs This Friday

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



'Fresh Off the Boat' leaving indelible mark on TV landscape
Time to say goodbye to the Huangs. After six seasons, Fresh Off The Boat ends its trailblazing television run on Friday. "Without question, the sitcom, centered on a Taiwanese-Chinese American family in the 1990s living in predominantly white Orlando, Florida -- will be immortalized in the canon of Asian-American representation."

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Senator Mazie Hirono's Remarks on 2020 Day of Remembrance
Thursday marked the annual Day of Remembrance, commemorating the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Remarks by U.S. Senator Maizie Hirono were supposed to be shown during the 2020 Los Angeles Day of Remembrance program, held at the Japanese American National Museum. However, the museum's Board of Trustees apparently deemed her remarks inappropriate, and the video was not shown during the event. So here's the video.

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Andrew Yang joins CNN as a political commentator
If you couldn't get enough of Andrew Yang during his run for president, and wondering where you can get your Yang fix now that's dropped out of the race, look no further than CNN. The former Democratic presidential candidate is joining CNN as a political commentator, the network announced Wednesday.

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A taxi driver saved an elderly woman from being scammed out of $25,000
Authorities in Roseville, California are praising a cab driver who saved a 92-year-old woman from giving a scammer $25,000. Rajbir Singh knew something sounded fishy when his elderly passenger said she needed a ride to the bank to withdraw $25,000, allegedly to settle a debt with the IRS. Singh pleaded with the woman to reconsider, saying he thought this could be a scam. He even detoured to a police station, where an officer convinced her not to withdraw her money. Shout out to a good citizen.

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Parasite: A Graphic Novel in Storyboards
If you can't get enough of Parasite, check out the historic, Oscar-winning film as a graphic novel drawn by director Bong Joon Ho himself. In hundreds of mesmerizing illustrations, Parasite: A Graphic Novel in Storyboards is a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of the film. As part of his unique process, Bong storyboarded each shot of Parasite prior to the filming of every scene. Accompanied by the film's dialog, the storyboards he drew capture the story in its entirety. The book includes a foreword by the director and early concept drawings and photos from the set.

Andrew Yang Does The Math, Drops Out of Presidential Race

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



"It's Clear From the Numbers We're Not Going to Win This Campaign"
Andrew Yang is dropping out of the presidential race. The first Asian American man to run for president as a Democrat, Yang is an entrepreneur who promoted a universal basic income and warned of the perils of automation. After running a long-shot campaign that built unprecedented support and persisted longer than anyone expected, he ended his long-shot bid for president on Tuesday night. "I am the math guy, and it's clear from the numbers we're not going to win this campaign," he announced to supporters in New Hampshire. "So tonight I'm announcing that I am suspending my campaign." You gotta hand it to him for hanging in there as long as he did, and getting so many Asian Americans excited about a candidate like never before.

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Parasite Cookies
Because we're still quite excited Parasite's historic Best Picture win at the Oscars... Cookies! By Judy Kim.

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'Parasite' Won, but Asian-Americans Are Still Losing
Parasite's extraordinary Oscar victory is a triumph for South Korean cinema and a huge boost for the Academy's abysmal track record with diversity, but in the long view, Walter Chaw points out that this historic moment still isn't much of a win for Asian American representation.

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Late Night Writer Karen Chee on Parasite's Oscar Wins
Then again, let us Koreans bask in the collective glory and pride of this moment. Check out Late Night writer Karen Chee -- rocking a Bong Joon Ho t-shirt! -- celebrating Parasite's Oscar sweep, her Korean heritage, and her hot Korean grandpa.

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Fresh Off The Boat Series Finale: February 21
It's the end of an era. Time to say goodbye to the Huang family. Mark your calendars, set your DVRs. Fresh Off the Boat will air its special one-hour series finale February 21 on ABC.

Have You Experienced Racism Because of the Coronvirus?

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Have You Seen or Experienced Racism, Xenophobia or Other Forms of Discrimination Connected to the Coronavirus Epidemic?
As the coronavirus continues to spread, so do fears over rising prejudice. If you’ve seen or experienced discrimination, racism or xenophobia connected to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, The Washington Post wants to hear your story. Fill out the form and a reporter may follow up with you.

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Translating for Bong Joon Ho at the Oscars: Aspiring Director Sharon Choi
Sharon Choi, who interpreted for Parasite director Bong Joon Ho and others involved with the film, has become a familiar face throughout their successful awards season. And of course, she was quite busy on Sunday night, as the film racked up four Oscars at the Academy Awards.

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Parasite [A Mike Relm Remix]
In honor of Parasite's big night at the Oscars, here is Bong Joon Ho's acclaimed film getting chopped up and spun around with the Mike Relm remix treatment. Warning: if you haven't seen the film, there are mad spoilers.

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Asian Americans
Asian Americans is a five-hour documentary series that will chronicle the contributions, and challenges of Asian Americans, the fastest-growing ethnic group in America. Personal histories and new academic research will cast a fresh lens on U.S. history and the role Asian Americans have played in it. Premieres May 11 on PBS.

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Mulan: Before the Sword by Grace Lin
Mulan: Before the Sword is a new middle grade adventure tale by award-winning author Grace Lin, set before the events of Disney's upcoming live-action Mulan. When Hua Mulan's beloved little sister is bitten by a poisonous spider, Mulan embarks on a quest with the Jade Rabbit of legend visiting extraordinary places, meeting Immortals, and faces incredible obstacles while searching for an antidote.

Parasite Makes Oscar History with Best Picture Win

'Parasite' is the first foreign language feature to win Best Picture.



If you haven't heard, Parasite was the big winner at the 92nd Academy Awards, becoming the first foreign-language movie to take home the trophy for Best Picture. The South Korean feature also won Best Director for Bong Joon Ho, Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay.

'Parasite' Makes Oscar History With Best Picture Win

Bong's genre-defying thriller tells the story of the down-on-their-luck Kim family, who scam their way into the lives of the wealthy Park family, but become dangerously entangled in an unexpected incident. If you haven't seen it, I can't explain it any further. Just go watch it -- it's officially the best picture of of the year.

Here are the acceptance speeches, starting with Best Original Screenplay:

There's a New Bruce Lee Documentary Premiering at Sundance

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Be Water
I can't make it to the Sundance Film Festival this year, but one of the films I'm dying to see is the premiere of the Bruce Lee documentary Be Water, directed Bao Nguyen. The film focuses on the legendary martial artist's rise to superstardom in the years before his death. Rejected by Hollywood, Lee returned to Hong Kong to complete four films. Charting his struggles in two worlds, Be Water explores questions of identity and representation through rare archive, intimate interviews, and his writings.

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Over 140 Prominent AAPIs Endorse Elizabeth Warren
More than 140 prominent Asian American and Pacific Islanders -- creatives, activists and academics -- announced their support Thursday for Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The collective, which includes the likes of Constance Wu, Celeste Ng, Rabia Chaudry and Ellen Pao -- cites Warren's stance on a number of issues important to the Asian American community, including immigration, education and investment in entrepreneurship among the reasons for its support.

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To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You Trailer
Netflix has dropped a new trailer for the hit romantic comedy sequel To All The Boys P.S. I Still Love You, which premieres next month. Starring Lana Condor and based on the bestselling young adult novel by Jenny Han, the new movie follows the next phase for Lara Jean and Peter, who have just taken their relationship from pretend to officially official when another recipient of one of her old love letters enters the picture.

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A24 re-teams with "Daniels" for Everything Everywhere All At Once
I'm pretty excited about this. A24 is re-teaming with filmmaker duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert ("Daniels") for the sci-fi adventure comedy Everything Everywhere All At Once, which begins production in Los Angeles this week. It stars Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Jonathan Ke Quan(!) and Jamie Lee Curtis. There's no word on the plot, but this is the team behind the farting corpse movie Swiss Army Man, and the masterpiece of a music video for "Turn Down For What." So yeah, I'm in.

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Parasite Live to Picture, January 26
This is just cool as hell. On Sunday, January 26, the Academy Award nominated film Parasite will have its score performed live to picture at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. Featuring 37 musicians, the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra will be conducted by Parasite composer, Jung Jaeil. Featuring an introduction by Oscar-nominated director Bong Joon Ho.

Could 'Parasite' win Best Picture at the Oscars?

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



'Parasite' Makes History With Best Cast Win at SAG Awards
Parasite won the SAG Award for best performance by a cast in a motion picture on Sunday night, making history as the first foreign-language film to win in the category. Park So-dam, Lee Sun-kyun, Choi Woo-shik, Lee Jung-eun and Song Kang-ho were among the castmembers that took the stage to accept the award. The honor furthers the possibility of Parasite -- which earned South Korea its first-ever Academy Award nomination -- making a very serious run at becoming the first non-English-language film to ever win the best picture Oscar.

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ICE deported 25 Cambodian immigrants, most of whom arrived in the U.S. as refugees
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement quietly deported an estimated 25 Cambodian immigrants last week. The group largely consisted of individuals who arrived in the country legally as refugees after the Vietnam War but have been convicted of crimes. While this was the first round of repatriations this year, it's just the latest in an increased wave of deportations in the Southeast Asian community under the Trump administration.

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Body Found in Alhambra Identified as Missing San Gabriel Woman With Dementia
Coroner's officials on Saturday identified a woman whose body was discovered in a drainage ditch near an Alhambra golf course Friday afternoon as a 71-year-old woman with "severe dementia" and other medical problems who went missing from her San Gabriel home earlier this week.

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Train Like An Astronaut: Kelly Marie Tran and Naomi Ackie
Kelly Marie Tran and Naomi Ackie recently spent the day at NASA's Johnson Space Center training like astronauts and learning about NASA's plans to explore the Moon with the new Artemis program, which includes landing the first woman and next man on the lunar surface by 2024. See Tran and Ackie training with NASA astronauts Meghan McArthur and Jessica Watkins on a gravity offload system, in the Orion crew capsule, an exploration rover and more. Literally more action than they saw in The Rise of Skywalker.

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16th Annual Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience in Park City
If you're headed to the film festivities in Park City, Utah this week, join the Asian Pacific Filmmakers Experience -- now in its 16th year -- in celebration of the wide range of films and creative projects by Asian Pacific filmmakers at the 2020 Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals. There will be multiple events to attend from Friday, January 24th to Sunday, January 26th. Learn more here.

Ajummas Are Part of a Rhythm Nation Too

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Ajumma Bring Rhythm Nation to the Grocery Store
Grab your visor and get that perm tight. In celebration of Korean American Day -- an actual thing, my friends, commemorating the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the U.S. in 1903 -- the ladies of Ajumma EXP blessed unsuspecting shoppers at Zion Market in San Diego with a dope dance routine set to Janet Jackson's "Rhythm Nation." Go for the groceries, stay for the flash mob. Watch it here.

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Sikh center in Orangevale defaced with white power and swastika markings
A recently opened Sikh spiritual center in the Sacramento area was defaced with racist graffiti. The sign in front of the Guru Maneyo Granth Gurdwara Sahib Sikh Center in Orangevale had a swastika and the words "white power" sprayed onto it sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning.

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Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani do romantic comedy with a twist in The Lovebirds exclusive first look
Ladies and gentleman, meet your newest rom-com crushes. EW's got the first look at The Lovebirds, the upcoming romantic comedy starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae. The film follows Jibran and Leilani, a couple on the brink of a breakup who find themselves wrapped up in a murder mystery in New Orleans.

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Awkwafina Returns to Queens, and Nora Lum
The New York Times interviews Nora Lum, aka Awkwafina, about her rapid ascent. She recently became the first Asian American to win best actress at the Golden Globes for her lead role in The Farewell, and her semi-autobiographical TV show Awkwafina is Nora From Queens premieres January 22 on Comedy Central.

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Why the Parasite cast deserves Oscars — and didn’t get nominated
While Bong Joon Ho's masterpiece Parasite racked up six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, the film's cast was conspicuously (and predictably) shut out. News flash: the Oscars don't have a particularly good track record of awarding actors in foreign-language films.

Oh yeah, heads up: Parasite is now available for purchase on digital platforms.
Amazon | iTunes | Vudu | Google Play

Oscars Still Pretty Damn White

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Oscars: Full List of Nominations
Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards were announced this morning, and considering some of the amazing work of the past year, the overall lack of diversity among the nominees is pretty appalling... but more or less business as usual. I'm particularly bummed that The Farewell was completely shut out without a single nomination. On the other hand, Bong Joon Ho's Parasite made history as South Korea's first Oscar nominee, receiving six nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

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Andrew Yang won the internet, but can he win a 2020 primary?
"After months of running on unconventional campaign strategies, cool branding and novel ideas, Yang has arrived at a pivotal, new point in the 2020 campaign — one governed by the conventional rules of election and where the idea that matters most is your strategy for winning. The candidate powered by the online buzz is now trying to make it on the real, and often uncool, campaign trail through Iowa and New Hampshire."

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My Child Is An Honors Student at Iltiong-Vera Cruz Middle School
On Friday, Alvarado Middle School in Union City, California was renamed the Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School in honor of Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, honoring two of history's most important (and too often overlooked) Filipino American leaders in the state's civil rights and labor movements.

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Meet the 13 astronauts who could be the first humans on Mars">
NASA welcomed 11 new astronauts to its ranks Friday -- the first class to graduate under the Artemis program that will send humans back to the moon for the first time since 1972. The new graduates may be assigned to missions destined for the International Space Station, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars.

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'Young Rock': Dwayne Johnson Teams With Nahnatchka Khan For NBC Comedy Series Inspired By Him
NBC has given an 11-episode straight-to-series order to Young Rock, a single-camera comedy inspired by the formative years of Dwayne Johnson, written by part of the Fresh Off The Boat team, creator/executive producer Nahnatchka Khan and co-executive producer Jeff Chiang. I think we can all agree that this show will only be legit if it is the broadcast television embodiment of the above photo.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 84: They Call Us Parasite

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.

On this episode, we welcome TV writer Liz Alper to talk about the plight of assistants in the entertainment industry and organizing #PayUpHollywood. And then we geek out about Bong Joon Ho's Parasite.

The Family That Sticks Together...

Your favorite family from the best damn movie of the year.



I just want to make sure everyone knows that this shirt exists, and if you're like me, and you believe that Bong Joon Ho's smash hit masterpiece Parasite is the best damn film of the year, you will order this shirt immediately. I won't say anything more about the film, except that if you haven't seen it yet, don't read anything and don't talk to anyone about it -- just go watch it and get your ass kicked. That is all.

Get the shirt at the Neon Shop.