With the start of a new quarter I've been trying to do all the reading for my classes, instead of like most quarters in which I got by merely going to class and diligently taking notes. I'm taking three history classes this quarter and I figure since those classes are for my major, it'd benefit me to try harder in those classes. Its likely time I started to work hard anyways.

Today I went to The Block to watch a Better Luck Tomorrow a movie that was pimped by one of my friends. This movie is supposed to be a landmark of sorts in that it is directed and largely produced, and starring Asian Americans. Ebert and Roeper have given it their approval and on Rotten Tomatoes it has a "Fresh" rating of 83% at the time of this post. At first I was conflicted about this movie because it seemed to be overhyped on account of its "Asian-ness," so to say. But then I came to realize that its good that Asian Americans are getting exposure in mainstream media (MTV's been airing commercials for it for the last 2 weeks and if it gets nationwide release, even more mainstream exposure) but I worry that by billing the movie as good "Asian American" fare, it will perpetuate at least a bit more racial inequality within society. Shouldn't the movie be just a "good" movie instead of a "good Asian American movie"? I hope that makes sense.

Also, there seems to be a growing trend of stereotyping Asian Americans as gangsters now. Certainly the media is all about stereotypes, but it seems that the majority of Asian Americans within the media, at least the younger ones, are no longer college-hungry, SAT freaks and instead have become Rice Rocket drivers in an attempt to either find a new identity for themselves... or I don't know what. But just look at Fast and the Furious for example. The "bad guy" in that movie was an Asian and he certainly wasn't typecast as an Asian (at least I don't think so), though his part was fairly small. And in Better Luck Tomorrow, these Asians break away from the stereotypcial mold of studious teens to being drug dealers and party goers, or whatever it is that they do.

I didn't get a chance to watch it tonight because the final 3 showings of the night had sold out, which is a good sign in terms of the movie's success and a credit to the promotion of the movie by people like my friend, unfortunately the large majority of the ticket buyers looked to be Asian American meaning this movie, while it marks a major foray of Asian Americans into Hollywood, its core audience is fairly specified at this point in time and that it has yet to really break into a large percentage of American society. What I hope this movie does is it becomes something of a "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" in that its merely a good movie, in that it could be "My Big Fat Russian Wedding" and it still would be just a "good" movie and not a "good Greek movie." Then, I think this movie becomes more important in terms of its overall affect on Hollywood, mainstream society, etc.

On a different note, I would like to tell you to download the Matrix: Reloaded trailer. I had to change my pants after watching it.

Notorious BIG - Juicy