Written By: Nathan Liu This article may contain spoilers. When you hear “Waikiki,” what do you think? White beaches? Blue waves? Drinks with tiny umbrellas? I’ll bet it’s not homelessness or domestic violence. And yet, both thi ...
‘Kim’s Convenience:’ A would-be classic with clipped wings
Written By: Nathan Liu This article contains spoilers. As the credits rolled on the final episode of “Kim’s Convenience,” the Canadian sitcom about a Korean family running a store in Toronto, I had one thought in my mind, “what a waste.” Bet ...
Why do we remember Anna May Wong?
Written By: Nathan Liu On January 22, 2020, Google unveiled its daily doodle: the face of Chinese American movie star, Anna May Wong. In May of that same year, Netflix released the Ryan Murphy miniseries, “Hollywood,” an alternate history in which ...
‘Unforgiven’: An analysis of the ‘Asian Gaze’ in cinema
Written By: Nathan Liu This article contains spoilers for both versions of “Unforgiven.” When a prostitute is disfigured by one of her clients, and the local sheriff does nothing to punish the perpetrator, the scarred woman’s co-worke ...
I want YOU … to make movies about the 442!
Written By: Nathan Liu The 442nd Regimental Combat Team; if you paid attention during history class at all, then you should be familiar with them. An all-Japanese American fighting unit that served in Europe during the Second World War, the 442 rem ...
‘All My Life’: When truth fails as fiction
Written By: Nathan Liu There’s a saying in storytelling, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” In my opinion, a more appropriate phrase would be “Some truths don’t work as fiction.” There are certain stories that, when presented in a fictional context — ...
James Wong Howe: Cinematographer extraordinaire
Written By: Nathan Liu Since I started writing for CineVue, I’ve done my best to spotlight early pioneers in the film industry. People like Sessue Hayakawa, Hollywood’s first Asian leading man, and Miyoshi Umeki, the first Asian actress to win an ...
Raising awareness to raise standards: AAIFF’s panel on impact producing
Written By: Nathan Liu NEW YORK, NY — After a brief delay stemming from technical issues, AAIFF’s panel on impact producing opened up with the moderator, Pulkit Datta, asking the speakers to explain what they think the titular concept is. And while ...
‘Monsoon’: A travel log of change
Written By: Nathan Liu So often in fiction, the narrative of the Vietnam War is centered on the experiences of American soldiers, whether it be their loss of innocence in “Platoon” (1986), or their inability to return to civilian life in “First Blo ...