The appropriate assigned films would be: Flower Drum Song, Always Be My Maybe, The Cheat, Daughter of the Dragon, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Kill Bill Vol 1 Matrix, To All the Boys I Loved Before (1 and/or 2), or Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle. You may also choose ANY OTHER US/Hollywood film that casts an Asian or Asian American performer in a significant role, such as Crazy Rich Asians or Karate Kid, (Also consider any of the films mentioned in The Slanted Screen or Slaying the Dragon, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s ) However, films made by Asian film studios, such as Ip Man, are not eligible films for this review – those films can be reviewed for Unit 3 . (Also consider any of the films mentioned in The Slanted Screen or Slaying the Dragon.) If you have any questions if your film choice is appropriate, please discuss on the message boards.
Your review should be a minimum of 2 pages, double spaced. You do not have to follow any academic formatting, but your review should be clearly written and proofread for spelling and grammar. Your paper should also integrate lecture topics (such as Stereotypes, Orientalism) into your review.
I’ve tailored the review using the 5 aspects of the circuit of culture. You need to address every point in each category.
- Introduction: Briefly describe the film – date of production, filmmaker, main characters & plot synopsis. Discuss why you chose this film to review. What was your initial interest in this film? Keep your plot synopsis BRIEF (1 paragraph)– you do not need to discuss the entire storyline. That is, NO SPOILERS in the introduction!
- Consumption of Culture: Describe your viewing experience of the film. How did you watch this film (on TV? Smart device? Theater? With family/friends? On your own?) What are your immediate thoughts and feelings about the film? Briefly evaluate the film in terms of plot, acting, cinematography, special effects.
- Representation of Culture: Overall, how were Asians represented in the film? Choose one Asian character and describe how the character fits into some of the stereotypes discussed in this class and/or how the character breaks stereotypes. If you were the filmmaker, how would you change the character to better portray Asians?
- Identity of Culture: How meaningful is this film to your personal identity? To what extent did you personally relate to a specific characters or theme of the film? As tied into the “Consumption of Culture,” would you purchase a T-shirt, book, or other product related to this film, or even cosplay as one of the characters? Would you purchase the DVD to own this film?
- Regulation of Culture: What was the filmmaker trying to say about “real life culture” in this film? Describe an important scene in the film that addresses a central issue or theme of the film. Has this film made a significant impact in the history of film, or in society in general – such as creating new heroes or stereotypes? Ultimately, has this film made an impact to our society?
- Production of Culture: Do some background research on how this film was produced. That is, how did this film come to be? How did this film change through its production – consider changes in directors/casting/editing and post-production.
- Conclusion: Summarize your opinions of this film. Would you recommend this film to family and friends? Why or why not?
Sample Solution
