The Electric Image Express

The Electric Image Express

By Sean NiuTV & FilmFilm Reviews
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The Electric Image Express episodes

  • Gran Torino and Growing up Hmong American and visibility in Asian America with Lea Vue and Vang Xiong

    In Episode 18 Lea Vue and Vang Xiong join us to revisit Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino and share their perspective on growing up Hmong American, and Hmong America's relation within the Asian American community and with other minorities in America. Although having many problematic portrayals of Hmong culture, we discuss at (4:00) the tradeoff of cutting cultural corners for a perceived foot in the door... and why that foot hasn't led to more truthful portrayals.(9:26) At (17:29), we discuss why Hmong Americans continue to feel that their story is not well understood and acknowledged, even within the Asian American community--and how that relates to the reaction to Tou Thao and BLM. Later, we look at the strong sense of community within Hmong America, (33:56) how that might lead to a focus on representation in activism over entertainment, and why the greater Asian American community has overlooked many South East Asian voices (42:08)

    I STARTED A NEWSLETTER!

    This week's edition of the newsletter was a tough one, but I'm glad I wrote it. I talk about the need to understand, acknowledge, and uplift the variety of stories that constitute Asian America. We haven't always done a good job in the past. Read and Subscribe here!

    *Have questions for us? Interested in collaborating? E-mail us at [email protected] or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

    57 min
  • Lost in Translation: The AAPI expat experience with Deirdre Bosa and Trung Phan

    In Episode 17 Trung brings his good friend Deirdre Bosa to revisit Sophia Coppola's Lost in Translation and share our varied AAPI expat experiences across Asia-- from Japan, China, to Vietnam. At (17:57) we reveal what emotions and motivations brought us to move to Asia before lifting the veil and sharing the lonely lows we encountered after all the fun and partying. (28:07) Later, we reveal which of the varied expat stereotypical groups we fell in with (39:52) before finishing with some theories on one of the all-time ambiguous endings. (50:06)

    I STARTED A NEWSLETTER!

    This week I examine how Scarlett's character redefined Japan to millenials as the solution to our
    existential crises. Read and Subscribe here!

    *Want to share your own AAPI expat story? E-mail us at [email protected] or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

    1 hr 1 min
  • Big Hero 6 and Asian American representation in animation with Stephanie Cheng

    In Episode 16 Stephanie Cheng joins us to revisit Disney's Big Hero 6 and examine Asian American representation in animation. Steph is an animation industry insider having worked at Dreamworks and now building Netflix's animation studio. We start by sharing how it felt to just see Asian American protagonists exist naturally in a story that is not explicitly about their ethnicity or culture. (9:55) We then debate whether it matters if a well researched movie that feels genuinely inclusive is not made by any creative leads of the relevant minority. (15:46) Later, Steph gives her expert take on the state of Asian American representation in animation today. (24:15) before giving us a fascinating lesson on the subtle challenges facing animation artists in accurately and respectfully portraying different ethnicities. (35:15)

    I STARTED A NEWSLETTER!

    Do you want to read more about Asian American protagonists not having to operate in a story about their culture? Do you prefer reading over listening? Do you want to just have all of our content sent to you in an e-mail instead of checking Spotify? Read and Subscribe here!

    *Want to tell us how Aladdin made you confused as a kid? Noticed how my name sounds just like the villain from Mulan? E-mail us at [email protected] or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

    52 min
  • Yellow Peril #2: Phuc Bui, Assimilation, and Anglicizing Names with Eric, Andrew, and Stephen

    On the second episode of the Yellow Peril series, we discuss the vietnamese-american student Phuc Bui at Laney College whose professor demanded that she change her name because of his ignorant misunderstanding of the name's pronounciation.

    Eric starts the convo by wondering out loud how he and his south asian wife Nadia have approached naming their future children. (7:03) Andrew asks the rest of us @ (14:50) how we would feel if our kid wanted to legally change their name, and finally Stephen brings us back to the key to approach any name you dont know how to pronounce: respect. (30:52)

    LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE

    How to pronounce Phuc Bui
    Atlantic article citing studies on how different names affect decision making

    *Questions? Comments? Reactions? E-mail us at [email protected] or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Want to improve the show? Filll out our Feedback Form here: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

    33 min
  • Akira (アキラ): The Michael Jordan of Sci-fi movies with Mike Nikolakakis

    In Episode 15 Mike Nikolakakis joins us from Tokyo to discuss why Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira might just be the most important Sci-fi movie of the last 50 years. We start by breaking down why Akira's stunning visual style stands the test of time (9:42) and how Akira has influenced pop culture from Kanye West to the Matrix to Stranger Things. (13:11) Later we analyze how Akira's cyberpunk hellscape reflects Japanese sci-fi's unique cynicism and mistrust of technology and industrialization, tying back their often traumatic history with nuclear energy and reliance on technological innovation for their 80s boom. We use these obserations to compare what Akira got right and wrong about Tokyo in 2020. (20:40) Finally, we give our 3 favorite Tokyo hidden bars inspired by Akira, (29:45) our theories on the ending and the iconic last line: "I am Tetsuo" (37:33) and Mike gives us some hidden insight into the eclectic soundtrack that adds to the surreal viewing experience. (49:41)

    Links mentioned in this episode:

    • If you want to learn more about the music, Mike recommends this video by Cel-Shaded Music Theory

    *Think I'm crazy for comparing Akira to MJ? E-mail us at [email protected] or DM us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

    57 min
  • Shaolin Soccer (少林足球): Growing up with Stephen Chow and Mo Lei Tau with Mazy Yap

    In Episode 14 Mazy Yap joins us to talk about Stephen Chow's Shaolin Soccer. Mazy helps us understand what it was like growing up with Stephen Chow's comedies constantly on TV in Hong Kong (10:00) and helps us break down his unique style of absurd, "nonsense comedy" called Mo Lei Tau (13:45) Later, we discuss how Mazy experienced balancing her Hong Kong past with her more recent Asian American identity (24:00) before we debate why Stephen Chow was never fully embraced by America and changed his style for the mainland Chinese audience. (26:45)

    Links mentioned in this episode:

    • When describing Mo Lei Tau, I reference this extremely detailed breakdown of Chow's humor by Accented Cinema

    *Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected] or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

    49 min
  • Be Water: Bruce Lee's impact, athleticism, death, and comparisons to MJ + much much more with Trung Phan and Eric Lee

    A Bruce Lee 30 for 30 documentary dropping right as our podcast starts picking up steam is, to quote the wise Rob Pelinka: "Manna from Heaven"

    Trung and Eric come on for our first Triple Threat 3-man episode and we switch up the format into a punchy question and answer roundtable and answer 5 big questions:

    1: What was Bruce Lee's impact on you growing up? (3:45)
    2: What similarities did you see between Bruce's Be Water and Michael Jordan's Last Dance? (16:20)
    3: What hot takes have we heard about Bruce's death? (23:39)
    4: How legitimate were Bruce Lee's fighting skills? (31:00)
    5: And finally, what was his biggest impact for Asian Americans and what would he think of how we're viewed on screen and in society today? (37:36)

    NOTES:

    • Trung raves about the soundtrack for Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story @ (5:30). You can listen to the full theme song here
  • Sean mentions @ (28:47) a Chinese MMA fighter who made it his life mission to expose "fake" tai chi and kung fu masters. His name is Xu Xiaodong (徐晓冬). A brief interview including fight footage is here

    • Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected] or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Feedback: Feedback Form

    50 min
  • YELLOW PERIL SERIES #1: Reactions on #BlackoutTuesday, the view from Vancouver, and not burning out on activism

    Hey all! Trung, Eric and I were so fired up by everything that happened last week (ending 6/5) that we decided to record an episode only about the George Floyd protests and the surrounding climate. Engagement in understanding, processing, and helping end systemic racism and police brutality is going to be a lifetime marathon-- it won't dissapear just because your friends stopped posting about it, so we want to try and highlight these subjects (and related ones) on a regular basis.

    Trung joins us first (4:19) to give his POV as a Canadian-Vietnamese. We start with the protests before moving on to longer term actions (VOTE) (10:00) and why, given all the turmoil in America, he still turns to the country for hope. (13:01) We finish his brief segment with wondering if the current movement needs a clearer end goal. (15:32)

    Eric barrels in with a bundle of energy at (22:17) and spits fire in answering 3 questions from me:

    1. What do you think about the #blackouttuesday social media movement? (23:05)
  • How does a normal person working a 9-5 keep pace with further education and involvement? (40:27)
  • How have we continued to educate ourselves since Ep. 10? (50:14)

    • NOTE: Eric wants you to know he is NOT an expert or a professional activist, but is a strongly opinionated curmudgeon who really cares!

    Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected] or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

    1 hr 15 min
  • Gook: The difference between '92 and '20 with Andrew Noh

    In Ep. 12 Andrew Noh joins us to talk about Justin Chon's Gook. Although we scheduled Gook before George Floyd's murder, the movie's human story on how Black and Korean communities suffered in the wake of the acquittal of Rodney King's attackers is clearly relevant to today.

    Our conversation starts with our personal experiences talking to our families about traumatic cultural events and how we've approached the conversation around #BlackLivesMatter this month. (20:00) We then discuss how the Rodney King and George Floyd events affected our respective communities (27:00) (fuck #rooftopasians) before opening up on our experiences with the racial slur that doubles as the title for the movie. (37:00)

    On the lighter side we give a deserved shout out to the 6th man of the movie Jesus, (51:30) I sharply criticize Justin Chon for his choice of NBA teams to rep in the movie, (58:25) and Andrew wraps it up by explaining his 형 experience compared to Eli and Daniel in the movie. (1:00:57)

    Questions? Comments? E-mail us at [email protected] or follow us on IG/Twitter @electricimageexpress/@the_electric_image_express

    Feedback: [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0o4Mdbk5nCRjga-uvoBS5BFNRgT8fXqQk5Dhe2IYHMziVoQ/viewform?usp=sf_link](Feedback Form)

    1 hr 6 min

About The Electric Image Express

From the publisher's feed

The Electric Image Express celebrates Asian American/Asian films and their creators. On each episode we invite our guests to share their personal creative journey and explore their latest work. Episodes come out every two weeks!