The media I consumed - August 2021 edition

I had all the intentions in the world to knock off two more books on my reading list this month, but all the best intentions in the world don't necessarily lead to actions or completions. Instead of doing that, I ended up watching two movies and finished a TV series, and I think I'll instead talk about those today.

1. Paper Tigers
2. Kim's Convenience
3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

First things first to get out of the way, both movies that I watched, Paper Tigers, and Shang-Chi took place in cities that I have lived in and called home. It was a pleasure to see Seattle and San Francisco take center stage, especially parts of Seattle and San Francisco that I lived, ate, and hung out at. Consequently, I did have some trouble with figuring out the layout of the story, primarily the bus scene at the beginning of Shang-Chi, and the restaurant / alleyway locations in Paper Tigers.

Geographical considerations aside, it was an absolute pleasure watching Asian American stories being told on the screen. Whether it was the day to day experiences of an Asian Canadian family, to the martial arts movies of Paper Tigers and Shang-Chi, I was surprised by how different it felt to be watching actors that looked like me and sounded like me (down to the poorly pronounced Mandarin). Representation absolutely matters.

There are common themes throughout the movies that I think are constants in the Asian American experience. It was interesting how they showed up in each of the shows that I reference, and also how naturally it was brought up as part of the story. I appreciated the recognition and acknowledgement of the experience, and it was a reminder to me that there are others that experienced similar things in life.

I've decided not to write a whole lot about this, knowing that so much has been writing already. Couple of thoughts about each item that I mentioned, and an article with more in-depth writing about each:

1. Paper Tigers: Fun comedy, go watch on Netflix. (Seattle Times Review - nothing like the local paper's review)
2. Kim's Convenience: Ended too soon, there are story lines that I wish were wrapped up, go watch on Netflix (Sydney Morning Herald - recognize there were some behind the camera issues re: representation)
3. Shang-Chi: Grab some popcorn and get ready for action! If COVID-safe, go check it out on the big screen, but it'll be on Disney+ in no time (October I hear) (Time - seriously this article by Kat Moon is great)