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Portuguese Intervention in the Manila Galleon Trade: The Structure and Networks of Trade Between Asia and America in the 16th and 17th Centuries as Revealed by Chinese Ceramics and Spanish Archives

Etsuko Miyata

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Book

In this study of the Portuguese intervention in the Manila Galleon Trade, Etsuko Miyata explores its...

BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Minari (2020) in Movies

Apr 4, 2021

Minari (2020)

2020 | Drama

8.7

(3 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Pleasant Enough

With it’s 6 Oscar nominations (including nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor), the drama MINARI has become a touchstone of films with Asian (or Asian-American) roots.

And…it is worthy of these accolades - and this place in history - for MINARI is a warm-hearted, loving look at a Korean-American family trying to make it’s way in the world in 1980’s Arkansas.

Written and Directed in Oscar Nominated fashion (for both categories), Lee Isaac Chung presents a realistic American family looking to forge a new living while still remaining true to their cultural roots.

Steve Yeun (THE WALKING DEAD) is Oscar nominated for his lead role of Jacob, who moves his family to Arkansas in the hopes to start a farm that specializes in Korean food. Yeun’s performance is earnest and sincere and I am happy for him that this performance is nominated. The rest of the family unit is strong - with the stand out being Yuh-Jung Youn as the Grandmother. She brings the most interesting and nuanced character to the screen and I wouldn’t be surprised if she pulls the upset and wins the Oscar for Supporting Actress. Finally, veteran character Actor Will Patton is a spark of energy as a local who helps Jacob on the farm.

And…that, ultimately, is the problem with this film. Writer/Director Chung spends most of his time creating the atmosphere and the characters, He fails to realize that there really is no compelling event to drive the plot forward. It’s a “fine” slice-of-life film and one that is enjoyable to watch with a strong, charismatic cast, but nothing really happens and that, finally, is a problem.

This is most certainly a deserving Oscar nominated film - especially in these pandemic times - with big budget Blockbuster films pushed to the sidelines, this type of quiet film is thrust to the forefront - and good for them and I’m glad that the spotlight is shining on this film. I just wish there was more plot and a more compelling reason to watch this film.

Letter Grade: B

7 stars (out of 10) and you can take this to the Bank(ofMarquis)

Kudos

Lenard (726 KP) rated The Farewell (2019) in Movies

Aug 19, 2019

The Farewell (2019)

2019 | Comedy, Drama

8.9

(7 Ratings)

Movie Rating

In the West, families celebrate each other in death. If someone is dying, the news is shared and every one comes together to tragically revere their family member. In the West, they celebrate their family member in life. They do not let someone know that they are dying instead bringing a sense of joy by coming together. This culture clash between the New World ideas and Old World ideas populate Lulu Wang's new film "The Farewell." The family matriach has stage 4 cancer, but rather than tell her that she is dying, the two brothers and their families stage a wedding. One son emigrated to America and raised a liberal arts educated daughter who struggles to make ends meet. One son went to Japan and raised his son. Left behind, the sister and a niece took care of their mother. It is revealed how much the sister has sacrificed for this matriach, but she is happy to give her sister the joy to live. Is it wrong to tell a lie if it makes a person's life better? Which idea of death do you follow? Awkwafina gives a surprising performance as Billi, the Asian-American artist who loves her grandmother and struggles to understand how this lie is good. Shuzhen Zhao plays Nai Nai, the family matriach, with spirit and style, the kind of performance Oscar would notice if they gave notice to Asian performances.