I have been challenged to write about Inception once a week until the end of the year. Not that this really changes anything because I was planning on doing that anyway.
Last week, I discussed the various memes Inception has spawned. One of them that’s gaining a lot of traction is Arthur x Eames.
If there’s anything fans love to do, it’s fleshing out scenarios they wish had happened within their objects of fandom, whether it’s Star Trek or Star Wars or Starman.
Often times, the focus of these efforts and works is the romantic relationships in the story. What if Morpheus schtupped Trinity? Or Frodo stormed Sam’s gates? Or Rachel bonked Marcel?
These are questions the world will never get a canonical answer for. But that’s what the Internet is for. Read more...
I first heard that there was a toilet-themed restaurant chain in Asia a few years back. I remember thinking that was an interesting marketing concept, but do people really want to eat out of toilets and drink out of urinals (well, beside my fellow Offender Sung with his poop obsession)? The answer seems to be a resounding yes.
I was doing a normal google search for any interesting topics I could blog about (a normal google search in this case meaning I typed in the words: “Asian,” “shit” and “eat”) and came upon this recent piece in the Telegraph spotlighting the Modern Toilet Restaurant chain. The first Modern Toilet outlet was founded by Wang Tzi-wei and opened in Taipei in 2004. Since then, the chain has branched out all over Taiwan and has also expanded to Hong Kong and China. According to the restaurant’s promotional materials: “Our goal is to become The No. 1 Brand in Themed Chain Restaurants. In an era where creative marketing is king, even faeces [sic] can be turned into gold”.
Supposedly, the place is especially popular with the youth and there are plans to expand even further. Could you be seeing a Modern Toilet in your own ‘hood soon? And if so, would you eat there? I guess if the food is excellent and prices reasonable, I might be willing to give it a shot, but check out the photos below…I don’t know—is it me or does anyone else find this a little…nauseating? But on the plus side, if you get sick from the food, at least you don’t have to go anywhere to find a place to…relieve yourself.
1. The Julian Schnabel film ‘Basquiat’ is great but as a dramatization, doesn’t give you the chance to see Basquiat in the flesh. And while Geoffrey Wright was brilliant in capturing Basquiat’s ambition and introverted personality, there’s nothing like seeing real footage where you see Basquiat’s vulnerability. The documentary’s director, Tamra Davis was a confidante of Jean Michel and fortunately her archives of recorded conversations between them allows us a window into the real Basquiat. It’s a gift to see him reflect so candidly on his work, his friendship with Warhol, the pain of dealing with sudden fame, being misunderstood and cut down by the ivory tower of art critics and museum curators. Read more...
Regular readers of this blog know how much I enjoy writing about the oftentimes strange sexual tastes of our friends in Japan. Some of you may think I’m unfairly picking on the Japanese, others may think I’m too obsessed with them, but come on…how can I resist when I see such awesome stories coming out of that country about things like the penis festival or the virgin sex doll with a pop-able hymen? These are fun topics to write about (and by the way our traffic spikes whenever I blog about these subjects, it’s clear you feel the same way, too).
So I have to say these past few weeks have been disappointing…maybe even a little troubling because they’ve been largely devoid of any substantial news concerning anything related to Japanese perversion. I mean it was just a few, short months ago when within a period of a couple of weeks, I was able to blog about the Japanese porn star offering compensation sex to the Chinese, the Japanese masturbating champ of the world and even the Japanese hot dog eating champ (I admit this one’s a bit of a stretch but it’s kinda, sorta sexual!). I felt like we were in a Golden Age of Japanese perversion and that the stories would keep coming.
But then the well seemed to run dry. The bottom fell out. The bubble burst. And there’s been…nothing. It’s been drier than a BP executive’s mouth during a Senate hearing (see how much it’s upset me, I can’t even make a joke that’s timely and relevant anymore). So what happened to all my Japanese perverts? Where have you all disappeared to suddenly? Are you all summering on Martha’s Vineyard? Are you hibernating? What? I miss you. Please come back. Help me find my bliss again. Read more...
Earlier this year, it was announced that North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, had become a worldwide “fashion trendsetter”. Yes, that’s right. According to a state-run newspaper, Kim Jong Il’s trademark grey jacket and matching trousers have become best sellers in fashion stores from Milan to L.A. The author of the communist party newspaper went on to claim that the “august image of the Great General, who is always wearing the modest suit while working, leaves a deep impression on people’s minds in the world.”
Perhaps his fashion has left the deepest impression with the uniformed work force, for as comedy writer Stefanie Novik comments, “He looks like a janitor.” But it is apparent that Kim’s fashion has also influenced the big screen. Just take a look at Dr. Evil.
Indeed, the dictator’s look is so versatile, it can be transformed from dressy to casual with minimal effort–whether it’s day visits with the proletariat or evening parties with Putin, Kim seems to have found the perfect wardrobe to express Communist chicness. And as we all know, grey is a color that goes with just about everything. So no need to worry about mixing and clashing with the rest of Kim’s wardrobe, which consists of equally non-clashing tones of khaki. Read more...
Can I just say how proud I am of myself? I’m probably entirely late on this one, but it was only last week that I first became aware of “Two Girls, One Cup.” My son was watching Tosh.0 and Tosh did a bit where he kept the camera on the studio audience while they watched the infamous internet video.
The audience covered their eyes, gasped, scrunched their faces, tucked themselves into fetal balls, looked away, nearly gagged, then looked back.
I admit, I was intrigued. I asked my fourteen year old son if he had ever seen the actual video. He lied and said no. Read more...
If one were to ask me what my favorite food is I would answer…the Hamburger. My cousin in Atlanta recently told me about the best Hamburger in America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann’s_Snack_Bar
The best in the nation? That’s a bold statement! The BEST hamburger? Hmm…I had to check this out for myself. So my cousin and I set out to find and try this best Hamburger in America.
I met my cousin James at his soul food restaurant (a def blog to come) around 2pm. One of his employees Barbara gave us directions to Ann’s Snack shop, the home of the infamous Ghetto Burger. She said I was going to be full and walked away. A warning? No, a promise! Read more...
Los Angeles’ Chinatown is still one of the most vibrant ethnic communities in the country and holds the title as the first Chinese enclave in the United States “owned” by Chinese Americans. But the Chinatown that we know today may not have existed if it hadn’t been for a woman named Christine Sterling.
Sterling (1881-1963) was a Los Angeles socialite (a.k.a. wealthy white woman with time on her hands) who had a passion for local history. She once remarked: “Los Angeles will be forever marked a transient, Orphan city if she allows her roots to rot in a soil of impoverished neglect.”Read more...
We love movies and making movies here at YOMYOMF. Recent blogs range from praising the must-see doc The Tillman Story, Offender Jerome’s challenge to blog about Inception once a week til the end of the year,and of course the semi-regular 1,001 Reasons I Love Movies series. There are so many facets in the production of a film. Every position is integral, but I have to argue that the role of the Editor is just as important as Director. The best editors like Walter Murch, since it’s their job to envision the big picture and see how all the scenes become one cohesive story, rather than just honing individual scenes.
One of the best movies about making movies is MODERN ROMANCE, written, directed and starring Albert Brooks. He plays a hapless film editor who must balance his love life and edit a cheesy sci-fi movie to appease his director played by real life Oscar winner James L. Brooks (Terms Of Endearment, The Simpsons). The late and grea Bruno Kirby plays Brooks right-hand man. The following is one of the best scenes that encapsulates the art of editing and the neuroses of filmmakers in general: Since the film was made in 1981, people were cutting films and using moviolas. In fact, Steven Spielberg and Gus Van Sant still cut this way, to this day! Read more...
It’s a piece of advice liberally used but very difficult to personally figure out. What does it really mean? What is “your bliss?” How does the term truly apply to you?
The first time I gave any real thought to that statement was about 4 years ago when I came across it in Anderson Cooper’s autobiography, “Dispatches From The Edge”. Now it wasn’t the first time I heard/read “follow your bliss.” But it was perhaps the first time I had enough life experience and wisdom (just barely) to begin to understand what such a statement could/should mean to me.
“Do what makes you happy.” I believe that was the way I originally oriented my life compass in my early 20′s. It was about a year after I graduated from college. I was very unhappy with my current life path and surprised that after diligently sticking to a success script of hard work, dedication, study, and achievement, that my current state of affairs was riddled with such glum and my outlook on my future seemed so uninspired. What was born from this “early 20′s crisis” was a massive gear shift and a reorientation of my life and career. I abandoned everything that I knew and understood to pursue something I knew nothing about but found myself interested in. I decided to try my hand in the acting profession. At that time, I didn’t know if I was truly following my bliss or just reacting to the fact that I was bored and looking for something new to do. Still to this day, I don’t know if it was the “right” decision. It was just a decision…
In another instance of “why doesn’t anybody tell me these things before it’s too late,” the Asia Adult Expo took place last week in Macau. Now in its third year, the expo is a three-day affair where sex toy manufacturers from all across the world come to exhibit their wares.
According to CNN GO, this year’s event drew 30,000 visitors, a 20% increase from 2009. Kenny Lo, one of the expo’s organizers, credits the upswing to a huge influx of women. Products geared toward the fairer sex (i.e. vibrators) made up 70% of the sales from the exhibitors. There also seems to be a growing demand in China, where pornography is still illegal, for cheaper sex toys.
According to Lo: “I’m seeing more cheap sex toys being sold at sex shops and adult expos in mainland China. Unlike the average of HK$1,000 and HK$2,000 here at the Asia Adult Expo, they go for a lot cheaper –usually under HK$100.”
I’ve always found it interesting that in the United States, there is still a stereotype of Asians not being particularly sexual (except for our exotic, slutty women) when all evidence seems to point to Asians as being more sexually adventurous and “interesting” than their Western counterparts (as regular readers of my posts probably already know). Read more...
On Day Zero of my 24 day John Muir Trail thru-hike, I met 3 french guys. We met at the shuttle stop at 6:15am. I was solo and was going to start my trip, they had just spent 21 days and had just finished their trip. They were very french. They were 19 years old and worldly. One even pointed out that he did the entire 230 miles of hiking in his ‘slippers’… which were a pair of cut up Keds with the backs cut off. (“The blisters hurt, so I cut the shoe. Eh.”) Read more...
Jesus, my life is so boring, I am genuinely running out of things to write about to preface this weekly column. I don’t mean that I’m at least content. It’s just that the misery has become so mundane.
So instead of a long intro, I’m going to give you a YouTube video:
Did that make you happy? Cause for me, it’s about the only thing that does these days.
Damn it, Jerome – get it together! This is not our therapist.
Sorry, all! By the way, have y’all been working on your entry for our Interpretations film contest? You have until September 15th so get crackin’!
Anyway, as we near the end of August, YOMYOMF dives headfirst into matters of kimchi ice cream; hating strangers; and Big Tits Zombie. I really could not make this stuff up. Read more...
Forty-seven years ago today, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech to over 200,000 civil rights supporters that included the now iconic words, “I have a dream…”
For the Rev. Martin Luther King, sing: Read more...
The final straw came on a warm March evening when my mom’s purse was snatched just outside Ralph’s supermarket on La Brea and Third. I was 13, and at that age, didn’t care to roam up and down the aisles with her while she shopped. As was my habit, I was hanging out at the magazine rack, trying discreetly to flip through the latest issue of “Cosmo” in the hopes of glimpsing a bare breast.
Then I heard the blood curdling scream. Read more...
The closest metaphor I can think of is that amazing feeling you had as a child on Christmas morning when you’d jump out of bed, run to the tree and see the presents that Santa Claus left for you during the night. Yes, the thing I was holding in my hand may have just been a standard Fed Ex envelope, but inside was my metaphoric gift from Santa. Inside was a screener DVD of the Japanese film Big Tits Zombie.
Ever since my fellow Offender Anderson wrote about watching this movie at Cannes, I knew that it could very well be the greatest movie ever produced and make Citizen Kane look like Citizen Krap. This is a film about strippers who fight zombies from hell and stars Japanese porn stars Sola Aoi and Risa Kasumi. And it includes classic moments like this:
As many of you already know, we’ve launched a new film initiative entitled INTERPRETATIONS to support aspiring filmmakers. In a nutshell, you make a short film of no more than 3 minutes using the same script we provide (get all the info here). To help us launch, we commissioned several filmmaker friends to make their own shorts using our script and we’ll be featuring each one of them here (including a few words from the filmmakers themselves). Just a reminder that the deadline has been extended to 11:59 PM PST on Sept. 15. Also, check out our latest INTERPRETATIONS blogs including a Q&A with producer Dan Lin (Sherlock Holmes) and an edited transcript of the INTREPRETATIONS New York panel.
Today we present our final commissioned sample short Canvas by Mora Stephens and starring acclaimed artist James Jean:
I have been challenged to write about Inception once a week until the end of the year. Not that this really changes anything because I was planning on doing that anyway.
From here on out, when you see the Inception logo at the top of my posts, please imagine the BRM sound rumbling around you.
Thank you.
Hello hello, Internet! Welcome to my weekly column about the greatest movie of all time. I know what you’re thinking: what else can be said about Inception? In which case, shut up.
Imagine you are on a boat and you see a sizeable enough iceberg off in the distance. In reality, that’s just the tip of the iceberg; it’s actually this big:
Now how trippy is that shit? I just saw that and it’s amazing. Read more...
Are Asian and Asian American men getting the shaft so to speak from our own writers? This isn’t a new question, Asian American writers like Maxine Hong Kingston and Amy Tan have received their fair share of criticism from some in the community for their “negative” portrayals of Asian men in books like The Woman Warrior and The Joy Luck Club. But is “racist love” still alive and well among our writers especially when it comes to the characterization of Asian males? Chinky or not chinky?
The always-provocative MaSir Jones over at his Destroy and Rebuild blog recently posted this entry entitled “Asian-American men get shafted even in literature.” He focuses on a list compiled by a commenter over at BigWoWo (my pick for the most literate Asian American blog) of novels from Amazon’s Meet the Asian American Authors book list. As he explains, the commenter’s purpose for exploring this list was “to find literature where the protagonist and love interest of the story is an Asian-American male. His findings are appalling, yet not all that surprising to say the least.”
So just how appalling were the findings? Check it out for yourself (note: there are a few books on this list I am not familiar with so I can’t vouch that all the information below is correct): Read more...
Apart from INCEPTION and SCOTT PILGRIM, I’ve found the summer to be a big fast food smorgasboard of formulaic, pandering, and lowest common denominator movies. So for the perfect antidote to trashy fiction that doesn’t provide any worthwhile escape (just junk food for the brain and soul), I suggest watching some good documentaries. Read more...
Last week, I discussed the various memes Inception has spawned. One of them that’s gaining a lot of traction is Arthur x Eames.
Often times, the focus of these efforts and works is the romantic relationships in the story. What if Morpheus schtupped Trinity? Or Frodo stormed Sam’s gates? Or Rachel bonked Marcel?
These are questions the world will never get a canonical answer for. But that’s what the Internet is for. 
Perhaps his fashion has left the deepest impression with the uniformed work force, for as comedy writer Stefanie Novik comments, “He looks like a janitor.” But it is apparent that Kim’s fashion has also influenced the big screen. Just take a look at Dr. Evil.
We love movies and making movies here at YOMYOMF. Recent blogs range from praising the must-see doc 
