Author Archives: Dino-Ray

About Dino-Ray

Dino-Ray Ramos is a movie hobbit, social media swaggerist, pop culture junkie, smart-mouthed Asian American warrior, and a well-rounded inhaler of all things entertainment. After uprooting from Texas, he migrated to San Francisco where he shares his irreverent take on high and low brow aspects of culture. In addition to feeding TheFinerDandy.com he writes for AfterElton.com, Hyphen Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. You can also boost his self-esteem by following his musings on Twitter

The Raid’s Red Band Trailer Straight From Indonesia

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Dino-Ray

The Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing and Indonesia’s The Raid has already been chosen as an “Official Selection” and as THE action flick of the fest — probably because it is dripping with violence, point-blank gunshots, bullets … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Irene Choi Cast As Asian Annie on Community

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Dino-Ray

In Community (Season 3 premieres Sept. 22 on NBC), Alison Brie plays Annie, an less creepy Tracy Flick-like character who excels at everything. So what do you do to dethrone such an overachieving character? You cast an Asian American actress. … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, TV | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Yo-Yo Ma Among The 2011 Kennedy Center Honorees

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Dino-Ray

Our favorite cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, will be in good company for the 34th Annual Kennedy Center Honors. He will be coronated with the prestigious honor alongside Meryl Streep, Neil Diamond, Sonny Rollins and Barbara Cook. “This year, the Kennedy Center … Continue reading →

Posted in (simple), Entertainment, Music | Leave a comment

Josh Brolin Cast In Spike Lee’s Old Boy Redux

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Dino-Ray

In the grand tradition of “let’s make an Asian movie American,” Spike Lee has decided that he needed to put Park Chan-wook’s masterpiece, Oldboy through the Hollywood Xerox machine. This week, they announced that Josh Brolin will be the lucky … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Amigo Review: A History Lesson Worth Watching

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Dino-Ray

If there’s one thing I took away from Amigo, it would be that I am totally disconnected from my Filipino heritage and it took a white, super-literary independent film director to make me realize that. In Amigo, director/writer John Sayles … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, History, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

30 Minutes or Less: Aziz Ansari & Jesse Eisenberg on Point Break & Improv

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Dino-Ray

In July, Aziz Ansari and Jesse Eisenberg served up slices of pizza at Goathill Pizza in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood in an effort to connect with their fans and, more importantly, to promote their comedy heist movie, 30 Minutes … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Devil’s Double Review: Dominic Cooper is a Caricature

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Dino-Ray

After watching The Devil’s Double, I wondered, “What if an actually Iraqi actor was cast in the dual role of Latif Yahia/Uday Hussein?” Then I wondered, “What if they cast Zac Efron in that role?” Casting Englishman Dominic Cooper in … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , | 6 Comments

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” Review with Some Simian Swagger

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Dino-Ray

I am not really familiar with the O.G. Planet of the Apes franchise starring Charlton Heston and laden with retro special effects. I do know that the 1968 film spawned an avalanche of sequels which, according to Ape aficionados (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Director Wayne Wang on APA Identity in the Media

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Dino-Ray

It’s been a while since we have heard from Wayne Wang. In fact, it’s been a while since we have seen him cover some Asian ground in film — but that’s where Snow Flower and the Secret Fan comes into … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Entertainment, Movies | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Movie Review: Green Lantern Isn’t the Brightest Light of Summer Blockbusters

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Dino-Ray

Green Lantern is the Fantastic Four for summer 2011. You can look at that in a good way or a bad way. I am going to take the middle road on this one — but leaning more towards the latter. … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Mason Lee Talks The Hangover Part II, Being Ang’s Son, & Nuts 4 Nuts

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Dino-Ray

As the son of an Academy Award-winning director, Mason Lee could easily use his name as leverage to get into some highbrow movies suitable for snotty cinephiles and artistic thespian-types. The Hangover Part II doesn’t necessarily scream “highbrow,” but it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Jamie Chung Talks “The Hangover Part II,” Dating & Food Blogging

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Dino-Ray

You may recognize Jamie Chung from The Real World: San Diego, but since then she has been taking the same route of fellow Real World alumna, Jacinda Barrett (she was in the London season) and becoming a legit non B-movie … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Movies | Tagged , , | 8 Comments