Author Archives: John

About John

I'm a Taiwanese-American and was born & raised in Western Massachusetts, went to college in upstate New York, worked in Connecticut, went to grad school in North Carolina and then moved out to the Bay Area in 1999 and have been living here ever since - love the weather and almost everything about the area (except the high cost of housing...)

‘Invisible Nation’ Sells to Abramorama – Premiering May 31

Posted on April 25, 2024 by John

Last October, I was able to screen the documentary Invisible Nation – which I LOVED – about Taiwan at the Mill Valley Film Festival and at a special screening at Stanford University: “An Intimate Portrait of President Tsai Ing-wen fighting … Continue reading →

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CAAMFest 2024 Returns May 9-19: Shining Light on Asian American Stories

Posted on April 23, 2024 by John

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) recently announced its fully in-person program for CAAMFest 2024, which will take place May 9-19, 2024 in San Francisco and Oakland. This year’s festival will include over 35 programs that will spotlight film, … Continue reading →

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Pew Research Center: Asian Americans & Changing Partisan Coalitions in a Politically Divided Nation

Posted on April 10, 2024 by John

The Pew Research Center recently published a report, Changing Partisan Coalitions in a Politically Divided Nation, and to no surprise to me, Asians Americans overwhelmingly skew more Democratic than Republican. As the report states: “The balance of partisan association among … Continue reading →

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China’s Breakout Hit ‘YOLO’ Opening Friday, March 8th in North America

Posted on March 8, 2024 by John

Since opening in China on February 10th, YOLO has grossed over $464.2 million at the Chinese box office and has become the highest-grossing film over the Lunar New Year holiday, retaining the #1 spot two weekends in a row. China’s … Continue reading →

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Exclusive Interview with Awkwafina: “Kung Fu Panda 4” Coming March 8th

Posted on March 7, 2024 by John

Awkwafina was in San Francisco recently as “Grand Marshall” for the annual San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade: “A massive crowd showed up to celebrate the Chinese New Year in San Francisco’s Chinatown on Saturday night as Hollywood actress and … Continue reading →

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8mm Review: The Last Repair Shop

Posted on February 29, 2024 by John

As I mentioned on my post on Nai Nai and Wài Pó, I also screened The Last Repair Shop. Although this 40 minute short documentary is not necessarily Asian American related, I did want to review it and give it … Continue reading →

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Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó: Review and Q&A with Oscar Nominated filmmaker Sean Wang

Posted on February 27, 2024 by John

One of the things I have loved about living in the San Francisco Bay Area since I had moved out here in 1999 has been attending CAAMFest, or what it was known previous, as the San Francisco International Asian American … Continue reading →

Posted in 8mm Film Review, 8Series, Entertainment, Local, Movies, San Francisco Bay Area, TV | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Island in Between: Review and Q&A with Oscar-Nominated Director S. Leo Chiang

Posted on February 22, 2024 by John

I live in Silicon Valley, and one of the benefits is that I live about five miles from Stanford University, where are often quite a few events of interest to me that are open to the public. Recently, there was … Continue reading →

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Golden State Warriors 2024 Lunar New Year Celebration Night

Posted on February 20, 2024 by John

Lunar New Year is a big deal in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it’s also a big deal with the Golden State Warriors. I couldn’t make the celebration night last year, but did back in 2022. This is the … Continue reading →

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Third State Books – A New Publishing House Amplifying Stories from Asian America

Posted on February 13, 2024 by John

Living within five miles of Stanford University, I often attend talks there that are  open to the public. I recently went to a Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club (SAPAAC) and Stanford’s Asian American Student Association sponsored panel discussion: Owning … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Ken Jeong in Popeyes’ 2024 Super Bowl Ad “The Wait Is Over”

Posted on February 9, 2024 by John

My favorite fellow Duke Asian American alumni is Ken Jeong (’90), and he stars in this Super Bowl commercial announcing that the Popeyes fast food chain is now offering chicken wings as part of their menu: “The year is 1972. … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Liberty Mutual Insurance’s ‘First Word | Truth Tellers’

Posted on January 29, 2024 by John

I forget when I saw this cute commercial – probably while watching the San Francisco 49ers play. The premise is that the mother has been telling everyone how much money she’s been saving switching her insurance to Liberty Mutual, causing … Continue reading →

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