Yesterday, January 6th, Ping Pong Playa was released on DVD and is now available on Amazon, Netflix, and Barnes & Nobles. You can check for it at your local video store too. I called my Blockbuster video store and they have it available for rent now. I had the pleasure of watching this hilarious movie at this past year’s San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival during March. I was too shy to come down the theater aisle after the movie was over to meet Jimmy Tsai back then. However, our paths crossed once again in the following interview that I had with him.
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Tags: asian film festival, basketball, c-dub, california, filmmaker, jessica yu, jimmy tsai, ping pong playa, san francisco

I’ve rounded up ten of my favorite Asian films for 2008. They’re in no particular order and each is unique. Some are comedies. Some are dramas. Some are for the whole family. And some might have you scratching your head asking “What did I just watch?”

Anyone posting spoilers will be dealt with severely.
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Tags: Andrew Vo, Angelina Jolie, Ashes of Time, Brian Danforth, Brigitte Lin, Cape No.7, Carina Lau, Charlie Yeung, Chaser, Chiaki Kuriyama, Chie Tanaka, Dan Fogler, David Cross, Dustin Hoffman, Hiroki Doi, Ian McShane, Jack Black, Jackie Chan, Jacky Cheung, James Hong, Jim Lau, jimmy tsai, Jung-woo Ha, Khary Payton, Kung Fu Panda, Leslie Cheung, Li Bai, Ling Li, Lucy Liu, Maggie Cheung, Mitsutaka Itakura, Pamelyn Chee, ping pong playa, Ponyo on the Cliff, Princess of Nebraska, rain, Randall Duk Kim, Riisa Naka, Rinko Kikuchi, roger fan, Ryo Kase, Seth Rogen, Sky Crawlers, Speed Racer, Takuya Ishida, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Van Fan, Yeong-hie Seo, Yun-seok Kim, Yuria Nara

It’s the most wonderful time of the year….and no, I’m not talking about Christmas shopping. I’m talking Asian film festivals, baby. Truthfully, they pop up all around the calendar, but two biggies are this week.

Here in the East, check out the First Annual Philly Asian-American Film Festival, October 9-12. Yes, that’s right—you can be a part of the inaugural run. They got the ball rolling with much hard work and grass-roots marketing.

Phil Lam will be there, representing as a producer of Santa Mesa, a really cool story set in the Philippines. Here are a few others attending, who will be around for Q&A:
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Tags: Kissing Cousins, phil lam, Philly Asian Film Fest, ping pong playa, San Diego Asian Film Festival, Santa Mesa

As we gear up for next month’s release of Ping Pong Playa, here’s more of my conversation with Roger Fan. An interview is always about the artist’s thoughts. But we had such a great rapport, I couldn’t help but share a few of my own. Roger has a natural love for the human race that makes him an excellent listener. Here’s more on Asian film, American film, stereotypes, and Justin Lin.

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Tags: actor, asian american, film, funny, interview, justin lin, movies, ping pong playa, roger fan, sung kang, the out takes

Yeah, I’m the lucky girl standing next to Roger Fan. When I finally met him at “Finishing the Game”’s New York City premiere last October, I felt like we’d known each other forever. Roger, one of the film’s stars, was the unofficial blogger of FTG’s 2007 Grassroots Tour. Besides spending most of the year at film festivals and campuses, connecting with the fans, Roger also spent countless hours documenting the tour in pictures and funny descriptions, much to the delight of rabid fans like me. If you got a MySpace comment from Finishing the Game, it was most often Roger’s doing. We emailed back and forth, and I teased him about how great he looked, bare-chested and suntan-oiled, as the cocky Breeze Loo circa 1973.

Then I interviewed him by phone while writing up Finishing the Game for a local newspaper. Truth be told, I was lucky the article got run at all. Asian-American film is pretty much off the radar where I live; I had only 850 words for a review of Finishing the Game AND a “wide angle” on Asians in Hollywood! But Roger, smart Brown alum that he is, gave me so much great material that would not fit in that tiny box. And I had the tall order of editing it and giving my fellow Midwesterners a taste of what’s happening in the Asian-American community.

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Tags: actor, asian american, breeze loo, finishing the game, interview, justin lin, myspace, new york city, ping pong playa, premiere, roger fan, stereotype, sung kang