Tag Archives: Henry Golding

G.I. Joe: Origins From the Perspective of a Long Time Fan

28 Jul

Snake Eyes G.I. Joe Origins Movie Poster.jpgBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Spoiler Alert

Trying to rejuvenate interest in a more than a half century old toy line can be tough. Not even Snake-Eyes–the most popular character–can save the franchise. He’s not even a G.I. Joe in the self-titled Origins film. It may be the first in a series which redefines key characters, and giving them a history to make them edgier than the typical cartoon portrayal. 

Just where Snake-Eyes (Henry Golding) learned martial arts is still a mystery. This  movie shows him as a diamond in the rough and this actor certainly knows how to play that up. There’s a lot of emotional baggage he has to shed before he can be that Ultimate Ninja. He first has to learn the way of bushido, and perhaps his heritage too. The latter is quickly revealed, but I hoped for more. I find the story really odd since it barely scratches the surface in what this individual knows as honour.

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Crazy Rich Asians in a Crazy Little Thing Called Love

20 Aug

Crazy Rich Asians Movie PosterBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

  • Spoiler Alert

Not every Asian is that rich, and nor are they members of the social elite. In Kevin Kwan‘s novel, Crazy Rich Asians, he is out to satirize that culture. The film of the same name certainly glamorizes what is, and how filthy, stinking rich some can become when they come into positions of power. When they are well connected, these people can advance far, and these nuances show up in the book trilogy. When they do not, just where they sit in this chaste society can either be in the lower echelons or high up.

Ultimately, this movie is more of a romantic comedy than a send-up of a who’s who of Singapore. The cultural notes are well placed and they offer nothing new to those who have studied this region. With the soundtrack, I believe it’s a foregone conclusion that in entertainment, the same old set of tunes are used over and over again instead of producers offering new scores to use. I recognized most of the tunes as I regularly heard them in my household back in the day. The fact they are still popular is scary!

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