From left, Steven Yeun, Alan S. Kim, Yuh-Jung Youn, Yeri Han and Noel Cho in Minari (Courtesy of A24/Josh Ethan Johnson)
Should a movie set entirely in rural Arkansas, directed by an American director and filmed in the United States count as a foreign movie or an American one? When Minari, a semiautobiographical film directed by Lee Isaac Chung, won the Golden Globes best foreign language film in February 2021 because the majority of the movie s dialogue is in Korean, the practice of categorizing non-English languages as foreign was once again contested.
Questions about Asian American identity and its seemingly perpetual otherness haunt the public imagination in a year where anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States have risen nearly 150%.
Love a good horror flick? You have to head to the cinema this week…
The cinema is a great spot to hit over the weekend or something to fill your evening with after work. And if you want to know what’s going on at the cinema, check out our handy movie guide below.
Awoken
When nothing can be done for a Fatal Familial Insomnia patient at the hospital, a med student has her brother moved to a secret facility in the basement for alternative treatment. Is it demonic possession?
Starring: Erik Thomson, Sara West, Benson Jack Anthony
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller (15+)
Cinema Chat: 04/29/21
The 93rd Academy Awards slumped to their smallest TV audience ever. But the April 25 show was hardly alone this awards season in achieving that dubious milestone. The 10.4 million viewers for ABC’s Oscars telecast a 56 percent drop from 2020 were in keeping with a host of other awards broadcasts over the past seven months. Collectively, the four biggest awards shows the Emmys, Globes, Grammys and Oscars lost a staggering 35 million viewers from their previous telecasts in the 2019-20 season, suffering an average drop of 45 percent. The Emmys actually fared the best, losing only 9 percent of their 2019 audience (albeit from a much lower starting point than the other three).
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Twelve months of languishing in designer sneakers and sweat pants has taken its toll on Hollywood’s A-list, who couldn’t wait to dress up in their finery, putting on a spectacular show on the Oscars red carpet.
A dazzling display of attention-grabbing gowns saw red walking away as the winning colour choice of the night, in shades from brightest cherry to deep burgundy and everything in between.
This was also the night when the upper-half got the upper hand: an array of cutaway styles revealed toned midriffs, sculpted shoulders and deep decolletages, accessorised with glittering gems all designed to showcase bodies perfected for a season of Zoom chat-show interviews (shot from the waist up).
How Youn Yuh-jung’s Oscars acceptance speech stole the show: the first Korean to win an Academy Award, for Minari, won over the world with her grace and honesty Youn Yuh-jung, winner of best actress in a supporting role for Minari, poses in the press room at the 93rd annual Academy Awards ceremony at Union Station in Los Angeles – where her unguarded interview touched hearts around the world. Photo: EPA-EFE
Youn Yuh-jung just made history. The Oscars 2021 were a crowning moment in the talented septuagenarian s life, where she became the first Korean actor to win an Academy Award. And as well as striking a pleasant contrast with the event s typical glitz and glamour, there s the matter of her headline-making Oscar acceptance speech.