The movie version of The Lord of The Rings is quite different from the book version of The Lord of The Rings, but they’re both very much The Lord of The Rings. It’s the same story, and the movie does an incredible job at adapting the book by not adapting the book. Let me explain.… Continue reading The Spine
Tag: Movies
Spiders, Man!
While watching Spider-Man: No Way Home I found myself oddly distracted by the spoilers. The internet has been absolutely a titter over the last year or so about the movie, with crackpot theories based on trailers and leaked set photos guessing who was going to be in the movie. I still really liked the internet,… Continue reading Spiders, Man!
Cinenarrative Dissonance
Why does Mario have extra lives? Oh I get it, it makes sense for a game, but is he a supernatural plumber that can come back from the dead? It’s good old-fashioned ludonarrative dissonance, the tension between gameplay and story that haunts gaming criticism. But for all the talk about its presence in video games,… Continue reading Cinenarrative Dissonance
Metal Gear Spectre
I wasn’t expecting No Time To Die to draw so much on Metal Gear Solid in its story, and yet, here we are. Granted, the Metal Gear series borrowed heavily from James Bond, what with the central idea of a single operative on a clandestine mission into a supervillain’s base where, armed with gadgets, he… Continue reading Metal Gear Spectre
Self-Hating Asians
I moved to South Carolina the summer I turned fifteen, after growing up in Singapore and spending four years on a ship. Unknowingly, I stepped into a paradigm where my half-Singaporean Chinese self was now firmly classified as Asian, a title that brought with it very specific expectations. I quickly learned that the best way… Continue reading Self-Hating Asians
He Knows Kung Fu
So we’re a month away from Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings coming out, a movie I’ve been eagerly waiting for since it was announced. Besides the wonderfully pulpy name, I’m excited as all get out to finally, finally have an East Asian protagonist in a major Marvel movie. As someone of East… Continue reading He Knows Kung Fu
There’s My Dang Black Widow Movie
Almost exactly eight years ago I posted a rant essay lamenting the lack of a movie about Black Widow in the MCU. This brings to the front of my mind that not only have I been keeping this blog for a long-ass time, but that it’s taken a long-ass time to get a dang Black… Continue reading There’s My Dang Black Widow Movie
That New Trailer
There’s a new trailer for Shang-Chi out and I can’t wait for the movie. I like a good martial arts flick in general, but there’s the added fun of it being a Marvel superhero movie finally with a main character that looks like me. It’s a big deal. It’s important too, because representation in media… Continue reading That New Trailer
Unilateral Drone Strikes and The Winter Soldier
The Winter Soldier has a lot going on. There’s the spy thriller trope of the one good agent not knowing who he can trust (and the others not knowing if they can trust him). There’s the actual Winter Soldier, Steve Roger’s path made manifest. And of course, there’s the fact that SHIELD has been infiltrated… Continue reading Unilateral Drone Strikes and The Winter Soldier
A Bowl of Congee
I grew up eating congee in Singapore. It’s a savory rice porridge that, in my humble opinion, is best served with sliced ginger and steamed fish, garnished with spring onions, and with some youtiao on the side. White pepper and soy sauce to taste. I’m no doctor, nor do I have any qualifications or knowledge… Continue reading A Bowl of Congee
Essays, Not Rants! 