The Half of It - Netflix film

source: Wikipedia/Netflix

Released May 1 on Netfilx, a new film from writer-director Alice Wu, "The Half of It".

Stealing what the late Don LaFontaine might say, "in a world of social distancing during a pandemic, comes a film about longing and love..."

Besides it being another wonderfully told story about the Asian-American experience, it is also one of the best coming-of-age films I've ever seen. Period.

Here's the trailer:

Lunar New Year 2020 - Year of the Rat

source: Vectorstock
Year of the Rat

Happy Lunar New Year 2020.

I was born in the Year of the Rat. The Year of the Rat comes every 12 years.

Let's just say I'll have passed my zodiac animal more than 4 times.

Or you can hear The Daily Show's
Ronny Chieng explain hilariously the true meaning of Chinese New Year to Chinese people from his Netflix special, "Asian Comedian Destroys America"

Enjoy.

Netflix Binge Watch - Halt and Catch Fire

source: imdb.com
L to R: Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Lee Pace

I restarted my Netflix subscription about 3 months ago. There were a few movies I watched, but had a hard time finding anything bingeworthy as many others have.

That changed late last week. I caught a brief mention from a NY Times writer who said she was totally hooked on AMC TV series Halt and Catch Fire (2014-2017).

Started watching last week. The first 4 episodes of season 1 are a bit slow, but it's necessary to watch to build the story and characters.

By episode 5, I binge watched 3 episodes at 10:30 pm. Tonight, I finished up season 1 and am currently watching season 2, episode 2.  It's 40 episodes across 4 seasons.

I left my job at Gymboree in 1998 to work for an e-commerce startup. I returned to corporate retail in 2001. Which is what compelled me to watch. I'll likely finish watching the series on or around Labor Day.

Here's the trailer:

Always Be My Maybe

source: imdb.com

Released on Friday and now available on Netfilx.
Movie summary:

• Asian-American childhood friends in San Francisco.
• Grew up in the Sunset District. 
• Lost touch, then reconnected after 15 years.
• Still care for each other but lives are going in different paths.

Watched the trailer with tears streaming down my face. Too close to my own personal experience. Several of you already know who he is.

Think I'll have to see it.

Check out the trailer here:

A&E's Longmire - cancelled

source: TV Guide

Disappointed to find out from USA Today's Jayme Deerwester that A&E's Longmire got cancelled.

It was A&E's second highest rated TV series.

One of the reported reasons for the cancellation was the average viewer age was 60 years old.

Dumb, dumb, dumb. And stupid.

Not only did the clueless executives that made this decision insult a demographic with deep pockets, they've cancelled the primary reason why many of us watch series television: the ability to tell a story (see previous blog entry of July 13, 2012).

In a world where so many of us are on information overload and short attention spans, it's a series that needs to be watched over time to be fully appreciated.

And for me, Bailey Chase (Deputy Branch Connally on the far right in the above photo) was a nice distraction. I'm not one normally one drawn to men dressed as cowboys, but whenever Branch wore his stetson and jeans, he got my attention.

Kudos to the network that decides to pickup the series. I think this would be a great addition on TNT.

****UPDATE: August 14, 2015****
Thanks to the fans, Longmire returns for a 4th season, beginning September 10 on Netflix.