Highbrow Magazine - crazy rich asians https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/crazy-rich-asians en ‘In the Heights’ Is the First Great Film of 2021 https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/12327-heights-first-great-film <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Fri, 06/18/2021 - 08:30</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1heightsfilm.jpg?itok=E-_xe8CN"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1heightsfilm.jpg?itok=E-_xe8CN" width="480" height="285" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>IN THE HEIGHTS</strong></p> <p><strong>4 stars (out of four) </strong></p> <p><strong>Director: Jon M. Chu </strong></p> <p><strong>Starring: Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Leslie Grace, Corey Hawkins, Olga Merediz, Jimmy Smits and Lin-Manuel Miranda</strong></p> <p><strong>Available: In theaters and on HBO Max (ad free plan) </strong></p> <p> </p> <p>Despite a <a href="https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/in-the-heights-box-office-hbo-max-1234995410/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">poor audience response on opening weekend</a>, <em>In the Heights</em> is the first great film of 2021.</p> <p> </p> <p>There is still hope that movie lovers will read the  <a href="https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/in-the-heights-box-office-hbo-max-1234995410/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">overwhelmingly positive reviews</a> and either stream the movie or head to theaters in coming weeks, and serious cinemagoers should lobby for that sort of grassroots boost. Since the movie business is about money, executives pay attention to the attributes that inspire viewers, and that makes it excruciating when a picture as beautiful as <em>In the Heights</em> is made available to a wide audience, yet is greeted with disinterest. Sadly, that outcome is one more argument to finance projects like <em>Godzilla vs. Kong</em> or <em>Mortal Kombat</em> (both among the <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/2021/?ref_=bo_yl_table_1" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">top-grossing pictures of the year</a>), while allowing actual art to languish.</p> <p> </p> <p>Make no mistake … <em>In the Heights</em> is art.  Because the film is based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s early 2000s Broadway musical, it would be easy for audiences to think of it as a filmed theatrical production, ala <a href="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/10720-hamilton-world-domination-continues-disney-plus-movie" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">the Disney+ version of Miranda’s “Hamilton.”</a> But <em>In the Heights</em> is a movie in the truest sense. Miranda co-produced the project, but it’s Jon M. Chu, best known for <em>Crazy Rich Asians</em>, who directed, and Chu opens the story up wonderfully.</p> <p> </p> <p>One of the most common problems with stage-to-screen adaptations is lack of movement. Too often, viewers feel as though they are watching a recorded play due to tightly restricted settings and lengthy dialogue sequences. The latter qualities are staples of stage plays, which rely primarily on the magic of live performance to draw audiences in.</p> <p> </p> <p>To make a truly great theatrical adaptation, a filmmaker must first acknowledge the strengths and weaknesses of both theater and film. Then, that filmmaker must pay appropriate homage to the original work, while taking full advantage of the wonders that film allows.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2heightsfilm.jpg" style="height:400px; width:600px" /></p> <p> </p> <p><em>In the Heights</em> is Miranda’s tribute to Washington Heights, an upper Manhattan neighborhood known for its large immigrant population. Currently, Dominican Americans are demographically dominant, and Miranda’s work revolves largely around the experience of Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), a young bodega owner who dreams of returning to the Dominican Republic. Chu – knowing how important it is for viewers to see Washington Heights – takes the action to a variety of regional locations that New Yorkers should recognize. These include Highbridge Pool, the 191<sup>st</sup> Street Subway Station and J. Hood Wright Park.</p> <p> </p> <p>Chu also sets key scenes on a beach – presumably in the Dominican Republic – and his constantly shifting settings create a sense of action and openness that never allows viewers to reflect on the fact that the material was originally written for presentation on a proscenium state.</p> <p> </p> <p>It also helps that the picture is a musical. When Chu isn’t moving his cast from one beautifully dressed location to another, he is guiding it through some of the most eyepopping musical numbers to hit the screen in years. The splashy (literally) presentation of the tune “96,000” uses Highbridge Pool to great creative effect, with water becoming part of the choreography. This number is so intense that one might draw comparisons to the beautiful traffic jam dance sequence in <em>La La Land</em>.  But Chu has more than one big production number up his sleeve. Each song in the film is sold with panache, and a sequence where young lovers Benny (Corey Hawkins) and Nina (Leslie Grace) defy gravity to dance up and down the walls of an apartment complex is one of the most beautiful visual sequences we are likely to see this year.</p> <p> </p> <p>Benny and Nina, like Usnavi, are young adults struggling to find their places in a world where they’re still searching for footing. Thematically, that is the point of <em>In the</em> <em>Heights</em>. The film – like the play – acknowledges not only the uncertainty that comes with youth but the fact that young people of color often walk a different path than their white counterparts. There are two separate romances, with Benny and Nina deciding where their relationship should go while Usnavi longs for Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), a woman he loves but has been too shy to approach.  The movie is also a meditation on family, with Jimmy Smits playing Nina’s father and Olga Merediz representing the closest thing Usnavi has had to a parent since he was orphaned at a young age.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/3heightsfilm.jpg" style="height:600px; width:405px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>All of the performers are wonderful singers who are particularly gifted at selling Miranda’s compositions, which walk a comfortable line that shifts from pop to rap to traditional show music. Those who have seen <em>Hamilton</em> will hear plenty of musical similarities. Miranda’s raps have rhythmic calling cards and vocal flourishes that immediately identify him as the author. To a degree, this can be seen as a limitation -- like that of a pop group that produces one familiar-sounding album after another. But Miranda’s music is so catchy and dynamic that it’s easier to tap your feet than complain. And Miranda’s fans will be pleased to know that he has a small but noteworthy role in the film.</p> <p> </p> <p><em>In the Heights</em> works in all respects. The story is simple but poignant. The music is likable and filled with memorable lyrics and melodies. The acting is spot on, and Chu’s presentation blends all of these things into an incredible movie experience that really needs to be seen. Go now … and spread the word! </p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p><strong><em>Forrest Hartman, a </em></strong><strong>Highbrow Magazine<em> contributor, is a longtime entertainment journalist who teaches at the Department of </em></strong><a href="https://www.csuchico.edu/jour/" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline" target="_blank"><strong><em>Journalism &amp; Public Relations at California State University, Chico</em></strong></a><strong><em>.</em></strong></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>For Highbrow Magazine</strong></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/heights" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">in the heights</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/lou-manuel-miranda" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lou-manuel miranda</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/jon-chu" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">jon chu</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/new-films" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">new films</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/musicals" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">musicals</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/new-york" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">new york</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/crazy-rich-asians" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">crazy rich asians</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/hamilton" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hamilton</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/romance-movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">romance movies</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Forrest Hartman</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Fri, 18 Jun 2021 12:30:03 +0000 tara 10441 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/12327-heights-first-great-film#comments ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Is an Important Cultural Breakthrough for Hollywood https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/9299-crazy-rich-asians-important-cultural-breakthrough-hollywood <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sun, 08/19/2018 - 13:56</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1richasians.jpg?itok=4RH84yXv"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1richasians.jpg?itok=4RH84yXv" width="480" height="270" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><strong>This is an excerpt from an article originally published in <em>Asian Journal</em>. Read the rest </strong><a href="http://www.asianjournal.com/entertainment/showbiz/not-just-another-rom-com-crazy-rich-asians-pushes-asian-representation-in-hollywood/"><strong>here.</strong></a></p> <p> </p> <p> “Crazy Rich Asians,” which hit theaters nationwide on August 15, has already made history as the first major Hollywood film in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast.</p> <p> </p> <p>In this issue of MDWK Magazine, the Asian Journal explores what “Crazy Rich Asians” means for succeeding Asian representation in Hollywood and sits down with author Kevin Kwan, leading man Henry Golding and the Philippines’ “Queen of All Media” Kris Aquino (who plays Princess Intan) who all share their experiences working on the film.</p> <p> </p> <p>Based off the best-selling book of the same name by Kwan (who served as an executive producer of the film), the romantic comedy follows American-born Chinese economics professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu, “Fresh Off the Boat”) as she joins her boyfriend Nick Young (Golding) on a trip back to his hometown Singapore for his best friend’s wedding. Nick forgets to tell Rachel a minor detail, however, that his family is one of the wealthiest in the country. The trip opens Rachel’s up to a new world and she becomes the target of jealous socialites and Nick’s mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Star Trek: Discovery”).</p> <p> </p> <p>In addition to Wu, Golding and Yeoh, the Warner Bros. film — directed by Jon M. Chu— lines up an international cast, including Gemma Chan (“Humans”), Lisa Lu (“The Joy Luck Club”), Awkwafina (“Ocean’s 8”), Ken Jeong (“The Hangover”), Sonoya Mizuno (“La La Land”), Chris Pang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny”), Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”), Ronny Chieng (“The Daily Show”), Remy Hii (“Marco Polo”), and Filipino-American Nico Santos (“Superstore”).</p> <p> </p> <p>Kwan and Chu — whose directorial credits include “Now You See Me 2,” “Step Up 2: The Streets” and “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never — in a recent interview with <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em> revealed that they turned down a big payday from Netflix, which included “artistic freedom, a greenlighted trilogy and huge, seven-figure-minimum paydays for each stakeholder, upfront.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Instead, the duo opted for Warner Bros., as they believed that the story should be shown on a big screen first, instead of from the push of a button at home.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2richasians.jpg" style="height:313px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>“We knew that putting it on the big screen still means something. Cinema still means something to tell people it is worth your time and energy to gather your friends or family or by yourself, leave your house, find parking, go pay for food…and say, ‘Tell me a story,’” Chu said during a filmmaker roundtable in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, August 5. “It says this romantic couple and cast of all-Asian characters are worth your energy to do that and when you put something in a museum in the glass box, it still trickles down to everything else and says a lot.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Kwan, who said that he hoped his book would be made into a film one day, said that the story has resonated across generations with family members passing down the book and bonding over the experience of reading it.</p> <p> </p> <p> “I wanted this to be a community experience first of all, and also, this was the first chance we had in 25 years… I wanted this to be an experience that future generations could look at and say, ‘look, we achieved this.’ We’re watching a red carpet of amazing Asian actors walk up and down it, in the same way that any other Hollywood movie would get. We want that treatment too because ultimately we want to inspire,” he said on Sunday.</p> <p> </p> <p>In the same <em>Hollywood Reporter</em> feature, the process of finding the right producers for the film was detailed, including a bit about how one producer had told Kwan to reimagine the lead female character as white.</p> <p> </p> <p>Wu, who’s best known for her role in ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat,” was the filmmakers’ first and only choice for the lead role as Rachel.</p> <p> </p> <p>For Chu and Wu, the film was about exploring visiting Asia for the first time from the Asian American perspective and that identity.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>This is an excerpt from an article originally published in <em>Asian Journal</em>. Read the rest </strong><strong><a href="http://www.asianjournal.com/entertainment/showbiz/not-just-another-rom-com-crazy-rich-asians-pushes-asian-representation-in-hollywood/">here.</a></strong></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/crazy-rich-asians" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">crazy rich asians</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/constance-wu" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">constance wu</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/michelle-yeoh" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">michelle yeoh</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/asian-americans" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Asian Americans</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/singapore" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">singapore</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/wealthy-asians" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">wealthy asians</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Christina M. Oriel</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Sun, 19 Aug 2018 17:56:57 +0000 tara 8208 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/9299-crazy-rich-asians-important-cultural-breakthrough-hollywood#comments