The Manic and Outrageous Creativity of Everything Everywhere All At Once

A24's EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE is an exhilarating and mind-bending assault on the senses. Writer-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, also collectively known as the Daniels, have fueled the metaphysical, martial arts film in an exhilarating bombardment of utter weirdness.

Just like the numerous "what if" scenarios you might have wondered about your own life, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE offers the various iterations of Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh)'s existence. A harried, mousy Chinese immigrant laundromat owner, Evelyn has many adulting problems. One of them is trying to save her failing business from a persistent IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis and her glorious belly). She is also trying to plan a Chinese New Year party for the community, dealing with accepting her aimless daughter Joy's (Stephanie Hsu) sexuality, and trying to shield that revelation from her disapproving, estranged father (James Hong).

Punch In For Kung Fu Season 2 on Warner TV (Premieres 10 March 2022)

Mention the “Kung Fu" series to Gen X-ers, and they will immediately remember the 1970's show which starred David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine, a half-Chinese Shaolin monk who was framed for murder, and came to America to search for his family. It is well known that martial arts legend Bruce Lee was passed over for the main role, and it has been argued that this was due to his accent, which the audience may find difficulty understanding. It just goes to show the level of discrimination Asian and Asian-American actors face, trying to get visibility in tinseltown. The original series has also been criticized for its prominent white-washing and propagating of Asian stereotypes.

With the rebooted, reimagining of the series that premiered in 2021, the creators Christina M. Kim, Martin Gero, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Robert Berens and Warner Bros TV hope to right some of the wrongs regarding Hollywood's ‘bamboo ceiling’. In this new gender-bent version set in modern times, Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen, a young Chinese American woman who ran away from her university studies and ended up learning Shaolin kungfu at a monastery in China.

The first season of KUNG FU follows Nicky's homecoming in San Francisco, to find that her parents owes the mob money due to the family's failing restaurant business. A dangerous Triad has now taken hold of her home district, and is overrun with crime and corruption. While trying to solve the mystery of her sifu's death, Nicky also makes it her mission to disentangle her family from the mobsters and use her kung fu skills to fight for justice.

Season 2 of KUNG FU premieres today (10 March 2022) on Warner TV. There is more battles ahead for Nicky, as the family reunites with a long-lost cousin named Mia (Vanessa Yao). What has Mia got to do with the Russell Tan (Kee Chan), the current season's Big Bad?

If you have yet to get on board with the show, it is still not too late to start. Red Dot Diva gives you the five reasons why you should watch KUNG FU:

5 Movies To Watch To Usher In The Year Of The Tiger 2022

The Year of the Tiger has arrived!!! So, HU (虎)-at will you going to be watching over the holidays?

A couple of days ago, Red Dot Diva started bingeing on Netflix's new CG-animated series He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe. The energetic and flashy 10-episode series developed by Rob David, re-imagines the franchise in a futuristic cyberpunk-scifi world. The basic premise of the beloved He-Man characters are still there, but what is best about this show are its intriguing departures, like the gender-bent Krass, who later became Ram Ma'am.

One of the best storylines is the exploration of how this version's Cringer became the hero he was meant to be. It is a major difference from the cartoon of the 80s, where the whiny shivering big cat can be so annoying at times. Cringer of the Netflix reboot always had courage in him, but was declawed and exiled from his tribe, due to his desire to protect his fellow cats.

As Cringer looks mostly like a green tiger with stripes, Red Dot Diva thought it was super auspicious to celebrate this year's zodiac animation - the Water Tiger.

The tiger is also a familiar motif in a number of movies throughout the years. So here are 5 movies that Red Dot Diva thinks would an entertaining way to herald the New Year!

(Note: The movies are in order of the year of their release. You may need to hunt down a DVD/ stream to watch some of these titles!

Folklore Season 2 Ups The Scare Factor With More Asian Horror Stories

FOLKLORE Season 1 (2018), HBO Asia's original anthology series consisting of horror stories from Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, was a success in the international film festival circuit. Award-winning film-maker Eric Khoo is the creator and showrunner of the series, and various episodes were screened in major festivals like Toronto International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Geneva International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest (Texas, USA) and Asian World Film Fest (California, USA).

The best thing about FOLKLORE Season 1 was how novel it was. Compared to East Asian lore, South-East Asian stories are rarely known internationally. FOLKLORE managed to lovingly capture the essence of some of South-East Asia's favourite momoks (phantoms/ bogeymen) with a high production values.

There are a couple of stories in the first season that are still visually ingrained in Red Dot Diva's mind. They are POB, the brilliantly filmed black and white Thai ghost story by reknown director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, and the more traditional and partially socio-political tale of the TOYOL by Malaysian director Ho Yuhang. That just shows how creepy and memorable Asian horror can be compared to the Westernised ones, which tend to over-explain the supernatural.

Well, come 14 November 2021, horror fans can expect more scares as FOLKLORE is set to increase the fear factor for a second season. There will be six new episodes about the human condition when faced with the deeply rooted superstitions and myths in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. Each of the stories is helmed by a director from their respective territory, with a special spotlight on two female directors this new season. Famous Japanese popstar Seiko Matsuda makes her directorial debut in the episode about a lonely Japanese idol, and Singaporean director Nicole Midori Woodford unveils the roots of a family trauma.

Michelle Yeoh Joins the Avatar Sequel Movies

Michelle Yeoh has joined the cast of Avatar in the sequel movies! Her role will be of a scientist named Dr. Karina Mogue.

Avatar 2, the first of the sequel movies, is set to premiere in December 2020, with actors Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi and Joel David Moore from the first movie, as well as child actor Filip Geljo, Kate Winslet and David Thewlis.

“Throughout her career, Michelle has always created unique and memorable characters. I look forward to working with Michelle to do the same thing on the Avatar sequels,” said James Cameron.

Michelle Yeoh is such a fan favorite, especially in this region, where she has flown the Malaysian flag high and shown how a talented actor is able to gain international recognition even with a Malaysian accent (very similar to the Singaporean one). Through her memorable roles in Hollywood, fans here feel represented to the world at large.

Currently, Michelle Yeoh has all the best snarky lines on CBS' scifi series “Star Trek Discovery” as the ousted Emperor Giorgiou, now an agent of a black ops called Section 31. There will a spin-off based on her character which expects to be released in 2020.

As for the big screen, Michelle Yeoh in her next movie Paul Feig's “Last Christmas”, together with Emilia Clarke and her "Crazy Rich Asians" on screen son, Henry Golding.

HBO Asia's "Folklore" Horror Anthology Set To Give You Sleepless Nights, Premieres 7 Oct, 10 PM

October is the best season for a nice, spine-chilling scarefest, and HBO Asia will be rewarding horror fans with a 6-episode anthology called "Folklore".

Created by award-winning local director Eric Khoo, "Folklore" is a HBO Asia Original series that brings a modern or updated twist to the classic ghoulies and myths that Asians will be familiar with. The team of directors, specially requested by Eric Khoo to be part of the project, spin creepy tales that possess their own home countries' brand of horror.

Each story will be told in the local language that the episode is based on, and will also provide insights of the social issues that exist in that country.

Six episodes will air each Sunday exclusively on HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601), beginning from 7 October, 10 PM. They will also be available on HBO Go and HBO On Demand (StarHub TV Ch 602).

Non-subscribers of HBO will be able to watch the first episode "Folklore: A Mother's Love" via streaming on HBO GO for free, from 10 PM on October 7.




Here are the synopsis of the 6 episodes: