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Articles by Anna Hoang
REVIEW: Miller’s Girl (2024) dir. Jade Halley Bartlett
When a film’s identity meshes the crisis of creative stillness and the precarious affirmation-foddering between a student and teacher, it frankly sounds like a fixing for character disaster. The two players in the wreckage are Jonathan Miller (Martin Freeman), who can be identified by his white tennis shoes and form-fitting shirts as a Vanderbilt-alum Cool Teacher, and Cairo Sweet (Jenna Ortega), a high school senior who joins his class in her last semester.
PREVIEW: The Brattle’s (Some of) The Best of 2023!
It’s that time of year again: the studios have released their most prestigious offerings, Oscar nominations are imminent, and you’re about to realize (if you haven’t already) just how many movies you missed this year. Whether boning up for the awards-season blitzkrieg or simply looking to fill in your cultural gaps, catching up with a year’s worth of movies can be daunting. Thank god for the Brattle.
REVIEW: Renaissance (2023) dir. Beyoncé
All images provided by Kevin Mazur. Relatively speaking, the format for Beyoncé’s Renaissance had been her return to traditional music release in a long time. Along with the album’s official announcement and a lead single to follow (“Break My Soul”), it had been one of the few recent instances in which Beyoncé had participated in the regular, radio-charting rollout of her own solo music.
REVIEW: Cat Person (2023) dir. Susanna Fogel
I believe that behind the longevity of an Internet story is the applied imagination of the reader. The online folk tales in which the person is pictured or there’s a full name that can be easily doxxed to oblivion is like a respiratory infection— explosively present but temporary (God willing, at least). But the stories where we can project our experiences and conjure our own images possess a longer shelf life, allowing them to float in the space between nonfiction and imposed embellishments.
Hassle of Horror: The Hassle’s Halloween Staff Picks
Oscar Goff, Editor-in-Chief To me, Halloween is less a holiday than a semester, a portion of the year that begins on September 1, reaches a crescendo with the Coolidge Corner Theatre’s annual Halloween Marathon (which I have not missed since 2006, give or take a plague year), and doesn’t end—if it ever does end—until the candy runs out.
BAAFF INTERVIEW: Director/Producers Jennifer Takaki and Linda Lew Woo on “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story”
Also known as the unofficial Asian American photographer laureate, Corky Lee’s name has often been mentioned by AAPI filmmakers that I’ve talked to, whether as a source of inspiration or because they are still reeling from his unexpected death in January 2021. I had no doubt that there was going to be a shot at documenting his legacy, though I didn’t realize at the time how extensive it was.
INTERVIEW: BAAFF Director Susan Chinsen
The Boston Asian American Film Festival will be presenting feature films and shorts in a hybrid format this year (you can find more information on where things are shaking on their website). Ahead of its 15th anniversary, Boston Hassle spoke with BAAFF director Susan Chinsen for a look on this year’s programming, being part of the Joy Ride Club, and some cool new events happening. The conversation has been edited for brevity and flow.
REVIEW: Passages (2023) dir. Ira Sachs
When perusing director Ira Sachs’ filmography, one can’t help but feel that Sachs has some thoughts about marriage. Married Life, a post-WWII film involving marital unhappiness and murder attempts, might not feel akin to Love is Different, a modern tale about a married pair physically separated by urban rent gouging, but the dissolution (or evolution, depending on your take) of commitment seems to preoccupy the director’s mind for years.
REVIEW: Barbie (2023) dir. Greta Gerwig
In between the successful variations of Barbie over the years, there are discontinued ones. Backlash came for certain Barbies (“Math class is tough!“) and didn’t stop for her friends and family (pregnant Midge and puberty Skipper, for starters). But were they failures? The history of Barbie, in its entirety of celebrations and rejections, contributes to Barbie the Product — a concept that lives in recycled relevance for the next generation.
ROXFILM REVIEW: Mickey Hardaway (2023) dir. Marcellus Cox
Film, Film Review Part of the 25th Roxbury International Film Festival by Anna Hoang “Mr. Hardaway, are you ready?” the receptionist asks Mickey (Rashad Hunter) as the title card appears on screen, which occurs several minutes into the movie. Mickey sits for his first therapy session with Dr. Harden (Samuel Cofield Jr.), which plays out in the predictable cadence of clinician-patient familiarization — family history, personal goals, the next appointment date.
INTERVIEW: Celine Song on “Past Lives”
Past Lives begins with a pivotal scene: Nora (Greta Lee) is sitting between Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) and Arthur (John Magaro) at a bar. They appear to be having a conversation with each other, but the voiceovers we hear are commentaries from off-screen strangers presuming to be at the same bar: How do they know each other? Are the two Asians dating and the white guy a tour guide? Is Nora a hired translator between Hae Sung and Arthur? Are they all friends?
INTERVIEW: Lucienne Hernandez & Lourdes Quiñones on “Picando Alante”
Israel Lugo’s PICANDO ALANTE was released last year to huge success, earning the Best National Film Award at the Puerto Rico Film Festival. Billed as a black comedy, PICANDO ALANTE (Spanish for AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION) tackles the complications of opening a family-owned business in the marijuana industry (currently, only medical marijuana is legalized in Puerto Rico).
Ao dai designs draw attention at fashion week in London
3bn trade row with EU British official in Vietnam to boost accession to CPTPP Foreign Minister to attend funeral of Queen Elizabeth II Enterprises importing goods to UK must be put on new customs system quickly More British investors look at Vietnam to cash in on free trade agreements Latest News ⁄ Timeout ⁄ Entertainment p ⁄ Entertainment More News Brazilian girl wins Vietnamese-founded beauty contest - Miss Charm 2023 (February 17, 2023 | 16:27) TaylorMade releases Stealth 2 golf driver...
(1/13-2/2) (Some of) The Best of 2022
It’s inevitable: that feeling, as the calendar year draws to a close and awards season heads into full swing, that I need to catch up. Fortunately, this time of year also brings the Brattle Theatre’s “(Some of) The Best Of” series, a painstakingly curated program of more than two dozen of the previous year’s finest cinematic offerings, all presented where they belong– on the big screen.
BAAFF INTERVIEW: "Wei-Lai" director Robin Wang
I first saw Wei-Lai in the BAAFF Shorts Program after viewing a slew of videos concerning different themes related to the AA/NHPI experience. A lot of the short films bring thoughtfulness, but watching Wei-Lai felt like a refreshing splash of cold water. The film follows Wei-Lai, a young boy who offers himself up for adoption to his friend’s family after a procedural spanking from his father.
DISPATCHES FROM BAAFF: Shorts Programs
As in previous years, the 2022 Boston Asian American Film Festival will have its Shorts Program available on-demand. With a total accumulation of 374 minutes, the BAAFF Shorts Program is a fun way to spend the weekend viewing this year’s selection of pieces created by AA/NHPI featuring AA/NHPI. Of course, in re-reading that sentence again, that is over six hours of programming.
BAAFF INTERVIEW: "Dealing with Dad" Director Tom Huang
If there was a phone call that would make me freeze in my spot, it would be hearing that my mom won’t leave her bed (or rather, she chooses not to). My mom, who operates on a 4 AM-11PM schedule even on holidays, has been busy since I can remember. If I ever hear that my mom is sitting around, then I know something is wrong. In Tom Huang’s comical Dealing with Dad, the tyrannical patriarch of a Chinese immigrant family develops a depression once he is let go from his job.
REVIEW: Sundown (2021) dir. Michel Franco
Back in my good, old secondary education years, I used to actively avoid giving class presentations. The idea of speaking in front of people would make my nerves freeze, so I used to try different tactics to get out of them.
REVIEW: Flee (2021) dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Recalling stories of trauma has unfolded from many different basins — multigenerational, historical, a single personal event — but Jonas Poher Rasmussen opens an old wound in capturing the emotional conditioning of a refugee in Flee. At the focus of Rasmussen’s first full-length visual documentary is Amin (a pseudonym), an Afghan immigrant who, for the first time, recounts the story of his family escaping the war-torn country.
REVIEW: Labyrinth of Cinema (2019) dir. Nobuhiko Obayashi
Before departing from this material world, underground hero Nobuhiko Obayashi had his last directorial go-round with Labyrinth of Cinema. For those who are familiar with Hausu, a texture-patchwork horror that reached a belated popularity in America long after its 1977 release, Labyrinth of Cinema stands as proof that his lawless imagination had resisted any form of aging degeneration.
REVIEW: Boiling Point (2021) dir. Philip Barantini
There might be two types of people in the world: people who have worked in the service industry and those who are poor tippers. Time spent as a fast food worker, bottom-level sales agent, or call center representative generally don’t make it as the central conflict. Beside the one-offs like Support the Girls, the minimum-wage occupation tends to be an additive to a person’s overall attempts in making it through the day.
REVIEW: The Spine of Night (2021) dir. Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King
Adult animation is so often utilized in comedy that there’s a specific sort of respite when it’s fashioned in serious tones. The operative word here is adult, in which certain scenes and words may go beyond the PG-pale. The Spine of Night , a seven-year project from Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King, nests in rotoscope, a form that fascinates me because it never fails to disarm my senses every time.
Dispatches from the Boston Asian American Film Festival: Shorts Programs
YELLO (2020) DIR. KING YAW SOON. USA, 5 MINS. The Shorts Programs for the 2021 BAAFF displays an impressive landscape of various films under the thirty-minute mark. Some titles of the program divisions are succinct; ALTERED REALITIES is of the supernatural and horror worlds, while QUEER & HERE represents multiples in representation.
BAAFF REVIEW: Waikiki (2020) dir. Christopher Kahunahana
I’ll say it here: I don’t know much about Hawai’i. Of course, I know it as the most tropical-foreign-adjacent getaway an American state could be. I know of its unique ethnicity makeup and that being a native Hawaiian has a much deeper, diversified history than being an Masshole.
INTERVIEW: "A Tale of Three Chinatowns" Director Lisa Mao
DIRECTOR LISA MAO (FRONT) INTERVIEWING ONE OF THE SUBJECTS IN “A TALE OF THREE CHINATOWNS”. PHOTO COURTESY OF FACEBOOK. A Tale of Three Chinatowns explores the different stages of disappearing Chinatowns across America, but directs its attention to the ones in Boston, Chicago, and D.C. It is the second collaboration between Penny Lee and Lisa Mao (the first being Through Chinatown’s Eyes: April 1968) under Tiger Sisters Productions.
REVIEW: All Light, Everywhere (2021) dir. Theo Anthony
It’s not often that filmmakers approach their pieces as academic theses, but Theo Anthony’s methodological approach to All Light, Everywhere shows that this sort of structure should be used more often for both fiction and nonfiction formats. All Light, Everywhere explores the efficacy of body cams used in police departments by looking to the historical context of the camera invention, ethical questions concerning surveillance, and the psychological infliction to a supposedly unbiased viewpoint.
GO-TO: In the Mood for Love (2000) dir. Wong Kar-wai
If you didn’t get to see it this past December, the Coolidge Corner Theatre ran a virtual screening series called the World of Wong Kar-wai, which was a collection that featured 4K restorations of several of the famed director’s works. And if you hadn’t heard why I’m about to risk it all for a Blu-ray player, the Criterion Collection recently released a gorgeous boxset that reflects Wong’s warmth through the screen.
BAAFF REVIEW: The Paper Tigers (2020) dir. Bao Tran
In these uncertain times, mindless action is a fun filibuster to emotional politics. However, it’s intriguing that in the latest trend of movies that use martial arts as the primary verb/hobby, filmmakers still don’t cast members of the Asian American community as the leads. Do they really need to?
INTERVIEW: Boston Asian American Film Festival director Susan Chinsen
Similar to other festivals in this past year, the 12th Boston Asian American Film Festival will be hosted virtually. Boston Hassle will be covering some of the screened films, which runs through Wednesday, October 21 to Sunday, October 25.
CINEMA QUARANTINO: The Scent of Green Papaya (1993) dir. Tran Anh Hung
Cinema Quarantino is an ongoing series of alternative streaming picks for the self-quarantined and the socially distanced, as selected by the film staff of Boston Hassle. To browse the rest of our picks, click here! THE FILM: The Scent of Green Papaya (1993) dir. Tran Anh Hung THE STREAMER: Kanopy Through a deep childhood familiarity, ripe papaya can smell like shit (and inversely, sometimes shit smell likes papaya). Green papaya, however, has a much paler, harder flesh and isn’t as fragrant.
WALMART chooses WeChat over Alipay in China
WALMART chooses WeChat over Alipay in China 26 March 2018 (Updated: 13:02 GMT) Walmart has dropped Alipay and partnered with WeChat pay at all stores in western China, according to local media reports. The two will collaborate on instore payments, discounts and promotions, as well as data analytics and precision marketing... Anna Hoang Associate Analyst - Asia
AUCHAN FY sales dragged down by under-performing hypers at home
French multinational Auchan endured a tough year as it struggled to transform its business while managing a harsh competitive environment at home. Auchan Retail profit took a 30% hit while domestic sales recovered from a -1.8% H1 sales dip to a -0.6% FY decline...
JD.COM, TENCENT take stakes in China retail chain Better Life
JD.COM, TENCENT take stakes in China retail chain Better Life 26 February 2018 (Updated: 12:32 GMT) Tencent and JD.com will buy a combined 11% stake in Chinese supermarket and department store operator Better Life in the latest move towards O2O integration in the market. Hunan-based Better Life, also known as Bubugao, operates 304 stores and supermarkets in China, primarily in medium and small cities... Anna Hoang Associate Analyst - Asia
YONGHUI delivers stellar sales and profit growth for 2017
China’s fast-growing big-box and supermarket chain Yonghui has enjoyed another good year, consolidating its position as a top 10 player in the world’s largest food market...
FAMILYMART UNY to launch gyms adjacent to convenience stores
Fields marked with an * are required fields Fields marked with an * are required fields Japanese convenience operator FamilyMart UNY is entering the fitness business. In February 2018 it will debut Fit&GO, 24-hour health centres adjoining store locations... By continuing to use the site you agree to our cookies policy. Accept
SHINSEGAE determined to lead in South Korean convenience
SHINSEGAE determined to lead in South Korean convenience 13 July 2017 (Updated: 14:15 GMT) Shinsegae will invest KRW300 billion over the next three years. It plans to push its With Me convenience store unit to market leader status ahead of CU, GS25 and 7-Eleven, Korea's second-largest retailer said Thursday. It also plans to change the brand name from With Me to emart24 to capitalise on the success of E-mart, the country's largest discount store chain...
Asia Opportunities 1 - Taipei, Taiwan - Where to find growth in Taiwan?
Faced with an ageing population and a sluggish economy, Taiwan undertook economic reforms in 2016 in a quest to regain GDP growth in 2017. This, however, has not sapped consumer confidence with spending forecasted to grow by 26% through 2016/17, offering solid development prospects for retail businesses.
Asia Regional Overview 2016 - Retail Trends & Forecasts
Asia is a highly diverse region where retail environments are rapidly transforming towards modernisation. Although the landscape is distinctly driven by cultural variances and different stages of market evolution, its increasingly urbanised population and a fast-developing infrastructure are now making it the most attractive long-term region of interest for FMCGs, brands and retailers alike.
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