Posts made by Ganymede

@clarity

I think that this may be a difficult topic to share on given the stigma surrounding autism that many of us probably grew up around.

It's no secret that my daughter is on the spectrum. She was diagnosed early with it because she started to exhibit superpowers at the same time (hyperlexia). She has difficulty wrestling with her emotions, and this is something I need to work on personally because I have been conditioned (I say this without hyperbole) to suppress those. It makes it difficult for she and I to talk about her feelings, something on which my partner finds necessary to intervene.

I think it is too easy for parents to fall into the same invincibility mindset we had when we were teenagers. We think that we know how to parent correctly, when the fact is that we probably don't. Copying our parents' methods because we turned out "okay" is also not necessarily the best option because the world that we grew up in no longer exists. Like many things, we probably should accede to the wisdom and suggestions of trained professionals. They aren't always right, but when they are their suggestions are hopefully based on studies that we can fall back on.

So, back to my little girl: yes, she has superpowers beyond being 4'6" at age 8 (she is tall, sturdy, and built to knock over offensive linemen). She won the Art and Spanish awards (given to the best student in the class) (second time for the Spanish award) last year. But she also exhibits palilalia (which makes her sound a little like Shrapnel from Transformers, something which I take much joy in because Shrapnel is awesome). Thankfully, the students and teachers at her (Catholic) school pay that quirk little mind, and she is a joyfully, caring, wonderful young woman in spite of what discrimination she would have faced when I was growing up.

Did I have autism growing up? I don't think so, personally. But that's why it is very important for me, I think, to be more sensitive to her needs. It's a trying time, and I feel like I'm failing sometimes, but the best I can do is give what I have, keep trying to be better, and stop beating myself up for not being perfect.

Naturally, to defy the stereotype that we are all a bunch of toxic asshats, if there's anyone that wants to talk about autism here, that's cool, and the mods here will monitor this thread specifically to make sure that it is as safe as can be.

@silverfox

This is what all mothers want.

@chibichibi

I played Shrike.

@silverfox said in Good or New Movies Review:

I know that there are many different dialects of Chinese - is it appropriate when you don't know what the exact dialect is to call it 'Chinese'? Even if you do know (for example, this post since you explicitly told us it is Mandarin) is it still appropriate to use the more generalized term?

It's okay to use the more generalized term, I think. The Chinese language is more different than Japanese or Korean than Mandarin is from Cantonese. Plus, I don't expect the unknowing to be able to tell the difference between the dialects. Wikipedia has a good breakdown here.

@greenflashlight

No problem at all.

@greenflashlight said in Good or New Movies Review:

Do you know if he's especially fluent in English? I couldn't help noticing that for any scene in Shang-Chi that called for him to really emote, he switched back to (Cantonese, right?), which made me wonder if it was a stylistic choice the writers made, or if the director has helping him play to his strengths as an actor.

Tony Leung is fairly fluent in English, but -- and I am not accusing you or anyone here of anything -- that question is considered racist in Asian-American circles.

I think it's important to point out that, no matter the actor's fluency, Wenwu is definitely Chinese. In the movie, his dialogue is Mandarin, not Cantonese. This is because Cantonese is actually a rare dialect in China, even though it is fairly common in North America. This is because the affluent wave of Chinese immigrants who fled China during the Cultural Revolution were predominantly from southern China, where Cantonese is spoken.

So, why is the question racist?

Because it's not about the actor. Ronny Chieng, for instance, is fluent in English and Chinese, but his character talks to Shang-Chi and Katy in English. Why? Because what he is saying is not important. Contrast this with Leung, who speaks to his family and on important matters in Chinese. Why? Because when you are among family or talking about important things which might lose nuance, you speak in Chinese, even if you are fluent in English. This is a cultural thing.

So, it's about the moment.

Many people presume that a Chinese person speaks in Chinese because they are not fluent in English. This is not always the case. In business, the Chinese teach themselves English and are far more fluent than people expect; however, they may use an interpreter because they want to make sure the nuance of Chinese is translated properly into English. Part of this is not wanting to look silly; the other part is to not disrespect the listener by saying something accidentally offensive.

So, to me, this was a directorial choice, and a very good one.

I'm not fluent in Mandarin, but I've been told that the subtitles do not do the nuances of the language justice. Here's an article about that.

@tnp said in Good or New Movies Review:

Just as an FYI, you should check out Telly Leung who's an actor and singer on TV and Broadway. He's quite good.

I saw him on Broadway in the titular role in Aladdin.

@greenflashlight said in Good or New Movies Review:

Are you familiar with Tony Leung's work?

Some. More vividly, I recall seeing Lust/Caution and Infernal Affairs. When I was younger, I recall seeing him in Happy Together and Heaven Can't Wait, but that was a long time ago for me.

@arkandel

I think that is a load of shit. If they were okay with Matt Damon in Great Wall, I’m not sure what the problem is.

I should also note that I am heavily-biased here, I suppose. First, Simu Liu is a hometown hero. Second, he is an alumnus of my high school, and one of my friends was teaching there when he attended. Finally, I am just happy that someone who looks like my kids made it this far, and I just want them to look up and aspire to be like him, just a little.

No kidding, I was open-faced weeping when I saw him because I know what it is like to be turned down for a role on stage because of my race. I also wonder if, knowing that he made it, some of my cousins who killed themselves for not reaching the "stereotypical" heights of Chinese-dom may have been spared.

Still, he's only 6'0". And you should be watching for Tony Leung, who is 5'7". Because this is Tony's movie (Warning: Spoilers in the link), really, and he deserves it.

@silverfox

Okay, well, I didn’t mean that you should stop taking him off your mother’s hands from time to time.

I meant that I would not by shy to show the error of his ways by removing his wheelchair battery and leaving him somewhere while you go do something else.

Or letting him spend some time on the ground for a bit.

Because cruelty is the point, right?

@silverfox

I would stop helping him period.

Especially after I kick his wheelchair over.

@eye8urcake

When you’re ready, you know where we are.

Your request is effective immediately.

@tinuviel

taps the section label

@tinuviel

You don’t?

Plebe.

@il-volpe

Hell yes I will send food if someone asked me to.

I am allergic to cats; not badly, but enough.

I have a kitty nuzzling my head and hair incessantly.

My eyes are watering and swelling up, but I don’t care.

I will hit anaphylaxis before I move.

@arkandel

The story follows wuxia storytelling. It is a very East Asian way of putting a story together. Lots of awesome chop-socks action. A lot of laughter interspersed, thanks to the comic chemistry of Awkwafina and Simu Liu, who is no stranger to sitcoms.

But it is Tony Leung who eats up every scene. Both a gifted martial artist and romantic lead, he brings the same sort of gravitas to the main villain, Wenwu, as Michael Jordan did to Killmonger. That said, while Killmonger was motivated by rage and injustice, Wenwu is motivated by love and family.

To say that it probably resonates with Chinese more than non-Chinese goes without saying. But that the MCU did such a good homage to this style of movie is special. The special effects are amazing, of course, and if you don’t shed some tears, you probably have no soul. I took my eight year olds to see it, and they enjoyed it a lot.

Also, it runs 2 hours and 13 minutes, so it isn’t a slog.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is amazing and the best MCU movie yet.

@coin

As Sunny said, the Potter Stewart rule applies here.

@rightmeow