Derek Chen

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Articles

Oceans Are The Real Continents

Jan 16, 2025 | spectrumculture.com | Derek Chen

In marked contrast to the rest of the film, the culminating sequence of Oceans Are the Real Continents, with its dynamic lighting and time-condensing narrative, sees a marionette show being staged in a local theater. The story being told is that of father and son, both faceless proxies; it opens with the father playing the violin for his infant son, and goes on to portray pivotal stages of their shared lives.
From Ground Zero

Jan 7, 2025 | spectrumculture.com | Derek Chen

With 2024 now behind us, humanity has borne witness to Israel’s relentless campaign against the occupied Palestinian people for more than 15 months, resulting in the deaths of over 45,000 Palestinians, continued blocking of international aid to civilians and the indiscriminate destruction of hospitals, roads and universities.
The Last Showgirl

Dec 16, 2024 | spectrumculture.com | Derek Chen

Since the late 2000s, Pamela Anderson has largely appeared as a relic of the past. Outside of a vague cultural presence due to Baywatch and her infamous sex tape, which were magnified for the next generation by their inclusion in the 2006 film Borat, she had mostly been reduced to sex symbol iconography.
Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties: The Bubbles and the Shitrockers Story

Dec 12, 2024 | spectrumculture.com | Derek Chen

Make some space, Madame Web — here comes a late contender for the worst movie of the year. Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties: The Bubbles and the Shitrockers Story marks the latest installment in the Trailer Park Boys Cinematic Universe, 23 years on from the original television series’ debut. The movie follows Bubbles and his newly formed country-rock band — with Randy (Patrick Roach) serving as their roadie — as they embark on a European tour with Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters.
A Sudden Case of Christmas

Nov 12, 2024 | spectrumculture.com | Derek Chen

With the holiday season looming over us, it would appear that it’s time to brace ourselves for the waves of cheesy nostalgic kitsch that come with it. First on the list is A Sudden Case of Christmas, the latest effort — if it can be called that — from Danny DeVito & Co. A remake of the 2022 Italian film Improvvisamente Natale also produced by Notorious Pictures to similarly inconsequential effect, this straight-to-VOD snoozefest may as well be going straight into the dustbin.
Derek Chen: Why I support President Trump

Nov 4, 2024 | yellowhammernews.com | Derek Chen

In the summer of 2015, I was between my freshman and sophomore years at Hope College. I was studying political science, and I was active in the College Republicans chapter. I always considered myself a close observer of the political news and events of the day, but as the Presidential election cycle kicked into gear this time, I watched with especially great interest. The 2016 election cycle was special to me as it was the first election that I was old enough to vote in.
Derek Chen: De-dollarization will negatively impact Alabama's economy

Oct 10, 2024 | yellowhammernews.com | Derek Chen

On September 7, 2013, during a foreign visit in Kazakhstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech at Nazarbayev University in Astana. In his speech, Xi announced that his government would be pursuing a strategy to provide for transportation infrastructure development and deepen trade partnerships with China’s neighbors. Xi proposed building a new economic belt with China’s neighbors which would essentially act as a new, modern Silk Road.
Op-ed: De-dollarization will negatively impact Alabama's economy

Oct 10, 2024 | yellowhammernews.com | Derek Chen

On September 7, 2013, during a foreign visit in Kazakhstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech at Nazarbayev University in Astana. In his speech, Xi announced that his government would be pursuing a strategy to provide for transportation infrastructure development and deepen trade partnerships with China’s neighbors. Xi proposed building a new economic belt with China’s neighbors which would essentially act as a new, modern Silk Road.
Look Back - Spectrum Culture

Oct 7, 2024 | spectrumculture.com | Derek Chen

When a manga gets greenlit for an anime adaptation, it’s just about as comprehensive a storyboard as you can get — but it’s one that already exists in the public consciousness. Therefore, it’s up to the anime studio to inject a certain dynamism into the adaptation which justifies its existence.
In the Summers - Spectrum Culture

Sep 24, 2024 | spectrumculture.com | Derek Chen

On the surface, the title of Alessandra Lacorazza’s directorial debut appears uninspired — in reality, it’s concise. In the Summers follows two sisters named Eva and Violeta across four stages of their adolescence, taking place during their periodic summer visits to their estranged father’s home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.