Jana Monji

2 weeks ago | asamnews.com | Jana Monji

by Jana MonjiDuring Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, seeing people of Asian descent as leads is encouraging, even if the original story itself isn’t written by someone of Asian descent. How you feel about this stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s 2001 novel may depend upon how you feel about possible cultural appropriation or Orientalism in the original source material or how you felt about Ang Lee’s 2012 Oscar-winning film. For theater and puppeteer fans, this play is a landmark.

1 month ago | asamnews.com | Jana Monji

By Jana MonjiToday, May 1sth is the first day of the 41st Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival which runs until May 7th. The opening night Cinema Musica party which features two musical performances (Filipino Americans Monica Anne Parales and David Galvan) is sold out, but here are some of the movies screening in Los Angeles.

1 month ago | wp.me | Jana Monji

This humorous entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, brings together a quarreling group of scruffy misfits. You can tell that from the glowering looks and bad grooming that this isn’t about a Steve Rogers’ tragic heroic figure or a glib genius billionaire. But you might be puzzled if you haven’t been following the MCU in all its iterations as to who are these people in the fake Wheaties lineup (Red Guardian, Ghost, Taskmaster, US Agent).

1 month ago | asamnews.com | Jana Monji

By Jana MonjiThis month, two films take on same-sex love and marriage in the Asian American communities: The Wedding Banquet and A Nice Indian Boy. Both are warm and sometimes comical looks at families trying to navigate the kind of marriage that may not be acceptable in the countries their cultures come from. You know this updated remake of The Wedding Banquet is heading for a happy ending.

2 months ago | asamnews.com | Jana Monji

By Jana MonjiLea Salonga joins Bernadette Peters in the musical revue, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, which opened this week at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York. With two Tony Award-winning actresses at the helm, this is a must-see for West Coast fans of musicals and the Tony and Academy Award-winning Sondheim. For US Salonga fans, this musical revue is an opportunity to see Salonga in a meaty roles. The revue was originally being developed by Cameron Mackintosh at Sondheim’s suggestion.