From FOBs to Twinkies: The Asian American Slant

While I revel in the magnificent, ground-breaking films imported from Asia, depictions of Asian Americans in cinema (and literature for that matter) seem forever trapped in its self-made cliches. The tear-jerking FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) stories, the transplanted geisha-meets-rice-king stories, the inter-generational conflict melodramas, and internment camp memoirs range from the poignant yet repetitive to the insufferably stereotypical. Is the Asian American identity so confined? Below is a list of movies that aren’t all bad but don’t give me much hope. And some of those corny titles… sigh. As for Charlie Chan, two...