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FILM HOME PAGE
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FEATURING ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICANS Click HERE for Part 1 and HERE for Part 2 
RISING SUN (1993) Directed by Phillip Kaufman Executive Producer: Sean Connery Cast: Sean Connery, Wesley Snipes, Harvey Keitel, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Kevin Anderson, Mako, Ray Wise, Stan Egi, Stan Shaw, Tia Carrere, Lauren Robinson, Amy Hill, Clyde Kusatsu, Michael Chapman, Joey Miyashima, Nelson Mashita, Tamara Tunie, Toshirô Obata, Tylyn John, Michele Ruiz, Patricia Ayame Thomson, Jeff Imada, Max Kirishima, Larry O. Williams Jr., Scot Anthony Robinson, Meagen Fay, Max Grodénchik, Jessica Tuck, Masa Watanabe, Paul Fujimoto, Kenji, Tak Kubota, Tadashi Yamashita, Dennis Ota, Raymond Kitamura, Rita Weibel, Susan Iida, Seiichi Tanaka This movie is "noteworthy" for the strong opinions, both pro and con, it has solicited on the merits of this movie! Many Asian American organizations strongly disapprove of the movie, while the response in Asia was vastly different. The reason why this movie is included is because a major movie took a chance with a plot with an Asian-theme, though misguided in many areas. "Rising Son" displays the more steamy and secret side of life within the Japanese community that gets the typical movie treatment where they accent the bad (as the pattern of Hollywood and Michael Crichton for a long time) The story is about L.A. cop (Wesley Snipes) and Japan expert (Sean Connery) investigating a homicide case that implicates a powerful Japanese corporation and a U. S. senator. Stripped-down version of Michael Crichton's detailed and controversial novel (adapted by Crichton and director Kaufman) is alternately compelling, confusing, obvious, and silly, with credibility strained to the breaking point toward the end of the picture. The picture displays the talents of many talented Asian / Asian Pacific Americans that included Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Tia Carriere, Mako, Jeff Imada and many others. It is hard to imagine Sean Connery, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Stan Egi, Jeff Imada and others involve in a film that deserves at least a little credit - albeit not much, but at least a little credit. It is more disappointing because the opportunity to have a great movie existed. But hey, it was written from a white guy's (Crichton) perspective with a white director with white stars! Listed below are some issues and complaints to think about:
COMBINATION PLATTER (1993) Directed by Tony Chan Cast: Lester Chit-Man Chan, James DuMont, Thomas K. Hsiung, Jeffrey Lau, Kenneth Lu, Colin Mitchell, Coleen O'Brien, Susan Sterman A young illegal immigrant from Hong Kong (Lau) toils
in a Queens, N. Y. , Chinese restaurant, and covets U. S. citizenship--but
learns that this may mean having to marry an American, the thought of
which staggers him. Hong Kong-born director-cowriter Chan, himself an
immigrant, knowingly captures the experience of the foreigner in America.
This marks the 23-year-old's directing debut. BOUND (1993) Directed by Andy Wachowski & Larry Wachowski Cast: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano, John P. Ryan, Christopher Meloni, etc. Corky (Gina Gershon), a tough female ex con and her lover Violet (Jennifer Tilly) concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caeser (Joe Pantoliano). Corky, a lesbian ex con hired to work in an apartment as a plumber, meets neighbors Caesar, who launders money for the Mafia, and his girlfriend Violet. The two women have a love affair and decide to steal $2,000,000 that Caesar has in custody before he gives them back to Mafia boss Gino Marzone. Caesar is set up by the two scheming women as a scapegoat but things start to go wrong when he reacts in an unexpected way.
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