DUMPLING Magazine

Friday Features, Dec. 21 – 25, 2012

It might not be Friday anymore, but that doesn’t mean the movies aren’t any less thrilling. This week, we take a look at Friday’s releases and the new films coming out leading up to Christmas morning. This includes the much-anticipated Les Miserables, which, no one should be surprised, contains no Asian Americans. (Sad face.)

For those uninitiated, each week, we take a look at Hollywood’s new release films and grade them on their Asian-American presence, or lack thereof. So sit back, grab some holiday yule and prepare for Friday Features.

Dec. 21, 2012

Studio:
Universal Pictures

No. of AA: 2

Rating:  C+

This is 40

Dubbed the “sort of sequel to Knocked up”, This is 40 stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann as they deal with turning 40 and living for family and each other. A Judd Apatow film, it’s been getting laughs from viewers since Friday.

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

No. of AA: 0

Rating:  F

Jack Reacher

Based off a series of books by Lee Child, Jack Reacher stars Tom Cruise as a controversial pick for Jack Reacher, a would-be menacing figure of a man who works to take down a criminal assassin. I actually won tickets to this from 92.3 NOW in New York, but was too sick to attend. (Sad face.)

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

No. of AA: 0

Rating:  F

The Guilt Trip

Seth Rogen takes his mom, Barbra Streisand, on a crosscountry work journey where the two bond over their misadventures. Those missing Seth Rogen’s face or any Hanukkah-themed films this year should check out this holiday treat.

Studio:
Summit Entertainment

No. of AA: 0–10+

Rating:  F–A+

The Impossible

Following a family caught in the wake of the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami, The Impossible stars Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts as parents separated with their children and their fight to reunite and help other affected, along the way.

Dec. 24–25, 2012

Studio:
The Weinstein Company

No. of AA: 0

Rating:  F

Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino’s latest masterwork, Django Unchained follows Christopher Waltz and Jamie Foxx as two men looking to enact revenge on the KKK, Leonardo DiCaprio and other slave-trading bigots, in a far-flung, action-soaked film sure to be a hit with Inglorious Bastards fans.

Studio:
Universal Pictures

No. of AA: 0

Rating:  F

Les Miserables

The latest adaptation of the critically-acclaimed book and play, Les Miserables is getting Oscar buzz for Anne Hathaway’s performance as the whore Fantine, who sings “I Dreamed a Dream.”

Studio:
Fox Studios

No. of AA: 0

Rating:  F

Parental Guidance

Bette Midler and Billy Crystal star as grandparents sent to watch their children’s children. But can the out-of-touch grandparent connect with 21st-century grandkids?

Overall rating this week: D+ – A+

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