Unverified Accounts, the place for unchecked Asian American opinions on arts and culture, with a smattering of politics! Every week, the trio of Eliza, Chris, and Filip will discuss movies (or sometimes, a book) that are connected to a pertinent cultural/political issue going on right now, usually from online cultures. Follow us on Twitter at: Chris: @JesuInToast Eliza: @aesthdistance1 Filip: @filipgwriting
Episodes
Sunday Mar 07, 2021
Sunday Mar 07, 2021
The Unverifieds give their thoughts on Disney's latest animated feature, Raya and the Last Dragon. While they're happy for the much-needed spotlight on Southeast Asian cultures, they can't help but feel that some of the representation-related complaints against the movie don't make any sense and are grasping at straws. Also, they talk about the Dr. Seuss controversy, more NYC high school admissions drama, and whether Anya Taylor-Joy is a woman of color.
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
REFERENCED RESOURCES
NYT - Richard Carranza resigns as NYC schools chancellor
EMAIL:
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
Sunday Feb 28, 2021
The Unverifieds give their thoughts on Minari and as good as that movie is, they ask why Asian American culture is always so reflective, weepy, or obsessed with boosting self-esteem. Asian cinema is revered for being transgressive, violent, and chaotic, so why isn't Asian American cinema like that? Why is everyone so petrified of Asian American anger? Also, Liza gives her Golden Globe picks, and the trio discuss the viral Ginny and Georgia clip, why liberal activism is so concentrated in media industry, and most importantly, just how hot is Steven Yeun, exactly?
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
REFERENCED RESOURCES
Transgression, An Elegy by Laura Kipnis
EMAIL:
Sunday Feb 21, 2021
Sunday Feb 21, 2021
The Unverifieds are joined by their good friend Mtume (filmmaker, actor, professor) to talk about some people's weird aversion to old movies, especially when it's based on supposed moral grounds. Is this anti-art? Or is it an attempt to redefine art? And what do we lose when we try to ignore our past, particularly when that past is uncomfortable?
Mtume's IMDB page
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Mtume: @sircoregant
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
EMAIL:
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
Sunday Feb 14, 2021
The Unverifieds discuss how the most recent wave of attacks on Asian Americans reveal the class divides within Asian America. The fact is that the Asian Americans who get attacked and the ones who get platforms to speak for the community are often from very different backgrounds. This explains why there is usually such muddled expressions of outrage from Asian Americans themselves whenever Asian Americans are victims of hate crimes. Also, the trio talk about the Gina Carano firing, the merciful end of the To All The Boys trilogy, and the conspicuous silence in the American media about the farmers' protests in India.
NYC Self-Defense and De-Escalation Classes: https://www.caeny.org/empowermentselfdefense
San Francisco Peace Collective: https://www.facebook.com/sfpeacecollective/
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
REFERENCE RESOURCES:
Chris's article on how creepily 'To All The Boys' handles race
EMAIL:
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Sunday Feb 07, 2021
Check out the big brain on Bret! The Unverifieds discuss Bret Easton Ellis's non-fiction book White, which argues that we're living in an artistic age where likability, relatability, and moralizing have taken precedence over all else, much to the detriment of mature and lasting art. In other words, what the author of American Psycho calls "Generation Wuss." But before all this, the Unverifieds discuss the recent wave of attacks on Asian Americans and why some in our community are so reluctant to express clear anger at these gutless assaults.
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
REFERENCE RESOURCES:
Bret Easton Ellis on Dear White People
EMAIL:
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
Sunday Jan 31, 2021
The Unverifieds, to honor the spirit of online populism during GameStop week, discuss the issues behind some of the biggest critics vs. audience score discrepancies on Rotten Tomatoes (e.g. The Last Jedi, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Dave Chapelle's Sticks & Stones). What is the purpose of the modern movie critic, to be an elitist of artistry or an elitist of morality? Also covered: how identity politics will be used to divide the GameStop movement, the casting controversy over Raya and the Last Dragon, and Biden's supremely almighty executive action tut-tutting violence against Asian Americans.
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
REFERENCE RESOURCES:
Behind the Doors of Kathleen Kennedy's LucasFilm
Variety's Apology to Carey Mulligan Shows The Film Critic's Ivory Tower Is Crumbling
What The 'Little Women' Outrage Is Conveniently Missing
EMAIL:
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
Sunday Jan 24, 2021
The Unverifieds review and discuss Promising Young Woman, the new movie starring Carey Mulligan about a woman seeking to enact revenge on those who raped her best friend and the culture that allowed it to go unpunished. Spoilers abound (from 11:15-55:25), so to listen to their quick takes on the dire Inauguration or Liza's loathing rant against Timothee Chalamet, avoid that timestamped chunk.
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "A Real Hero" by College ft. Electric Youth
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
REFERENCE RESOURCES:
How 'Promising Young Woman' Weaponizes Hollywood's Nice Guys
EMAIL:
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
Sunday Jan 17, 2021
The Unverifieds (minus Liza, who was busy this weekend) discuss the gender issues that pop up when Asian American men are paired with white women on screen. First, they look at All My Life (starring Harry Shum Jr. and Jessica Rothe) before discussing The Big Sick. Then they turn their attention to the newfound issue of "fetishizing' Asian men and the resulting Asian American gender fights on Tik Tok.
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Filip: @filipgwriting
REFERENCE RESOURCES:
Tik Tok calling out Asian guys for embracing fetishization
BBC Sounds clip of brown women saying they like fetishization
r/blackgirldiaries Reddit thread on wanting to be fetishized
Far Away From My by Jenny Zhang in Rookie Magazine
r/abcdesis Reddit thread on brown guys with white girls
EMAIL:
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
Sunday Jan 10, 2021
The Unverifieds cut through the clutter of this week's hectic political news to focus on what really matters: the latest cultural appropriation outrage, this time involving three basic white Instagram women and their hawking of an overpriced mahjong set. These cult app screamfests keep popping up. What's the REAL cause of this anger and what can be done about it, or are we doomed to repeat this miserable and embarrassing cycle over and over?
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
EMAIL:
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
Sunday Jan 03, 2021
The Unverifieds kick off 2021 with an episode that looks at how in the past year, Asian Americans have become especially disillusioned with the American Dream. They also review the Taiwanese film A Sun (to skip spoiler-filled discussion, avoid 18:48 to 42:45), whose greatness also makes them question not only the external but also the internal factors preventing Asian Americans (as opposed to Asians) from doing similarly great artistic things. But before they all that, they discuss the latest dumb Twitter incident, this time involving Korean fried chicken.
Follow us on Twitter at @unver1fiedaccts!
Intro Song: "Chairman Mao" by Bambu
TWITTER:
Chris: @JesuInToast
Liza: @aesthdistance1
Filip: @filipgwriting
EMAIL: