Good Pop | Culture Club

Well, the life of a professional Asian American is never easy, and this is especially true in May. Because of several professional Asian obligations overlapping (as well as Jess' birthday week which is a holiday in itself), we've decided to take the week off to gather ourselves. In place of a regular episode, Marvin dug into the way back machine to bring you another throwback from the Fresh Creatives podcast, this time it's an episode we recorded live at the LA Asian Film Festival during Heritage Month 2017 and featuring one of the first times Jess and Marvin podcasted together...

We begin AANHPIHM 2025, with our end-of-April edition of "Do We Want This?" Good Pop's monthly Asian American entertainment news roundup. On this episode, Marvin and Jess discuss some exciting upcoming projects from British Asian triple-threats Dev Patel and Will Sharpe respectively, some less exciting news about the future of AI and animation, and check out another upcoming Jon M. Chu film project!

What's Popping? - Sinners, Cowboy Carter, Stardew Valley, Top Chef

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On this episode, we return to The Wedding Banquet for Andrew Ahn's reimagined take on Ang Lee's 1993 classic romantic comedy! But does the story of faking a wedding to placate your relatives hold up in 2025? Join us as we dive into the ways the remake updates The Wedding Banquet's formula to tell a wholly new story celebrating the highs and lows of modern queer life.

What's Popping? - Real Life Conclave, North of North, The Cartographers, Top Chef

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On this episode, we return to Thailand to discuss the breakout Thai comedy-drama, How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, about a young man who is inspired to spend more time with his terminally ill grandmother in the hopes that it'll help him claim a better share of her inheritance after she passes. Join us as we dig beyond the story of familial grift to discuss how the film is actually about the consequences of the East Asian (and very Chinese) Confucian value system that we all know and hate.

What's Popping? - Six Seasons, Kenshi Yonezu...

On this episode, we return to HBO's dark comedy-drama The White Lotus for another helping of the shenanigans of the rich on vacation, this time in Thailand! Join us as we discuss the show's latest batch of terrible rich people (including toxic besties, shady operators, and spoiled failsons) and the people that serve them, as well as the show's take on eastern philosophy and religion.

What's Popping? - Jury Duty, The Pitt, Tournament of Champions, Top Chef

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On this episode, we check out the new Hulu crime comedy series Deli Boys, about two Pakistani American failsons who inherit their father's criminal enterprise in Philadelphia after his sudden death. Featuring a stacked team in front and behind the camera, we're excited to see if this much anticipated show makes the grade as good pop!

What's Popping? - Bong Joon Ho Exhibit, Kim Jiyoung born 1982, My Neighbor Totoro

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On our March 2025 edition of "Do We Want This?" Good Pop's monthly Asian American entertainment news roundup, the crew discusses some of the latest announcements of new projects including Celine Song's latest film about a love triangle, a new Crazy Rich Asians show, a Charli XCX led mockumentary, and quite possibly the most unhinged M Night Shyamalan / Nicholas Sparks collab, and more!

What's Popping? - The Residence, No Taste Like Home, Industry, Top Chef

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On this episode of Good Pop, we check out Picture This, a new british romantic comedy about a free-spirited photographer, played by Simone Ashley, who is told by a fortune teller that she will meet her soulmate, and he'll be one of the next 5 people she dates. If this sounds familiar, it's because this 2025 film is an adaptation of the 2024 Australian film Five Blind Dates (which we also covered on Good Pop)! But will this change in scenery also translate as good pop?

What's Popping? - Paddington in Peru, Black Bag, Wanderstop

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Top Chef is finally back and that can only mean one thing, the return of Good Pop's spinoff podcast within a podcast GO ASIAN! Where we pledge to cover the current season of Top Chef until either all of the Asians have been eliminated, or one or more have made the finale, and our odds look great this year with 4 Go Asian candidates (and one more Bonus Asian competing in Last Chance Kitchen)! Join us as we familiarize ourselves with this year's Asian contestants before recapping a very good first episode!

What's Popping? - Mickey 17, Next Level...

On this episode, we check out the independent film The Accidental Getaway Driver, which is finally getting its theatrical run after turning heads 2 years ago at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is based on the true story of an elderly Vietnamese private taxi driver who gets taken hostage by three escaped prisoners. Featuring some powerful performances from veteran actors along with strong and competent direction, we're excited to finally be able to sit down and discuss this film!

What's Popping? - The Pitt, Running Point, The Verifiers

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It's been three months, but it's finally time for another edition of "Do We Want This?" Good Pop's Asian American entertainment news review! On this first roundup of 2025, we discuss our thoughts on exciting reboot/continuation news of some beloved IPs, a potential new Asian American network sitcom, and some adaptation news!

What's Popping? - G Dragon, Accidental Getaway Driver, Keep Driving

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On this episode of the Good Pop Culture Club, we continue our dive into British pop culture with our discussion of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (another sequel that Marvin will watch without seeing the previous films), featuring a more grown up, but just as messy, Bridget as she tries to navigate parenthood and love after loss.

What's Popping? - Margo's Got Money Troubles, The Eagles (the band), Welcome to Wrexham

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On this episode, the Good Pop crew jumps across the pond to check out the Oscar nominated animated film, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, where eccentric inventor Wallace and his best boy Gromit come face to face once again to one of their greatest adversaries in this cautionary tales about the dangers of AI (and gnomes). Does the latest installment of this beloved British pop culture stalwart make it as good pop?

What's Popping? - Super Bowl, Mo Season 2, Concert Quest 2025

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It took 10 years, but we've finally made it to February! For our first episode of Good Pop this month, we're checking out a Netflix show that we missed from the end of last year, Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld! A supernatural teen action story about an Chinese American girl with special powers defending her Texas hometown from Chinese mythical creatures and demons. An amazing premise, but is it good pop?

What's Popping? - Trailers, Love Hurts, Grammys

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Well, somehow we made is to the end of a very long January, and for this episode, the Good Pop Crew gets together to share our pop culture hopes and dreams in our first annual Good Pop Resolutions for 2025, aka the year of the snake! Join us as we share what we're most looking forward to this year, as well as what we'd like to see less of.

What's Popping? - Football, The Trunk, Gravity Falls

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On this episode, we check out the Stephanie Hsu led romantic comedy/murder thriller series Laid, where she plays Ruby, your typical millennial with a very messy dating history, who finds out that all of her exes and past partners are dying in the order of her "sex timeline." We love a wild premise, but will Laid make the grade as good pop?

What's Popping? - Broadway Musicals, Severance Season 2, Sister Snake

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Good Pop is back after an extended holiday hiatus after dealing milestone life moments and climate disaster! To ring in the new year, we're checking out the show of the season, Squid Game Season 2! We were cautiously optimistic when this unplanned 2nd season was announced, will this newest iteration (ironically brought to life by capitalism) live up to its anti-capitalist roots?

What's Popping? - Peglin, The Traitors S3, Sakamoto Days

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If you're interested in helping out people who have been affected by the LA fires, Jess has provided some links for places...

For our last regular Good Pop episode of the year, we check out the Hulu television adaptation of Charles Yu's award winning novel, Interior Chinatown, starring Jimmy O Yang as Willis Wu, a background character in a world within a police procedural, as he rises through the ranks while investigating what happened to his older brother. But will this meta-fictional story about the Asian American experience ascend to the ranks of good pop?

What's Popping? - Xmas Season, Squid Game S2, Secret Level

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On this episode of the Good Pop Culture Club, Marvin and Jess dive into Sweethearts, the new teen not-quite rom com streaming now on Max starring Nico Hiraga and Kiernan Shipka who play BFFs who hatch a plot to break up with their respective partners together during their first Thanksgiving break back from college. We at Good Pop love a good teen movie and especially love a good teen rom com, will Sweethearts have the juice to break through as good pop?

What's Popping? - Romance in the Rain, Food Network

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On this episode, we dive into the first half of Jon M Chu's adaptation of Wicked (which is my the transitive property, now an Asian American film)! A re-imagining of the immensely popular stage musical based on the book that itself is a re-imagining of the original Wizard of Oz story from the perspective of its villain. Expectations for the film were sky high, will another Jon Chu adaptation break through as good pop once again?

What's Popping? - Chef's Table, Black Doves, GBBO

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Happy Thanksgiving! It's time once again for our November 2024 edition of "Do We Want This?" our monthly roundup of the latest Asian American entertainment news. On this episode, we discuss the return of one of Hanh's favorite Korean series, early details from Andrew Ahn's remake of The Wedding Banquet, some Crazy Rich Asians 2 breadcrumbs, and a whole slew of fun casting announcements for upcoming projects.

What's Popping? - Gladiator 2, MAMA Awards

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Here at the Good Pop Culture Club, the holidays don't begin until we check out the year's Asian American Hallmark Xmas film (but only because its almost always relegated to the start of the season). This year's entry is Christmas with the Singhs, a story a recently engaged couple who returns to their suburban hometown for Xmas, only to deal with a variety of parental shenanigans that threaten to tear them apart. We kind of know what we're in for, but could this be the year a Hallmark Asian American film finally breaks through?

What's Popping...

The whole crew is back together again in our first episode in the new timeline, and processing the recent US election by diving into a film about a very different election Conclave, a political mystery thriller about the administration of the election of a new pope, and the machinations of power amongst the high level cardinals seeking to win the title. Our real world election was very much not good pop, but will the one in Conclave be?

What's Popping? - Sports Anime, Hadestown, The Franchise

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Well, that happened. We're obviously still processing the events of this week, but wanted to take a little time to address everyone. And even though we're taking a week off of covering the good pop that gets us through out days, we wanted to leave a few resources for our listeners in case you were looking for some additional support or looking for ways to engage. Take care of yourselves and we'll see you next week!

Self Care Resources:

NAAPIMHA’s Vote for Wellness Initiative

Asian Mental He...

Welcome to our October 2024 edition of "Do We Want This?" our monthly roundup of the latest Asian American entertainment news. Join us as we discuss the latest casting announcements, adaptation news, and the return of The Princess Diaries (with an Asian American twist)! We also talk a little about next week's elections and share Jess' descent into become a baseball girl!

What's Popping? - 2024 Election, The World Series

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In honor of spooky month, we're checking out the new MCU Disney+ series Agatha All Along, the follow up to the original MCU series WandaVision, which follows the return of Kathryn Hanh's Agatha Harkness as she leads a team of outcast witches down a series of trials on "The Witches Road" in order to get her powers back. We've been hot and mostly cold on the MCU recently, will this audacious entry be enough to make the grade as good pop?

What's Popping? - G Dragon, Metaphor: Refantazio

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On this episode, the Good Pop crew checks in on comedian Ali Wong's life with her newest Netflix comedy special "Single Lady," as she reflects on her experiences as a recently divorced single mom, getting back into the dating game, and how men just need to try harder.

What's Popping? - The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, Nobody Wants This, Culinary Class Wars

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On this episode, we check out the new Dreamworks animated feature The Wild Robot, about a robot who finds herself stranded in an uninhabited island and learns to survive be learning to live with the local wildlife and becoming a mom to an orphaned baby goose, and really dive into whether it was necessary for a robot to be so mom-coded. Will this charming science fiction kids film make the grade as good pop?

What's Popping? - Lessons in Chemistry, Transformers One, Culinary Class Wars

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On our September 2024 edition of "Do We Want This?" The crew reviews some of most exciting recent Asian American entertainment news including the Bridgerton updates we deserve, upcoming projects from our favorite directors, and even some K-content announcements!

What's Popping? - K-drama School: A Pop Culture Inquiry Into Why We Love Korean Television, Culinary Class Wars, Great British Bake Off

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On this episode we check out the latest film from John Woo, The Killer, the 2024 remake of his 1989 classic action film, moving the action from Hong Kong to Paris with Nathalie Emmanuel taking the Chow Yun Fat role of a hitman with a heart of gold. Does the film do enough to justify a remake? And does a John Woo film automatically equal good pop in today's pop culture landscape?

What's Popping? - Vietnam, Culinary Class Wars, Football

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On this episode, the summer of Asian American coming-of-age films taking place in 2008 continue as Marvin and Hanh discuss So Young Shelly Yo's debut feature film SMOKING TIGERS, which premiered at Tribeca last year and just dropped onto MAX a few weeks ago for streaming. Listen in as we take in the vibes of this story about a girl from a working class Korean-American family as she tries to fit in with the rich friends she meets at her cram school while trying to hide her family problems and dreaming of a better life.

What's Popping...

Good Pop is taking a break this week as our hosts are out on official Professional Asian American business, so we're dropping in the latest episode from our fellow Potluck Podcast Saturday School, a podcast about Asian American film history hosted by journalist Ada Tseng (from our Bachelorette recaps), and film professor Brian Hu.

If you like what you hear, make sure to follow and check out their other episodes at https://podcastpotluck.com/saturday-school

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Episode 2 of our "Stars of Asian American Cinema" season goes back to the beginning with 1980's "Hito H...

On this episode of Good Pop, we check out this year's Asian American Sundance indie darling DIDI, a coming of age story written and directed by Sean Wang about a kid from Fremont in the summer of 2008 as he struggles with changes in his life, family, and friends during his last summer before entering high school. We dive into all the cringe of 13 year old boys, reminisce about 2008 technology, and share our thoughts on this new Asian American classic.

What's Popping? - Short N Sweet, Alligator Bites Never Heal, Wise Guy David Chase & the Sopranos, Linkin Park<...

We've finally made it to the end of our Go Asian coverage of The Bachelorette season 21, and are left with one burning question, was it worth it? Join our full Go Asian crew as we recap a very dramatic and stressful finale for our first ever Asian American Bachelorette and find out who gets our final red flag!

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Part of the Potluck Podcast Collect...

On our August 2024 edition of "Do We Want This?" Hanh and Marvin reviews some of the latest Asian American entertainment news including some bummer news from the Star Wars franchise, the new Bridgerton lead, what's new from the We Bare Bears creator, the Stephanie Hsu Quinta Brunson teamup we need, and what new projects the leads of Past Lives are up to!

What's Popping? - Down with the System, Land of Milk and Honey

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We're finally at the penultimate episode of our Go Asian! coverage of season 21 of The Bachelorette, and what an episode it was! On this episode. we cover Jenn's fantasy suite dates in beautiful Hawaii (as well as some highlights from Tuesday's episode), as she decides on which of the remaining bachelors will move on to the finale. Listen in as we discuss how what started as a fairy-tale journey of our first Asian American Bachelorette's quest for love has somehow morphed into a dark romance that we're now obligated to see to the end.

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On this episode, we check out the Jackpot! the new action comedy film starting Awkwafina as a woman who wins the lottery in a dystopic future and John Cena as her bodyguard as she tries to survive as other lottery players attempt to legally murder her to win her jackpot. It's a high concept plot, but will it translate to good pop status?

What's Popping? - DNC, Aquabats, Company, Alien: Romulus

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On this edition of our reality TV recap series of Go Asian! we finally make it to the hometown episodes for this season of The Bachelorette (featuring our first Asian American bachelorette Jenn Tran)! The crew dives into a series of not-very-exciting dates as the specter of some glaring red flags casts their shadows on a relatively drama-free episode and we start to wonder if Jenn will make the wise decision in the end.

(CW: mention of sexual violence allegations from 58:36 to 59:36)

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On this episode, Marvin & Jess check out TRAP, the new thriller from prolific Asian American director M. Night Shyamalan, a film about a girl dad who happens to be a serial killer who discovers that the concert he took his daughter to is actually an elaborate trap to capture him. Join us as discuss the many layers of girl dadding found in this film in which Shyamalan pulls the ultimate girl dad move in featuring his own daughter (and her music) as the pop star at the center of his film. (stay tuned for our spoiler zone at the...

We continue our coverage of the current season of The Bachelorette (featuring our first Asian American bachelorette) with another edition of our reality TV recap series of Go Asian! On this episode, we return to the States and begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel as Jenn selects her final 4 suitors in preparation for the hometown episode, and we finally say goodbye to one of the most toxic elements of the season.

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