party trick is my Substack, where I post criticism, literary journalism, and travel writing.
Past lives is not about you
“I want to emphasize that the universality and relatability in these Asian narratives is absolutely worth appraisal, and is an important facet in cinema’s role in culture and community. But cinema also plays a crucial role in constructing political and cultural narratives, and the erasure of Asianness within Asian narratives is an issue connected with larger forms of Asian erasure as a whole; it is essential to recognize and criticize these patterns. ”
Sell me at the Strand on the Stand for a Fat Brick
“In The Baby, Samia’s desires – for unconditional love, for self-determination and freedom, for honest devotion – emerge in both depressing ballads and upbeat, loving jams. The unbridled truth and honest detail in her lyricism, married with the soft blend of acoustic instrumentals and electronic production, create an album of memorialized beauty. The Baby examines Samia’s growth through grief, loss, and heartbreak, capturing the essence of her personal history and immortalizing it in art.”