Filmmaker and Letterboxd member So Yun Um joins hosts Slim and Gemma for a chat about her new Tribeca sell-out documentary Liquor Store Dreams, and her four Letterboxd faves: Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love; Justin Lin’s Better Luck Tomorrow; Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ and the Wachowski Sisters’ The Matrix.
Plus: throwing caution to the wind and becoming a filmmaker, the fleeting moments that give us life, getting around Netflix’s screenshot ban, sexy noodles, who we would date from the Better Luck Tomorrow cast, So’s Johnny Tran prequel pitch (are you listening, Justin Lin?), making dads proud, neo-realism vs French New Wave, all our fave Keanu movies, small businesses, neighborhoods, high grades, parents who just want you married off, how The Matrix broke down barriers at high school and the Danny from Liquor Store Dreams spinoff we want to see.
Lists and links:
The Letterboxd list of films mentioned; So’s Ten Underrated AAPI movies for Letterboxd Journal; So’s Reel Thoughts on YouTube and her reaction videos for Avengers: Endgame, Magic Mike XXL and Interstellar; Isabel Sandoval’s Four Faves Episode and her Sensual Cinema essay; Roger Ebert yelling at Sundance.
Reviews mentioned:
Sean Baker’s The Florida Project review, Lucy’s In the Mood for Love review, reviews of Better Luck Tomorrow by Eric D. Snider, Willy vvvv, reviews of 8½ by Justmiaslife, Ella Kemp, Torusoryu, Sam.
Credits:
This episode was recorded in Auckland, Los Angeles and Pennsylvania, and edited by Slim. Facts by Jack. Booker: Linda Moulton. Transcript by Sophie Shin. Theme: ‘Vampiros Dancoteque’ by Moniker.