American Filmmaker Takes on J-Horror

By Patricia Lamkin
Special to Asia

Jason Cuadrado loves horror film of the Asian persuasion, especially the genre known as “J-Horror” (Japanese horror). So he decided to write his own J-Horror script, and as the ultimate homage, shoot the entire film in Japanese. The fact that he isn’t Japanese, or can’t speak a word of the language didn’t stop him.

Tales From the Dead: You Just Crossed Into the J-Zone

by Patricia Lamkin
Special to Asia

Jason Cuadrado may call his first film, Tales From the Dead, a J-Horror homage, but it gives a big nod to his other fascination, The Twilight Zone. “It was so great!” Cuadrado said. “Bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people. J-Horror works with the same themes, so they seem like a natural match.”

Jennifer 8 Lee Goes “On the Road”

by Patricia Lamkin
Special to Asia
Photo courtesy of Jennifer 8 Lee

“There are actually more Chinese restaurants in this country, than McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Wendy’s combined,” said Jennifer 8 Lee at a recent presentation in Pasadena.

Dengue Fever Shares Musical Journey

by Patricia Lamkin
Special to Asia
Photo courtesy Tracy Blackburn.


Dengue Fever’s Cambodian rock is looming large these days. This rising alternative L.A. band has been touring, getting on film soundtracks and was recently featured on NPR. But the real fascination is their multi-faceted music, and its biggest influence: the sounds of 60's Cambodian pop singers Ros Sereysothea and Sinn Sisamouth, and their Khmer spins on Western rock favorites.

Handicapped Actor Follows His Dream

by Patricia Lamkin
Special to Asia
Photos by Michael Lamont.

East West Players (EWP) has announced the World Premiere production of “Voices From Okinawa,” starring Joseph Kim, an accomplished actor who also happens to be hard of hearing. This will mark Kim’s first major role on stage.

Kama (Joseph Kim) and Keiko (Sachiko Hayashi) comfort Namiye (Mari Ueda) in East West Players premiere of "Voices from Okinawa," by Jon Shirota.

Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi

Theatre Review by Patricia Lamkin
Special to Asia
Photos of actor Ryun Yu by Michael Lamont

“Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi” at the East West Players, is a moving, and often humorous one-man show which chronicles the true story of one Japanese American’s enduring fight for his constitutional rights.

"Flower Drum" Author Embarks on New Project

By Patricia Lamkin
Special to Asia
Photo of C.Y. Lee courtesy of Lilee Chang Ma


I met the remarkable C.Y. Lee earlier this fall at a picnic for the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights.