Loud Murmurs

For this episode our hosts Diaodiao and Ina and our guests discussed why, despite being thoroughly entertaining, Joker missed the punch. We pondered on what being lonely means in a political system driven by recognition, and how the incel phenomenon is reflective of this. Us four New Yorkers on the episode also took a jab at ex-mayor Michael Bloomberg’s infamous soda tax, drawing a parallel with the detached elites in Joker.As always, thank you for your support! Please consider donating monthly to our Patreon project: https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs or https://afdian.net/@loudmurmursYou can find us on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, CastBox or wherever you listen to podcasts. Itunes: https://apple.co/2VAVf0ZGoogle play: goo.gl/KjRYPNSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2IWNuRBSoundcloud:https://bit.ly/2FqToIwRSS feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/258327.rssPocket Cast: http://pca.st/nLidOvercast: https://bit.ly/2SL7MNJSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs)

The four of us at Loud Murmurs are beyond excited to welcome back Season Four of Rick and Morty (Nov. 10 airdate) with our very own two-part special. In Part 2, Afra and Ina sit down with our old friend Li Erke, as well as our very own sci-fi writer Su Min. We take a deep dive into two episodes -- Vindicator 3: The Return of Worldender, and the ultimate R&M episode, greatest of all time: the The Ricklantis Mixup!We cover off on some of the following themes:How does Rick and Morty twist the superhero stereotypical narrative?The set up of a multiverse is inherently nihilism Why the Ricklantis Mixup the G.O.A.T.How did R&M inspire and inform a sci-fi writer?As always, thank you for your support! Please consider donating monthly to our Patreon project: https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs  or https://afdian.net/@loudmurmursYou can find us on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, CastBox or wherever you listen to podcasts. Itunes: https://apple.co/2VAVf0ZGoogle play: goo.gl/KjRYPNSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2IWNuRBSo

The four of us at Loud Murmurs are beyond excited to welcome back Season Four of Rick and Morty (Nov. 10 airdate) with our very own two-part special. We take a deep dive into the world of R&M with four guests through five episodesIn Part 1, Izzy and Diaodiao sits down with physicist Zhichen Zhao, and another physicist philosopher Chentong Lu, to discuss three of our favorite episodes: A Rickle in Time, Auto Erotic Assimilation, and, (drumroll please), Picke Rick!We cover off on some of the following themes:Our physicists attempt to convince the hosts not to take the science shown in R&M too seriously, then proceeds to explain concepts such as alternative universes and Schrodinger’s cat We analyze how ‘Auto Erotic Assimilation’ employs the concept of freedom in political philosophy, and how R&M constantly brings up philosophical concepts and dismisses them within a five minute spanNihilism! (How fun!)If everything means nothing, all cakes are just atoms in the end, why do we still live our lives, l

If you want to support us, consider donating monthly to our Patreon project or Aifadian (爱发电):_________________________________________________________________________In this episode, hosts Ina and Afra are joined by guest Youfei to talk about Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, the first Korean film to win the top prize, the Palme d’Or, at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The story, contrary to what its title might suggest, is essentially about how a lower-class unemployed family, the Kims, managed to infiltrate an upper-class family, the Parks. It’s a ‘tragicomedy’ that zones in the ever-growing chasm of class divide that we’re witnessing in today’s society -- exemplified here in Korea but its impact and lessons are truly universal, reaching beyond the country where the movie takes place.Here’s what we talked (nerded out) about: What we liked and disliked the most about the movieCompared it to ‘Burning’, another critically-acclaimed film by a South Korean director that painted a picture of class divide -- how are the

If you want to support us, consider donating monthly to our Patreon project:_________________________________________________________________________This is a special crossover episode between Loud Murmurs and a Chinese feminist podcast called “The F Word.” (https://www.ximalaya.com/renwen/21068572/）Juan and Ina discussed two shows they love, Russian Dolls and The Expanse, with the hosts of the F word. They also discussed Chinese actress Haiqing’s controversial speech at an award ceremony calling for greater gender equality in the Chinese film industry. We hope you enjoy our discussion and tell us what you think of the show. You can find us on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, CastBox or wherever you listen to podcasts. Itunes: https://apple.co/2VAVf0ZGoogle play: goo.gl/KjRYPNSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2IWNuRBSoundcloud:https://bit.ly/2FqToIwRSS feed: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/258327.rssPocket Cast: http://pca.st/nLidOvercast: https://bit.ly/2SL7MNJ喜马拉雅：https://bit.ly/2TrxJpZ Support the showSupport the show (

If you want to support us, consider donating monthly to our Patreon project: _________________________________________________________________________The much requested episode on “American Factory” is finally here! In this episode, hosts Diaoiao, Izzy and Afra are joined by guests Master Zhu and Zhang Zhe to talk about the critically-acclaimed documentary produced by Michelle and Barack Obama’s “Higher Ground Productions.” “American Factory” is a documentary that touches on multiple grand themes of our time: globalization, manufacturing, automation and inevitable tensions between a rising China and a perceived “formerly great” United States. Here’s what we talked (nerded out) about: How is the doc received in China and in the States? How does the doc portray American and Chinese company cultures respectively? Accurate? What are the complicated economic and political drivers behind Fuyao’s investment in Dayton, Ohio? Why does it make sense for Fuyao to extend its supply chain in the U.S.?What’s the difference

In this episode, Loud Murmur’s three hosts, Juan, @CaptainIna0328 (Ina), and @Diaodiaoyang (Diaodiao) discussed the critically acclaimed film that technically does not exist in China -- "One Child Nation" by Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang. We got very personal in this episode. Join us for an intimate, informative, and in-depth discussion on:Our experience growing up as an only child -- more specifically, daughters, and our complex and evolving perception of the policy.The under-covered, underestimated impact of the One Child policy on an entire generation of Chinese women -- including our own mothers.The groundbreaking investigative journalism piece 邵氏弃儿 (“The Orphan of Shao”), and how the absence of independent investigative journalism transformed the mandarin public discourse in mainland China.Last but not least: Follow us on Twitter at @loudmurmurs Find us on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, 喜马拉雅, and wherever you listen to podcasts (e.g. Pocket Casts, Overcast)! Please subscribe, enjoy, and drop us a

This week's episode is all about the "R" word: R-E-P-R-E-S-E-N-T-A-T-I-O-N.The casting of Chinese actress Liu Yifei (Crystal Liu) as Mulan in the upcoming Disney live-action movie and the trailer have drawn lots of criticisms in both the U.S. and in China (for obviously different reasons.) Some criticized it for historical inaccuracies, some take issue with the casting of Crystal, who has since voiced her support for Hong Kong police and the crack down on protesters by the government. It's not just Mulan, the entire Hollywood-centric American movie industry is engulfed in a debate over cultural, racial and political representation. In today’s episode, our hosts Afra and Diaodiao are joined by our guest, cinema studies Assistant Professor Ling Zhang from SUNY Purchase College to discuss the recent controversies around the casting for the Little Mermaid, the James Bond series, and Marvel’s Shang Qi. The trio use these current events as a springboard for in-depth analysis on how cultural represent

When the trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s penultimate film, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, was first released, the Loud Murmurs team was incredibly excited and vowed to see it as soon as it hit theaters—and we did. Tarantino's latest hit, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, has generated a lot of buzz, both for its lengthy depiction of Hollywood in the 60s, as well as criticism for Taratino’s treatment of women characters in his movies and his past misdeeds.In today’s episode, our three hosts, Afra, Diaodiao, and Ina, along with our guest Li Erke, dive into what we love and hate about the movie. Highlights:Why this is an incredibly personal movie for Tarantino? What are the references to Hollywood filmography that inspired Tarantino as a director?Tarantino’s cinematic universe: from hippies to heroes of WesternsHis treatment of women characters and the blatant theme of masculinityThe controversy around Bruce Lee’s characterThanks for listening! Find us on the iTunes podcast store, Google Play, Spot

HBO’s mini-series “Chernobyl” has been a smashing success—nominated for 19 Emmys and boasted a whopping audience of 8 million views. The 5-episode series dramatizes the story of the April 1986 nuclear plant explosion in Soviet Ukraine.In this episode, Loud Murmur’s three hosts, @Muge_Niu (Izzy), @afrazhaowang (Afra), and @Diaodiaoyang (Diaodiao), talk about why we find the series so compelling and germane to political themes of our present time. We are very honored to have Yangyang Cheng (@Yangyang_Cheng) as a guest on this week’s show. Born and raised in China, Yangyang is a particle physicist and postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University. She writes the “Science and China” column for SupChina. Her words have also appeared in Foreign Policy, MIT Tech Review and more.In the first half of the show, we talk about the show’s obsession with recreating the material culture of the Soviet Union; why the show resonates with our current debate over the global “war on truth” and the threat of a nuclear war.

In this episode, the three hosts (Ina, Juan, Diaodiao) talk about two films starring Asian Americans as lead actors: The Farewell and Always Be My Maybe. The Farewell is director Lulu Wang (Wang Ziyi)'s second feature film. It is based on her family's story and stars our favorite Asian American rapper Awkwafina. The three of us went to watch "Farewell" together and walked out with equally prominent puffy eyes. We were impressed to see how accurately this film portrayed the tension, unspoken rules and emotions in a Chinese family gathering setting. There are very uniquely Chinese elements: 80% of the lines in the movie are spoken in fluent Mandarin; the hilarious tomb visiting scene and the cousin's grand wedding scene. But the film also touches on universal themes, like what it means to be a stranger in your own hometown; the emotional baggage that comes with immigrant life and the cultural differences between Western culture and Chinese culture.We dove into what made us laugh and cry

This week's episode is about "Killing Eve"——one of TV's most glorious cat-and-mouse thriller that subverts all the usual trope of this genre. Forget about the Bechdel test, this show is 99% about three badass women (Eve, Villanelle, Carolyn) and full of brimming sexual tension between our two female protagonists. We are joined by Xiao Meili, a badass her self, (yes, she has her own wikipedia page.) She's a women's rights activist in China and a big fan of 1. spy thrillers in general and 2. love stories between women.In this episode, we dive into why Killing Eve is so different from everything else we've seen on TV, performances and scenes that we love, and more. THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH SEASONS! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED. P.S. You can still donate to us through Patreon. Patrons can join our WeChat listeners group.Find Loud Murmurs in the iTunes podcast store, Google Play, Spotify, 喜马拉雅, and wherever you listen to podcasts (e.g. Pocket Casts, Overcast)! Please su

This is a very special episode we think you’ll really enjoy. Instead of talking about one particular work of pop culture, we sit down with Dashan, the most famous non-Chinese comedian in China, a pop culture symbol himself. For the longest time, when you mention the word “老外” (lao wai, foreigner) in China, Dashan is the first name that came to mind. He became a household name after debuting on Chinese television in the '90s, when 500 million people tuned in to watch his comedic skit. Dashan’s career in the spotlight spans three decades, during which China went under drastic socio-economic changes and became the world’s latest superpower.While he’s Canadian born and bred, the expressions he uses off-hand, his way of thinking, and the euphemistic rhetoric he deploys in this interview are remarkably “Chinese.” Through this unique personal lens, Dashan offers rich insights into contemporary Chinese society and culture. “I am a foreigner. But I am not an outsider.”Dashan starts this conversation by comparing

In anticipation of the third season of The Handmaid's Tale premiering June 5 on Hulu, this episode dives into the dystopian and misogynistic regime — as well as how recent news from Alabama remind us of how we’re not that far from these horrors. On May 15, the Human Life Protection Act, also known as House Bill 314 and the Alabama abortion ban was enacted, which imposes a near-total ban on abortion in the state starting in November 2019.The first two seasons of the show gathered a global following and is especially popular in China for its realistic portrayal of the national policing of women’s bodies. As the news from Alabama started trending on Weibo (Chinese Twitter), people became enraged — netizens were angry, because they didn’t understand how and why the allegedly “beacon nation” that usually puts humanism and individual freedom first has made this regression against abortion rights. We invited our dear friend (and a regular guest on the show) Santu (Yale JD candidate) and Feminist/Activist L

Today marks the conclusion of a show that ¾ of the Loud Murmurs team have followed for eight entire years: Game of Thrones. (The very first episode aired in 2011, when we were still wee freshmen in college!)It’s no exaggeration to ascribe such significance to a single show -- GOT has dominated our screens (big or small) as well as the public discourse on pop culture for the better of a decade. In today’s episode, we invited a good friend, Danmiao, to join our two hosts Diaodiao and Ina to pay tribute to this fantasy-historical-drama. We discuss the show up to S8E4, and dive deep into our favorite characters and their journey in the seven kingdoms -- both the physical journey they undertake as well as the character development arc that the writers constructed for them. Of course, we also discuss our thoughts on the current season and our thoughts on the writing (it’s not great). Highlights:Why the Night King is the most environmentally-friendly global leader in all of the seven kingdomsHow’s the political aren

In this episode, we invited three talented ladies to talk about their experience of being Chinese women that tell jokes, and being paid to get on a stage to do it. We had so much fun creating this episode, we hope you enjoy it too!Listen to find out:Why are puns funny and why one of the guests was almost kicked out the chatHow do comedians cope with bombing and heckling during live showsWhat do journalism and stand-up comedy have in commonWhich part of this episode we will edit out to launch on Chinese platformsWhat are their favorite jokesFind us in the iTunes podcast store, Google Play, Spotify, 喜马拉雅 for our fans in China, and wherever you listen to podcasts (e.g. Pocket Casts, Overcast)! Please subscribe, enjoy, and feel free to drop us a note and leave us a review. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs)

In the past few years, science fiction as a genre has entered the Chinese mainstream in an unprecedented way, thanks to sci-fi writers from China and from the Chinese diaspora. If “The Three Body Problem” introduced the world to Chinese sci-fi, then the 2019 blockbuster “The Wandering Earth” (acquired by Netflix) certainly kept the momentum going. This is the context under which we are having this discussion about Netflix’s high-profile sci-fi animation anthology “Love, Death & Robots." The series was received extremely positively by the Chinese audience (according to Douban ratings.) But Loud Murmurs being Loud Murmurs, we will not only talk about the stories themselves but also how gender and sex play a role in them. We are honored to be joined by acclaimed Chinese sci-fi author Chen Qiufan, whose works have won three Galaxy Awards for Chinese Science Fiction. To Chinese sci-fi fans, Qiufan needs no introduction. Highlights: In the episode “Beyond the Aquila Rift”, there’s a long CGI sex scene in s

First of all, a big thank you for everyone who supported us during our International Women’s Day campaign on Patreon -- we really appreciate each and every one of you, and hope that you’ll continue to listen, subscribe, and share our podcast. If you’re able, here’s a link to supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmursIn today’s episode, we dive into the biopic that won Rami Malek an Oscar for best actor -- Bohemian Rhapsody. For our Chinese audience, especially those at home, our first encounter with Queen was likely through ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are The Champions', the memorizable rhythms that accompanied the Chinese National Team as they participated in the 2002 World Cup and 2004 Athens Olympics. But not many are familiar with the backstory behind the band, so we’ve invited scholar Chong Mu to join our hosts Diaodiao and Afra to discuss the behind-the-scenes of our favorite rock band.Highlights:How were Queen’s songs assimilated into the Chinese popular culture context in the ea

To celebrate 2019's International Women's Day, we recorded a special episode to discuss the problematic gender representation in "Wandering Earth" -- a movie that's been heralded as the most successful sci-fi movie in China. Our hosts Diaodiao and Afra sat down with our guest Ran Liu, PhD candidate in sociology at University of Pennsylvania, and dove into the genre of 'Chinese Sci-Fi.' 这部彻底改变中国科幻格局的贺岁电影《流浪地球》是部对女性不友好的电影？在三月八日国际妇女节的时候，这期小声喧哗用了另外一个特别的维度来讨论它。在《流浪地球》中，哪些角色被“它者化”了？这部电影中，电影中女性承担了怎样的角色？这些角色反映出了创作者对女性根深蒂固的偏见吗？本期节目的主播刁刁和Afra邀请了宾夕法尼亚大学社会学博士刘冉，三位女性坐下来，一起谈谈“中国科幻”这个男性爱好者和创作者都居多的类型。本期，我们不但聊了聊刘慈欣和郭帆的硬核工业观，及他们作品风格对于科幻黄金时代和苏联美学的致敬，我们还主要分析了电影中男性、女性分别被赋予的性别角色——• 在三代中国英雄中，”姥爷、爸爸、儿子“是主线，为什么电影中，女性并没有被纳入英雄叙事中？• 在剧里的设定中，人体外骨骼系统可以实现人体与机器的完美结合，增强人体力量，所以，男性和女性的体能差别可以被科技弥合，但为什么韩朵朵和周倩这仅有的两位女性角色只能被拯救？只能在关键时刻掉链子？• 为什么周倩是个医疗队的救援兵？这个角色反映出了哪些性别限制？• 而为什么韩朵朵只能在合适的时间、合适的地点、掉下几颗“合适的眼泪”，在世界的中心”呼唤爱“？这体现了怎样的偏见？• 缺失的母亲角色意味着什么？为什么女性角色总是在故事的背景中被轻描淡写一笔，且总 是“被病死”、“被怀念”？• 一提起姥姥，就一定要提到厨艺吗？”阳春面“里，折射了人们对女

Again, the Academy Award has come at this time of year. Loud Murmurs reflects this year's Oscar ceremony: what has changed? What hasn't? Despite the embarrassing "Best Picture," we also would love to appreciate the highlight moments of Spike Lee, Ruth E. Carter, and many others. 奥斯卡已经过去好几天了，但是对于最佳影片的《绿皮书》及很多颁奖典礼的瞬间的争议，依然如火如荼（热点还没凉！）。 小声喧哗的”深夜版本“就要带着你点评一遍这届奥斯卡在度过了争议缠身的数年以后，如何在人口构成、种族构成都有了极大转变娱乐业找到一个合适的定位？以及这个代表着业界最高荣誉的奖项，如何在举步维艰中，强化了银幕上的矛盾，以及弱化了对于种种社会议题的现实和争议？ 这期节目由Juan, 刁刁和Ina主持。她们聊了…… 为啥《绿皮书》被誉为史上最烂的最佳影片？它的问题出在哪？ 奥斯卡能否跟上年轻人的脚步？在流媒体和娱乐业迅速改变的时代，如何找到定位？ 都9102年了，我们为何还要关注奥斯卡？ 最佳导演Spike Lee在拿奖时说了什么让奥斯卡计时器乖乖安静下来？Mahershala Ali在拿最佳男配时，为什么没有感谢某人？《黑豹》的服装设计师Ruth E. Carter手里的小金人迟了二十年才到她手里，是否该让整个行业都为之反思？这些刚刚提到的奥斯卡的高光瞬间为什么值得关注？Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/loudmurmurs)