News: First look and Chapter from John Cho’s New Novel “Troublemaker”

Written by Mouza on June 22

It was the tinder that ignited the blaze that had been smoldering in Los Angeles for years: four policemen acquitted of the brutal beating of Black motorist Rodney King on April 29, 1992. Within hours of the verdict, Los Angeles – already at a breaking point of racial division – would be torn asunder. Looters and rioters set the city on fire. Adding gasoline to the inferno was a shooting that took place the same month as King’s assault: Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old Black girl, was fatally shot by Soon Ja Du, a Korean store owner in South L.A., after she erroneously accused Harlins of trying to steal orange juice.

It’s at this inflection point that Korean American actor John Cho has set his first novel, Troublemaker, a galvanizing middle-grade offering that follows the L.A. riots through the eyes of 12-year-old Korean American Jordan Park, whose parents own a liquor store. When Jordan’s father leaves to check on the store amid mounting unrest, Jordan and his friends set out on a perilous journey to help his dad, and Jordan is forced to face the racism plaguing his own community.

Excerpt from Troublemaker, by John Cho

CHAPTER ONE

Apr 29, 1992

I never knew a pair of shoes could scare me so much, but when I see Umma and Appa’s sneakers by the door when I walk in, I nearly jump right out of my skin. It’s not that they’re anything out of the ordinary. The shoes, I mean, with Appa’s laces fraying at the ends and Umma’s looking more gray than white like they did when she first bought them. What’s weird is the fact that they’re here at all. It’s just a little after 4 PM on a Wednesday and Umma and Appa should both be at the store. Not at home.

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News: “Search” Featured in 2018 Sundance Film Festival Line Up

Written by Mouza on November 29

Sundance Institute showcases bold, independent storytelling at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, beginning with today’s announcement of feature films selected across all categories. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, from January 18–28.

The Festival represents the flagship of the Institute’s public programs, which also include Festivals in London and Hong Kong and other screenings throughout the year. Sundance Institute supports independent artists with year-round programs, granting more than $2.5 million and convening 25 global residency Labs focusing on theatre, film, New Frontier and episodic content.

Search / U.S.A. (Director: Aneesh Chaganty, Screenwriters: Aneesh Chaganty, Sev Ohanian, Producers: Timur Bekmambetov, Sev Ohanian, Adam Sidman, Natalie Qasabian) — After his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a desperate father breaks into her laptop to look for clues to find her. A thriller that unfolds entirely on computer screens. Cast: John Cho, Debra Messing. World Premiere. WINNER: 2018 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. [Source]

News: “Columbus” Snags 3 IFP Gotham Awards Nominations

Written by Mouza on October 19

The awards season officially kicked off with the nomination for the IFP Gotham Awards being released online today and Columbus didn’t disappoint with 3 nominations!

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award

Maggie Betts for “Novitiate”
Greta Gerwig for “Lady Bird”
Kogonada for “Columbus”
Jordan Peele for “Get Out”
Joshua Z Weinstein for “Menashe”

Best Screenplay

“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
“Brad’s Status,” Mike White
“Call Me by Your Name,”James Ivory
“Columbus,” Kogonada
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig

Best Actress

Haley Lu Richardson, “Columbus”
Melanie Lynskey, “i don’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saorise Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Lois Smith, “Marjorie Prime”

John Cho Network would like to congratulate the cast & crew and hoping for an amazing award season ahead & a nod or two for John himself.

News: The Exorcist is going to New York Comic-Con 2017

Written by Mouza on September 06

Comic-Con is hitting the East Coast for its annual pop culture convention at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan this October. To keep you updated on the happenings this year, Variety is compiling a master list of screenings and panels for the Oct. 5-Oct. 8 event. Bookmark this page to stay up to date on the schedule, as we will continue to update when networks and studios release their schedules for the event.

SUNDAY, OCT. 8

The Exorcist (4-5 p.m., Room 1A10, 20th Century Fox) Ben Daniels, Alfonso Herrera, and Kurt Egyiawan will be joined by new cast members John Cho and Zuleikha Robinson, along with creator and executive producer Jeremy Slater and showrunner Sean Crouch to show an extended scene from the third episode and share some behind-the-scenes details from the second season of this horror drama. [Source]

News: John Cho Is Taking Down Stereotypes By Doing Whatever The Eff He Wants

Written by Mouza on August 06

If you were online last summer during the peak of a particular social media movement, you may have seen John Cho fantasy-cast as James Bond, Ethan Hunt, Steve Rogers, and even “Magic” Mike Lane. The #StarringJohnCho campaign made (and continues to make) a statement about representation by imagining a universe where Asian-American actors get the iconic roles almost always played by white men. But Cho’s actual latest role isn’t an internationally-renowned spy or an all-American superhero, as in the whisper-soft indie drama Columbus, the actor plays Jin, the son of a dying man. In talking about representation, conversations tend to revolves around blockbusters, but smaller-scale films like Cho’s Columbus help move the needle forward, too.

“This movie in particular, I will say, was unusual because it didn’t explicitly push against any stereotype,” Cho says, speaking over the phone in late July. “It was true freedom because it was confident to do its own thing. It didn’t repudiate any stereotypes, it just existed outside of that pool, and that to me is where we want to go.” [More at Source]

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