January Jams Part 3: Mean Girls & The Brothers Sun

To close out January, I offer up two extremely different pieces of pop culture that will cater to absolutely every conceivable genre you are yearning for. A bold claim, you say? I stand by it!

Mean Girls: Twenty years following the original film, we now have the obligatory nostalgic remake. However, this one, while still written by Tina Fey, is based off the subsequent Broadway musical adaptation. So now we have a tale of high school drama that is further enhanced with music.

I will not re-hash the story of this movie; you’ve had years to revel in its glory. In this version, Angourie Rice takes over as our heroine, 16-year-old Cady Heron, the new girl who has to make her way through the scary wilds of an American high school, and will face off against Regina George (played here by the fabulous Renee Rapp), the mean but popular girl who rules the school. There are some fun cameos throughout the film of the random adult teachers (Jon Hamm has a particularly hilarious turn as the hapless and bro-y sex education/PE teacher). But overall, this movie mostly serves as an homage to the original, gleefully calling back the most iconic lines, and reminding us just how we love Glen Coco.

The music is peppy and fun but not particularly memorable. I do find myself periodically humming “my name is Regina George,” while my fiancé has not stopped bopping to “Revenge Party” since we got out of the theater, but overall, I could take or leave the music. The joy of Mean Girls has always been in the cast and that dialogue, and here we get a faithful recreation of the original that left me wondering if we really even needed this version. If you loved the movie in 2004, you should watch this adaptation. But I doubt anyone will be re-watching this adaptation in years to come. The original is still impossible to beat and I might just need to go back and watch it again on October 3rd.

The Brothers Sun: I will confess, I was a little skeptical about this show at first. The pace was a little slow and I wasn’t sure I cared enough to keep watching hour-long episodes. But oh dear God, I have now devoured all eight episodes and this show is a freakin’ masterpiece that deserves your eyeballs posthaste.

Created by Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk, this is the story of the Sun family, Taiwanese gangster who lead a major crime syndicate. However, when the father, "Big Sun" (Johnny Kou) is attacked by a rival, the eldest son, Charles (Justin Chien) travels to Los Angeles to find his mother, who left the family years ago with his little brother in tow. Who plays the mother? Michelle Yeoh. So you better believe you're in for an amazing ride. Sam Song Li plays Bruce, Charles' younger brother who had no idea his family was involved in anything criminal and must suddenly come up to speed with a lot of troubling information when his introduction to his long-lost elder brother involves watching him and his mother dismember the dead body of an assassin that was trying to kill them. Talk about a complicated family reunion.

This show has some of the most incredible and impeccable stunt choreography I have ever seen on any screen. Every episode has a new miraculous action set piece that finds fun and inventive ways for our heroes to destroy their enemies and display their sublime martial arts skills (Justin Chien in particular is a delight to watch as he plows through everyone in his path). Things can get a little bloody, but mostly these fight sequences feel like you're at the ballet, and I would find myself perched on the edge of my seat, gleefully glued to my screen. The story is polished and intriguing and the final resolution is blissfully satisfying, while still leaving open possibilities for a second season that I need to happen NOW. So enter this kung fu wonderland and get ready for a bloody good time.