Of all the Top Lists that are published every year, I'm usually most interested in the "This year in search" from Google reminding me of the stories I'd forgotten about (or in some cases, never even learned about in the first place), the Top TV shows of 2023 (I saw The Last of Us, the Bear, final succession of Succession up there), and best single TV episode of 2023 ("The Bear" won that with its iconic "Knives" episode where cousin Richie learned about hopsitality at a fine dining restaurant and ended the episode singing Taylor Swift's "Love Song" in the car), but I'm usually the most interested in the Top movies of 2023, so that I can catch up and see them before the year is over. This year, though, unlike most critics who had "Killers of the Flower Moon," "Past Lives," "Oppenheimer," "Barbie," I submit my own personal entry for 2023: "Quiz Lady."
"Representation matters" is a trendy phrase right now in the culture wars, and I sometimes agree with it, especially when it comes to seeing the actress Nora Lum, aka Nora from Queens, aka Awkwafina, in movies. In many ways she's like me: grew up in the U.S. so culturally American, both in our mid-30's, both like to goofy but also seemingly hard-working, and she's currently carrying the torch for Asian Americans in Hollywood along with a host of others like Simu Liu (no bigger stage than being Ken in Barbie, and also semifinalist on Celebrity Jeopardy!), Constance Wu, etc. Awkwafina, though, feels like she might have the longest career, now taking on serious roles in addition to the "get paid" roles like Kung Fu Panda or Crazy Rich Asians.....she starred in "The Farewell" in 2019 which was critically acclaimed, and again showed that an Asian American lead can work in "Quiz Lady." Sometimes a film can just be right up one's alley.... and this is about an awkward Asian teenager who grew up watching a quiz show (obviously styled off Jeopardy) and finally getting the chance to go on the show thanks to being kidnapped by her older sister (Sandra Oh) to go on a crazy road trip to......Philadelphia. It's a feel-good, road-trip, buddy comedy (except the buddies are 2 Asian ladies) with trivia involved, and basically spells out the trivia nerd's dream of getting on the favorite national game show. Sandra Oh has also been a representative Asian figure for me since she was in Grey's Anatomy, and she plays someone I always wish I had, a big sister for Awkwafina. It's a movie that could have taken place anytime in the last 30 years, without any political or moral messages to complicate things, deep enduring messages about the human condition, any sci-fi or glimpses of the future, just a good ol' story that warms the heart and has a few laughs. And it's less than 2 hours (looking at you, Oppenheimer), doesn't aggressively push a feminist message (Barbie), doesn't have depressing death and violence (Flowers of the Killer Moon or any Martin Scorcese movie ever), doesn't needlessly have big name actors show up (well, unless you count Paul Reubens), and has cool dogs. "Quiz Lady" is just a perfect movie for what I needed right now at the end of 2023. Streaming on Hulu.
If there's a "Quiz Lady' version of the best art museum in the U.S., I'd suspect most people wouldn't have Buffalo's AKG Art Museum on the list. Yes, THAT Buffalo, in Upper New York State. As one Google review put it so eloquently, "I didn't feel like I was in Buffalo while at the museum." It has 3 buildings that combines modern building and classical architecture on the outside, has some great collections inside with all the classics Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso. I've been to other parts of Buffalo, New York, and I agree with the sentiments of that Google reviewer: the art museum is the best part of the city. Including if you count Niagara Falls just to the north, which has a pretty cool scene but then the rest of the city has just become a low-grade version of Las Vegas: casinos and glitz.
So as 2024 rolls in, just something for future Robert to remember in the new year: Give some new stuff a chance; you never know when scrolling through Hulu (my 3rd favorite streaming service to scroll through) what might pop up (life's like a box of chocolates) and when looking for art museums to visit, don't just look at the biggest cities......Buffalo, 6 hours away from civilization, might pop up.
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