Ming-Na Wen – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

WHATCHA WANT (TIFF 2026) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

September 18, 2026September 20, 2026 Valerie Kalfrin Hugh Tran, Isabella Wei, Mina Shum, Ming-Na Wen, TIFF 2026, Whatcha Want

Moving from Hong Kong to Vancouver on the arm of a rich husband, Yin thought she’d landed the fairy tale. But when her husband’s not home for almost six months and her company is mostly a chauffeur and a similarly abandoned trophy wife, this former dancer discovers how to forge a new path in Whatcha Want. Director Mina Shum (Murdoch Mysteries), Whatcha Want layers in character beats about Yin, who danced as a child and now can’t help but move with her earbuds, even walking on the sidewalk. She soon discovers a hip-hop dance troupe near her apartment, where Penny (choreographer Helen Dang), the supportive leader, encourages her to pursue resuming her studies in dance.

Commentaries

The New MULAN’s Critical Chi – Nell Minow comments

September 10, 2020September 10, 2020 Nell Minow 0 Comments Allison Wilmore, Christy Lemire, disney, Gong Li, Inkoo Kang, Joe Morgenstern, Liu Yifei, Ming-Na Wen, motw, Movie of the Week, mulan, niki caro, Petrana Radulovic, Philip De Semlyen, Tzi Ma, Yoson Yan

Nothing is simple and straightforward and uncontroversial in 2020, not even a live-action remake of a popular Disney animated film. Whether intended to or not, the new Mulan has achieved one of the essential goals of any work of art in provoking thoughtful conversations that transcend but are illuminated by the story we see on whatever screen we see it on.