Rating: 
Summary: Symbolism and other Literary Devices evident in Movie
Review: Justin Lin's clever packaging and plot makes this low budget film take off. The movie forces you to take a step back and examine the characters. With this retrospection, one sees what America has become.
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Summary: Outstanding Asian Movie
Review: Being a asian teenage boy I can relate to this movie. I wanted to see this movie because of it being called a good asian mafia movie. Great movie, great cast, and great plot. I think that Jason Tobin "Virgil" was really funny and hot. Too bad he did what he did in the end of the movie (I won't say). Parry Shen "Ben" was okay to look at as well, his scenes with the hooker in the hotel room were great.
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Summary: Incredible, insightful, sophomore effort by director
Review: I will not spend the space here discussing the film as many others have already done that. instead, I will focus on what I hope the DVD offers as features.
Hopefully, the DVD will have more than just the movie and a couple trailers. It would be great to see the original ending, the one that was screened at Sundance, before Director Justin Lin made concessions to MTV Films and changed the ending to be softer and, while still good, essentially weaker.
And would also be good to see interviews with the cast and a true documentary on the film -- and NOT the usual hagiography we get on most DVDs, where everyone from the actor to the caterer gushes and gushes about how so-and-so is a genius, or how it was a life-changing experience, or how everybody was friends, oh let's hug, and on and on. It would be good to see if there were any leftout scenes.
I also hope there are some features on the movie's soundtrack and songs -- or that a CD soundtrack is released. I have heard there is supposed to be a CD soundtrack coming out, but have yet to see it.
Rating:
Summary: not just a asian-ameriacn teen flick
Review: This movie is the 'Pulp Fiction' of 'suburban in your face' teen-pseudo-reality flick. There are wake-up calls in nearly every scene. It touches nearly every element of what today's Gen-Y deals with; and the 'fork' or the 'paths' up the road they must face ultimately in life...
Rating:
Summary: Great movie!
Review: I saw this in the theater in Dallas a few months ago. One of the stars, Roger Fan, was personally promoting the film when I saw it. It has a great storyline and the actors do an excellent job portraying their characters. Parry Shen and Roger Fan really nailed their roles.
I was very impressed that Mr. Fan took the time to come to Dallas to speak to the audience before the showings. I think he's a very funny actor. I also liked the short film / documentary he did with Gene Rhee entitled The Quest for Length. Hilarious!
Rating:
Summary: BLT is definitely a must-see
Review: I loved this movie. It's not perfect, but it's still awesome. It has this unique style with many running themes not only in the story but also in the cinematography and unraveling of the plot. It starts with a horrid event from the end of the movie and works from the real beginning of the story to get there. Some of the acting proved confusing and while some parts were straightforward others remain a mystery. I wish there was a uniformity in a middle way of these two extremes because I'd rather actions speak for the characters about them rather than they themselves. Some of the acting though was incredible and truly captured great emotional points. While it's obvious that this is one of the director's first movies, it's still an amazing movie. It's very much aimed at teens but it is by no means low brow. The movie is very deep and you have to be ready to see a serious movie, though it is sprinkled with quite a bit of dark humor. The experience of seeing this movie is what makes it so excellent and I reccomend it to all teenagers and younger adults, especially the Asian Americans out there.
Rating:
Summary: Tomorrow Never Comes
Review: Better Luck Tomorrow may be overrated, but it is definitely a fascinating character study, a lot more emotionally satisfying than most recent teen flicks. It has stirred up a flurry of criticism by portraying Asian-American teens who cheat, steal, drink, fight and otherwise behave as badly as all the other disaffected kids in movieland. Of course, critics who suggest that movies must only portray minorities in angelic form are altogether misguided. Films are about life, and life in this country is just as likely to alienate and confuse Asian-American teens as anyone else. Director (and co-writer) Justin Lin understands that; ultimately, ethnicity is beside the point in his story. His affecting portrait of mixed-up teens headed down a dangerous road indulges in some excessive dramatics, but still rings true to the experience of youngsters growing up without moral anchors. His key character is Ben (Parry Shen), a high school senior with all the right tools for success - brains, affluence, Ivy League ambition and killer study skills. He also has a malleable conscience that allows him to sell cheat sheets to fellow students, and to help his buddies Virgil (Jason J. Tobin) and Han (Sung Kang) run credit card scams. None of the characters' parents ever appear; they trust their hyper-achieving kids based on their academic records. So does everyone else, a fact that leads the youngsters to believe their grades free them from the normal rules of behavior. Lin does not ignore the fact that his characters are regarded differently from their Caucasian peers; when Ben joins the basketball team after compulsively practicing free throws, he is disgusted when a fellow student writes an article casting him as the team's token Asian. The author of that article, Daric (Roger Fan), is another straight-A student who becomes a friend to Ben and leader of the new pack that makes its name by beating up a thick-headed jock who taunts them with racial insults. From that point on, they are on a downward spiral into drug dealing and dangerous behavior, stoked by money and youthful hormones. Ben's growing obsession with pretty cheerleader named Stephanie (Karin Anna Cheung) - and the illusion of power that criminal enterprise gives him - puts him on a collision course with Stephanie's boyfriend, the richer and more sophisticated Steve (John Cho). Things turn out badly, of course. The teenagers in his tale have known tragedy and guilt beyond their years, with effects that will not be easily erased. Better Luck Tomorrow uses Asian-American characters, but at heart it is a story about all the lost children drifting into emptiness on a tide of material wealth and moral bankruptcy. An intense, frustrating, and worthwhile journey.
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Summary: breakthrough in american cinema
Review: Contrary to other uneducated reviews, this is an AMERICAN FILM MADE IN AMERICA. A-M-E-R-I-C-A. It was written and directed by Asian American Justin Lin with a cast of primarily Asian-AMERICAN actors and actresses. It won tremondous praise and awards at the Sundance Film Festival. It is twisted and edgy and was picked up by MTV films. It is a breakthough in American cinema and takes people beyond the norm of the 'white jock/cheerleader superhero' mentality to make society realize that asian-americans are actually REAL people and not just the chinese food delivery boy or nerdy sidekick or nail salon worker. It is very indie and in your face with an ending which will make your head spin. Recommended for all.
Rating: 
Summary: Something Different For The Asians In Just Another Teen Film
Review: Asian cinema generally brings up images of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, any number of Jet Li, Jackie Chan or Chow Yun-Fat movies: movies that cater to martial arts/action fans. Li's Better Luck Tomorrow examines an aspect of the Asian landscape that isn't the Triads, immigrant smuggling or a cultural struggle. Instead, it's an examination of the lives of Asian teenagers, not quite fighting a cultural battle, but simply existing within the American landscape. It's a baby step into new territory, and is not quite a masterpiece, but is something, not quite in the "must see" category, but is worth checking out. The protagonist is Ben Manibag (reportedly no Filipino--Manibag is a Filipino-sounding name--actors took up this role played by Parry Shen), who works at a fast food place, studies hard for the SATs, does well in school, lives in Asian-heavy California and likes playing basketball. Your typical teen, Asian or not. His buddies include Virgil, a horny, wannabe gangster-type, who is smart but lacks common sense, and Virgil's cousin Han, closer to a real thug, and who apparently gets all the girls. The three run a scam of buying items at an electronic store, then returning them with marked-up price tags to come away with the difference. On the side is Ben's love interest Stephanie, an Asian cheerleader with an older boyfriend, Steve, who doesn't quite mind, and in fact tells Ben to take Stephanie to the winter formal. He doesn't quite see Ben as a threat, and actually views him with some amusement. Things go awry when class valedictorian Daric, who also has his dark side, recruits Ben into a cheat-sheet making scam. Ben reluctantly joins at the clip of $50 per sheet. Soon, Virgil joins, then Han. They form a group that instantly raises each member's self-confidence, and they go from cheat sheets to equipment theft, to drug dealing. Once again, their memberships on school clubs, athletic teams and even Knowledge Bowl-type competition teams, keep them just above suspicion with the grown-ups while their reputation as an "Asian mafia" grows. They also begin carrying guns. There isn't much to differentiate these teens' experiences as being something uniquely Asian from kids of other races. Surely everyone knows a kid with the Angel's face and rep, and the snake's heart. Racism doesn't seem to be the main focus of director Justin Lin, although he does touch on it. Daric and Ben first meet when Daric does an award-winning newspaper piece on him being the "token Asian" on the basketball team. At a party, the group is racially harassed, a point that actually marks the final push toward their dark sides. Aside from that, there is little for Asians to latch on to. Very little is made of the language barrier that so many Asians face; in fact, little or no Asian languages make an appearance of any sort. There's a lack of any of the Asian customs: maybe the house with all the slippers and shoes outside, the Buddha shrine in the living room, or the gambling party atmosphere at a wake. But then again, that might just be Lin's point: these kids are Americans too. They deal with the same stuff everyone else does. The movie is well-paced and has very few dull spots. Lin does a great job with the spinning shots, time jumps and lack of or use of music in the movie's final sequences. The dialogue is much more realistic than your average teen movie, which use five-syllable words in long, ranting speeches ala Dawson's Creek. They talk like normal people. The cast is not exactly made up of nobodies. John Cho, who plays Steve, will be immediately recognizable from his roles in the American Pie movies, Evolution, American Beauty and the Flintstones. He also has a significant TV resume that includes Charmed, Felicity and Boston Common. Roger Fan (Daric) has been in Rush Hour, Corky Romano and had the title role in Quest For Length, an award-winning film. Shen (Ben) has similar movie and TV credentials. The characters DO have "American" names; many Asians are born in America and still maintain their Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean names; Asians born and raised in their native countries are given "American" names also. They do speak perfect English: there is no use for extending the stereotype of Asians with bad English skills, because many high school students, regardless of race, have bad grammar. The movies is not dubbed, so there is no reason for the voices not to "match" the actors faces--these are their ACTUAL voices. And as I recall, teens are a favorite character element in movies that use plenty of sex, violence, guns and murder (see all the I Know What You Did Last Summer-type slasher movies). Again, it is a recommended film, but not a must see or should see film. Asians, not "Orientals," which is quite an outdated term, will enjoy the film for the fact that it treats them just as another group of people, dealing with the pressures and isms of life that most all groups face. Non-Asians will find a poor man's version of Heathers or Very Bad Things.
Rating: 
Summary: No perfect ending, but so what else is new...
Review: This bad production by Justin Lin had no known stars. Jerry Mather portrayed a teacher in a high school for foreigners. Supposedly taking place in California, only one backdrop of the same houses with a basketball goal on an empty playground is used. The girl's Audi had a CA tag, but that's about the only American semblance. This is a coming-of-age story featuring four male friends. The 17-yr-old received a gun for his birthday (a fatal choice of gifts) and loses his 'innocence' with an American tart with crooked teeth. Her nudity in this weird Japanese version of GREASE without the music was of the sordid type. Even the poolside party was dull, and the beach deserted. It's sad to see how they visualize our American culture. This is full of drugs, scams, even a senseless murder and wild parties (at which liquor is plentiful) and a sex scene which together make for a laughable farce. Even in their prom photos, there is no gaiety and the faces somber. The students used American names like Stephanie, Steve, David, Ben, Virgil, and Derek (no Asian names at all), and the voices did not fit the actors. It is obviously low budget with very few extras and no crowds anywhere. It is primitively done, with bad acting; the dialogue was even worse. The library shelves at the school had no perusers but police guards were visible. The students spoke perfect English, even had the bad language down pat. A dorm room had a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge (in Calif., how odd). One reference to "heading off to Vegas" was ridiculous. The street sign had contrasting numbers, 9907 in one direction/ 9897 opposite; they must have obtained their numbering from our hospital corridors. One fellow with a guitar looked like Conway Twitty. At the party, red and green decorations (streamers, stars, balloons) looked silly as they tried to copy 'Ivy league.' Some big words were taken from an American dictionary complete with definitions for what reason, it was vague. Temerity, quixotic, catharsis, inextricable, temperance, and meticious apparently were what they were striving to emulate. The only slang was the word 'dude.' The ads are deceptive, and the music was strange to a westerner's ear. Erratic camera work throughout but especially crude when the decomposed body is unearthed to find the ringing cell phone. The ending leaves the moviegoer hanging, and wondering what the whole thing was about.
I was told that noone else had paid to see this film at the theater where I inadverently thought I would see a light comedy. It was a strange experience, to say the least. This film was withdrawn in only three days in my vicinity.
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