In my list of favorite movies of the decade (2000-2009) here, I have only 3 American movies. This is not unusual anymore, considering how Hollywood keeps making the same type of movies over and over. So in the decade just past, I found myself getting a kick out of hunting and discovering movies that were under most people’s radar, for an obvious reason: small movies can’t compete against the Hollywood marketing juggernaut. Well, the movies here got my vote because I found them from my constant search for good movies, and find them to be outstanding. And for that, they are my favorites (not in any particular order).

1. Marriage is a Crazy Thing. Korean. Unflinching look at adultery and power struggle between the sexes in a rapidly changing society.
2. Woman on the Beach. Korean. A morality tale that harks back to the style of French director, Eric Rohmer. He died Jan. 11, 2010. One of my favorite directors.
3. 2046. Hongkong. Surreal and operatic from the bravura director, Wong Kar Wai.
4. Peppermint Candy. Korean. A jolt to one’s senses; makes Memento a second-rate copycat.
5. Old Boy. Korean. Wild, theatrical, original. Tarantino loved it, too.
6. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days. Romania. Ode to ’50s neo-realism?
7. Caché. France. Mind-bending; that’s the French for you; director Haneke is Austrian, though.
8. Mulholland Drive. U.S. Eerie and twisted, it’s a Lynch movie, after all. What happens to those failed Hollywood dreams? The great performances will tell you.
9. The Lives of Others. Germany. Subtle social commentary of a bygone era.
10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. China-Hongkong. Ang Lee brings pathos to a Chinese epic.
11. Talk to Her. Spain. Creepily romantic, hypnotic.
12. Late Marriage. Israel. There’s a most realistic sex scene; that should encourage you to rent it.
13. There Will Be Blood. U.S. Powerful allegory on greed. Tour-de-force performance by Daniel Day Lewis.
14. Before Sunset. U.S. A charming sequel. The passage of time plays tricks on us. Does it, really?
15. Yella. Germany. The country at the crossroads. The chillingly good Nina Hoss is a corporate raider.
16. Edge of Heaven. Turkey-Germany. Clashing cultures; it’s also about forgiveness.
17. City of God. Brazil. Harrowing depiction of youth organized (sic) crime.

EXT. MCDONALD’S STOREFRONT

INT: LADY FRIENDS BUMP INTO EACH OTHER WITH KIDS IN TOW

VO, FLASHBACK, Man:  Whenever I come here…

I remember everything.

Seems like yesterday.

INT: YOUNG BOY & GIRL

Feels like we’ve known each other forever.

Things I like, she likes, too.

SHE DIPS FRIES ON SUNDAE.

And then…suddenly

INT: GIRL GETS OFF SEAT, DRAGS BOY…

And even if we didn’t end up together.

(It or she ) is still my first love.

THIS TIME HE DIPS FRIES ON SUNDAE.

END FRAME:  McDonald’s logo. “I’m lovin’ it.”

(Filipinos like their TVCs  sentimental, too.)

Can a stuffed pillowcase replace a real human being?
This guy Nisan seems to think so.
In her weirdly, irony-free and non-judgmental article published in The New York Times Magazine last July 26, Lisa Katayawa, associate editor of Planet Magazine, threaded (and probably dreaded, too) the subject that seems so fantastic a story. Katayawa also maintains tokyomango.com, a site devoted to the hottest Japanese items.

The fantastic story is about a Japanese man who, at 37, with balding gray hair, keeps a girlfriend that may be shocking for many people — a 2-D depiction of a character, Nemu, from an X-rated version of a PC video game called Da Capo. Nisan says he had a real girlfriend, but she dumped him. The article does not explain why he was dumped. So now he has a different girlfriend and points to her 2-D, 10-, maybe 12-year-old inamorata: “I have real feelings for her.”

As much as I admire Japanese pop culture, it can stray too far, wielding tremendous influence on the easily impressionable. And as much as we all want the best for people (if this will make them happy), I think we all have to draw the line somewhere, right? But who am I to judge?!

Love in 2-D. Photo: tokyomango.com

In the piece, Katayawa then walks us through the thriving subculture that men (like Nisan) and women indulge in real relationships with imaginary characters…as a subset of the otaku culture. In modern Japanese slang, otaku refers to an overly obsessed fan of any one particular theme, topic, or hobby. In short, a “fanatic”.
Tuan-pu, Admerasia creative director, gave us this interesting (to put it mildly) story to read and consider posting here. (It was not easy.)

Click here for more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/magazine/26FOB-2DLove-t.html

On a similar note, I recall seeing a hugely popular movie that propagates the otaku subculture. It’s called “Train Man: Densha Otoko.” The story is about a geek who wins the heart of a beautiful woman after saving her from a drunk man on a train. (It is also a manga, a novel and TV series, practically a multimedia art now.) Not knowing how to go about dating a beautiful woman, our guy relies on his Internet pals to take him from first base to home run. It’s a hilarious movie, but highly unlikely to be a cross-over hit to a more conventional American mass audience.  For instance, the last few minutes of the movie was excruciating to watch. It’s a scene that macho Asian men (and the easily squeamished) may not take too kindly.

Train Man: Densha Otoko