By Dennis Clemente
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 and other countries are making the medium more interesting. So in the decade just past, I found myself hunting and discovering movies that certainly needed the hype they need to earn more money. Many of these movies can't compete against the Hollywood marketing juggernaut, but they certainly deserve an audience.
1. Marriage is a Crazy Thing. Korean. Unflinching look at adultery and power struggle between the sexes in a rapidly changing Korea.
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. Even Tarantino loved it.
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. Chillingly good Nina Hoss is an unlikely corporate raider.
16. Edge of Heaven. Turkey-Germany. Clashing cultures; it’s a cry for unity and forgiveness.
17. City of God. Brazil. Harrowing depiction of wasted youth.
18. Just Another Love Story. Imagine While You Were Sleeping, Scandinavian style