“If you’ve seen magic shows before,” says the Nerd, stepping to the edge of the stage, “then you know that the last trick is always the most amazing.  Some incredible transformation.” He counts silently to seven and waits for some sort of response.  There isn’t one. The audience has been watching this show for a while.  Afterwards, they wouldn’t be able to remember for exactly how long.  And it hasn’t been bad, per se.  But it also has not provided the transformative experience promised on the fliers that had lured them into the crumbling theater on a corner in a somewhat marginal neighborhood. “Magickal Transformation GUARANTEED” the flier had proclaimed in sparkly letters that popped off the paper.  And, for one reason or another (perhaps boredom or the desire to impress a new paramour with something unusual) the audience members, 20 or so of them, had responded. They’d paid their $5 and walked into the theater at right about 1 o’clock in the afternoon on a Monday (an odd time for a magic show, they’d thought).  A bare stage with a banner hanging over it at a slight angle had greeted them.  The banner, written in magic marker, read:  “Magical Nerd on a Wire Show for You Yay.” ‘Magical’ looked like it had been written in at the last minute by a five year old who had figured out how to brew his own espresso. As soon as they’d taken their seats, the ‘Magical Nerd’ had appeared.  Engaging, even charming if not particularly nerdy, he’d launched into a magic act.  Cards, a couple of rope tricks, some coins appearing out of the air, some fun stories.  But that’s it.  No big transformation.  But, then, what did they expect for five bucks? So that’s why...

Two nights ago, someone said to me “I really don’t like most American-made cinema anymore.” I didn’t ask him to elaborate because: a. I agree and b. I’ve heard the same thing from a lot of different people. From the Transformers franchise, Battleship-type movies and most crappy romantic comedies, a lot of the mass produced, mega-million budgeted crap that emits forth from the studio machine seems like a bunch of rehashed dog biscuits. I’m all for being entertained, and can’t wait for to go see The Three Stooges re-do, but for the most part, Hollywood blockbusters suck. So I told this person, the guy who didn’t care for movies now-a-days, he should give Asian cinema a shot. The majority of sub-titled movies I’ve seen aren’t dumbed down for the audience. Most Chinese directors and writers know how to weave a story that is complex and relatable, while incorporating realistic, heart pounding action sequences Americans can’t seem get away with outside of Skywalker Ranch. I would point to the layered brilliance behind Infernal Affairs, which was remade by Scorcese, DiCaprio and company as The Departed (that won Scorsese his first Oscar). When I was reading The Hunger Games, I knew Suzanne Collins must have been inspired by Battle Royale, a Japanese movie that came out in 2000 about 9th graders made to hunt each other. (To cash-in on that Hunger Games cache, the Battle Royale producers are re-releasing the movie into American theatres in 3D. Or you can just borrow the DVD from me if you want.) Actors Jet Li, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Stephen Chow have all captured my imagination in the past decade. Right now, Donnie Yen is a huge hit in Hong Kong Cinema. He’s handsome, tiny, brilliant and has bad-ass moves....