Hong Kong pop star Faye Wong in upcoming sci-fi movie 2046; Ruan Lingyu, the Chinese Garbo: when she took fatal overdose in 1935 at age 25, 3 women committed suicide during 3-mile long funeral procession & NY Times ran front page story as 'the most spectacular funeral of the century'

Mark Cousins has a sensational overview of Asian cinema, arguing that its current energy & artistry puts it reels ahead of world film. Michael Moore's schlockfest may have copped the Palme d'Or, but this year's Cannes was mesmerized by 4 Asian films: House of Flying Daggers, Zhang Yimou's sensual Hero followup; 2046, Wong Kar Wai's Bladerunner-noir; Nobody Knows, an urban fairy tale from Japan; & Tropical Malady, a homoerotic Zen fable from Thailand.

Cousins details the 100-year panorama of Asian cinema - largely unknown in the West - & the influence of Buddhist, Tao, & Hindu aesthetics on the films of China, Japan, & India. Among the great directors profiled: Yuan Muzhi, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Yasujiro Ozu, Mehboob Khan, Bu Wancang.

Predictably, Hollywood is turning Japanese, with 7 American versions of Asian hits in the works, including:

• Tom Cruise in remake of Hong Kong horror hit The Eye
• Scorsese is remaking crime thriller Infernal Affairs, possibly with Brad Pitt
• Jennifer Connelly in remake of Dark Water, supernatural tale by Hideo Nakata (The Ring)
• Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham) is remaking Korean comedy My Wife is a Gangster with Queen Latifah