34 of Earth (police, office clerks, transportation) look chillingly differentiated and real. https://www.youtube.com/embed/QILNS- gou5BY 99 Homes (2015) In this fictional account of a very real 2008 real estate crisis in the U.S., Andrew Garfield por- trays an unemployed single father whose home is foreclosed. He finds a job with a real estate broker who specializes in…foreclosures. Direct- ed by Ramin Bahrani, this is a harsh look at the American Dream that is no longer a dream. A good portrayal of the real estate excesses and traps in the U.S. housing market. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vh- 0piQN1_LY The Big Short (2015) Another movie commentary on the real estate crisis that affected all the big U.S. cities, The Big Short tells a partially true story of a group of investors who decided to bet big against the mortgage market, just prior to the 2008 real estate crash. They discover the enormity of this flawed system by visiting acres of fore- closed homes, meeting borrowers of lenders of sub-prime loans, and examining the entire real estate landscape in the large American cities. https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgqG3IT- Mv1Q Tomorrowland (2015) Although a kid’s fantasy adventure from Disney/Pixar, it features an interesting vision of future cities from the director Brad Bird and his Pixar animators team and Disney Imagineering geniuses. Some similar modern building design ideas are already percolating in Asian cities, so it is worth a look to imagine cities of the future. https://www.youtube.com/embed/lW- Z7O-RrATY 3% (2016) A TV series about a future world where only 3% of the population can be accommodated with a healthy, affluent life on the “offshore” island, whereas the rest barely survives in slums that very much resemble the notorious Bra- zilian favelas. A combination of Elysium and Hunger Games, this Brazilian TV show (dubbed in English) is a great illustration of a possible outcome of increasing social and technological inequalities. The “Earth” scenes are filmed in an environment that looks like the actual slums of Brazilian megacities. Check out The Megaci- ties: Sao Paulo segment as a companion piece to this series. https://www.youtube.com/embed/_-i7MX- hW6Wg Ghost in the Shell (2017) A story of an android with a human brain inside presents a vision of Tokyo in the future. Gigantic holographic billboards are looming among apartment skyscrapers, but inside, the flats are no more than prison cells—basic four walls and a few electronic gadgets. Tokyo’s apartments are famed for their limited space. The movie just takes the idea a bit further. https://www.youtube.com/embed/tRk- b1X9ovI4 Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Even though this blockbuster movie about rich Asian families is a comedy and a bit of a fairy tale, many plot points revolve around contemporary life in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur. There are great shots of the iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel, South-Asian luxury resorts, and the 21st-century-style Asian airports. https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZQ-YX- 5bAs0 II. Megacities & the Growth of Global Real Estate Companies