Akira Kurosawa

Ikiru is an extraordinary achievement, one of Kurosawa’s finest for sure. It is an empathetic work of life’s pleasures, sorrows, and everything in between.

The three film together, as one universally affecting document, make the trilogy the incomparable cinematic accomplishment that it is

Some of the best things in life come in pairs, and film is no different. No, I don’t mean sequels and/or remakes, because I think we all know how those often turn out. Instead, I mean those actors and directors who very frequently collaborate on films, so much so that it feels odd when the …

  We’re just a week removed from The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and already people are moving on to talk about the next one. Captain America: Civil War is the next chapter (after Ant-Man) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this one, (really, you guys) is the one you’ve been waiting for, not the one …

Akira Kurosawa is synonymous with Japanese cinema. Virtually any conversation, published article or book surveying the breath of film from the land of the rising sun simply must make at least passing reference to the great master. The sheer volume of his oeuvre, to say nothing of its variety and quality, is staggering. For all the existing critical appraisals of Rashomon, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai and High and Low (but to name a smidgeon of his cherished works),

A director of Kurasawa’s skill was probably best served by exploring different stories and themes throughout his career. As such, it seems perfectly understandable that he never went back to the Sanjuro well. Thinking back to the towering films he went on to direct, who would argue that he really should have produced another entry? Even so, one can be forgiven for asking ‘what if?’

Akira Kurosawa is known one of Japan’s great cinematic exports, if not the very greatest. Dabbling in drama, historical epics influenced by the works of William Shakespeare and entertaining romps replete with unforgettable characters and splendid adventure, his career spanned six decades and earned him the sort of reputation most directors will only ever savor in their dreams.

Everything about “The Hidden Fortress” clicks and falls into place: Kurosawa’s mastery of the widescreen, the amusing characters, the action, the set design, the riveting yet lighthearted plot … This is the sort of movie a natural born filmmaker can make and make look so easy, so instinctive.

Last Saturday marked the birthday of visionary director, Akira Kurosawa, on what would have been his 103rd birthday. For years, I have known the high regard reserved for Kurosawa but have never seen any one of his films all the way through. I vaguely remember falling asleep during Ran and Rashomon during my early teens. With so many films to choose from, I decided to watch Kurosawa’s winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival nominated for two Academy Awards, Seven Samurai (1954).

A lone warrior comes across a town held hostage by two competing gang leaders. He meets the keeper of a local inn who explains the situation and warns him to leave as soon as he can. Our rogue, a man with no name, decides instead to play the two sides against each other and make …

Floating around the internet quite frequently these past two years have been infographics and articles complaining about Hollywood “giving up on original ideas.” Like the one below shows, from a box office standpoint, our selection of films has become increasingly saturated with adaptations, remakes, and reboots. Just looking at the year 2012 as an example; …

So I thought I’d kick my contribution off on our brand new review blog by talking about an old classic, namely Michael Bay’s 2009 seminal masterpiece, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. But then I decided to dig a little deeper, and instead discuss the 1953 classic Rashomon, from Japanese directing legend Akira Kurosawa. Why …