It's that time of year again, everybody. March 23rd, otherwise known at OWNAGE DU CINEMA as Akira Kurosawa Day. And this is the most glorious Akira Kurosawa Day of all, because it would have been the Master's 100th birthday, had he not been tragically struck down in the prime of life at age 88. Now I don't want to suggest that he was murdered by trash auteur McG, but McG killed that motherfucker just as sure as I'm sitting here.
Anyway, in honor of Akira Kurosawa Day, I thought ZMF and I would try and jot down some thoughts about the work of one of the true greats of movie history. I dunno about the zodester but I've seen a handful of Kurosawa movies, and they're all fantastic. These are the ones I've seen, in order of preference:
- Yojimbo
- Rashomon
- Throne of Blood
- Ran
- The Bad Sleep Well
- Ikiru
- Seven Samurai
- Sanjuro (sequel to Yojimbo)
Don't be fooled by the descending order, ALL of these movies are fantastic. But it is true that Yojimbo is decidedly my favorite. It's one of those movies that gets ripped off all the time and still hasn't been topped. It's pretty much the original "lone motherfucker strides into town, kicks ass" movie, and it's still the best. So many of the smartass action movie one-liner characters can be traced back to Toshiro Mifune in Yojimbo. Check it out if you haven't already.
Anyway, we might be writing about some more Kurosawas if ZMF is up to watch some black-and-white Japanese movies. And I can't really imagine he wouldn't be.
Hey Joe, Yojimbo is on Netflix instant watch, as are Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, Ikiru, Rashomon (which I've actually seen) and High and Low (not on your list). So I could watch something and say something if you will tolerate an XX perspective.
ReplyDeleteI also have a fun little Toshiro Mifune-related anecdote.
HOTNESS: I actually JUST got done watching High and Low, and it is no lie one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. I'm in that giddy post-just-saw-an-awesome-movie phase so I say you should definitely watch it. And sure, you can write whatever you want, since you're the only writer on here anyone seems to care about anyway.
ReplyDeleteRED BEARD.
ReplyDeleteRed. Beard.
DICKS.
ReplyDeleteDI.CKS.