Kon Ichikawa's “Tokyo Olympiad” is revolutionary for documentary filmmaking. The 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo had been documented and memorialized on film forever in such an atmospheric, emotional, and cinematic grand scope. Audiences could revel in the emotions of watching athletes pour their hearts into their dedicated craft of physical endurance as people worldwide gather to observe.
Tokyo Olympiad is screening at Black Movie
Assembled by the Organizing Committee for the Games of the Xviii Olympiad and financed by the Japanese government, the initial intentions behind the production were quite different from the final product. With the 1964 Olympics commencing in Tokyo, this was viewed as an opportunity for Japan to highlight its accomplishment of postwar economic resurgence. Kon Ichikawa was selected to direct, and his inclusion ultimately steered the documentary originally meant to primarily celebrate the country's modernization into a completely new and arguably more unique direction. “Tokyo Olympiad” was...
Tokyo Olympiad is screening at Black Movie
Assembled by the Organizing Committee for the Games of the Xviii Olympiad and financed by the Japanese government, the initial intentions behind the production were quite different from the final product. With the 1964 Olympics commencing in Tokyo, this was viewed as an opportunity for Japan to highlight its accomplishment of postwar economic resurgence. Kon Ichikawa was selected to direct, and his inclusion ultimately steered the documentary originally meant to primarily celebrate the country's modernization into a completely new and arguably more unique direction. “Tokyo Olympiad” was...
- 1/22/2024
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
Based on Ueda Akinari's tales “The House in the Thicket” and “The Lust of the White Serpent”, “Ugetsu” is set in Japan's civil war torn Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600) and is probably Kenji Mizoguchi's most celebrated work, and a definitive part of the Golden Age of Japanese films. The movie was restored in 2016 by The Film Foundation and Kadokawa Corporation, in the version we watched in Thessaloniki.
“Ugetsu Monogatari“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
On the shores of Lake Biwa in the Omi Province, Genjuro, husband of Miyagi and father of an infant son, has his first break with selling his pottery in Nagahama, making a small fortune in the process. His brother-in-law, Tobei, is eager to become a samurai, and during the same trip is utterly disgraced, eventually agreeing to help Genjuro with his pottery instead of chasing his crazy dreams. Right before the next batch is made,...
“Ugetsu Monogatari“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
On the shores of Lake Biwa in the Omi Province, Genjuro, husband of Miyagi and father of an infant son, has his first break with selling his pottery in Nagahama, making a small fortune in the process. His brother-in-law, Tobei, is eager to become a samurai, and during the same trip is utterly disgraced, eventually agreeing to help Genjuro with his pottery instead of chasing his crazy dreams. Right before the next batch is made,...
- 11/4/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
By the end of the 1940s, director Akira Kurosawa had established himself as a dependable worker for several movie studios, including Daei, who had already produced “The Quiet Duel” in 1949 and who would approach him with the proposal of adapting “In a Grove”, a short story by writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa. At the end of the same year, and despite a fire in the studio, Kurosawa and his team managed to finish “Rashomon”, which would be released in Japan to moderate success, but ultimately to some international attention, such as Giuliana Stramigioli, the president of Venice Film Festival. The rest, as they say, is history, with “Rashomon” becoming a major success for its creator and the Japanese film industry as a whole, whose reputation, even today, relies to some extent on Kurosawa’s works. Despite its role for Japanese culture, “Rashomon” regularly attracts many cinephiles and scholars for its approach to storytelling,...
- 1/28/2023
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The ruined gate of Rashōmon in Kyoto, which acts as the central setting in Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's short story "Rashōmon," had an unsavory reputation during the 12th century. A frequent hideout for thieves and hooligans, the Rashōmon gate came to be known as a symbol of moral degradation, which Akutagawa incorporated in his short to great effect. When filmmaker Akira Kurosawa wove together aspects of two Akutagawa shorts — "Rashōmon" and "In A Grove" — in his 1950 Jidaigeki drama "Rashomon," he transformed the ruined gate into a site of subjective retelling, a sort of moral crossroads where despair and hope coexist. Kurosawa opens "Rashomon" with three men seeking shelter from torrential rain under the ruined gate, which leads to the recounting of a murder mystery with no definite ending. Four eyewitnesses recall a singular incident in the forest in wildly different ways, making the truth impossible to arrive at. What does this all mean?...
- 1/6/2023
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
By the end of the 1940s, director Akira Kurosawa had established himself as a dependable worker for several movie studios, including Daei, who had already produced “The Quiet Duel” in 1949 and who would approach him with the proposal of adapting “In a Grove”, a short story by writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa. At the end of the same year, and despite a fire in the studio, Kurosawa and his team managed to finish “Rashomon”, which would be released in Japan to moderate success, but ultimately to some international attention, such as Giuliana Stramigioli, the president of Venice Film Festival. The rest, as they say, is history, with “Rashomon” becoming a major success for its creator and the Japanese film industry as a whole, whose reputation, even today, relies to some extent on Kurosawa’s works. Despite its role for Japanese culture, “Rashomon” regularly attracts many cinephiles and scholars for its approach to storytelling,...
- 6/29/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The film “No Country for Old Men” tells the story of Llewelyn Moss, a welder and Vietnam veteran who finds a case of drug money in the aftermath of a bad drug deal.
Anton Chigurh, a relentless and psychopathic killer, attempts to make off with the money from the crime scene. The film follows Moss as he tries to outwit his pursuer while also dealing with the interference of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, an old lawman who is struggling to come to terms with the changes that have taken place in his town.
“No Country for Old Men” film is written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel. The film was met with critical acclaim and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Bardem), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Joel and Ethan Coen).
If you’re a fan of movies...
Anton Chigurh, a relentless and psychopathic killer, attempts to make off with the money from the crime scene. The film follows Moss as he tries to outwit his pursuer while also dealing with the interference of Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, an old lawman who is struggling to come to terms with the changes that have taken place in his town.
“No Country for Old Men” film is written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy’s 2005 novel. The film was met with critical acclaim and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Bardem), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Joel and Ethan Coen).
If you’re a fan of movies...
- 6/27/2022
- by Israr
- buddytv.com
In 1961, Akira Kurosawa released his fantastic samurai film “Yojimbo.” A movie that would be both a critical and box office success and go on to inspire countless filmmakers, such as Sergio Leone. The entertaining jidaigeki picture had many qualities to admire from its witty screenplay, stunning camerawork by legendary cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, fast-paced action scenes, and an outstanding performance from the great actor Toshiro Mifune in one of his most iconic roles. However, to make a sequel to such a groundbreaking piece of cinema would be a challenge. So how does the legendary director Kurosawa follow up on one of the most beloved works of his career? He follows up with “Sanjuro,” a sequel that is not only an excellent continuation but an amazing film on its own.
on Amazon
The movie is a loose adaptation of novelist Shugoro Yamamoto’s short story “Peaceful Days,” which dealt...
on Amazon
The movie is a loose adaptation of novelist Shugoro Yamamoto’s short story “Peaceful Days,” which dealt...
- 6/22/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
A number of academics and film historians have written about the genesis of Japanese cinema and its progression through the 20th century, with Donald Richie, Aaron Gerow, Isolde Standish being some of the most renowned. Daisuke Miyao, however, who seems to have studied everything his predecessors had written before him, deals with the particular subject through a rather unique approach, by focusing on the ways of implementing light and shadows on film highlighting its progress. The result, as Earl Jackson who suggested the book mentioned, is truly magnificent
on Amazon
To refer to the huge amount of info presented on the 281, small font pages of the book would be truly futile, so instead I am going to focus on some key events of the story Miyao shares here, and the ways he implemented them in order to unfold it as artfully as possible. As such, the story...
on Amazon
To refer to the huge amount of info presented on the 281, small font pages of the book would be truly futile, so instead I am going to focus on some key events of the story Miyao shares here, and the ways he implemented them in order to unfold it as artfully as possible. As such, the story...
- 6/8/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Yasuzo Masumura amazes us with yet another sensual stunner. This period way-of-all-flesh tale is almost a horror film, but the supernatural shivers are far outpaced by the daily Evil that Men Do. Japanese superstar Ayako Wakao blazes across the screen as a self-decreed avenger of the female sex, who allows men to destroy themselves and uses them to destroy each other. The bloody killings orbit around the desire to possess the irresistible Spider Woman, an in an ‘annihilating noir.’ The screenplay is by the equally famous Kaneto Shindo, from a Japanese ‘amor fou’ novel by Junichiro Tanizaki.
Irezumi
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 86 min. / Street Date June 22, 2021 / Spider Tattoo / Available from Amazon / 39.95
Starring: Ayako Wakao, Akio Hasegawa, Gaku Yamamoto, Kei Sato, Fujio Suga, Reiko Fujiwara, Asao Uchida, Kikue Mori.
Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa
Production Designers: Hiroaki Fujii, Shiro Kaga
Art Director: Yoshinobu Nishioka
Film Editor: Kanji Suganuma
Original Music: Hikaru...
Irezumi
Blu-ray
Arrow Video
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 86 min. / Street Date June 22, 2021 / Spider Tattoo / Available from Amazon / 39.95
Starring: Ayako Wakao, Akio Hasegawa, Gaku Yamamoto, Kei Sato, Fujio Suga, Reiko Fujiwara, Asao Uchida, Kikue Mori.
Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa
Production Designers: Hiroaki Fujii, Shiro Kaga
Art Director: Yoshinobu Nishioka
Film Editor: Kanji Suganuma
Original Music: Hikaru...
- 4/30/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“I am a person rarely impressed by actors… but in the case of Mifune I was completely overwhelmed. The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression. Toshirō Mifune needed only three feet,” said Akira Kurosawa.
One of the greatest talents in cinema history, Toshirō Mifune left behind a staggering body of work amassing over 150 starring roles. Born on April 1, 1920, a retrospective was planned for 2020 timed to his centennial and now, after a delay due to the pandemic, it will kick off next week at NYC’s Film Forum. Featuring 35mm rarities and rediscoveries imported from the libraries of The Japan Foundation and The National Film Archive of Japan, the series will run for a whopping four weeks, from February 11 through March 10, and feature 33 films.
Ahead of the retrospective, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer, edited by John Zhao, highlighting what is...
One of the greatest talents in cinema history, Toshirō Mifune left behind a staggering body of work amassing over 150 starring roles. Born on April 1, 1920, a retrospective was planned for 2020 timed to his centennial and now, after a delay due to the pandemic, it will kick off next week at NYC’s Film Forum. Featuring 35mm rarities and rediscoveries imported from the libraries of The Japan Foundation and The National Film Archive of Japan, the series will run for a whopping four weeks, from February 11 through March 10, and feature 33 films.
Ahead of the retrospective, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer, edited by John Zhao, highlighting what is...
- 2/4/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
One year after the last entry to the series, “Zatoichi Challenged”, once again Kimiyoshi Yasuda took over directing duties for the overall eighteenth film in the franchise, “Zatoichi and the Fugitives”. Having helmed three quite interesting films surrounding the blind masseur/ swordmaster played by Shintaro Katsu, Yasuda would once again focus on the foundations of the character, questioning the ways of the hero and whether bloodshed always finds its way towards him or if he actually seeks it. While “Zatoichi’s Cane Sword”, Yasuda’s last feature within the franchise, saw Zatoichi losing his most priced possession, thus showing if he was able to live without this side of his character, “Zatoichi and the Fugitives” gives the blind swordsman yet another opportunity to change his ways.
Once again, Zatoichi (Katsu) is on the road and makes his way into a village, where a yakuza boss by the...
Once again, Zatoichi (Katsu) is on the road and makes his way into a village, where a yakuza boss by the...
- 8/7/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Yasuzo Masumura may be practically unknown to the west, but he is quite famous and respected in Japan, with filmmakers like Shinji Aoyama and Nagisa Oshima considering him as one of the precursors of the Japanese New Wave of the sixties, and one of the most important creators in postwar Japan. Thankfully, Arrow Films has done a significant effort to change the fact, by releasing a number of his lesser known titles. “Irezumi” is of the first films that established his exploitation style, which was later implemented in his most well known ones, like “Hanzo the Razor: The Snare” and “Blind Beast.”
Based on a novel by Junichiro Tanizaki and scripted by the great Kaneto Shindo, the story revolves around a true femme fatale named Otsuya, a daughter of a rich merchant. In the beginning of the film, she persuades her lover, Shinsuke to betray her father,...
Based on a novel by Junichiro Tanizaki and scripted by the great Kaneto Shindo, the story revolves around a true femme fatale named Otsuya, a daughter of a rich merchant. In the beginning of the film, she persuades her lover, Shinsuke to betray her father,...
- 6/16/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Yasuzo Masumura’s Irezumi (1966) will be available on Blu-ray June 22nd From Arrow Video
Drawn from the pen of one of Japan’s foremost writers of the 20th century, Junichiro Tanizaki, Irezumi is a stylish tale of lust, betrayal and revenge directed by Yasuzo Masumura.
Masumura’s muse Ayako Wakao stars as Otsuya, the daughter of a rich merchant, who is tempted by her lover, Shinsuke, a lowly employee of her father’s, to elope. During their flight, Otsuya’s beauty attracts the gaze of Seikichi, a mysterious master tattooist who sees her pristine white skin as the perfect canvas for his art. The image of the large demonic spider that he emblazons across Otsuya’s back marks her as the property of another man, radically altering her relationships with all around her as her personality transforms under its influence.
Available for the first time outside of Japan in a new 4K restoration,...
Drawn from the pen of one of Japan’s foremost writers of the 20th century, Junichiro Tanizaki, Irezumi is a stylish tale of lust, betrayal and revenge directed by Yasuzo Masumura.
Masumura’s muse Ayako Wakao stars as Otsuya, the daughter of a rich merchant, who is tempted by her lover, Shinsuke, a lowly employee of her father’s, to elope. During their flight, Otsuya’s beauty attracts the gaze of Seikichi, a mysterious master tattooist who sees her pristine white skin as the perfect canvas for his art. The image of the large demonic spider that he emblazons across Otsuya’s back marks her as the property of another man, radically altering her relationships with all around her as her personality transforms under its influence.
Available for the first time outside of Japan in a new 4K restoration,...
- 5/20/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Fetch Publicity releases the first 4K Blu-ray release outside of “Irezumi,” (1966) Yasuzo Masumura’s early masterwork, outside of Japan. The Blu-ray will be available on 21 June 2021.
From us: Yasuzo Masumura may be practically unknown to the west, but he is quite famous and respected in Japan, with filmmakers like Shinji Aoyama and Nagisa Oshima considering him as one of the precursors of the Japanese New Wave of the sixties, and one of the most important creators in postwar Japan. Irezumi is of the first films that established his exploitation style, which was later implemented in his most well known ones, like “Hanzo the Razor: The Snare” and “Blind Beast.”…“Irezumi” is an exploitation film of rare quality that will definitely satisfy fans of the genre, as it paved the way for the surge of the category that occurred in the 70’s.” (Panos Kotzathanasis)
From Fetch: Drawn from...
From us: Yasuzo Masumura may be practically unknown to the west, but he is quite famous and respected in Japan, with filmmakers like Shinji Aoyama and Nagisa Oshima considering him as one of the precursors of the Japanese New Wave of the sixties, and one of the most important creators in postwar Japan. Irezumi is of the first films that established his exploitation style, which was later implemented in his most well known ones, like “Hanzo the Razor: The Snare” and “Blind Beast.”…“Irezumi” is an exploitation film of rare quality that will definitely satisfy fans of the genre, as it paved the way for the surge of the category that occurred in the 70’s.” (Panos Kotzathanasis)
From Fetch: Drawn from...
- 4/3/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Less than a year after the success of “Sword of Justice”, Shintaro Katsu returned as the lawman with an enormous penis, a disgust for corruption and very questionable interrogation techniques for a new mystery, this time helmed by none other than Yasuzo Masumura.
Early on, we see Hanzo Itami run into government treasurer Lord Okubu while chasing two thieves with his assistants Devil-Fire and Viper. Once again, Hanzo stresses on his dislike for corrupt officials in this encounter, which then gives way for the mystery central to the story. These two thieves, as it turns out, were running away from a nearby rice mill after discovering a half-naked dead woman there. Upon investigating, Hanzo deduces that the death was in fact not a murder but the result of a botched illegal abortion. This leads Hanzo into uncovering, once again, a conspiracy going way high, this time involving shamanic rituals,...
Early on, we see Hanzo Itami run into government treasurer Lord Okubu while chasing two thieves with his assistants Devil-Fire and Viper. Once again, Hanzo stresses on his dislike for corrupt officials in this encounter, which then gives way for the mystery central to the story. These two thieves, as it turns out, were running away from a nearby rice mill after discovering a half-naked dead woman there. Upon investigating, Hanzo deduces that the death was in fact not a murder but the result of a botched illegal abortion. This leads Hanzo into uncovering, once again, a conspiracy going way high, this time involving shamanic rituals,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
After he had directed the third and fourth installment of the terribly successful Zatoichi-series, Tokuzo Tanaka would return only three years later to helm the overall thirteenth entry into the story of the blind masseur walking the roads and highways of Japan. In general, 1966 was quite an interesting year since both “Zatoichi’s Vengeance” and “Zatoichi’s Pilgrimage” turned out to be not only very entertaining, but also worthwhile additions to the franchise, showing a few new layers of the character played again by Shintaro Katsu. Albeit its generic title, “Zatoichi’s Revenge” is a tale dealing with the repercussions of the life Zatoichi has chosen, for himself and those around him as well as whether he can actually think of a life without the need of his trusted cane sword.
However, the beginning of the movie looks quite familiar as Zatoichi (Katsu), after a battle...
However, the beginning of the movie looks quite familiar as Zatoichi (Katsu), after a battle...
- 6/24/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Will there even be an Olympics in our foreseeable future? Kon Ichikawa’s 1964 masterpiece is still the most spectacular/intimate film about human athletics ever, a celebration of the human body and its abilities. An epic for people that don’t necessarily like sports, it’s less a documentary of the event than a collection of moving impressions. Who knew that sports could be so emotional? Criterion’s 4K restoration disc is a beauty.
Tokyo Olympiad
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 155
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 168 min. / Tokyo orinpikku / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 23, 2020 / 39.95
Cinematography: Shigeo Hayashida, Kazuo Miyagawa, Shigeichi Nagano, Kenichi Nakamura, Tadashi Tanaka
Art direction: Yusaku Kamekura
Original Music: Toshiro Mayuzumi
Written by Kon Ichikawa, Yoshio Shirasaka, Shuntaro Tanikawa and Natto Wada
Produced by Suketaru Taguchi
Directed by Kon Ichikawa
Japan made preparations for years to host its proud 1964 Olympics. As I just reported last week, an outer...
Tokyo Olympiad
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 155
1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 168 min. / Tokyo orinpikku / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 23, 2020 / 39.95
Cinematography: Shigeo Hayashida, Kazuo Miyagawa, Shigeichi Nagano, Kenichi Nakamura, Tadashi Tanaka
Art direction: Yusaku Kamekura
Original Music: Toshiro Mayuzumi
Written by Kon Ichikawa, Yoshio Shirasaka, Shuntaro Tanikawa and Natto Wada
Produced by Suketaru Taguchi
Directed by Kon Ichikawa
Japan made preparations for years to host its proud 1964 Olympics. As I just reported last week, an outer...
- 6/20/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Already the sixth entry in the series in three years (and the first of four in 1964), one would wonder if “Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold” would have anything new to offer to the series but right from the credits at the very start, director Kazuo Ikehara has a resounding “hell yes, it does” for you!
On his way back from paying his respects at the grave of a man he regrets killing in a fight from a previous chapter, Zatoichi meets the villagers of the deceased’s village Itakura who are in the midst of a celebration. They are rejoicing the fact that after a long period of hardships, they have finally been able to gather the one thousand ryo to pay their taxes to the local magistrate. However, on the way to the magistrate, the entourage with the chest containing the tax money is pounced upon by three samurais,...
On his way back from paying his respects at the grave of a man he regrets killing in a fight from a previous chapter, Zatoichi meets the villagers of the deceased’s village Itakura who are in the midst of a celebration. They are rejoicing the fact that after a long period of hardships, they have finally been able to gather the one thousand ryo to pay their taxes to the local magistrate. However, on the way to the magistrate, the entourage with the chest containing the tax money is pounced upon by three samurais,...
- 3/27/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Winner of the Cannes Special Jury Prize in 1960, and of the Best Foreign Film Award from Golden Globes, “Odd Obsession” is one of the most recognizable films by the late Kon Ichikawa. The story is based on Junichiro Tanizaki’s 1956 novel, “The Key.”
“Odd Obsession” is part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Kenji Kenmochi is an elderly man, an expert on classical art objects, who is married to a much younger and very beautiful woman, Ikuko. As he is struggling with the lack of sexual drive, Kenji frequently and secretly visits a young doctor, Kimura, who gives him injections to increase his virility. Kimura also has a relationship with Ikuko’s daughter, Toshiko. One night, when Kimura is visiting the Kenmochi residence, Ikuko becomes drunk and laughs with Kimura. When Kenji hears her laughter, he feels jealousy, but at the same time, an extreme plan is shaped in...
“Odd Obsession” is part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Kenji Kenmochi is an elderly man, an expert on classical art objects, who is married to a much younger and very beautiful woman, Ikuko. As he is struggling with the lack of sexual drive, Kenji frequently and secretly visits a young doctor, Kimura, who gives him injections to increase his virility. Kimura also has a relationship with Ikuko’s daughter, Toshiko. One night, when Kimura is visiting the Kenmochi residence, Ikuko becomes drunk and laughs with Kimura. When Kenji hears her laughter, he feels jealousy, but at the same time, an extreme plan is shaped in...
- 1/8/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“The golden age of Japanese cinema would not have been the same without visionary cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa, as the Criterion Channel’s now-streaming retrospective attests. Miyagawa, who over the course of his fifty-year career shot more than 130 films, brought his painterly eye to many of his country’s halcyon works of the 1950s, helping filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujiro Ozu, and Kon Ichikawa express their respective sensibilities on-screen.
One of Miyagawa’s biggest fans—John Bailey, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an acclaimed cinematographer in his own right—pays tribute to the astonishing range and adaptability of his talent. Here, Bailey compares the “revolutionary” photography of Kurosawa’s kinetic, high-contrast Rashomon with Miyagawa’s more muted and dreamlike approach to Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu, nodding finally to some of the Ichikawa films that took the cinematographer into more expressionist and technologically sophisticated territory.
One of Miyagawa’s biggest fans—John Bailey, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an acclaimed cinematographer in his own right—pays tribute to the astonishing range and adaptability of his talent. Here, Bailey compares the “revolutionary” photography of Kurosawa’s kinetic, high-contrast Rashomon with Miyagawa’s more muted and dreamlike approach to Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu, nodding finally to some of the Ichikawa films that took the cinematographer into more expressionist and technologically sophisticated territory.
- 5/18/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Netflix may get most of the attention, but it’s hardly a one-stop shop for cinephiles who are looking to stream essential classic and contemporary films. Each of the prominent streaming platforms — and there are more of them all the time — caters to its own niche of film obsessives. From chilling horror fare on Shudder, to the boundless wonders of the Criterion Channel, and esoteric (but unmissable) festival hits on the newly launched Ovid.tv, IndieWire’s monthly guide will highlight the best of what’s coming to every major streaming site, with an eye towards exclusive titles that may help readers decide which of these services is right for them.
Here’s the best of the best for May 2019.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime continues to be among the best streaming platform for exclusive streaming access to “first-run” arthouse and foreign films that you may have just missed in theaters.
Here’s the best of the best for May 2019.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime continues to be among the best streaming platform for exclusive streaming access to “first-run” arthouse and foreign films that you may have just missed in theaters.
- 5/8/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Stars: Masayuki Mori, Eitaro Ozawa, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito, Machiko Kyō | Written by Matsutarō Kawaguchi, Yoshikata Yoda | Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Kenji Mizoguchi was one part of the Holy Trinity of directors – alongside Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu – spearheading the Golden Age of Japanese cinema in the 1950s. Released in 1953, Ugetsu is based on the book by Ueda Akinari, written in the 18th century (one of two known works by the author). Mizoguchi states upfront that he’s “refreshing the fantasies” of Akinari, which is a nice way of putting it.
The story opens in the village of Nakanogō in Omi Province, sometime in the 16th century. Genjūrō (Masayuki Mori) and Tōbei (Eitaro Ozawa) are best pals. Genjūrō is a potter; Tōbei is a clutz who dreams of being a samurai. One day the village is attacked by soldiers. Genjūrō and Tōbei flee with their wives, Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka) and...
Kenji Mizoguchi was one part of the Holy Trinity of directors – alongside Akira Kurosawa and Yasujirō Ozu – spearheading the Golden Age of Japanese cinema in the 1950s. Released in 1953, Ugetsu is based on the book by Ueda Akinari, written in the 18th century (one of two known works by the author). Mizoguchi states upfront that he’s “refreshing the fantasies” of Akinari, which is a nice way of putting it.
The story opens in the village of Nakanogō in Omi Province, sometime in the 16th century. Genjūrō (Masayuki Mori) and Tōbei (Eitaro Ozawa) are best pals. Genjūrō is a potter; Tōbei is a clutz who dreams of being a samurai. One day the village is attacked by soldiers. Genjūrō and Tōbei flee with their wives, Miyagi (Kinuyo Tanaka) and...
- 3/5/2019
- by Rupert Harvey
- Nerdly
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Quad Cinema
The long-longed-for Alan Rudolph retrospective has begun.
Led by Catherine Deneueve, André Téchiné’s Scene of the Crime begins a one-week run.
Museum of Modern Art
“Japan’s Greatest Cinematographer,” a retrospective of Kazuo Miyagawa running concurrently with Japan Society, has its final weekend.
Anthology Film Archives
The essential Harun Farocki retro continues.
Quad Cinema
The long-longed-for Alan Rudolph retrospective has begun.
Led by Catherine Deneueve, André Téchiné’s Scene of the Crime begins a one-week run.
Museum of Modern Art
“Japan’s Greatest Cinematographer,” a retrospective of Kazuo Miyagawa running concurrently with Japan Society, has its final weekend.
Anthology Film Archives
The essential Harun Farocki retro continues.
- 4/26/2018
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The Us’s first complete retrospective of Czech animation master Jiri Trnka has begun.
Quad Cinema
One of France’s most iconic performers, Anne Wiazemsky, is given a retrospective.
Liquid Sky must be seen to be believed, and it can now be seen in a 4K restoration
In celebrating their first-year anniversary,...
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The Us’s first complete retrospective of Czech animation master Jiri Trnka has begun.
Quad Cinema
One of France’s most iconic performers, Anne Wiazemsky, is given a retrospective.
Liquid Sky must be seen to be believed, and it can now be seen in a 4K restoration
In celebrating their first-year anniversary,...
- 4/20/2018
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Museum of Modern Art
Discover “Japan’s Greatest Cinematographer” in a retrospective of Kazuo Miyagawa, running concurrently with Japan Society.
Quad Cinema
Liquid Sky must be seen to be believed, and it can now be seen in a 4K restoration
In celebrating their first-year anniversary, the Quad offers films by Buñuel, Schrader, Oshima and more.
Museum of Modern Art
Discover “Japan’s Greatest Cinematographer” in a retrospective of Kazuo Miyagawa, running concurrently with Japan Society.
Quad Cinema
Liquid Sky must be seen to be believed, and it can now be seen in a 4K restoration
In celebrating their first-year anniversary, the Quad offers films by Buñuel, Schrader, Oshima and more.
- 4/13/2018
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
In celebration of the 110th anniversary of his birth, Japan Society presents an 11-film retrospective surveying the work of Kazuo Miyagawa (1908-1999), the most influential cinematographer of postwar Japanese cinema. Working intimately with directors like Yasujiro Ozu, Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and Kon Ichikawa on some of their most important films, Miyagawa pushed Japanese cinema to its highest artistic peaks through his lyrical, innovative and technically flawless camerawork. This career-spanning selection displays his great versatility, including major masterpieces and rarely shown titles, screening in 35mm and new digital restorations.
Co-organizer The Museum of Modern Art will host repeat screenings and additional Miyagawa retrospective titles from April 12-29. Preceding the retrospective, new 4K restorations of Mizoguchi’s A Story From Chikamatsu and Sansho the Bailiff, both shot by Miyagawa, will run at Film Forum from April 6-12.
For further information, you can visit the official webpage of Japan Society
“If ever...
Co-organizer The Museum of Modern Art will host repeat screenings and additional Miyagawa retrospective titles from April 12-29. Preceding the retrospective, new 4K restorations of Mizoguchi’s A Story From Chikamatsu and Sansho the Bailiff, both shot by Miyagawa, will run at Film Forum from April 6-12.
For further information, you can visit the official webpage of Japan Society
“If ever...
- 3/7/2018
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Ugetsu
Blu-ray
Criterion
1953 / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date June 6, 2017
Starring: Mitsuko Mito, Masayuki Mori, Kikue Mouri, Sakae Ozawa, Kinuyo Tanaka
Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa
Film Editor: Mitsuzô Miyata
Written by Matsutarô Kawaguchi, Yoshikata Yoda
Produced by Masaichi Nagata
Music: Fumio Hayasaka, Tamekichi Mochizuki, Ichirô Saitô
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
In 1941 Orson Welles was busy giving the film industry a hot foot with Citizen Kane, a bullet-train of a movie whose rhythms sprang from the ever accelerating hustle and bustle of contemporary American life. That same year one of Japan’s greatest filmmakers, Kenji Mizoguchi, was taking his sweet time with a four hour samurai epic set 240 years in the past, The 47 Ronin.
The story of a band of loyal soldiers seeking revenge on a corrupt landowner, The 47 Ronin plays out in a precisely measured, ceremonial style, its 241 minutes leading up to the moment when the fierce band of brothers...
Blu-ray
Criterion
1953 / B&W / 1:33 / Street Date June 6, 2017
Starring: Mitsuko Mito, Masayuki Mori, Kikue Mouri, Sakae Ozawa, Kinuyo Tanaka
Cinematography: Kazuo Miyagawa
Film Editor: Mitsuzô Miyata
Written by Matsutarô Kawaguchi, Yoshikata Yoda
Produced by Masaichi Nagata
Music: Fumio Hayasaka, Tamekichi Mochizuki, Ichirô Saitô
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
In 1941 Orson Welles was busy giving the film industry a hot foot with Citizen Kane, a bullet-train of a movie whose rhythms sprang from the ever accelerating hustle and bustle of contemporary American life. That same year one of Japan’s greatest filmmakers, Kenji Mizoguchi, was taking his sweet time with a four hour samurai epic set 240 years in the past, The 47 Ronin.
The story of a band of loyal soldiers seeking revenge on a corrupt landowner, The 47 Ronin plays out in a precisely measured, ceremonial style, its 241 minutes leading up to the moment when the fierce band of brothers...
- 7/1/2017
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
Anytime I watch Mizoguchi’s work…really any of it, but especially from this later period of his career – which includes The Crucified Lovers, Sansho the Bailiff, The Life of Oharu, and The Woman in the Rumor – I really am put face to face with how relatively little we gladly settle for in much of the rest of cinema. It’s not that there’s anything necessarily wrong with all those other movies. Many of them I value a good deal more than I do Mizoguchi. But in Mizoguchi, as one often does in Bergman, you’re granted a rare combination of imagination, audacity, and mastery that few films even attempt and very, very, very few manage to pull off. You can too often pick apart some tonal shift, some acting choice, some extraneous scene or shot or just something that doesn’t fit. In Mizoguchi’s best work, everything fits.
- 6/29/2017
- by Scott Nye
- CriterionCast
Craig Lines Apr 5, 2017
Marvel? DC? They have their moments, but how about Shogun Assassin, and in turn, the Lone Wolf & Cub movies?
Like most western viewers, I came to the Lone Wolf & Cub series via Shogun Assassin – a recut/mash-up of the first two movies, trimmed to 90 minutes and dubbed into English by a pair of enterprising Andy Warhol acolytes. It was one of the original 'video nasties' in the UK, banned for years, so highly desirable to a kid like me. And it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was probably the goriest movie on the list.
While it may seem criminal now to butcher a pair of bona fide Japanese classics and completely change their meaning and tone, Shogun Assassin got away with it by being so vibrant and hyperactive. The inappropriate score is a joyful synthesiser meltdown and the spirited dub goes full-pelt, even if what they...
Marvel? DC? They have their moments, but how about Shogun Assassin, and in turn, the Lone Wolf & Cub movies?
Like most western viewers, I came to the Lone Wolf & Cub series via Shogun Assassin – a recut/mash-up of the first two movies, trimmed to 90 minutes and dubbed into English by a pair of enterprising Andy Warhol acolytes. It was one of the original 'video nasties' in the UK, banned for years, so highly desirable to a kid like me. And it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was probably the goriest movie on the list.
While it may seem criminal now to butcher a pair of bona fide Japanese classics and completely change their meaning and tone, Shogun Assassin got away with it by being so vibrant and hyperactive. The inappropriate score is a joyful synthesiser meltdown and the spirited dub goes full-pelt, even if what they...
- 4/4/2017
- Den of Geek
Plus: A news roundup, the best Fsr articles, and five perfect shots.
It might be difficult to remember, but Robert Downey Jr. is not just Tony Stark. For the last decade the actor’s filmography has been dominated by the role, with a little Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure, but other than that there have been very few gigs the actor has taken outside the franchise world.
But now there comes word, via THR, that Downey has booked his first major non-Marvel role in a little bit, and it’s quite the departure: Doctor Doolittle.
You know the good Doctor, he who can communicate with the animals and uses this power to, I don’t know, doctor them? Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady) first brought the character to life on the silver screen back in 1967, and of course there’s the Eddie Murphy franchise complete with a couple spinoffs that started in 1998, but if the...
It might be difficult to remember, but Robert Downey Jr. is not just Tony Stark. For the last decade the actor’s filmography has been dominated by the role, with a little Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure, but other than that there have been very few gigs the actor has taken outside the franchise world.
But now there comes word, via THR, that Downey has booked his first major non-Marvel role in a little bit, and it’s quite the departure: Doctor Doolittle.
You know the good Doctor, he who can communicate with the animals and uses this power to, I don’t know, doctor them? Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady) first brought the character to life on the silver screen back in 1967, and of course there’s the Eddie Murphy franchise complete with a couple spinoffs that started in 1998, but if the...
- 3/21/2017
- by H. Perry Horton
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Above: German re-release poster for Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi, Japan, 1953); designed by Hans Hillmann.Universally regarded as one of the most beautiful films ever made, Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu, a.k.a. Ugetsu Monogatari a.k.a. Tales of the Pale and Mysterious Moon after the Rain, is being re-released in a 4K restoration at New York’s Film Forum starting today. An unquestionable masterpiece, Ugetsu might yet be in need of a boost in reputation. In 1962, nine years after its release, it was voted the 4th greatest film ever made in the decennial Sight & Sound poll. By 1972 it had slipped to number 10 and ten years later it was out of the top 10 altogether. In 2002 (the next poll I can find records for) it was at number 34 and in the most recent poll in 2012—despite a gorgeous Criterion DVD box set release in the interim—it had fallen to number 50. For...
- 3/3/2017
- MUBI
The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced the lineup for the Revivals section, taking place during the 54th New York Film Festival (Nyff). The Revivals section showcases masterpieces from renowned filmmakers whose diverse and eclectic works have been digitally remastered, restored, and preserved with the assistance of generous partners.
Read More: Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Documentary ‘The 13th’ Will Open 54th New York Film Festival
Some of the films in the lineup include plenty of Nyff debuts returning once again: Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers,” which was the the Nyff Opening Night selection in 1967, Robert Bresson’s “L’argent,” and Barbara Kopple’s “Harlan County USA.” Also included are a program of Jacques Rivette’s early short films, Edward Yang’s second feature “Taipei Story,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Ugetsu,” and Marlon Brando’s solo directorial effort “One-Eyed Jacks.”
The Nyff previously announced three of the films screening...
Read More: Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Documentary ‘The 13th’ Will Open 54th New York Film Festival
Some of the films in the lineup include plenty of Nyff debuts returning once again: Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers,” which was the the Nyff Opening Night selection in 1967, Robert Bresson’s “L’argent,” and Barbara Kopple’s “Harlan County USA.” Also included are a program of Jacques Rivette’s early short films, Edward Yang’s second feature “Taipei Story,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Ugetsu,” and Marlon Brando’s solo directorial effort “One-Eyed Jacks.”
The Nyff previously announced three of the films screening...
- 8/4/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
As much as we’re excited for the already enticing line-up for the 2016 New York Film Festival, their Revivals slate is always a place where one can discover a number of classics or revisit favorite films. This year is no different as they have newly restored films from Robert Bresson, Edward Yang, Jacques Rivette, Marlon Brando, Kenji Mizoguchi, and more. Check out the line-up below and return for our coverage this fall. If you don’t live in New York City, there’s a good chance a number of these restorations will travel in the coming months (or year) as well as get the home video treatment.
L’argent
Directed by Robert Bresson
1983, France, 83m
Robert Bresson’s final film, an adaptation of Tolstoy’s story The Forged Coupon, is simultaneously bleak and luminous, and sharp enough to cut diamonds. The story of a counterfeit bill’s passage from hand...
L’argent
Directed by Robert Bresson
1983, France, 83m
Robert Bresson’s final film, an adaptation of Tolstoy’s story The Forged Coupon, is simultaneously bleak and luminous, and sharp enough to cut diamonds. The story of a counterfeit bill’s passage from hand...
- 8/4/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
(Region B) Akira Kurosawa's unquestioned top rank classic remains a fascinating study of truth and justice. A forest encounter left a man murdered and his wife raped. Or did something entirely different happen? The witnesses Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura and Machiko Kyo give radically differing testimony. This UK edition offers a full commentary by Japanese film expert Stuart Galbraith IV. Rashômon Region B UK Blu-ray BFI 1950 / B&W / 1.33:1 / 88 min. / Street Date September 21, 2015 / Available at Amazon UK / £15.99 Starring Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda, Fumiko Honma. Cinematography Kazuo Miyagawa Art Direction So Matsuyama Film Editor Akira Kurosawa Original Music Fumio Hayasaka Written by Shinobu Hashimoto, Akira Kurosawa from stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa Produced by Minoru Jingo, Masaichi Nagata Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
This reviewer doesn't review most foreign discs, but with major studios licensing out their libraries, there are...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
This reviewer doesn't review most foreign discs, but with major studios licensing out their libraries, there are...
- 11/3/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Dear Adam,
What does it say that we've both put off discussing the new Werner Herzog film? I must admit my profound disappointment at Herzog's first fictional feature film since his two-shot salvo of The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and My Son, My Son, What Have You Done? in 2009 and certainly his most expansive drama for decades. With a cast of James Franco, Robert Pattison, and Damian Lewis led by Nicole Kidman, Queen of the Desert adapts the true saga of Gertrude Bell, an utterly unique woman who at the turn of the last century plunged into the deserts of the Middle East by herself and become better acquainted and more influential among its myriad tribes and factions than anyone else before and probably since.
Yet for a director so adept at discovering, eliciting and pursuing a kind of inspired mania and adventurousness in his fellow man,...
What does it say that we've both put off discussing the new Werner Herzog film? I must admit my profound disappointment at Herzog's first fictional feature film since his two-shot salvo of The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and My Son, My Son, What Have You Done? in 2009 and certainly his most expansive drama for decades. With a cast of James Franco, Robert Pattison, and Damian Lewis led by Nicole Kidman, Queen of the Desert adapts the true saga of Gertrude Bell, an utterly unique woman who at the turn of the last century plunged into the deserts of the Middle East by herself and become better acquainted and more influential among its myriad tribes and factions than anyone else before and probably since.
Yet for a director so adept at discovering, eliciting and pursuing a kind of inspired mania and adventurousness in his fellow man,...
- 2/12/2015
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
It seemed this year that if any artist was due for the retrospective treatment, it was "Unbroken" cinematographer Roger Deakins. While I of course did not address all of the 50-plus films he has shot throughout his illustrious career during a recent extended interview, I settled on a few in particular that I think represent a nice cross-section of his work. Each of them — "Nineteen Eighty-Four," "Sid and Nancy," "Barton Fink," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Kundun," "The Man Who Wasn't There" and "The Village" — will get their own space in the next few days. Cinematographer Roger Deakins knew director Michael Radford from their film school days. They cut their teeth together in 1983 on their theatrical narrative debut, "Another Time, Another Place," which caused a stir at the Cannes Film Festival and led to Radford being presented the opportunity to tackle a dream project: an adaptation of George Orwell's pivotal 1948 novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four.
- 12/18/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Yojimbo
Written by Ryuzo Kikushima and Akira Kurosawa
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Japan, 1961
It is the mid 19th century in Japan as a wandering ronin (the term designated to samurai who no longer have a master to follow), Kuwabatake Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune), roams the windy, autumnal countryside, unsure as to the direction he should head next in search for food and money. Gambling on one particular route takes him to a small town awash in corruption and gamesmanship between two warring factions, one commandeered by Seibi (Seizaburo Kawazu) and the other by Ushitora (Kyu Sazanka). Each has associated themselves with one of the two major industries the sullen town calls its own, a sake brewery run by Tokuemon (Takashi Shimura) and a silk factory owned by Tazaemon (Katamari Fujirawa). Despite the consternation and warnings of a local tavern owner, Goji (Eijiro Tono), the ronin sees a window of glorious opportunity...
Written by Ryuzo Kikushima and Akira Kurosawa
Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Japan, 1961
It is the mid 19th century in Japan as a wandering ronin (the term designated to samurai who no longer have a master to follow), Kuwabatake Sanjuro (Toshiro Mifune), roams the windy, autumnal countryside, unsure as to the direction he should head next in search for food and money. Gambling on one particular route takes him to a small town awash in corruption and gamesmanship between two warring factions, one commandeered by Seibi (Seizaburo Kawazu) and the other by Ushitora (Kyu Sazanka). Each has associated themselves with one of the two major industries the sullen town calls its own, a sake brewery run by Tokuemon (Takashi Shimura) and a silk factory owned by Tazaemon (Katamari Fujirawa). Despite the consternation and warnings of a local tavern owner, Goji (Eijiro Tono), the ronin sees a window of glorious opportunity...
- 4/12/2014
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
While less known than his equally revered contemporaries Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu, the filmography of Kenji Mizoguchi may arguably be the more successfully varied. Criterion remasters his 1954 title, Sansho the Bailiff for Blu-ray this month, one of the auteur’s most celebrated works, and one that ends his three year succession of winning the top prize at the Venice Film Festival (he also won for The Life of Oharu in 1952 and Ugetsu in 1953). This was his eighty-first feature film, and he would make only five more features due to his death in 1956. While this is considered one of his top works, Mizoguchi apparently didn’t think the same, citing studio interference in not being able to make the film he had set out to create. Despite its powerfully resonant emotional content, there does seem to be an odd struggle at work in regards to the focus of the film,...
- 2/26/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for November.
Rites of Spring (2011) Mpi Home Video DVD Available Now
After abducting the daughter of a wealthy socialite, a group of kidnappers seek refuge in an abandoned school in the middle of a wooded nowhere. Little do they know that they’ve chosen the hunting grounds of a ravenous creature that can only be sated by ritualistic sacrifices every spring. Writer/director Padraig Reynolds’ crime thriller/slasher hybrid received mixed reviews during its short festival run, but it’s a solidly crafted piece with some good performances and impressive cinematography by Carl Herse. The one-sheet art is a thing of beauty.
Heaven’s Gate (1981) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Michael Cimino’s critically panned revisionist western has slowly gained a reputation as an overlooked gem. While it’s no masterpiece, his director’s cut is far better than the confusing...
Rites of Spring (2011) Mpi Home Video DVD Available Now
After abducting the daughter of a wealthy socialite, a group of kidnappers seek refuge in an abandoned school in the middle of a wooded nowhere. Little do they know that they’ve chosen the hunting grounds of a ravenous creature that can only be sated by ritualistic sacrifices every spring. Writer/director Padraig Reynolds’ crime thriller/slasher hybrid received mixed reviews during its short festival run, but it’s a solidly crafted piece with some good performances and impressive cinematography by Carl Herse. The one-sheet art is a thing of beauty.
Heaven’s Gate (1981) Criterion Blu-ray and DVD Available Now
Michael Cimino’s critically panned revisionist western has slowly gained a reputation as an overlooked gem. While it’s no masterpiece, his director’s cut is far better than the confusing...
- 11/28/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
Chicago – The Criterion Collection has had a long relationship with Akira Kurosawa fans, releasing several of his films in the past, including “The Seven Samurai,” “Yojimbo,” and “Ran.” They have chosen “Rashomon” as the latest in their line of films to upgrade for Blu-ray and re-released on Criterion DVD. We got the latter and it’s another beauty.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
First, a bit on the importance of “Rashomon.” Few films that are over six decades old have the same resonance and consistent power. We have been trained (and were even more so in 1950) to trust what we can see. Imagery is truth. And yet Kurosawa played with cinema’s version of truth, clarifying the idea that we are still seeing an interpretation of reality and not reality when we watch film. It’s a masterpiece, one of the best movies of all time and one that should probably be on the...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
First, a bit on the importance of “Rashomon.” Few films that are over six decades old have the same resonance and consistent power. We have been trained (and were even more so in 1950) to trust what we can see. Imagery is truth. And yet Kurosawa played with cinema’s version of truth, clarifying the idea that we are still seeing an interpretation of reality and not reality when we watch film. It’s a masterpiece, one of the best movies of all time and one that should probably be on the...
- 11/13/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
It's another week free of hype and blockbuster films, with plenty of gems around Austin to keep film fans pleased, especially classic film fans. The Paramount Theatre kicks off its highly anticipated Summer Classic Film Series next Thursday night with To Kill a Mockingbird and Pillow Talk.
Galveston-based animator and filmmaker Kelly Sears will be in town to screen a series of short works for the Experimental Response Cinema on Wednesday, May 23, 7:30 pm, at Spider House. This 2011 Texas Filmmaker Production Fund (Tfpf) recipient has had her experimental films screened at Los Angeles Film Festival, Sundance, and SXSW Film Festival including the animated short horror film Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise. Her films feature images of the past to tell modern stories through the use of analog and digital animation.
The Alamo Drafthouse is screening the classic movie Rashomon at the Ritz on Monday at 7:30 pm...
Galveston-based animator and filmmaker Kelly Sears will be in town to screen a series of short works for the Experimental Response Cinema on Wednesday, May 23, 7:30 pm, at Spider House. This 2011 Texas Filmmaker Production Fund (Tfpf) recipient has had her experimental films screened at Los Angeles Film Festival, Sundance, and SXSW Film Festival including the animated short horror film Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise. Her films feature images of the past to tell modern stories through the use of analog and digital animation.
The Alamo Drafthouse is screening the classic movie Rashomon at the Ritz on Monday at 7:30 pm...
- 5/18/2012
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Akira Kurosawa, 1950
A woman is raped in a forest by a bandit, and her samurai husband murdered. In court, the victim and her attacker give contradictory accounts of what happened, while the dead man, communicating through a medium, offers another differing interpretation. Finally, a fourth account is given by a woodcutter who claims to have witnessed the attack. But whose version can be believed? Rashomon, which won the Grand Prix at Venice as well as the Oscar for best foreign language film, is an example not only of the great Kurosawa at the height of his powers – working with his regular collaborator, the imposing Toshiro Mifune – but of cinematic storytelling at its most daring. With its multiple contradictory flashbacks conspiring to present truth as an amorphous entity, Rashomon has been hugely influential on film structure and vocabulary in the 60 years since it was made.
But this formalist significance should not overshadow the picture's visual eloquence,...
A woman is raped in a forest by a bandit, and her samurai husband murdered. In court, the victim and her attacker give contradictory accounts of what happened, while the dead man, communicating through a medium, offers another differing interpretation. Finally, a fourth account is given by a woodcutter who claims to have witnessed the attack. But whose version can be believed? Rashomon, which won the Grand Prix at Venice as well as the Oscar for best foreign language film, is an example not only of the great Kurosawa at the height of his powers – working with his regular collaborator, the imposing Toshiro Mifune – but of cinematic storytelling at its most daring. With its multiple contradictory flashbacks conspiring to present truth as an amorphous entity, Rashomon has been hugely influential on film structure and vocabulary in the 60 years since it was made.
But this formalist significance should not overshadow the picture's visual eloquence,...
- 10/17/2010
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Over the past several weeks, the concept of “double dipping” has been brought to a heated point amongst DVD and Blu-ray collectors and enthusiasts. Double-dipping refers to the practice that many home media distributors use when re-releasing titles, either with new materials, packaging, or on a new format. This has been done for years by almost every studio, and is hotly debated by fans who feel the internal struggle of wanting to please the completist within, while at the same time not wanting to be taken advantage of by those seeking to milk a property as long as possible.
Last week we saw the long awaited Blu-ray release of the Lord of the Rings, a set that people have longed for ever since the high definition formats were announced. I know that personally, while the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format wars were still going on, the prospect of having Lord of...
Last week we saw the long awaited Blu-ray release of the Lord of the Rings, a set that people have longed for ever since the high definition formats were announced. I know that personally, while the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray format wars were still going on, the prospect of having Lord of...
- 4/13/2010
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
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