A Month of Kurosawa: Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

A Month of Kurosawa: Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

Posted inFilms
To celebrate the upcoming release of my book, Akira Kurosawa: A Viewer's Guide, due out Dec. 15 from Rowman & Littlefield -- preorder here! -- I'll be doing capsule reviews all month covering every single Kurosawa film and posting (very) brief excerpts. These will be short impressions and recommendations, nothing more. For a full, detailed analysis of each, grab the book! Sanshiro Sugata (1943) It’s perhaps fitting that this, Akira Kurosawa’s directorial debut, is a story about a man of immense talent being awakened to the joys of life through that talent. Sanshiro Sugata is about a competitive fighter who must overcome…
Writer who laments the lack of smart sci-fi like Blade Runner 2049 doesn’t understand smart sci-fi

Writer who laments the lack of smart sci-fi like Blade Runner 2049 doesn’t understand smart sci-fi

Posted inFilms, Geek Stuff
I'm not keen on attacking other writers, and indeed, this should not be construed as an attach. Still, I can't help but vent a little frustration at this piece from the Guardian, Has Blade Runner 2049's failure killed off the smart sci-fi blockbuster? The writer (who I'm sure is a terrific guy) has great praise for Denis Villeneuve’s unexpectedly astonishing sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 science fiction cult classic, Blade Runner. I agree with him wholeheartedly about that. This was a visually stunning, thematically rich modern masterpiece of the genre, one that had me talking about it and chewing it on for…
Basking in the majesty of Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Basking in the majesty of Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Posted inFilms
Let's talk about David Lean's landmark epic Lawrence Of Arabia. By now, the film's reputation is well established. Considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time (it certainly ranks high on my personal list), in 1962 Lawrence Of Arabia garnered seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Peter O'Toole's tortured performance is the stuff of legend, and its on-screen vistas have inspired filmmakers from Stephen Spielberg to Martin Scorsese to Peter Jackson. Even people who have never seen it at least know of its lofty reputation. But some classic films of yesteryear have a way of…
Star Trek: The Voyage Home is the best thing since Hot Pockets

Star Trek: The Voyage Home is the best thing since Hot Pockets

Posted inFilms, Geek Stuff
“Save the Whales.” It’s kind of a shame that the unofficial slogan of a noble cause such as not killing a bunch of shit that doesn't need killing has over the years turned into an object of ridicule, but it has. Now you mockingly reference the save the whales movement to insult people who are earnest in their support of the environment and protecting endangered animals. It's simple, direct, and everyone knows you're being snarky when you say it. Weird. Also weird is that the Star Trek franchise devoted an entire movie to an often cringe-inducing, heavy-handed lecture on why pollution is bad and hunting…
Star Trek: The Search For Spock (aka the Search for a Good Movie)

Star Trek: The Search For Spock (aka the Search for a Good Movie)

Posted inFilms, Geek Stuff
On the surface, it may seem like a bad idea to devote a feature-length film to a slightly convoluted, comic booky story about bringing a popular character back from the dead, but the truth is … Who am I kidding? It IS a bad idea. The stakes have gotten more personal with each consecutive Star Trek movie, first with a threat that could destroy Earth and potentially endanger the entire galaxy, then a tale of personal revenge that also includes a device that could destroy a planet, and finally this story about a man’s sacrifice for a dear friend. That…