In a major shockeroo announcement, Gold Derby can reveal that FX is shifting the popular “Shōgun” away from the limited series races for the 2024 Emmys and will compete in all the drama categories instead. That rumor has been circulating throughout Hollywood for almost two weeks, but it is now official according to FX. How will this affect the dramatic races for series, acting, directing, writing and crafts?
Since debuting in February, the FX program has been enjoying critical raves and impressive ratings. It’s an adaptation of James Clavell‘s 1975 historical novel, following an English sailor (Cosmo Jarvis) who ends up shipwrecked in Japan. Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) uncovers secrets that could benefit him in the political wars to come as he tries to rule one of the five Regents in Japan. It features awe-inspiring production values and notable performances from Anna Sawai, Moeka Hoshi, Fumi Nikaido, Tadanobu Asano,...
Since debuting in February, the FX program has been enjoying critical raves and impressive ratings. It’s an adaptation of James Clavell‘s 1975 historical novel, following an English sailor (Cosmo Jarvis) who ends up shipwrecked in Japan. Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) uncovers secrets that could benefit him in the political wars to come as he tries to rule one of the five Regents in Japan. It features awe-inspiring production values and notable performances from Anna Sawai, Moeka Hoshi, Fumi Nikaido, Tadanobu Asano,...
- 5/16/2024
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
“Why is it that only those who have never fought in a battle are so eager to be in one?” Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) asks at one point in FX’s Shōgun. It’s a question that resonates not only with the show’s characters but may strike at the heart of our long-standing fascination with samurai.
Its resonance is all the more profound because Shōgun is loosely — very loosely — based on real events from the end of Japan’s Warring States period that pushed the nation into a new era. Taking historical events and crafting drama from them is something the show has in common with many Chanbara or samurai films. The riveting and often bloody history has provided fodder for countless films, including Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai trilogy, Sekigahara, Samurai Assassin, and The 47 Ronin.
However, these narrative films can obscure the complex history behind the events. Fortunately,...
Its resonance is all the more profound because Shōgun is loosely — very loosely — based on real events from the end of Japan’s Warring States period that pushed the nation into a new era. Taking historical events and crafting drama from them is something the show has in common with many Chanbara or samurai films. The riveting and often bloody history has provided fodder for countless films, including Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai trilogy, Sekigahara, Samurai Assassin, and The 47 Ronin.
However, these narrative films can obscure the complex history behind the events. Fortunately,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Three years before his career-defining role as Itto Ogami in the six Lone Wolf and Cub films, Wakayama Tomisaburô starred in a trio of films about doctor, bounty hunter, and sometimes shogun assassin Ichibei Shikoro. Where the Lone Wolf and Cub series leaned much harder into the strategies associated with the exploitation filmmaking movement that was booming in Japan during the early 1970s, the “Bounty Hunter” trilogy has both feet firmly planted in the 1960s, drawing influence from James Bond films and spaghetti westerns as well more violent contemporaneous samurai films such as Okamoto Kihachi’s Sword of Doom and Kill!
The influence of the 007 films on Killer’s Mission, from 1969, alone is evident right out of the gate, both in Yagi Masao’s score and our first glimpse of Ichibei preparing his gadgets, including a cane sword and a miniature crossbow, as he readies himself for his mission to prevent an enemy,...
The influence of the 007 films on Killer’s Mission, from 1969, alone is evident right out of the gate, both in Yagi Masao’s score and our first glimpse of Ichibei preparing his gadgets, including a cane sword and a miniature crossbow, as he readies himself for his mission to prevent an enemy,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
One of Hollywood's most frustrating recent news stories is that Francis Ford Coppola is having trouble finding distribution for his self-funded passion project, "Megalopolis" (via The Hollywood Reporter). In a just world, making "The Godfather" would grant Coppola a lifetime blank check, but that has never been the world we've lived in.
What you may not be aware of is one of Coppola's influences for his magnum opus. Like his friend "Star Wars" director George Lucas, Coppola looked to Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. While Lucas took after Kurosawa's Jidaigeki (historical) films, Coppola looked to one of the director's contemporary-set films: "The Bad Sleep Well."
Released in 1960 and starring his go-to leading man Toshiro Mifune, the movie is one of Kurosawa's (comparatively) more obscure ones. It was especially overshadowed by "High and Low," the masterful kidnapping thriller that Kurosawa and Mifune released in 1963. Both movies are set in the world of...
What you may not be aware of is one of Coppola's influences for his magnum opus. Like his friend "Star Wars" director George Lucas, Coppola looked to Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. While Lucas took after Kurosawa's Jidaigeki (historical) films, Coppola looked to one of the director's contemporary-set films: "The Bad Sleep Well."
Released in 1960 and starring his go-to leading man Toshiro Mifune, the movie is one of Kurosawa's (comparatively) more obscure ones. It was especially overshadowed by "High and Low," the masterful kidnapping thriller that Kurosawa and Mifune released in 1963. Both movies are set in the world of...
- 4/15/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Each new episode of Shōgun raises the stakes, deepens the political intrigue, and brings us closer to the brink of war. It’s a description that, years ago, would have applied to Game of Thrones, a show to which Shōgun has been compared ad nauseam. It’s not an inappropriate comparison. Both tout sprawling casts, sweeping locations, political intrigue, backstabbing, and characters residing in moral gray areas, ready to surprise and disappoint. Though, it may be more apt to compare the show to Japan’s Chanbara or samurai films.
Given Shōgun’s intensity and cliffhangers, waiting a week between episodes is excruciating. Digging back into Game of Thrones or even House of the Dragon might not scratch that Shōgun itch in the long days between installments.
Instead, let’s dive into samurai epics in and around the Edo period when Ieyasu Tokugawa unified Japan and built a shogunate that ruled for more than two centuries,...
Given Shōgun’s intensity and cliffhangers, waiting a week between episodes is excruciating. Digging back into Game of Thrones or even House of the Dragon might not scratch that Shōgun itch in the long days between installments.
Instead, let’s dive into samurai epics in and around the Edo period when Ieyasu Tokugawa unified Japan and built a shogunate that ruled for more than two centuries,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
After Makima’s death, Chainsaw Man manga went on a hiatus. But later returned with a second part. The fans were excited to see how Denji’s life progressed. He was shown to live with the Control Devil’s reincarnation, Nayuta. He took care of her and fulfilled all her needs. The fans were surprised to see that he had left his Devil Hunting days before.
But there was no peace for him since the War Devil was looking for him, the Chainsaw Devil. Since then, the manga has been going through an interesting phase. The latest Chainsaw Man chapter featured Denji lying on a hospital bed in a horrible state. Even though he wanted to get out, he could not due to the authorities. The chapter also teased the return of an old character that the fans had missed.
A War Might Take Place To Rescue Denji Denji in...
But there was no peace for him since the War Devil was looking for him, the Chainsaw Devil. Since then, the manga has been going through an interesting phase. The latest Chainsaw Man chapter featured Denji lying on a hospital bed in a horrible state. Even though he wanted to get out, he could not due to the authorities. The chapter also teased the return of an old character that the fans had missed.
A War Might Take Place To Rescue Denji Denji in...
- 2/28/2024
- by Priyanko Chakraborty
- FandomWire
James Clavell’s historical epic novel Shōgun was first adapted for television back in 1980. It starred Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne, an English sailor who gets caught up in a Japanese civil war in the early 1600s, and Japanese cinema legend Toshirô Mifune as Toranaga, a feudal lord at odds with the rest of his country’s ruling class. This NBC version did not feature subtitles, so the Japanese dialogue was only translated in scenes where bilingual characters were interpreting for Blackthorne. The producers defended this as a creative choice,...
- 2/27/2024
- by Alan Sepinwall
- Rollingstone.com
Even by Peak TV standards, where TV shows routinely look every bit as good as big-budget blockbusters, FX’s Shōgun is flat-out breathtaking. Admirably ambitious and epic in scope, the limited series set in feudal Japan (premiering next Tuesday at 10/9c; I’ve seen the first four episodes) boasts exquisite period detail and grandly staged action sequences that are so stunning, it’s almost worth watching just to lay eyes on them. But the story it tells is less impressive, bogged down by too many plotlines and an unconvincing central romance. Shōgun is still a worthwhile watch, all things considered,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Dave Nemetz
- TVLine.com
While recently scrolling Twitter, an interesting anecdote came to my attention. In the fabled George Lucas outline for a Star Wars sequel trilogy, a treatment which the filmmaker shared with the Walt Disney Company when he sold Lucasfilm for $4 billion, Lucas apparently had a strange vision for Luke Skywalker: He wanted the older version of Skywalker to be like a character in a movie Lucas almost made before Star Wars. He wanted him to be, in essence, Marlon Brando’s Col. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now, right down to the bald head and rambling gibberish.
This detail is not new. In fact, Pablo Hidalgo first confirmed the information in Star Wars: Fascinating Facts (2020). In that book (via Total Film/GamesRadar+), Hidalgo wrote, “Although Luke Skywalker only barely appears in The Force Awakens, the concept artists had a lot to imagine based on the fragments of the story they were hearing as it developed.
This detail is not new. In fact, Pablo Hidalgo first confirmed the information in Star Wars: Fascinating Facts (2020). In that book (via Total Film/GamesRadar+), Hidalgo wrote, “Although Luke Skywalker only barely appears in The Force Awakens, the concept artists had a lot to imagine based on the fragments of the story they were hearing as it developed.
- 1/24/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
There is simply no denying the filmography of this great director is filled with glorious and breathtaking moments. In “Throne of Blood”, when Lord Washizu (played by Toshiro Mifune) sees the ghost of Miki (Akira Kubo) who has been murdered by Washizu's assassins for fear of dethroning him, is one of these moments which still haunts audiences. The occasion, a dinner at Cobweb Caste, Washizu's fortress as the new lord, sets the tone for the event, as it is a festivity meant to re-affirm the former's general's status and the order within his realm. However, his expression when seeing the ghost destroys all illusion that basically anything is in order and highlights the chaos, as Washizu himself has continued to upset a much higher order and now has to pay the price.
The mastery of this scene in particular has to do with its execution, which is in stark contrast...
The mastery of this scene in particular has to do with its execution, which is in stark contrast...
- 1/14/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
When we think of the great director-actor pairings throughout Asian cinema history, at the top is Kurosawa and Mifune. But we can’t forget Kenji Mizoguchi and Kinuyo Tanaka or Wong Kar-wai and Tony Leung. But for many of us, we were straight up introduced to international action movies through the teamings of John Woo and Chow Yun-fat, chiefly The Killer and Hard Boiled. But the pair hasn’t worked together in more than 30 years – unfortunately, that may have been the last time.
Despite their place as one of the best director-actor duos in all of action, we only ever got five movies directed by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-fat, two of the most recognizable figures of Hong Kong cinema. As the 77-year-old Woo recently told HK01 (via Yahoo!), “We are getting older and it would be hard to find the right script…[But] I still want to be like...
Despite their place as one of the best director-actor duos in all of action, we only ever got five movies directed by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-fat, two of the most recognizable figures of Hong Kong cinema. As the 77-year-old Woo recently told HK01 (via Yahoo!), “We are getting older and it would be hard to find the right script…[But] I still want to be like...
- 12/9/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at 9:00 Pm on the CW, “The Swarm” brings viewers its eighth episode, succinctly titled “Episode 8.” The latest installment continues to unravel the show’s mysteries.
In this episode, a character named Mifune arrives via helicopter to inspect the research results aboard the Thorvaldson. This visit holds great significance as it may provide crucial insights into the enigmatic swarm of creatures that has been central to the series.
Meanwhile, the storyline delves into the challenges faced by a character named Charlie. Confronted with a seemingly impossible situation, Charlie is compelled to make a significant decision, one that appears to be made in isolation, described as a “lonely decision.”
As “The Swarm” unfolds, it maintains its gripping narrative and suspenseful elements, keeping the audience eagerly awaiting each new episode. Tune in to see how the characters navigate the complex and mysterious world of the show.
Release Date & Time:...
In this episode, a character named Mifune arrives via helicopter to inspect the research results aboard the Thorvaldson. This visit holds great significance as it may provide crucial insights into the enigmatic swarm of creatures that has been central to the series.
Meanwhile, the storyline delves into the challenges faced by a character named Charlie. Confronted with a seemingly impossible situation, Charlie is compelled to make a significant decision, one that appears to be made in isolation, described as a “lonely decision.”
As “The Swarm” unfolds, it maintains its gripping narrative and suspenseful elements, keeping the audience eagerly awaiting each new episode. Tune in to see how the characters navigate the complex and mysterious world of the show.
Release Date & Time:...
- 10/24/2023
- by Jules Byrd
- TV Everyday
By the time the samurai film genre, along with Japanese cinema itself, announced its presence on the global stage at the dawn of the 1950s with Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, thousands of tales featuring the legendary warriors had already been filmed. Their popularity has experienced peaks and troughs in the 70 years since, but samurai have never come close to disappearing from the screen.
Now a new crop of productions explore themes both novel and traditional and are taking fresh perspectives and interpretations on the genre. Meanwhile, 21st-century technology, retellings of classic stories and protagonists with modern sensibilities promise to find new audiences for the world of topknot-wearing, sword-wielding warriors.
Part of the appeal of the samurai film is the thematic diversity and vast historical era that the genre spans. Rashomon was unusual not just for its seminal narrative structure but also for its setting in the 11th century, the early days of the samurai.
Now a new crop of productions explore themes both novel and traditional and are taking fresh perspectives and interpretations on the genre. Meanwhile, 21st-century technology, retellings of classic stories and protagonists with modern sensibilities promise to find new audiences for the world of topknot-wearing, sword-wielding warriors.
Part of the appeal of the samurai film is the thematic diversity and vast historical era that the genre spans. Rashomon was unusual not just for its seminal narrative structure but also for its setting in the 11th century, the early days of the samurai.
- 5/16/2023
- by Gavin Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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
Spatiality and memory entwined serve as a unique harbinger of emotions. In the film “Wonderwall”, directed by Yuki Maeda, pain and laughter, hellos and adieus have a physical representation, embodied and etched in a messy room, a small kitchen with cheap meals, in a common area where fantasies are broached and decisions are reached. Nothing forms a community, a collective identity and a sense of fighting for something other than oneself like a shared space and a shared story.
Wonderwall is streaming as part of Jff+ Independent Cinema
The shared space in this case is the Konoe dormitory, where students from a university in Kyoto since the 1900s have stayed and lived. Residing in the dormitory has become a tradition in itself, as the young occupants here create their own rules, rules that celebrate their idiosyncrasies, their non-conforming spirit, their own kind of harmonious chaos. The university administration, however, wants to demolish the dorm,...
Wonderwall is streaming as part of Jff+ Independent Cinema
The shared space in this case is the Konoe dormitory, where students from a university in Kyoto since the 1900s have stayed and lived. Residing in the dormitory has become a tradition in itself, as the young occupants here create their own rules, rules that celebrate their idiosyncrasies, their non-conforming spirit, their own kind of harmonious chaos. The university administration, however, wants to demolish the dorm,...
- 1/7/2023
- by Purple Romero
- AsianMoviePulse
The samurai special police force known as the Shinsengumi has been solidified as a significant part of Japanese history. The army of passionate warriors organized by the bakufu did everything in their power to try and protect the Tokugawa shogunate, as political conflict, bloodshed and war spread across Japan. Despite their controversial reputation, they remain popular in pop culture and entertainment. Various media would depict them, from anime to J-dramas to movies. One of the most popular feature films to adapt the true story of these violent warriors is Tadashi Sawashima’s “Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor.”
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Director Tadashi Sawashima is primarily known for directing yakuza features. Still, he was no stranger to period pieces, so he is a fitting filmmaker to tell the story of the controversial bakufu swordsmen. Writing the screenplay is Kenro Matsuura and producing the...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
Director Tadashi Sawashima is primarily known for directing yakuza features. Still, he was no stranger to period pieces, so he is a fitting filmmaker to tell the story of the controversial bakufu swordsmen. Writing the screenplay is Kenro Matsuura and producing the...
- 12/16/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
In Stuart Galbraith IV's invaluable and exhaustive 2001 book "The Emperor and the Wolf: The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune," the famed Japanese director talks briefly about Sergio Leone's classic 1964 Western "A Fistful of Dollars." Kurosawa admired the film saying that it was "a fine movie," and hastened to add, "but it was my movie."
"A Fistful of Dollars" was, of course, a remake of Kurosawa's own 1961 film "Yojimbo." Both films are about stalwart and detached loners who find themselves wandering through a remote frontier villages that have been overtaken by two warring gangs. In both films, the stranger -- Mifune in the original, Clint Eastwood in the remake -- use their wits to pit the two gangs against one another. Notably, Leone's film didn't bother to credit Kurosawa or his "Yojimbo" co-screenwriter Ryuzo Kikushima, nor did he approach Toho about the possibility of licensing the rights.
"A Fistful of Dollars" was, of course, a remake of Kurosawa's own 1961 film "Yojimbo." Both films are about stalwart and detached loners who find themselves wandering through a remote frontier villages that have been overtaken by two warring gangs. In both films, the stranger -- Mifune in the original, Clint Eastwood in the remake -- use their wits to pit the two gangs against one another. Notably, Leone's film didn't bother to credit Kurosawa or his "Yojimbo" co-screenwriter Ryuzo Kikushima, nor did he approach Toho about the possibility of licensing the rights.
- 12/8/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Albert Pyun, the filmmaker behind cult favorite B-movies like "The Sword and the Sorcerer" and "Cyborg," died on Saturday 26 November, 2022, at the age of 69. Albert's wife, Cynthia Curnan, shared the news on social media, writing, "I sat with him for his last breath that sounded like he was releasing the weight of the world."
Per Variety, Pyun had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dementia in recent years, but kept working on projects up until his death. "Its so rote. It's so part of my DNA. It's something I can do fairly effortlessly to keep my mind active," he told the Wall Street Journal in 2018.
While genre movies, and superhero movies in particular, currently dominate the box office and have nine-figure production budgets as standard, Pyun thrived in the arena of low-budget filmmaking. In a retrospective on his career, Pyun said that he worked on the 1993 B-movie "Arcade" for free,...
Per Variety, Pyun had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dementia in recent years, but kept working on projects up until his death. "Its so rote. It's so part of my DNA. It's something I can do fairly effortlessly to keep my mind active," he told the Wall Street Journal in 2018.
While genre movies, and superhero movies in particular, currently dominate the box office and have nine-figure production budgets as standard, Pyun thrived in the arena of low-budget filmmaking. In a retrospective on his career, Pyun said that he worked on the 1993 B-movie "Arcade" for free,...
- 11/27/2022
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Albert Pyun, a genre filmmaker whose sweeping body of work includes cult favorites such as “Cyborg,” “The Sword and the Sorcerer,” “Nemesis” and the 1989 “Captain America,” died Saturday in Las Vegas, Nev. He was 69 years old.
Pyun had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dementia a few years ago. In the past months, his wife and producer, Cynthia Curnan, had been sharing periodic updates on his condition. More recently, she implored fans to share personal messages with the director after his health began to decline.
Curnan confirmed Pyun’s death through Facebook, writing “I sat with him for his last breath that sounded like he was releasing the weight of the world.”
Largely working under low budgets for a direct-to-video market, Pyun developed an immersive form of dreamy lighting, post-apocalyptic dilapidation and surreal, balletic action that found an enthusiastic following among genre film audiences. Over a filmmaking career spanning four decades,...
Pyun had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dementia a few years ago. In the past months, his wife and producer, Cynthia Curnan, had been sharing periodic updates on his condition. More recently, she implored fans to share personal messages with the director after his health began to decline.
Curnan confirmed Pyun’s death through Facebook, writing “I sat with him for his last breath that sounded like he was releasing the weight of the world.”
Largely working under low budgets for a direct-to-video market, Pyun developed an immersive form of dreamy lighting, post-apocalyptic dilapidation and surreal, balletic action that found an enthusiastic following among genre film audiences. Over a filmmaking career spanning four decades,...
- 11/27/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
When an actor does such a good job at playing their role, it's hard to imagine anyone else taking their place — a testament to the casting director's final call. But it doesn't always mean that they were originally the first (or even third) choice for the role. Sometimes, the best option isn't so obvious.
Such was the case when Delphi II Productions began the process of casting Mr. Miyagi for "The Karate Kid." As the movie's star Ralph Macchio shared in his recent memoir, "Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me" (which /Film's Jenna Busch spoke to the actor about), most of the team was doubtful about the late Pat Morita's ability to play Mr. Miyagi since the relatively serious character was a big change from his previous comical roles:
"The focus was on the dramatic side of the character. Finding an actor of range and depth who would be authentic.
Such was the case when Delphi II Productions began the process of casting Mr. Miyagi for "The Karate Kid." As the movie's star Ralph Macchio shared in his recent memoir, "Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me" (which /Film's Jenna Busch spoke to the actor about), most of the team was doubtful about the late Pat Morita's ability to play Mr. Miyagi since the relatively serious character was a big change from his previous comical roles:
"The focus was on the dramatic side of the character. Finding an actor of range and depth who would be authentic.
- 10/27/2022
- by Demetra Nikolakakis
- Slash Film
Masaki Kobayashi was a filmmaker who was never afraid to speak his mind on a matter. He was always open with his mindset, regularly criticizing systematic corruption and violation of human rights throughout the majority of his filmography. He didn’t often direct jidaigeki cinema, but when he did, the director generally delivered a stellar picture. His haunting masterpiece “Harakiri” gives a darker examination of the flawed aspects of the Bushido Code. Kobayashi would bring corruption and humanism to the forefront in his excellent film “Samurai Rebellion.”
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The original Japanese title for the feature translates to “Rebellion: Receive the Wife,” which is fitting, considering what transpires within the story. The movie is based on Yasuhiko Takiguchi’s short story “Hairyozuma shimatsu.” The screenplay is written by acclaimed screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, who had previously collaborated with Masaki Kobayashi on his samurai movie “Harakiri.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The original Japanese title for the feature translates to “Rebellion: Receive the Wife,” which is fitting, considering what transpires within the story. The movie is based on Yasuhiko Takiguchi’s short story “Hairyozuma shimatsu.” The screenplay is written by acclaimed screenwriter Shinobu Hashimoto, who had previously collaborated with Masaki Kobayashi on his samurai movie “Harakiri.
- 10/24/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
"Andor" is a completely different sort of "Star Wars" show on Disney+. Where other shows feel like they are, first and foremost, a "Star Wars" property with the influences of a filmmaker laid on top of it, "Andor" feels a bit like it's the other way around. Tony Gilroy is the first and foremost influence on the show and it feels like "Star Wars" is secondary to that. For those that love the show, it's not a bad thing, it's definitely a different energy to "Star Wars" and there are some different film touchstones that might help aid in your enjoyment of the series. If nothing else, watching these will create enjoyment for you independent of "Andor," as every single one is a masterpiece worth checking out for its own merits.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
A great place to start getting ready for "Andor" is the film that...
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
A great place to start getting ready for "Andor" is the film that...
- 9/20/2022
- by Bryan Young
- Slash Film
A lone stranger wanders through the countryside. He walks into a small town that, at first, looks deserted. When the stranger finally meets a few locals and begins talking to them, he finds that the entire town, though remote, is under the uneasy control of two warring criminal gangs. The stranger, identified as a dangerous handler of weapons, is enlisted by each side of the gang conflict to help eradicate the other. The stranger, cynical and perhaps a bit playful, manipulates both sides into killing each other. After a violent conflagration, the stranger wanders away from the town, happily leaving the madness behind.
This is the story of Akira Kurosawa's 1961 film "Yojimo," written by Kurosawa and Ryūzō Kikushima. "Yojimbo" is easily the most cynical film in Kurosawa's filmography, bitterly taking glee in the copious amount of stupidity-inspired death depicted. Kurosawa, with a scoff, might have been making a dismissive...
This is the story of Akira Kurosawa's 1961 film "Yojimo," written by Kurosawa and Ryūzō Kikushima. "Yojimbo" is easily the most cynical film in Kurosawa's filmography, bitterly taking glee in the copious amount of stupidity-inspired death depicted. Kurosawa, with a scoff, might have been making a dismissive...
- 9/3/2022
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Throne of Blood" (1957)
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: A warrior returning from battle is told by a mysterious supernatural entity he is destined to rule the realm he defends, leading him down a dark path of betrayal and murder from which there is no escape. Instead of Scottish general Macbeth, the doomed warrior is Taketoki Washizu (Toshiro Mifune), a samurai commander who serves Kuniharu Tsuzuki (Takamaru Sasaki), the current lord of Spider's Web Forest Castle in feudal Japan. And instead of a trio of witches, the supernatural entity is a shape-shifting spirit (Chieko Naniwa) who dwells deep in the labyrinth of tangled tree branches, hidden paths, and fog that is Spider's Web Forest.
Despite these and other changes,...
The Movie: "Throne of Blood" (1957)
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: A warrior returning from battle is told by a mysterious supernatural entity he is destined to rule the realm he defends, leading him down a dark path of betrayal and murder from which there is no escape. Instead of Scottish general Macbeth, the doomed warrior is Taketoki Washizu (Toshiro Mifune), a samurai commander who serves Kuniharu Tsuzuki (Takamaru Sasaki), the current lord of Spider's Web Forest Castle in feudal Japan. And instead of a trio of witches, the supernatural entity is a shape-shifting spirit (Chieko Naniwa) who dwells deep in the labyrinth of tangled tree branches, hidden paths, and fog that is Spider's Web Forest.
Despite these and other changes,...
- 9/1/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
The psychological effect war has on the human mind is unimaginable. Following the end of World War II, many anti-war projects would come out of the Japanese entertainment industry from visionaries like Kon Ichikawa, Kaneto Shindo, and Masaki Kobayashi. Jingoistic propaganda was no longer as common and wasn’t being forced upon artists anymore by militarists. Many post-war Japanese war films stand by a humanist nature while reminding audiences how horrific errors should not be repeated. A notable reminder of evolving from past mistakes in history is the superb political thriller “Japan’s Longest Day.”
Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Kazutoshi Hando and Soichi Oya, this haunting recollection of disturbing events would kickstart the “Toho 8.15 series,” a collection of war movies that recreate Japan’s war history. Fittingly, nihilistic filmmaker and anti-war advocate Kihachi Okamoto would be appointed as the movie’s director and frequent...
Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Kazutoshi Hando and Soichi Oya, this haunting recollection of disturbing events would kickstart the “Toho 8.15 series,” a collection of war movies that recreate Japan’s war history. Fittingly, nihilistic filmmaker and anti-war advocate Kihachi Okamoto would be appointed as the movie’s director and frequent...
- 8/3/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Film at Lincoln Center
Gimme Shelter and Happy Together screen Friday and Saturday, respectively, for free at Lincoln Center’s Hearst Plaza.
IFC Center
A series on Los Angeles films is underway—including Chinatown, Die Hard, and The Big Lebowski—while two by Marco Bellocchio are screening.
Roxy Cinema
James Gray’s favorite superhero movie, Batman Returns, plays on Friday, The Assassination of Jesse James on Sunday, and Cruel Intentions through the weekend—all on 35mm.
Film Forum
As the new restoration of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie continues, “Mifune Redux” brings the great collaborations between Mifune and Kurosawa.
Anthology Film Archives
“Let’s Talk About Sex” continues.
Museum of Modern Art
A race and horror retrospective is underway.
Museum of the Moving Image
George A. Romero and his progeny are subject of a series.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: Gimme Shelter,...
Film at Lincoln Center
Gimme Shelter and Happy Together screen Friday and Saturday, respectively, for free at Lincoln Center’s Hearst Plaza.
IFC Center
A series on Los Angeles films is underway—including Chinatown, Die Hard, and The Big Lebowski—while two by Marco Bellocchio are screening.
Roxy Cinema
James Gray’s favorite superhero movie, Batman Returns, plays on Friday, The Assassination of Jesse James on Sunday, and Cruel Intentions through the weekend—all on 35mm.
Film Forum
As the new restoration of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie continues, “Mifune Redux” brings the great collaborations between Mifune and Kurosawa.
Anthology Film Archives
“Let’s Talk About Sex” continues.
Museum of Modern Art
A race and horror retrospective is underway.
Museum of the Moving Image
George A. Romero and his progeny are subject of a series.
The post NYC Weekend Watch: Gimme Shelter,...
- 7/14/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The famous swordsman Musashi Miyamoto has been depicted in entertainment countless times with various interpretations. Some depictions of him are grounded and closer to his known history, while other versions are more romanticized in nature with elements of truth. Eiji Yoshikawa would detail the samurai’s life in his grand novel “Musashi,” which loosely details the life of the skilled warrior but with a fictional spin. Yoshikawa’s version of events would be the template for countless cinematic adaptations. One of the most popular adaptations is “The Samurai Trilogy,” directed by Hiroshi Inagaki, a three-part epic chronicle of the life of Musashi. The trilogy would be off to a terrific start in the first entry, “Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto.”
on Amazon
As typical with the work of Hiroshi Inagaki, high production values would be on full display and this time in luscious Eastmancolor. With Toho being the production company,...
on Amazon
As typical with the work of Hiroshi Inagaki, high production values would be on full display and this time in luscious Eastmancolor. With Toho being the production company,...
- 7/11/2022
- by Sean Barry
- AsianMoviePulse
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Film at Lincoln Center
A 4K restoration of Three Colors: Blue begins its run.
Japan Society
A 35mm print of Mothra screens this Friday.
Roxy Cinema
Wings of Desire, Rosemary’s Baby, The Assassination of Jesse James, and Get Crazy play on 35mm through the weekend.
Film Forum
As 35mm print of Diva and new restoration of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie continue, “Mifune Redux” brings the great collaborations between Mifune and Kurosawa.
Bam
1974’s One Way or Another, the first feature directed by a Cuban woman, has been restored.
Anthology Film Archives
“Let’s Talk About Sex” begins its run while Essential Cinema has Stan Brakhage.
Museum of Modern Art
One of the year’s great retrospectives looks at deep cuts of Shochiku Studios, while a gender and horror retrospective is underway.
Museum of the Moving Image
George A. Romero...
Film at Lincoln Center
A 4K restoration of Three Colors: Blue begins its run.
Japan Society
A 35mm print of Mothra screens this Friday.
Roxy Cinema
Wings of Desire, Rosemary’s Baby, The Assassination of Jesse James, and Get Crazy play on 35mm through the weekend.
Film Forum
As 35mm print of Diva and new restoration of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie continue, “Mifune Redux” brings the great collaborations between Mifune and Kurosawa.
Bam
1974’s One Way or Another, the first feature directed by a Cuban woman, has been restored.
Anthology Film Archives
“Let’s Talk About Sex” begins its run while Essential Cinema has Stan Brakhage.
Museum of Modern Art
One of the year’s great retrospectives looks at deep cuts of Shochiku Studios, while a gender and horror retrospective is underway.
Museum of the Moving Image
George A. Romero...
- 7/7/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
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
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.