This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
Film #13 of my Kurosawathon.
Next up on the Kurosawathon is Ikiru, an absolute monolith of cinematic creation, and a film that currently sits in my #2 spot of all time (although the top 4 are interchangeable). I knew that this was going to be big so I prepared myself well. I sat myself down with mini Akira, slid one of my two Ikiru DVDs into the player, turned off my light and lit a vanilla scented candle. The faint…
It was just over 24 hours ago that I finished my first ever viewing of Funeral Parade of Roses, yet here I am again, having already watched it for a second time. This isn't something I usually do, and it's actually something I don't think I've ever done before. However, Funeral Parade of Roses struck something in me that just made me have to watch it again. I went to bed last night and it was all I could think…
Film #21 of my Kurosawathon.
Up next on the Kurosawathon is the second and final sequel of Kurosawa's career: Sanjuro. There are two main differences between Sanjuro and his previous sequel, Sanshiro Sugata Part Two. Firstly, there is the obvious difference in quality. Secondly, while popularity led to the creation of Sanshiro Sugata Part Two, it only led to a reimagining of the story for Sanjuro to include the iconic protagonist from Yojimbo. Yet, the two films are similar in…
Film #20 of my Kurosawathon.
Up next on the Kurosawathon is Yojimbo, Kurosawa's attempt at converting the ideas of The Bad Sleep Well into a more commercially successful film. This he did achieve; however, it comes at the expense of the strength of its societal commentary. Therefore, I would recommend watching The Bad Sleep Well beforehand in order to understand the story through a political lens. Yojimbo is set in the 1860s, during the Bakumatsu period at the end of…
That's it. It's finally completed.
Just over a year ago (July 2022), I set out on a mission to complete every film on the IMDB top 250, and Incendies marks my final watch to hit that 100%. There's been plenty of amazing watches, albeit with some not so good films sprinkled in too. However, the wide variety of films has been a great experience to enter me into the world of cinema, and I think it's safe to say that…
Film #15 of my Kurosawathon.
I Live in Fear (or rather Record of a Living Being) is a surprising follow-up to the immense success of the equally immense jidai-geki epic Seven Samurai, yet there is something about it that just feels right. It's the sort of film which couldn't have been made by any other country. Sure, there are plenty of films from other countries that delve into the looming threat of nuclear annihilation (L'Eclisse comes to mind as a…
