The theater that Tarantino now owns is called "The New Beverly Cinema" (he kept the old name). It has long been a revival theater and almost always shows two different movies each day (a 'double feature' as we older folks call it). I saw the "Das Boot" Director's Cut version there last year and enjoyed the film very much, but I would have loved to have seen the uncut version on full theater screen much more.

I have also had a long time interest in Japanese films and Los Angeles once was probably the nation's best place to see Japanese films on a full size screen. There used to be three theaters affiliated with major Nippon studios here: Toho La Brea (Toho Studio), Shochiku Kokusai (Shochiku Studio), and the Linda Lea (Toei Studio). The Toho and the Shochiku presented mainly classic Japanese films by major directors, although the Toho would occasionally show movies considered to be less artful, 'Zatoichi', etc. The Linda Lea showed triple-features of purely popular films broken down as one 'chambara' (kind of like samurai meet western meets kabuki), one yakuza, and one more film, usually either a 'pink' (a softcore, R-rated type sex farce) film or an over-the-top violent action-thriller that was kind of like a live action manga comic book. These theaters are all gone now, victims of the home video boom in the eighties, but while they were around, I was able to see many, many of the great classic films as they were intended to be seen, on a full theater screen. My most vivid memory was seeing "Kwaidan" at the Kokusai. The theater manager came out before the showing to announce that due to a delivery error, the final sequence would not be shown. This was the famous 'Earless Hoichi' sequence featuring an amazing battle scene shot to mimic the artwork of Japanese block prints. Refunds were offered to those who did not want to see an incomplete film, but only a few people took up the offer. The film is made up of four separate ghost stories and when the third one was nearing its end, quite a few people started to leave the theater. I am one of those people who stays for the end of the credits. Instead of abruptly ending, the missing segment suddenly appeared on the screen. There was a wild rush of people from the back of the theater to reatke their seats and I could even hear some voice yelling to those who had already made it out the front door. The manager later told me the missing segment had made it to the theater just before the end of the third segment and he did not have the time to make an announcement. I felt sorry for those who took the refunds or who left early and were out of the theater out of earshot.

Hangover II Trailer is out:

Looks like exactly same plot, but still looks funny. I'll wait till dollar theater though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohF5ZO_zOYU

Not at all. If you have seen the opening credits you would know 'crazed' is not the truth, nor is the 'chip'. It is about a man who cannot live in a city(metaphore for world) which allows obvious misuses of the freedom imparted on it.

Saw the 3rd movie in Yamada's samurai trilogy the other day (Twilight Samurai, Hidden Blade, Love and Honor).

Liked it quite a bit. Definite improvement over Hidden Blade, which was, IMHO, just recycled story of Twilight Samurai but with not nearly as good cast.

I'm drunk as a baboon, so I can't be arsed to give a too long of a review, but it was good. One thing that might hit the viewer AT FIRST is the age of the main actor, he seems young, but trust me, after the incident (it happens early in the movie, so this not much of a spoiler) where he goes blind, it's interesting to see how he visually starts looking older. There's no make up (atleast not much), but you can see it all from his eyes, how he is depressed by the situation etc.

That's all I can be arsed to write, it's not as good as TS and most websites rank it below Hidden Blade, but it's the 2nd best film in the trilogy if you ask me.

PS. Oh and there's some very nice visual stuff to see, to make the viewer feel sorry for the main actor after he goes blind. You have butterflies flying around etc. that you think are pretty peaceful and beautiful scenery, but he can't see it. Very nice touch IMHO. :up:

Today, I'm gonna finally see Kagemusha and if I'm still in condition, Harakiri. :yep:

OT: Nice avatar, Gargamel. :yeah:

ty...

:o
I didn't know you were that close to me!

The things you learn by browseing topics.
:haha:

I thought you were way up in the north of the state?

But I guess in terms of the international membership here, being in the same state does qualify as "close." :D

He seems to say that every time he finds a fellow Ohioan.

I guess I should define 'my' idea of close.
:D
You are close because I could get there in a few hours.
:yep:

Neal is a bit farther then close, but close enuff I can get there in a long day.
(Been there, done that)
:haha:

Jimbuna is nowhere near close! In fact he's pretty far off!
(Not just in the mind, mind you!)
I can't drive there.
:nope:

So,
Your within a single stones throw.
Neal is beyond a single stones throw.
Jimbuna don't have to worry about stones thrown at him.
:har:

Depends on how good Steed's fastball is. :O:

Both great films and both starring the great actor Tatsuya Nakadai. There is scene in "Kagemusha" where Nakadai transforms himself to impersonate another character that is truly amazing. I have always liked actors who can act with merely the expressions on there faces or small gestures rather than large, overt actions. Nakadai, by the way, is also the actor who has the great final duel scene with Toshiro Mifune in Kurosawa's film "Sanjuro", another must see samurai film.

Agree to all, altho in truth I prefer the predecessor "Yojimbo" to "Sanjuro"... however they are both fantastic. "Yojimbo" may well be my very favorite Kurosawa film, and that's saying a lot. I am still PO'd that Steven Spielberg didn't do the obvious "homage" shot to it when he was making "1941"... a movie about which the only really good thing I can say is that Mifune was in it. :O:

Nakadai is also great in "Ran" and IIRC starred in the (non-Kurosawa) trilogy "The Human Condition" (about a Japanese soldier in WWII)... which is supposed to be outstanding tho I've never seen it. Buried somewhere in my Netflix queue, no doubt.

Spielberg has redeemed himself somewhat in that he supported Kurosawa in his final years of filmmaking. He was instrumental in getting financial support for Kurosawa's film "Dreams" and was among the several other directors like Lucas, Coppola and Scorsese to offer aid and support for his final films. I have often thought a form of royalty should have been paid by those directors, screenwriters, and producers who benfitted from remakes and/or adaptaions of Kurosawa's works. Certainly, with out Kurosawa's "Hidden Fortress", George Lucas never would have made his 'minor' franchise of "Star Wars"...

I did not know that about Spielberg, Vienna. That's a very pleasant surprise.

Thanks.

As hard as it may be to believe, in his later years Kurosawa simply could not get the funding he needed to keep working (at the level he demanded of himself) from within Japan or the Japanese studio system.

It took deals with investors and companies in Europe and the US plus a lot of support from folks like those mentioned above, in order for him to get those last few films made.

One of my favorite things is to spot a Kurosawa reference or inspiration in somebody else's work. Which is why the absence of the no-brainer in "1941" annoyed me, because I was just waiting for it. There's a scene where the German officer aboard the Japanese sub pulls a gun on Mifune's character (who is commanding the sub) and I thought, oh, Mifune's gonna take out a knife or something and throw it into the German's gun hand. BUT NO. :stare:

It would have made sitting through that thing almost worthwhile.

But first, I'd enjoy nice rare steak.

http://henryfoolspicks.files.wordpre...ingbulls-2.jpg

Kurosawa's inabilty to get funding in his later years ultimately led to a suicide attempt and that act caught the attention of the rest of the world outside Japan. The outpouring of concern was immense and resulted in the many offers of assistance from other filmakers and industry people.

His inability to get funding was partly due to his filming style. He took way more time to film than was estimated and he spent way more than budgeted. For example, for his film "Throne of Blood", he had an entire medieval samural castle built. The studio balked at the expense but gave in with the expectation the castle could be used in other productions. Imagine the studio's shock when Kurosawa destroyed the castle filming the final battle scenes. It may be OK for John Wayne to build a duplicate Alamo in the desert and destroy it (U.S. studios weren't as concerned about the expense), but when Kurosawa did essentially the same thing, he was labelled as a wasteful spendthrift.

I'm planning to watch 'Hobo with a Shotgun' shortly!
I mean with a title like that it's going to be dam cool :D
And it has Rutger Hauer in it, as the Hobo.

great rating on imdb:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640459/


Storyline:
A vigilante homeless man pulls into a new city and finds himself trapped in urban chaos, a city where crime rules and where the city's crime boss reigns. Seeing an urban landscape filled with armed robbers, corrupt cops, abused prostitutes and even a pedophile Santa, the Hobo goes about bringing justice to the city the best way he knows how - with a 20-gauge shotgun. Mayhem ensues when he tries to make things better for the future generation.
Street justice will indeed prevail.

Saw When the Last Sword is Drawn the other day, most excellent movie and I'd recommend anyone who haven't seen it yet, to try and find a copy and check it out. :up:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359692/