In Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa used the samurai genre to examine the limits of human knowledge and objectivity. In Seven Samurai, he told an epic story of small-scale war and a feudal system in crisis. In Throne of Blood, he adapted Macbeth to meditate on fate. In The Hidden Fortress, he pretty much just had fun. … Continue reading Kurosawa has fun: My Blu-ray review of Hidden Fortress
Category: Action Movies
On the Moral Dilemma of Gladiator Movies
"Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?" I finally saw The Hunger Games a couple of nights ago. Pretty good for a modern Hollywood blockbuster. It's a gladiator movie, of course. Sure it's all dressed up in science fiction hardware and leftwing economic attitudes. The story involves a television spectacle where 24 mostly unwilling teenagers … Continue reading On the Moral Dilemma of Gladiator Movies
Harrison Ford at the San Francisco International Film Festival
I caught the Harrison Ford event Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, I got a lousy seat. Near the back and over to the side. That's what I get for wasting time. After an introduction by Ted Hope, and clip reels honoring the recently-deceased donor George Gund III and, of course, Harrison Ford, David Darcy came onstage to … Continue reading Harrison Ford at the San Francisco International Film Festival
New Movies I’ve Seen Recently…and How I Saw Them
I've managed to see six first-run movies in theaters over the last couple of months. I liked all of them to varying degrees. Here's what I thought about the movies, and about the conditions in which I saw them. Technical note: All of these films were screened digitally, two of them on screens that had … Continue reading New Movies I’ve Seen Recently…and How I Saw Them
The Dark Knight Rises…and Falls
In Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan rebooted and revitalized a tired franchise, turning Bruce Wayne and his alter ego into an interesting character. In The Dark Knight, he turned the wealthy superhero into a mythic figure and created one of the screen's great villains. In the third and final chapter of his trilogy, the filmmaker succeeds … Continue reading The Dark Knight Rises…and Falls
SF Silent Film Festival Report 1: Wings
I always felt that realistic sound effects weren't appropriate for silent films. I was wrong. Or perhaps this was just an exception. Realistic sound effects are fantastic if they're performed live by an ensemble directed by sound effects wizard Ben Burtt. Using bicycles, drums, a typewriter (I think) and devices that I couldn't possibly name … Continue reading SF Silent Film Festival Report 1: Wings
Violence as Light Entertainment–The Moral Question
I love a good turn-off-the-brain action movie--one where the hero gets to dispatch multiple bad guys without remorse but with plenty of clever quips. But the older I get, the more I begin to wonder if there's something inherently wrong with these pictures. Do they teach us that we can solve our problems by killing … Continue reading Violence as Light Entertainment–The Moral Question
James Bond 50th Anniversary at the Castro
The San Francisco International Film Festival opens Thursday night at the Castro. But then it deserts San Francisco's major revival palace for three days. During that time (Friday through Sunday if you haven't bothered to figure it out), the Castro will screen eight of the first 12 James Bond movies. Next month marks Hollywood's longest … Continue reading James Bond 50th Anniversary at the Castro
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