New releases Feb 23, 2008
It's the "Rashomon" gambit in the service of an action flick: The results are both clever and stupid. With Dennis Quaid (as a true-blue Secret Service agent), Matthew Fox, and Forest Whitaker. (Boston Globe)
Vantage Point Feb 23, 2008
Pete Travis' Rashomon retread reads more like a less funny Groundhog Day. by. (IGN)
Review: 'Vantage Point' doesn't add up Feb 23, 2008
Like "Rashomon." In the case of "Vantage Point," the basic facts are never in dispute, but even then there's a willingness on the part of the viewer, at least for a while, to let director Pete Travis and writer Barry Levy have their fun. The expectation is that surely the movie's plot is a fantastic and intricate construction best revealed in this strange and splintered way. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Would-be thriller has some major disadvantages Feb 22, 2008
The gimmick in question is the old "Rashomon" trick - repeating the action through the perspectives of different characters - updated to an age of post-9/11 dread ... The rewind/retell gambit quickly grows tiresome - we're groaning by the fourth narrative reboot - and, anyway, the device isn't used to question the nature of truth (as it was in "Rashomon") but to slowly reveal a nefarious terrorist conspiracy to. (Boston Globe)
'Vantage': An Obtuse Conspiracy Angle Feb 22, 2008
There are many places one could lay blame for "Vantage Point." One would be the late Akira Kurosawa, whose original movie version of "Rashomon" made it chic for filmmakers to create multiple-perspective movies and, since they aren't Kurosawa, drive us crazy ... But here, it's dissipated via theatrical imbalance: Having embraced screenwriter Levy's "Rashomon"-like conceit, Travis is faced with having to construct chapters of equal length, but which don't necessarily contain equal doses of drama. (Washington Post)
Tepid 'Vantage Point' gets lost in its many angles Feb 22, 2008
By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY Vantage Point is no post-9/11 Rashomon. While the title, trailer and commercials imply that we'll be carefully piecing together clues to a complex assassination attempt as seen from several perspectives, the final product turns out to be a tepid thriller that promises more than it delivers. (USA Today -- Life)
Play, pause, rewind, stop the momentum Feb 22, 2008
In the last act, Vantage Point suddenly trades its Rashomon pretensions for Rush Hour kicks it's a car-chase movie, after all. But here's the curious thing. (Globe and Mail)
Labyrinthine Vantage Point goes nowhere Feb 21, 2008
By the time this B-movie Rashomon has played out from the point of view of Rex, of Barnes, of Howard, and of the president himself, the audience is more than ready to move on to the next bit of business. (At the L.A. press screening, one anonymous voice moaned Oh GOD at the fifth rewinding. (MSNBC -- Movies)
Best of the best of Oscar Feb 16, 2008
Mr. Smithee picks Oscar's best of the 'best' Who will he choose. By The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 02/17/2008. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Writers: We won a partnership Feb 13, 2008
But the truth is similar to the legendary Akira Kurosawa film, Rashomon, a title that is often mentioned whenever a situation offers more than one interpretation. advertisement. (MSNBC -- Business)
The hottest 'fat' man on film Dec 31, 2007
Stellar script by Kelly Masterson and sharp Rashomon style editing shows us the angles from multiple perspectives. Sidney Lumet (the oldest working director in Hollywood. (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Citizen Kane tops critics' poll Dec 12, 2007
Rashomon (Kurosawa) 1950 La Regle du jeu Seven Samurai (Kurosawa) 1954. The twin polls are held every 10 years, with contributions from leading figures in the film world such as Quentin Tarantino, Michael Mann, Bernardo Bertolucci, Tim Robbins, Sam Mendes and Cameron Crowe. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Mo'olelo goes green – and gets funny Nov 26, 2007
She gave a praised, bravura performance as the samurai's enigmatic wife in Rashomon at North Coast Rep and is working on a new play commission from Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis. The theme: Islam in America. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Criterion Collection adds bonus features Oct 30, 2007
" The "collection" now numbers more than 400 titles and includes some of the most notable pics ever made: "The Seventh Seal," "Rashomon," "Breathless" and "8," to name a few. It also offers a selection of cult titles like "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" and the upcoming "Two-Lane Blacktop" as well as what the company calls "important contemporary films," which include Gus Van Sant's "Mala Noche" and John Huston's "Under the Volcano. " Though Criterion charges for its efforts (a suggested retail price... (Variety)
Ovation TV launches 'Destination' Oct 13, 2007
Starting with Federico Fellini's "La Strada" on Saturday, the movie lineup includes Francois Truffaut's "Jules Louis Malle's "My Dinner with Andre," Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon," Marcel Camus' "Black Orpheus," Ingmar Bergman's "Smiles of a Summer Night" and Peter Weir's "Picnic at Hanging Rock. " Date in print: Fri., Oct. 12, 2007, TALKBACK: | Have an opinion about this article? Be the first to Variety ProfilesLearn more about the movers and shakers behind this season's biggest movies. , , ,... (Variety)
South Africa Sep 19, 2007
As I listened to the story of Brett's fate from different people in the Baxter company, it felt like Kurosawa's film Rashomon, in which the same crime is related from different viewpoints. Was the murder racist. (Guardian Unlimited)
Miyoshi Umeki Sep 17, 2007
Umeki and a few other Japanese actors had begun to profit from America's rapprochement with its erstwhile enemy, and such Japanese films as Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) were beginning to be more widely shown, although there was still a long way to go to overcome stereotyping. Flower Drum Song, directed by Gene Kelly and featuring a mostly Asian cast, had the Japanese Umeki playing an illegal Chinese immigrant just arrived in San Francisco for an arranged marriage - Broadway and Hollywood... (Guardian Unlimited -- Film)
Usdan's summer camp sonata Jul 31, 2007
And talk about embracing your inner intellectual: In the relatively new Video as a Film Art program, instructor Hilan Warshaw, a PBS documentary film editor, began the summer by screening Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" for his students, then having them produce their own student films sampling from the director's cut-away techniques. "I'm trying to emphasize how great films are constructed and how they create meaning in nonverbal ways," Warshaw said during a chat in a hallway of the camp's Block... (Newsday -- Entertainment)
'Bucharest' airs a bleakly funny take on revolution Jul 27, 2007
A dingy, mordantly comic "Rashomon" for the post-Soviet era, "12:08 East of Bucharest" is another sign that Romanian cinema is on the move. Writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu's tale of small-town truth and reconciliation -- or nervous avoidance of same -- is told with the slowpoke realism of last year's "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," but like that film it finds political echoes in the smallest of everyday occurrences. (Boston Globe)
Limato leaves ICM Jul 14, 2007
There is a Rashomon to what happened next. Limato supporters say he was disrespected and marginalized from the moment Silbermann came on board. (Variety)
Cast is a winning combination Jul 7, 2007
The word 'Rashomon' has come to mean different perspectives of the same event. In fact, The Rashomon Effect is a term derived from the legendary 1950 film by Akira Kurosawa ... Fay and Michael Kanin's play Rashomon, also adapted from the stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa and inspired by the Japanese film, opened on Broadway with Claire Bloom and Rod Steiger in 1959 and focuses on this concept as well. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
What's on your top 10 movies list? Jun 30, 2007
I see several films here that I would have put on my list (if I had 100 to pick) - Bill Forsyth's great Local Hero, Rashomon, Shawshank Redemption, Being There, Road Warrior, Saving Pvt Ryan ... Dead Man (Jarmusch/Depp) Blade Runner Rashomon The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou The Decalogue (is this cheating ... -) And then there's top 10 lists of the most influential films, in which I'd definitely include films like Rashomon, The Bicycle Thief, Citizen Kane, Bonnie , Star Wars, etc. (NPR)
FedEx Kinko's Union No Match Made in Heaven May 23, 2007
Indeed, the tale of Kinko's metamorphosis from a free-wheeling group of copy centers to a buttoned-down subsidiary of FedEx plays like a corporate version of the classic Japanese movie "Rashomon.". To a customer wandering through FedEx Kinko's stores, it feels pretty much like business as usual. (The Ledger)
How Shrek Changed Fairy Tales May 12, 2007
reimagined Little Red Riding Hood as a crime Rashomon, while this year's Happily N'Ever After sent up Cinderella. Broadway smash Wicked posits that the Wicked Witch of the West was misunderstood. (Time.com)
The immaculate punk May 10, 2007
On the other end is the notoriously difficult Ray Davies of the Kinks; Temple is also planning a film about his volatile relationship with his brother Dave - "with a kind of Rashomon element to it, where you have two different versions of the same events seen through Ray's eyes and Dave's eyes". He's clearly - and rightly - pleased with the end result of his labours over Strummer, though one nagging doubt remains. (Guardian Unlimited)
Bad Education May 9, 2007
There's a vague sense of Rashomon in the fragmented recollections of past incidents by different characters but the film, an uncomfortable blend of noir and melodrama with a cross-dressing bloke as the femme fatale, doesn't resonate agreeably. Moon River worked magically in Breakfast at Tiffany's; here it assumes sinister overtones as the perverted priest serenades his prey while the teenaged lads frolic in a lake. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
AFI presents Mizoguchi (Gary Arnold) Mar 15, 2007
When new, they won consecutive grand prizes at the Venice Film Festival, which became an annual showcase for Japanese classics after Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" won in 1951. The festival titles are four good reasons why the 1950s became the greatest international decade in movie history. (Washington Times, DC)
Ornithologists debate ivory-billed woodpecker Mar 15, 2007
Robert Cooper: Ivory-billed Woodpecker - Google Video. Today's most popular. (USA Today -- Tech)
FILM REVIEW: 'Samurai' re-issue enhances timeless masterpiece Mar 9, 2007
Its epic sweep and passionate sense of purpose make it Kurosawa's most ambitious film -- no small feat from the director of "Ran" and "Rashomon." The filmmaker may have made several other films as accomplished as "Seven Samurai," but the 1954 masterpiece has that rare cinematic magic, in which everything about the film works -- it is, of course, both timely and timeless. While realistically it would seem that no release could do "Seven Samurai" justice, Criterion's re-release outdoes its... (U-Wire.com)
Puttting the 'win' in Winthrop, Eagles chase tourney Feb 27, 2007
She directed him in lead roles in Rashomonand Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and says she coordinated with Martin's coaches so practice and rehearsals would not conflict ... For Rashomon, Martin says, he spent hours each day taking out his box braids to put his hair up in a bun. (USA Today -- Sports)
Letters From Iwo Jima Feb 24, 2007
Akira Kurosawa often questioned such beliefs in his films and Letters has more than a few stylistic nods towards the man who made Rashomon and The Hidden Fortress (and one or two to Yasujiro Ozu, the great Japanese minimalist director). One of the non-believers is Private Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya), a baker and late conscript who can't shoot straight. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Davis: Democrats After November Feb 16, 2007
In the week after the Democratic victory, partisan spinmeisters offered opinions as contradictory as those of the protagonists in Rashomon, Kurosawas famously relativistic account of rape and murder. On the liberal side, Bob Herbert rejoiced in his column that the fear-induced anomaly of the George W. Bush era had all but breathed its last, while Paul Waldman () announced a big step in the nations march to the left, and George Lakoff () celebrated a victory for... (Zmag.org)
Santa Monica samurai Feb 15, 2007
Look at it as Hollywood's backhanded way of saying thanks for all those Japanese films that it has ripped off over the years, from Rashomon and The Seven Samurai to The Ring and Godzilla. Fittingly, one of Eastwood's hits early in his career was A Fistful of Dollars, which was pretty much a recreation of Kurosawa's 1961 epic, Yojimbo. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Akira Kurosawa Feb 8, 2007
Accompanying him is Teruyo Nogami, who has been his chief production assistant for the past thirty years from the time he made Rashomon, in 1950 ... Grilli says that the way Sidney Lumet shot the scene of Danny Ciello walking past the long iron-grillwork fence, showing the passing iron-grillwork poles, reminded him of the way Kurosawa shot the trees rushing by in 00004000 Rashomon. (New Yorker)
Warhol's world revisited Jan 28, 2007
"You could see that in the films. I tried to emulate that. But there's a Rashomon quality to what happened in her life, thanks to what was going on back then. I was with a group of people from that era, including Edie's brother, Jonathan, who has become a close friend, and you'd have a conversation that began 'Remember that night ... ' and everyone's version would completely contradict the other's.". Still, Miller said she was smitten. (Newsday -- New York City)
Musical offers subjective, dark views of truth Jan 18, 2007
The great Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa drew on Akutagawa's short story "In the Grove" for his 1950 film "Rashomon." Both the story and film feature characters who offer different versions of the same incident the rape of a woman and the murder of her husband ... We watch him catch the eye of a sexy, aspiring nightclub singer and her husband as they leave a screening of Mr. Kurosawa's "Rashomon" when it first opens in New York City in 1951 ... This is not as surprising as it once was... (The Standard-Times, MA)
Theater Minis Jan 18, 2007
Playwright Neil LaBute's latest foray into our knee-jerk reactions is a race-themed "Rashomon" with twists and kinks reminiscent of that master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The issue is ingrained racism, and Mr. LaBute suggests that Generation X-ers and beyond may not be as colorblind as they profess. (Washington Times, DC)
More of this story Jan 11, 2007
The two major stories that follow are R. Shomon, a gloss on the film Rashomon, by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, that also follows the theme of the slippery nature of truth that occurs in the mind of the beholders, and Gloryday, about a modern-day priest. These two stories take place in New York, chiefly in Central Park, but are staged on a beautifully conceived, abstract, platform-and-step unit, framed by the shadow of a huge Japanese gate, designed by Brynna C. Bloomfield. (Brockton Enterprise, MA)
Scary truths resonate in dark musical Jan 10, 2007
For the two loosely connected parts of this musical, now making its Boston debut in a sharp and sensitive production at the Lyric Stage Company, LaChiusa plucked some ideas from the same short stories that inspired Akira Kurosawa's masterwork, "Rashomon." Like that film, and like Ryunosuke Akutagawa's original stories, "See What I Wanna See" presents the same events from multiple perspectives in order to explore the nature of truth and of storytelling itself ... The first act, titled "R Shomon,"... (Boston Globe -- Living)
'Rashomon' as a musical? He sees it. Jan 7, 2007
Rashomon' as a musical ... Rashomon' as a musical ... The Japanese short story writer is best known in the West for his "In the Grove, " which inspired Akira Kurosawa's film "Rashomon.". (Boston Globe -- Living)
An Art-House Dream Jan 7, 2007
In addition to distributing new films, they started acquiring and distributing classics, such as Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" and Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon." Janus became the means by which film lovers, such as the young Scorsese, first encountered the work of Renoir, Sergei Eisenstein, G.W. Pabst and others. The company is still making these precious introductions, through its emphasis on home video -- particularly in its association with Criterion. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Animated fairy-tale spoof bites the poison apple Jan 7, 2007
Where "Shrek" found heroes in a misunderstood ogre of fairy-tale lore and the cheap knock-off "Hoodwinked" did a "Rashomon" on "Little Red Riding Hood," the diminishing returns of "Happily N'ever After" puts "Cinderella" through the blender via a doofus "Sorcerer's Apprentice" mishap. Andy Dick and Wallace Shawn voice the two stooges who inadvertently let the wicked stepmother (a frustrated femme fatale voiced by Sigourney Weaver) rewrite the stories to suit her unimaginatively ornery... (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
King of the contenders Jan 6, 2007
" Whitaker has finished working on four feature films set for release later this year. Vantage Point, directed by Pete Travis, who made Omagh, is in the style of Rashomon as it observes a presidential assassination from different perspectives. The Air I Breathe is based on Chinese proverbs and is "going to be a special one", he says. "I play Happiness, Kevin Bacon plays Love, Brendan Fraser plays Pleasure and Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Sorrow. " In Ripple Effect, which co-stars Virginia Madsen... (Irish Times)
These flicks are deep Dec 9, 2006
These Japanese films: Rashomon (1951), Ran (1985), High and Low (1963), The Twilight Samurai (2002) and Woman of the Dunes (1964). These Spanish-language films: The Sea Inside (2004), Talk to Her (2001), Amores Perros (2000) and Open Your Eyes (1997). (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
from "Bandstand" to Broadway Dec 3, 2006
Brickman recalls, "As soon as they agreed not to do 'Mamma Mia,' which is, to say, to retrofit a bunch of songs to a fictional story, and they started to open up about their lives, my eyes lit up. I realized this was -- not to make an unjustified analogy -- sort of Shakespearean: greed, double-crossing, love, hate, a fall from grace. I thought this could work. And, as we talked to other people, especially Tommy DeVito, he'd say, 'They're crazy, it never happened that way.' We thought, 'Ah,... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Cinema: A Criterion Top 10 Nov 11, 2006
In 1959, when Ozu's reserved style was fully formed, he remade the story as two-hour color film photographed by the great Kazuo Miyagawa, the cinematographer of Kurosawa's Rashomon and Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu. The audio commentary on the later film is by Roger Ebert. (Time.com)
Feuding Doors reunite to promote CDs Nov 8, 2006
The newly released book, The Doors by the Doors, features a Rashomon view of the band, both from its members, and from outsiders. Morrisons father, retired U.S. Navy Adm. (MSNBC -- Music)
Secret to life of us? Keeping their professional distance Oct 22, 2006
Asking for the story of their early relationship is like watching the Akira Kurosawa film Rashomon, in which a crime is remembered from different perspectives. The facts are thus: Stratton working alone on SBS's Movie of the Week and Cinema Classics. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Jim Bawden's Hot Box (Oct. 19) Oct 19, 2006
05:34 AMBig Show: The one to catch tonight is a special ER in Rashomon style, where each character remembers the same story from a different perspective. Guest is Forest Whitaker (NBC, CTV at 10). (Toronto Star -- Arts)
Will 'Rang De Basanti' make the Oscars cut? Sep 26, 2006
So, Federico Fellini won four times (La Strada, Nights of Cabiria, 8 1/2, Amarcord), Ingmar Bergman thrice (The Virgin Spring, Through a Glass Darkly, Fanny & Alexander), Akira Kurosawa twice (Rashomon, Dersu Uzala), and awards also went to other greats like Luis Bunuel (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) and Francois Truffaut (Day for Night). India s best bet was Satyajit Ray, but he never seems to have been considered, except for the Honorary Oscar right at the end of his life. (India Times)
Supreme Beings Sep 10, 2006
Ray Liotta is a district attorney whose assistant DA (Jolene Blalock of ``Star Trek: Enterprise," minus the funny ears) kills a man; her account of the deed is contradicted by LL Cool J, Mekhi Phifer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, each of whom has his own take. That's right, it's a multicultural, inner-city, mystery-thriller remake of Akira Kurosawa's ``Rashomon." Apparently on purpose, no less. Tenacious D in the Pickof Destiny"Jack Black drops the Hollywood star stuff to go back to his comic roots:... (Boston Globe -- Living)
Detective Comics Sep 6, 2006
Beyond the Googie-style beaneries and Fiesta-ware fashions, behind the fat, florid dialogue camouflaging the unconvincing Rashomon riffs on Reeves's demise, the movie is steeped in Hollywood lore. Louis, too, has a showbiz past. (City Pages)
'Hollywoodland' pulls the cape off TV's `Superman' Sep 5, 2006
Coulter, inspired by the Japanese classic Rashomon, provides multiple versions of the night Reeves died by a gunshot wound to the head. Was he so despondent over being a has-been at age 45 that he took his own life, or did the MGM exec have him whacked. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Top Billing for William Holden Sep 3, 2006
This range of examples might be surpassed by imports, from "Rashomon" and "La Strada" to "Pather Panchali" and "The Seventh Seal." Given the reverence now accorded film noir, the 1950s could keep doctoral candidates purring forever. Lest we forget, it was the last decade in which black-and-white cinematography predominated, enhancing the atmospheric magnetism of noir. (Washington Times, DC)
Trouble in the 'hood| Aug 25, 2006
Through a series of intertwining flashbacks told from the perspective of Red, Granny, The Wolf and The Woodsman (a structure inspired by Rashomon if you want to impress your friends), the bandits identity is gradually revealed. But its not really important this ballsy film is less about the story (or even the shiny, highly stylised animation) than the sharp humour and spunky characters. (iAfrica.com)
Hungry like the wolf Aug 4, 2006
The result is a crime story with a fractured narrative that resembles Rashomon. Edwards admits the Kurosawa classic was an inspiration. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
The Best Writers at the New York Times: Jul 28, 2006
Hence, they tout Jules and Jim with this: "Three in love. Truffaut's classic. Charming and circuitous." Of Rashomon they write, "Kurosawa thunderbolt that put Japan on the world movie map.". I don't mean to imply that every or even most capsules soar off the page. (Slate)
The Innovation Game Jul 14, 2006
Also, by a movie called Rashomon, in which different witnesses to a brutal crime tell a different story. The game allows players to view the same event from different viewpoints with compelling effect. (BusinessWeek)
Variety chief sees film clouds (Christian Toto) Jun 23, 2006
"I was there, and I don't agree with any of it," says Mr. Bart, who writes "The Godfather" chapter with a "Rashomon" style device giving everyone his or her voice. What he recalls about the process was how close Francis Ford Coppola came to being cast aside midfilm. (Washington Times, DC)
Rumpled Fiennes Shines in `Faith Healer' Revival: John Simon on Theater May 6, 2006
At the time I referred to it as `Rash O'Mon,'' an Irish version of Kurosawa's masterpiece ``Rashomon ... In ``Rashomon,'' the three-version plot is almost all that matters. (Bloomberg -- Euro Index)
One story, thrice May 5, 2006
Unlike many admirers of Irish playwright Friel, we are more drawn to the tough edges of his early work than to such celebrated Chekhovian embraces as "Dancing at Lughnasa." "Faith Healer," which has not been seen on Broadway since Jose Quintero directed James Mason in it 27 years ago, turns out to be more like Beckett than a Gaelic spin on "Rashomon" and "The Rainmaker.". Kent, Fiennes' theater director of choice, allows us to see faces change brutally, as if in unforgiving close-up. (Newsday -- Entertainment)
Hurt Gets to the Point Apr 28, 2006
THR says Vantage Point "chronicles an attempted presidential assassination told from five points of view." Think Rashomon meets The Sentinel. Hurt, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor this year for A History of Violence, is also starring in the forthcoming thriller. (IGN FilmForce)
North Coast Rep hits 25th season Mar 27, 2006
12: Rashomon by Fay and Michael Kanin, directed by Ellenstein ... Closing the regular season will be Rashomon, Fay and Michael Kanin's adaptation of the classic Japanese tale. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Will this year's Oscar contenders become classics? Mar 5, 2006
A big change came in 1951 at the Venice Film Festival when Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) brought Japanese cinema onto the world stage. French nouvelle vague directors encouraged cineastes everywhere to launch their own new waves. (Guardian Unlimited)
Ang Lee moseys toward historic Oscar Feb 26, 2006
At 51, Lee already has eclipsed the Oscar track record of Kurosawa, whose film Rashomon received an honorary foreign-language film award and whose Dersu Uzala won the foreign-language Oscar. Kurosawa's films never broke into the best-picture category, though he was nominated for best director with Ran and received an honorary Oscar for 1989. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
