New on DVD: Raunchy 'Superbad' is actually quite good Dec 7, 2007
It's fun comparing the Mifune-Shimura dynamics with those in Seven Samurai six years later, and the finale is a doozy. Extras, extras: Commentary by renowned expert on Japanese cinema Donald Richie; documentaries on the film's making and Kurosawa's squabbles with Japanese censors; essays. (USA Today -- Life)
Moser Baer partners Palador to enter Premium DVD Mkt Nov 28, 2007
The tie-up with Moser Baer Entertainment will now allow Indians from across the country to legally own a Bergman or Kurosawa or any of the other masters and be suitably awed by their art, craft and wizardry over the cinematic medium. I sincerely hope this rejuvenates a cult kind of movement for World Cinema and foreign films in smaller cities in addition to the metros. (Moneycontrol.com)
Criterion Collection adds bonus features Oct 30, 2007
" Though Criterion charges for its efforts (a suggested retail price of $40 per title is typical), film lovers know they're unlikely to be disappointed. Criterion has even added supplemental materials when reissuing better transfers of titles it previously released, among them "M," "Seven Samurai" and "The Third Man. " "Every title we work on somebody somewhere loves," says producer Issa Clubb, who's been with Criterion a dozen years. "I joke that whatever movie I'm working on is the greatest... (Variety)
* Editorial: Oscar turns his back on Taiwan Oct 21, 2007
Such borrowing across the East-West line is not unprecedented: The Magnificent Seven was a successful 1960 remake of Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, for example. Filmmakers in Asia have conversely borrowed talent and techniques from the West to enhance their filmmaking. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Pick your flicks Sep 27, 2007
"The Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa. It's really the template for so many action movies to follow. (The Indianapolis Star -- Entertainment)
Drawn to film by pain and Pauline Sep 26, 2007
" Byrnes takes pride in championing unfashionable films that find an audience, most recently the Swedish charmer As It Is In Heaven, which has run at the Cremorne Orpheum for 43 weeks. But when he lists his favourite films, it's a different era that comes to mind: Red River, His Girl Friday, Sullivan's Travels, The Seven Samurai, Bringing Up Baby, Singin' in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz and his all-time favourite, Vertigo. "I'm an absolutely huge fan of westerns," he says. "I like most things that... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Too Tough to Die Sep 21, 2007
Akira Kurosawa transposed the genre's tropes to medieval Japan, then saw his Eastern westerns remade in Hollywood (The Seven Samurai as The Magnificent Seven) and Europe (Yojimbo as Leone's Fistful of Dollars). Leone followed up with For a Few Dollars More--surely the most honest title ever given a sequel--and the spaghetti western craze was born. (Time.com)
Interview: Ram Gopal Varma Sep 12, 2007
The story of a man taking revenge by hiring mercenaries is a genre done earlier in the Japanese "The Seven Samurai" and as a spaghetti western in "The Magnificent 7". "Sholay" is a full-on formula film. (Mangalorean.com)
Tribute to Sholay, Bollywood's most iconic film, flops Sep 7, 2007
The film was inspired by Hollywood's The Magnificent Seven, which itself was based on the Japanese film, Seven Samurai. Back-fired. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Samurai meets spaghetti western in Takashi's mad amalgam Sep 6, 2007
Hollywood's "Magnificent Seven" was based on Akiro Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai," and Sergio Leone's "Fistful of Dollars," an unblushing rip-off of the Japanese director's "Yojimbo" (The Bodyguard). Miike Takashi, in the time-honored "Many Years Later" style of spaghetti westerns has now exacted revenge with his in-competition "Sukiyaki Western Django," one of the last to be screened at the Venice Film Festival, which ends Saturday night. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Ram Gopal Varma ka private joke Sep 6, 2007
Sholay itself gets its story from The Magnificent Seven, which acknowledges that it is inspired by Akira Kurosawas Seven Samurai ... It copies just one five-second shot from Seven Samurai, of dacoits riding their horses as an enormous sun rises behind them, and does it better. (Indian Express)
Rounding Up The Baddest Bad Men Of The West, In Rewind Sep 5, 2007
Eli Wallach as Calvera, "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) OK, so it's set in Mexico, but John Sturges' American remake of "The Seven Samurai" still ranks as one of the greatest Westerns ever made. Eli Wallach is mesmerizing as lead bandit Calvera, a man so black of heart that even as he lay dying, he cannot grasp the motivations of a selfless man. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Indie music venue, theater bring more culture to Omaha Sep 4, 2007
The initial series featured 10 movies hand-picked by Omaha native Alexander Payne, the movie director behind "Sideways," "About Schmidt" and "Election." Among the selections were Akira Kurasowa's "Seven Samurai" (1954), Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" (1936)," Robert Altman's "McCabe Miller" (1971) and Federico Fellini's "8. 5" (1963).Rachel Jacobson, executive director of the nonprofit theater, said the mission of Film Streams is to enhance Omaha's culture by showing movies that wouldn't... (Sioux City Journal, IO)
At Venice film festival, building on a history of surprises Aug 28, 2007
A variety of Spaghetti Western has made it into competition in the form of Miike Takashi's "Sukiyaki Western Django," set in Japan, a tribute to Sergio Corbucci's 1966 "Django." Thus the genre has come full circle: Spaghetti Westerns were themselves heavily influenced by Samurai films in general and Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" (Silver Lion in 1954) in particular. Contemporary homegrown American Westerns are represented in competition by Andrew Dominik's "The Assassination of Jesse James by... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
The Weinsteins Woo Asia Aug 26, 2007
But the fund will not simply project Asian products on Western screens, it will bring to Asian films what Weinstein calls a "Western sensibility." So far the slate includes a live-action film of the fable Mulan; a martial arts team-up of Jackie Chan and Jet Li; and a remake of the 1954 classic, The Seven Samurai, which transplants Kurosawa's besieged Japanese village to the outskirts of Bangkok and recasts the Japanese fighters as mercenary soldiers, three of whom speak English. But so far the... (Time.com)
Asian film fund Aug 12, 2007
One of the projects will be an action film about the Chinese folk heroine Hua Mulan, and another a remake of the 1954 Akira Kurosawa classic The Seven Samurai, New York-based The Weinstein Co said in a statement ... com reported earlier that Zhang has signed on for Mulan and the remake of The Seven Samurai. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Chris, why'd we make "Rush Hour 3"? Aug 9, 2007
Harvey and Bob Weinstein said Wednesday they have launched a $285 million movie fund that will invest in Asian-themed projects, such as a remake of the 1954 Akira Kurosawa classic, "The Seven Samurai. Movie review "Rush Hour 3," starring Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Hiroyuki Sanada, Youki Kudoh, Zhang Jingchu, Max von Sydow, Yvan Attal. Directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by Jeff Nathanson. 91 minutes. Rated PG-13 for sequences of action violence, sexual content, nudity and language. Some... (Seattle Times)
Weinsteins launch Asian film fund Aug 8, 2007
HONG KONG -- Hollywood producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein said Wednesday they have launched a $285 million movie fund that will invest in Asian-themed projects, such as a remake of the 1954 Akira Kurosawa classic "The Seven Samurai.". Chinese media reported earlier that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" star Zhang Ziyi has signed on for two projects. (Albany Times Union)
Update: The Weinstein Company Launches Pioneering Asian Film Fund Aug 8, 2007
Some of the titles that will be included in the fund include a live action version of "Mulan", which depicts the epic journey of the Chinese legend Hua Mulan; "The Seven Samurai", a contemporary remake of the 1956 Academy Awards nominated story about a poor village besieged by marauding bandits and defended by seven samurai; the action epic "Shanghai" about an American who returns to Japanese occupied Shanghai during the Second World War to discover his friend's death and tries to unravel the... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
When a film is remade in the U.S.A. Aug 2, 2007
John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven, the 1960 Western redo, brilliantly reinterpreted Akira Kurosawa's classic The Seven Samurai. And what would Sarah Michelle Gellar do without spooky Japanese thrillers. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Breathing new life into action films Jul 27, 2007
Seven Samurai (1954): The gold standard of action films, and one of the best movies ever made, period. The tale of seven masterless samurai hired to defend a farming village from marauding bandits is so universal it has been adapted as a Western ("The Magnificent Seven," one of the smartest remakes ever) and sci-fi film ("Battle Beyond the Stars"). (Newsday -- Entertainment)
Nostalgia keys Pixar's success Jul 16, 2007
"The short films that precede Pixar features, for example, offer sound effects and music, but little dialogue. Instead, shorts such as "One Man Band" (where two street musicians duel for a child's coin) and "Knick Knack" (in which a snowman tries to escape his snow globe) rely on clever storytelling, timing and perspective.The short playing before "Ratatouille" -- "Lifted" -- centers on why a sleeping farmer is hovering over his bed: an alien spaceship driving lesson is to blame."Those short... (Florida Today)
Old School, Inc.: Beneath Pixar's digital dazzle lies reverence for the past Jul 12, 2007
Like the Western remake "The Magnificent Seven," the plot of "A Bug's Life" was based on Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai.". Though Pixar head and co-founder John Lasseter directed "A Bug's Life," Bird perhaps best summarized their backward-looking perspective in a piece he wrote for Animation World Magazine in 1998 about drawing for "The Simpsons.". (North County Times)
Pixar animation is old-fashioned at heart Jul 11, 2007
Like the Western remake The Magnificent Seven, the plot of A Bugs Life was based on Kurosawas Seven Samurai. . (MSNBC -- News)
Weinstein Co. pacts with Krantz, Lau Jun 22, 2007
The Weinstein Co. has been investing in Asian cinema of late; Cannes opening film "My Blueberry Nights" by Wong Kar Wai and two pics in development -- a live-action version of "Mulan" and a remake of "The Seven Samurai" -- are all expected to be funded by the fund. Date in print: Fri. (Variety)
'Die Hard' voted greatest action movie ever made Jun 20, 2007
Die Hard' voted greatest action movie ever made -Entertainment-Media / Entertainment / Art-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times. Die Hard' voted greatest action movie ever made. (Economic Times)
'Die Hard' Tops List of Best Action Films Jun 16, 2007
The magazine on Thursday unveiled a list of top 25 action movies picked by its writers and editors spanning a wide range of films: from 1938's "The Adventures of Robin Hood" to director Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" in 1954 (No. 6) and the 2004 computer-animated film, "The Incredibles" (No. (Newsmax)
'Die Hard' tops list of best action films Jun 15, 2007
The list of the top 25 action movies was picked by the magazine's writers and editors and spans a wide range of films: from 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood to director Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai in 1954 (number six) and the 2004 computer-animated film The Incredibles (number 25). Space adventure Aliens followed Die Hard in the number two slot with Raiders of the Lost Ark at number three and The Road Warrior and The Matrix at number four and number five, respectively. (ABC Online)
DeLillo, Literature, and 9/11: May 25, 2007
There's a lot of film about war that I find very powerfulfrom The Seven Samurai to Letters From Iwo Jima. In art, there's Guernica; and a lot of Goya. (Slate)
A TASTY DANISH May 13, 2007
net, Boe cites Orson Welles' "Citizen Kane" (1941) and Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" (1954) as influences. And he gushes over French filmmaker Leos Carax and his "Boy Meets Girl" (1984). (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Nigerias Failed Election May 4, 2007
A team of younger, zealous reformers, dubbed the seven samurai by one diplomat, was brought in to overhaul the economy. In particular, they confronted the corruption that had seen Nigeria's leaders pocket, by some estimates, $380 billion of the country's oil wealth since independence, the equivalent of about two-thirds of all the aid given to Africa during that time. (Ocnus.net)
Shakespeare in translation Apr 12, 2007
He ended up with the more satisfying variation, although "Throne of Blood" titled "The Castle of the Spider's Web" in Japan proved a box-office disappointment for its distributor, Toho, which was hoping for a spectacle to duplicate the popularity of "Seven Samurai" three years earlier. The fatalistic emphasis that controls both settings and characters in "Throne of Blood" keeps conventional human interest and empathy at arm's length, but this was Mr. Kurosawa's first historical movie after... (Washington Times, DC)
Mizoguchi's best stands tall next to Kurosawa's Mar 30, 2007
" That's how I feel about the great Japanese directors. They make other filmmakers come off as petty magicians or mere children. Akira Kurosawa may be the only Japanese master most Americans know. But Kenji Mizoguchi, in his prime, gave the filmmaker we today recognize as sensei a run for his yen. Kurosawa's most famous work, Seven Samurai, hit the man's-man's jugular vein. Mizoguchi could attack sweeping masculine subjects while paying equal attention to the women on his canvas. He brought... (SunSpot.net)
Fans must look beyond marketing hype Mar 19, 2007
Great films, such as Citizen Cane, Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, Breathless, The Seven Samurai, The Apu Trilogy and Lord of the Rings pack every scene with thought, feeling, imagination and imagery that support a thematic whole. In Jean-Luc Godard: Interviews published by the University Press of Mississippi, the master French director, film critic and historian Godard explains the power of complexity in his films. (The Clarion-Ledger)
FILM REVIEW: 'Samurai' re-issue enhances timeless masterpiece Mar 9, 2007
-- 1954's "Seven Samurai" is widely regarded as Akira Kurosawa's finest effort, which in turn makes it one of the finest films of all time. A sprawling, 200-plus minute epic, "Seven Samurai" was groundbreaking for its breadth, depth and well-choreographed action sequences ... The film's plot is relatively simple -- seven samurai band together to ward off thieves who are terrorizing a small village in Japan. (U-Wire.com)
Seven Swords ** Mar 2, 2007
The story, based on a novel by Liang Yusheng ( The Bride with White Hair), is indebted to Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, but set in northwest China in the 1660s, at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. To quell potential rebellions, the imperial court has banned martial arts and placed a bounty on anyone who practises them. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Page turners: The best old movies for families Feb 23, 2007
The Boston Globe film critic has a reputation as "The Man Who Showed 'The Seven Samurai' to His Kids. And They Liked It." But he really knew he was on to something when his oldest daughter wanted to screen "Bringing Up Baby" at her ninth birthday party. To the befuddlement of all her friends' parents, the black-and-white screwball comedy was a huge success. (Christian Science Monitor)
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)
Ab tera kya hoga Ramu Feb 14, 2007
Varma, who is being represented by advocates Vineet and Ameet Naik, will argue that in January 2005, he did want to do a remake of the old Sholay and even had discussions with G P Sippy before dropping the idea and deciding to "make a new film inspired by several other films like Seven Samurai , Magnificent Seven , Dirty Dozen , Once Upon a Time in the West , Sholay etc". Though the proposed film will have some similar names from the original film including Gabbar, its script, music,... (India Times, India)
Funimation brings anime to iTunes Store Feb 14, 2007
is a retelling of Akira Kurosawa s classic epic, Seven Samurai. It s a steampunk take on the tale of seven samurai who band together to save a village from destruction at the hands of Nobuseri bandits. (MacCentral)
Navarre's FUNimation Entertainment Delivers Anime to iTunes Feb 14, 2007
At long last, an anime retelling of the legendary Akira Kurosawa epic, Seven Samurai. Akira Kurosawa has inspired generations of filmmakers and Samurai 7 is the anime retelling of the legendary Kurosawa epic, Seven Samurai. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Lovers break into song at the drop of a hat in young director's SF IndieFest film 'Yellow' Feb 13, 2007
But then, in his junior year of high school, he had an inspired teacher who screened for the class such films as "The Seventh Seal" and "The Seven Samurai.". Although he'd been interested in theater until then, Peterson began to turn toward film, first using his dad's camera but then saving enough to buy a 16mm camera for the short films he began making only five years ago: "Contingent," "Dog Breath, in the Year of the Plague," "Split Pea Soup" and his first trilogy: "One," "Two" and,... (San Francisco Chronicle)
CMs decency sermon Feb 10, 2007
The world cinema category will feature films like Seven Samurai, Bicycle Thief, A Short Film About Love and Wild Strawberries. Recent Indian films such as Black Friday, Pinjar, Dor and Traffic Signal have also been lined up. (Calcutta Telegraph)
Akira Kurosawa Feb 8, 2007
Lots of laughing from the three others as he tells them how much water he had to use up in the last reel of Seven Samurai, in the big twenty-minute battle scene that takes place during a rainstorm, with both men and horses, when three cameras were working simultaneously. 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... (New Yorker)
The Seven Assassins of Smokin' Aces : Who exactly is in on the hit? A ... Jan 26, 2007
A sickly anti-thesis to the Kurosawan Seven Samurai, these idiosyncratic mercenaries kill to their own beat. We take a look at each, and see the insanity they each contribute to this frenetic black-comedy action flick. (IGN FilmForce)
Rewind: Sometimes Take Two Is Better — 10 Great Movie Remakes Jan 16, 2007
John Sturges' "The Magnificent Seven" takes Akira Kurosawa's classic "Seven Samurai" (1954) and transposes it to the old West. Yul Brynner leads a ragtag group of gunfighters hired to protect a small Mexican village from a group of bandits led by a wonderfully sinister Eli Wallach. (VHI.com -- Music News)
James V. Hart: Man with a soft spot for indie films Jan 5, 2007
"In terms of foreign films, nothing is better than Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai," he says with a smile ... I did not know about Kurosawa's Seven Samurai until after I saw The Magnificent Seven -- and to be honest, I prefer Seven Samurai," says Hart. The Road, an indie movie from China that won three awards (Best Film, Best Screenplay and Foreign Correspondents Association Choice "Purple Orchid" Award) at the Asian Festival of First Films, is one of Hart's new favorite movies. "The Road is one... (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Features)
