Latest news with #Kurosawa
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Movies to see this week: 'John Wick' marathon, Laurel & Hardy, 'The Hidden Fortress'
The summer movie season is upon us. While there are plenty of Marvel, Mission: Impossible, Karate Kid reboots, and live-action Disney remakes to occupy your evening, there are also some splashy repertory epics on screens right now. Here are the repertory movies playing around the Twin Cities this week. Wednesday, May 28, at Heights Theater Some of Alfred Hitchcock's most iconic films have scenes that burn so brightly in memory that they stand in for the entirety of the film and can obscure their overall greatness. North By Northwest can feel that way. Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) gets mistaken for a government agent by a group of spies. It looks like a simple case of mistaken identity, but things go wrong over and over, pulling him deeper and deeper into danger. That includes falling for Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint). It's tense and delightfully frustrating every step of the way, especially if your memory of the movie is a bit obscured by its iconic plane scene. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights ($19–$19.75) Wednesday, May 28, at The Trylon Cinema With the Cannes success of Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest, a reimagining of High and Low, we're probably in for a spate of renewed interest in that Akira Kurosawa classic. For now, play at being too cool for the obvious pick and catch another masterful collaboration between Kurosawa and his favorite actor, Toshiro Mifune. Two peasants (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) discover a general (Mifune) and a princess (Misa Uehara) hiding in a fortress with a hoard of gold. The peasants, fresh off the failure of another money-making scheme, are convinced to aid the general and princess in sneaking through enemy territory and back to safety. It's entertaining and beautifully shot. First-time viewers may also find that there are more than a few ways that George Lucas took inspiration from Kurosawa's film for that little-known space opera he released in 1977, which is going to play at this same theater in June. (Also, the Trylon once released a shirt with Mifune's face on it, so it's obviously the perfect place to see this one.) 2820 E 33rd St., Minneapolis (free for members, $8 for a member's guest) Thursday, May 29, at Heights Theater The 12-movie collaboration between director Billy Wilder and screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond may be one of the most fruitful partnerships in the history of Hollywood. It gave us comedy classics like The Apartment and Some Like It Hot, as well as the more serious The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and underappreciated comedies like The Front Page and One, Two, Three. Among that latter category is The Fortune Cookie, a goofball comedy that, like many of Wilder's films from this era, starred Jack Lemmon with his longtime foil Walter Matthau. Harry (Lemmon) is a sideline videographer at a football game who gets bowled over by star player Luther "Boom Boom" Jackson (Ron Rich). Harry's crooked lawyer brother-in-law, Willie (Matthau), convinces him to feign an injury in hopes of a fat payday. But Luther's insurmountable guilt has Harry second-guessing the scheme. It may not rank among The Odd Couple or Grumpy Old Men as one of the best Lemmon/Matthau movies, but this was their first of their 10 on-screen collaborations and is just a notch below those classics. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights ($13/$13.75) Friday, May 30, at The Parkway Theater One of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest films — his first thriller and arguably the first to give a glimpse of the director's penchant for tension — was a silent film about a Jack the Ripper-style murderer (Ivor Novello) slinking through London streets at night. A live soundtrack will accompany the screening, with Paris 1919 performing a new composition by bandleader Chris Strouth. He'll be joined by Natalie Nowytski, Kent Militzer, and David J. Ross. 4814 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis ($20.21/$23) Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, at Heights Theater The Heights' annual screening of Laurel and Hardy classics returns, showcasing digital restorations of six of the comedy duo's short films. This year's lineup includes 'Another Fine Mess' (1930), 'Men o' War' (1929), 'Going Bye-Bye' (1934), 'Perfect Day' (1929), 'Dirty Work' (1933), and 'Hog Wild' (1930). If this is your cup of pratfalls, get tickets in advance. Sunday's screening sold out quickly, pushing the Heights to add a Saturday screening. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights ($15/$15.75) Saturday, May 31, at Oakdale Cinema Who knew that the death of a dog would result in so many movies? About a week before the release of Ballerina, a stand-alone movie set in the John Wick universe, Emagine is hosting a marathon screening of the first four John Wick movies. For nearly nine and a half hours, the Oakdale Cinema will treat viewers to revenge, gun battles, neon lights, and a cadre of well-drawn hitmen. Fortunately, they're not bringing The Continental into this. You probably have to Google that miniseries to remember what it was, and that's probably all you really need to know about it. 5677 Hadley Ave. N, Oakdale ($28.12) Tuesday, June 3, at Alamo Drafthouse Arriving the same year as George A. Romero's third zombie opus, Day of the Dead, The Return of the Living Dead got in on mocking zombie movies early. The story is that two buffoons at a medical supply facility accidentally release a gas that raises the dead. The medical supply guys, the local mortuary owner, and a bunch of punks wind up trapped together in the midst of a zombie attack that they don't really understand. It's all played as a very knowing elbow to the ribs. The movie even references Night of the Living Dead before deciding that its own plot doesn't mean a whole lot. It's absurd, sometimes funny, and willing to ask, "Why are these the rules of zombie movies"? The zombies can talk, don't die when you hit them in the head, and don't even really have to be dead to be zombies. It's confusing, but the rules aren't the point, nerd. 9060 Hudson Rd., Woodbury ($11.91)More movies screening this week: May 28: Bajo un Sol Poderoso (Beneath a Powerful Sun) (2022) at The Main Cinema, part of the Minnesota Cuban Film Festival May 28: Blazing Saddles (1974) at Emagine Eagan, Emagine Lakeville, Emagine White Bear, and Emagine Willow Creek May 28: North By Northwest (1959) at Heights Theater May 28: The Hidden Fortress (1958) at The Trylon Cinema May 28: Black Tight Killers (1966) at Emagine Willow Creek May 28: Jaws (1975) movie party at Alamo Drafthouse May 28: The Apartment (1960) at Edina Mann Theatres May 28–29: Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (2024) at The Main Cinema May 29: Switchblade Sisters (1975) at Alamo Drafthouse May 29: The Fortune Cookie (1966) at Heights Theater May 29: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) at Emagine Willow Creek May 29: Twilight (2008) at Grandview Theatre May 29: The Village Next to Paradise (2024) at The Main Cinema, part of the Images of Africa series May 29: Twisters (2024) at North Loop Green (free) May 29: The Goldfish (2019) at The Trylon Cinema May 30: The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) with live music by Paris 1919 at The Parkway Theater May 30–June 1: Slither (1973) at The Trylon Cinema May 31–June 1: Grease (1978) at Emagine Eagan (June 1 only), Emagine Lakeville, Emagine White Bear, and Emagine Willow Creek May 31: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) at The Parkway Theater May 31–June 1: The Laurel and Hardy Festival at Heights Theater May 31–June 5: The Boss Baby (2017) at St. Michael Cinema May 31: John Wick marathon at Oakdale Cinema June 1: Labyrinth (1986) at Audrey Rose Vintage June 1: Mommie Dearest (1981) at Roxy's Cabaret June 1–3: Outland (1981) at The Trylon Cinema June 1 and 5: The People's Joker (2022) at Grandview Theatres June 2: The Goonies (1985) at Heights Theater June 2, 7, 11, and 22: Dinner in America (2020) at Grandview Theatres June 2: Popcorn (1991) at Emagine Willow Creek June 2: Stand By Me (1986) at Alamo Drafthouse June 2: $5 Mystery Movie at B&B Theatres Mall of America June 2: Marcus Mystery Movie at Oakdale Cinema, Parkwood Cinema, and West End Cinema June 3: Sabbath Queen (2024) at The Main Cinema June 3: The Return of the Living Dead (1985) at Alamo Drafthouse June 3: Sensational Shorts presents Z-Fest Uncut III at Woodbury 10 Theatre
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Travel + Leisure
4 days ago
- General
- Travel + Leisure
I've Lived in Japan for 20 Years—Here Are 10 Hidden Gems You Won't Find in Guidebooks
Numbers of international tourists to Japan continue to smash records year after year, with sites on the so-called Golden Route of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima becoming increasingly congested. Luckily, Japan has so much more to see off that very well-trodden path. I've lived in Japan for two decades—here are 10 of the country's hidden gems to consider for your next trip to the "Land of the Rising Sun." A wild horse spotted on Nishinoshima, one of the Oki chose this little cluster of islands off the coast of Shimane Prefecture as a Geopark for its dramatic scenery; think steep seaside bluffs topped by verdant fields with free-roaming horses, craggy ocean grottos where bioluminescent plankton shimmer like azure sparks, and sacred cedars that have seen the passage of a thousand years. Only a few thousand people live in the scattered fishing villages, but you'll find they're happy to welcome you to the local izakaya pub to share some freshly harvested rock oysters and turban shells with a bottle of junmai from hometown Oki Sake Brewery. Sunset over Kurashiki. This town in southern Japan was a key rice distribution center in the Edo Period (1603-1867) thanks to a network of transport canals. In the Bikan Historical District, the storehouses, arching stone bridges, and willow-lined canals of that time have been so lovingly preserved, you'll feel like you've stepped into a Kurosawa movie. A scenic boat ride with a happi-clad punter is a must, as is the Ohara Museum of Art. Sicilian osteria Rentechi or Kumo, a Japanese restaurant immersed in folk art, are great lunch options. Most visitors come on a day trip from nearby Okayama, but I recommend staying the night at Kurashiki Ryokan to see the historical district at its twilight best. Yumoto Onsen in Nagato City. A rural hot spring town is a quintessential Japanese locale, and Nagata Yumoto is one of my favorites, thanks to a passionate and collaborative community that keeps investing in their home. Its 600-year-old Onto hot spring got a new design-forward bathhouse in 2020, and the Otozure River burbling through the heart of town is lined with well-maintained paths and piers, making it a perfect place to stroll. Stop in at OTO for a coffee in the region's rustic Hagi pottery or Kawarasoba Yanagiya for kawara soba , a traditional Yamaguchi dish of tea-infused noodles and beef fried on a ceramic roofing tile. Overnight, try riverside Otani Sanso, a ryokan whose youthful fifth-generation owner leads the local revitalization efforts. Japanese ceramic tea bowl from Mashiko, Tochigi prefecture. Paul Atkinson/Adobe Stock Mashiko has been a pottery center since the 19th century, and today, it's home to some 250 kilns producing hand-thrown ceramics and about 50 galleries. That makes for some serious shopping opportunities. Traditional Mashiko ware is a mingei style that gets a weighty thickness from the local iron-rich clay and is typically finished with white engobe glazing and simple brush-painted designs. However, in the mid-1900s, influential potter Shoji Hamada attracted a new generation of Japanese and foreign students to his Mashiko workshop, where he encouraged them to pursue diverse means of individual expression, expanding the range of Mashiko styles. If you visit during the twice-yearly Mashiko Pottery Fair, you can see it all on display and score some steep bargains as shops spill out onto the streets to clear inventory. The cave stalactites of Valley of Gangala in Okinawa. This region is on the southern coast of Okinawa's main island, about a half-hour drive from Naha. Compared to the prefecture's famous beach locales, it's less touristy because its attractions spring from a more traditional spiritualism than sun worshiping. On one end is the Valley of Gangala, a series of ancient limestone caves with Paleolithic archeological sites and massive banyan trees said to host sacred spirits. On the other end is the UNSECO-recognized island Sefu-Utaki, where priestesses of the indigenous religion were once inducted. Both are powerful spots of natural beauty and deep cultural significance, but for a less solemn outing, the little islet of Ojima sits neatly between the two. It's the reputed birthplace of Okinawan-style tempura and full of beachfront mom-and-pop shops like Oshiro Tempura Shop serving their seaweed fritters hot from the fryer. View of Wakamatsu in the Goto Islands of Japan. This island chain off the coast of Kyushu has exquisite white-sand beaches with none of the Okinawan crowds, plus picturesque fishing villages and hikes with panoramic sea views. It's also where many of Japan's "Hidden Christians" fled during the two-century ban on their religion. Visiting the chapels on the island, you'll learn how Japanese converts concealed themselves in remote enclaves to escape execution and practiced their faith in secret, repurposing Buddhist iconography and natural imagery to hide their devotion in plain sight. Visiting today provides fascinating insights into a lesser-known facet of Japanese history and the nature of faith. Plus, the local variety of udon is delicious. A museum in Tono, Japan. rollingmaster/Adobe Stock Even in Japan, if people know about Tono, a valley settlement tucked into Iwate's Kitakami Mountains, it's usually just as the location of a quirky folklore museum. However, the big temperature swings in its microclimate make it an ideal place to grow hops, and it claims a sixth of all domestic production. This hops heaven has an active craft beer scene, thanks to microbreweries Tono Brewing and Zumona, and the rolling fields make for excellent biking, with sudsy rewards waiting at the lively Tono Brewing taproom or jazz bar Brew Note Tono. Or you can bike to Michi no Eki Tono Kaze no Oka, a market for local products, and enjoy a bottle from their outdoor viewing deck, which overlooks the valley and a steam locomotive track. Viewpoint of Ago Bay in Ise Shima National Park. The island-dotted Ise-Shima National Park is not only picturesque; its sheltered inlets were the cradle of pearl cultivation. Its remote villages are still engaged in that practice, and you'll see the floating farms scattered around the bay, with their dangling ropes of oysters keeping the waters crystal clear. Amanemu is the most famous luxury accommodation in the area, but if you can snag a reservation, I recommend Cova Kakuda, a waterfront resort of just four villas built in a renovated pearl processing station. Its all-inclusive model is focused on sustainability, with food grown at an onsite farm and fresh-caught seafood sourced through deep ties with local fishing families. Blooming cherry trees a riverside promenade in a beautiful spring in Akita Prefecture. It might be cheating to list a whole prefecture, but the best destination to visit in under-appreciated Akita really depends on the season. In spring, you'll want to see the weeping cherry trees blossom over preserved samurai homes in Kakunodate. In summer, you've got the towering lantern procession of the Kanto Festival in Akita City. In fall, the blue hot springs and bright red maples of Nyuto Onsenkyo make for a picturesque scene. And then, thanks to its abundant snowfall, the prefecture hosts an absolute riot of unique winter festivals, including a fire-throwing festival in Kakunodate, a festival of snow huts in Yokote, and the wild Namahage Sedo Festival in Oga, during which people dress up as horrific demons to scare children into good behavior in the coming year. Five Storied Pagoda at Dewa Sanzan Shrine in Tsuruoka. This town on the Sea of Japan is home to the Kamo Aquarium, a facility that specializes in jellyfish. That might not sound that exciting, but in low lighting, the massive illuminated tanks of pulsating jellies feel like a mesmerizing alien art exhibit. Watching the slow, unthinking undulations of technicolor bells trailing multi-meter-long tentacles like slo-mo ribbon dancers is strangely soothing. Of course, Yamagata is a long way to go just to peep some jellyfish, so combine a visit with the misty temples of nearby Dewa Sanzan, three mountains sacred to the ascetics of the esoteric Shugendo religion.
Tokyo Weekender
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
Japanese Films That Influenced Quentin Tarantino
On this day in 1994, Pulp Fiction premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The winner of the Palme d'Or that year, it was seen as an instant classic. Quentin Tarantino reportedly wrote part of the script for the movie at a hotel in Yubari, Hokkaido Prefecture. He was in town to take part in the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival, which he later honored in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 by naming Chiaki Kuriyama's character Yubari. The iconic filmmaker's love of Japanese cinema has been well documented. He has cited his respect for several directors from this country, including the likes of Akira Kurosawa, Seijun Suzuki, Shinya Tsukamoto, Takeshi Kitano and Takashi Miike to name but a few. A number of Japanese films have influenced him and his work, particularly the two Kill Bill movies. We thought we'd have a look at seven of them. List of Contents: Sanjuro, Akira Kurosawa Tokyo Drifter, Seijun Suzuki Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41, Shunya Ito Lady Snowblood, Toshiya Fujita The Street Fighter: Shigehiro Ozawa Shogun Assassination: Robert Houston and Kenji Misumi Battle Royale: Kinji Fukasaku More From This Series Sanjuro, Akira Kurosawa Kurosawa's influence can be seen in several of Tarantino's films. For instance, the ' Rashomon effect ' style of storytelling that got its name from Kurosawa's 1950 classic Rashomon is evident in the contradictory accounts of the off-screen heist in Reservoir Dogs (1992). There are also several similarities in terms of structure and style between Yojimobo (1961) and Tarantino's revisionist Western film, Django Unchained (2012). Sanjuro (1962), a loose sequel to Yojimbo , is another Kurosawa film that inspired Tarantino, particularly the final battle between the titular character and Hanbei. When Sanjuro slices Hanbei, it's supposed to lead to a small, continuous flow of blood. However, a broken prop blood-filled compressor hose meant the blood gushed out at once. Kurosawa was pleased with how it looked, and geysers of blood have since become a hallmark of Tarantino movies. Tokyo Drifter, Seijun Suzuki In an interview with Tomohiro Machiyama in 2003, Tarantino compared Suzuki to Russ Meyer, stating that it's 'easier to like sections of his films than the whole movie.' One example is Tokyo Drifter (1966), which though unconventional and, at times, incomprehensible, is visually stunning. The gangster walk at the beginning of the film is similar to the iconic scene from Reservoir Dogs . Suzuki's postmodern and hyper stylized approach to the gangster genre in Tokyo Drifter had a significant influence on Tarantino's earlier films such as Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. The two Kill Bill movies also incorporate elements from Tokyo Drifter , such as the exaggerated fight scenes, dazzling colors and go-go music. Another Suzuki movie that Tarantino drew inspiration from, particularly for Kill Bill: Vol. 2 , was Branded to Kill. Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41, Shunya Ito Due to the increasing popularity of television and an influx of Hollywood movies, the Japanese film industry was struggling in the late 1960s. Feeling that sex and violence could help turn things around, Toei Film Studios began to focus on movies that combined the two. Known as 'Pinky Violence,' these femme-fatale exploitation flicks exploded in the 1970s, and Tarantino is known to be a huge fan. For Kill Bill: Vol. 1 , he drew from several films of the era, including Shunya Ito's Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972) and Norifumi Suzuki's Sex and Fury (1973). The former, the second film of a four-part series, stars Meiko Kaji as Matsu (nicknamed Scorpion) who's been compared to Beatrix 'the Bride' Kiddo. Kaji's track, 'Urami Bushi' from Female Convict Scorpion plays in the final credits of Kill Bill: Vol 2 . Lady Snowblood, Toshiya Fujita Another Kaji track, 'Shura no Hana,' plays over O-Ren's death in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 . It was the theme song of Toshiya Fujita's Lady Snowblood (1973), one of Japan's great postwar revenge films that was seen as a template for Tarantino's hyper-violent action flick released more than a quarter of a century later. Both O-Ren and the Bride share similar traits to Kaji's character, Yuki Kashima. O-Ren is a visual manifestation of Yuki, while the Bride is the reincarnation of her spirit. Like the protagonist from Lady Snowblood , she is a highly skilled martial artist on a mission to hunt down and kill those responsible for her suffering. The climactic battle scene in the snow between O-Ren and the Bride in the first Kill Bill also mirrors Yuki's clash with Kobue at the end of Fujita's film. The Street Fighter: Shigehiro Ozawa Aside from Kaji, the Japanese actor that intrigued Tarantino the most from the 70s was Sonny Chiba . The acclaimed director was particularly impressed with his performances in The Street Fighter (1974) and its two sequels. Writing the screenplay for Tony Scott's cult classic, True Romance (1993), Tarantino pays homage to the actor through Clarence (Christian Slater), who describes him as 'bar none, the greatest actor working in martial arts movies today.' The action scenes in Kill Bill are similar to those in The Street Fighter series and The Bodyguard (1973), another 70s martial arts flick starring Chiba. Jules' famous Ezekiel 25:17 speech in Pulp Fiction is taken almost word for word from the prologue of the latter. Chiba played Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill , a nod to his character in the 1980s series Shadow Warriors , Tarantino's favorite Japanese TV show. Shogun Assassination: Robert Houston and Kenji Misumi Lone Wolf and Cub was a 1970s Kazuo Koike manga series that was adapted into six films. In 1980, Robert Houston compiled 12 minutes of the first movie and most of the second — both directed by Kenji Misumi — to create Shogun Assassin . The film's non-linear narrative and stylized violence influenced Tarantino, who adopted a similar style in several of his movies, including Pulp Fiction and The Hateful Eight (2015). The Tarantino film Shogun Assassin influenced the most, though, was Kill Bill . The protagonists in the films — Ogami Itto and the Bride — are fearless parents with incredible martial arts skills who have both suffered severe hardship and are driven by revenge. In Kill Bill: Vol. 2 , the Bride's 4-year-old daughter, B.B, requests Shogun Assassin to watch as a bedtime story. Ogami's 4-year-old son, Daigoro, provides the voice-over narration. Battle Royale: Kinji Fukasaku From the Crazy 88-like yakuza gang in Black Lizard (1968) to the Reservoir Dogs -esque gritty realism of Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1973), Kinji Fukasaku's films had a major impact on Tarantino. One of his favorites was Battle Royale (2000), the last movie fully directed by Fukasuku. 'If there's any movie that's been made since I've been making movies that I wish I'd made, it's that one,' Tarantino once said . The character that left the biggest impression on Tarantino was Chigusa. She was played by Kuriyama, who he cast as Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 in what was a direct homage to Chigusa. The two characters are involved in some gruesome scenes and both stab men directly through the crotch. Other violent films Tarantino drew inspiration from during that era were Takashi Miike's Audition (1999) and Ichi the Killer (2001). More From This Series Legendary Figures From Osaka Recommended Japanese Documentaries Recommended Books by Foreign Authors in Japan
Tokyo Weekender
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Tokyo Weekender
A Beginner's Guide To Watching Akira Kurosawa Films
The more popular an artist is, the harder it can be to start enjoying their works. You may feel that you are basically familiar with them because of cultural osmosis, where you see bits and pieces of their output or their influences all around you. You may also feel paralyzed by choice, not knowing where to start your journey of discovery. Many people feel this way about Akira Kurosawa, widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history. A director of more than 30 movies, Kurosawa's filmography is full of historical drama, social commentary, heart-pounding action and profound introspections about the nature of humanity. Where do you begin with a director of such caliber? Below are some suggestions. List of Contents: The Ironman Method The Mifune Method The BFI Method Related Posts An official poster for the 1941 drama Uma — meaning 'horse' The Ironman Method Most of Kurosawa's filmography is easily available in Japan on streaming platforms like U-Next or Prime Video. The DVDs of his movies are also often quite cheap, especially if you buy them secondhand. This makes it easy to watch all of Kurosawa's films in chronological order, from his debut to his last cinematic offering, enjoying not just the movies themselves but also the evolution of his style and fascinating reflections of the times he lived through. There's just one problem with that. Not everyone agrees about what Kurosawa's first film was. He was first credited as a director for the 1943 movie Sanshiro Sugata , a fun historical martial arts flick about the battle between judo and jujutsu. However, before being given the director's chair, Kurosawa worked on many films as an assistant director. It's now widely accepted that in one such production, the 1941 drama Uma — meaning 'horse' — he essentially did most of the work officially credited to writer-director Kajiro Yamamoto. Many Kurosawa scholars see the young artist's fingerprints all over Uma, which, even if you don't count it as a pure Kurosawa joint, is still worth watching for its portrayal of life in rural Tohoku. There's a bit of military propaganda at the start and end of the film, but it doesn't take away from the quality of the movie . Also, many Kurosawa filmographies mention the 1946 film Those Who Make Tomorrow, which was also a propaganda piece. Only this one came from the Allied Forces, who wanted a movie about workers' unions. Kurosawa was one of three directors on the project but personally didn't consider it part of his legacy. Plus, it's hard to get hold of. At this point, it can only be seen at movie festivals and such. A true Kurosawa completionist will probably still try to hunt that one down, though. For extra credit, watch the 30 movies that Kurosawa wrote but didn't direct, including his last script for the 1999 Japanese and French drama After the Rain, featuring Kurosawa's grandson Takayuki Kato in a supporting role. The Mifune Method Kurosawa's success was defined by his partnerships with powerhouse actors. Near the end of his career, it was Tatsuya Nakadai who helped bring his visions to life in Kagemusha (1980) and Ran (1985). In the beginning, though, there was the celebrated actor Takashi Shimura, who appeared in Sanshiro Sugata at the beginning of Kurosawa's directorial journey. Unfortunately, he also featured in his weaker movies, such as the pure propaganda piece The Most Beautiful (1944) and the aforementioned Those Who Make Tomorrow . This is admittedly a problem with watching everything Kurosawa directed: you'll have to get through objectively bad movies that he had to get out of his system or was pressured to make, like Sanshiro Sugata Part II. It was the first sequel with a number in it in the world and an altogether unpleasant cinematic experience full of nationalistic propaganda. The Ironman Method can unfortunately sour some viewers on Kurosawa. A safe alternative is to simply watch the movies where the director teamed up with Toshiro Mifune . One of the greatest Japanese actors who ever lived, Mifune appeared in 16 Kurosawa movies , starting with Drunken Angel (1948), in which he played a yakuza with tuberculosis alongside an alcoholic doctor portrayed by Shimura. Many consider Drunken Angel the beginning of Kurosawa's true career, although the 1947 movie One Wonderful Sunday also has a lot to offer. Still, only watching Kurosawa-Mifune movies is a recipe for a good time and a great way to see the actor as more than just a man who portrayed warriors, like in Seven Samurai (1954) , The Hidden Fortress (1958) and Yojimbo (1961) . In The Quiet Duel (1949), he played a stoic, idealistic surgeon who accidentally contracted syphilis during an operation. Two years later, in The Idiot (1951) — a film based on the Fyodor Dostoevsky novel of the same name — he brought to life a troubled man spiraling out of control due to violent and passionate emotions. In The Bad Sleep Well (1960), Mifune played a mix of a modern-day Hamlet and the Count of Monte Cristo. His last Kurosawa movie, Red Beard (1965), sadly led to a rift between the two, but at least we got a fascinating portrayal of a feudal-period doctor and martial artist out of it. The BFI Method The British Film Institute's selection of the 10 best Akira Kurosawa movies is one of the most useful encapsulations of the director's work that you will ever see. The Mifune Method is fun, but it skips over all of Kurosawa's acclaimed color movies — every Kurosawa-Mifune film is black-and-white — and some of his earlier works, which are essential if you want to understand the director. The BFI gets that, and that's why its selection gives viewers a taste of everything: early, humanist Kurosawa ( No Regrets for Our Youth ), crazy-badass Mifune ( Seven Samurai ), dignified Mifune offering social commentary ( Scandal ), Shimura ripping out the audience's hearts ( Ikiru ), or Kurosawa mastering the historic epic and the use of color in cinema ( Ran ). And that's just half the list. Jasper Sharp's selection for the BFI is obviously subjective, but the writer makes an ironclad case for all the entries. It's probably best to watch them chronologically, which should give you the most informative Kurosawa experience ever. If the movies feel like a chore, and you don't want to watch more, it will mean that Kurosawa isn't your cup of tea, and that's perfectly alright. Others, however, might find themselves enthusiastically picking up what the director is laying down and wanting more. Related Posts Before Keanu Reeves' Speed, There Was The Bullet Train Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust Is Still a Masterpiece After 25 Years Samurai Gun Assassins: When Bullets Bested Blades
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Science
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Lost in space: Why some meteorites look less 'shocked' than others
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. What happens when two carbon-rich space rocks slam into each other? You'd expect to see clear signs of impact in the ensuing meteorites — but for over 30 years, scientists have puzzled over why meteorites that contain carbon appear less affected by such violent encounters than those that don't. Understanding why carbon-rich meteorites appear "less shocked" helps scientists interpret the history and evolution of solar system bodies more accurately. Shock features in meteorites are a sort of forensic evidence — they reveal how often, and how violently, space rocks have collided with each other, and with planetary bodies, over the eons. If certain materials obscure or erase that evidence, it could skew our understanding of planetary formation, the conditions on early asteroids, or even how life-essential elements, like carbon, were distributed throughout the solar system. Related: What are meteorites? To find a solution, Kosuke Kurosawa, an astrophysicist at Kobe University in Japan, turned to an old theory: that asteroid collisions release vapor from water-bearing minerals in the rocks, which then carries the evidence away into space. "I specialize in impact physics and am interested in how the meteorite material changes in response to impacts, something called 'shock metamorphism,'" Kurosawa explained in a statement. "And so, I was very interested in this question," the researcher added. "I thought the [old theory] was brilliant, but it had problems." For one, the original proponents never calculated whether the process would generate enough energy — or water vapor — to actually blast impact evidence into space. And then there's a bigger issue: some carbon-rich meteorites still appear "less shocked," despite lacking any water-bearing minerals. But Kurosawa wasn't ready to abandon the theory just yet. To investigate how carbon-bearing minerals behave during collisions, his team built a two-stage light gas gun linked to a sample chamber designed to analyze gases released after high-speed collisions. The design allowed the researchers to isolate and analyze gases from the impact alone, by separating the sample chamber from the gun mechanism — preventing contamination from gases generated during the shot itself. Related stories: — Meteor showers and shooting stars: Formation and history — James Webb Space Telescope spots asteroid collision in neighboring star system — Solar system planets, order and formation: The ultimate guide The experiments revealed that impacts by carbon-rich space rocks trigger chemical reactions that generate not water vapor but extremely hot carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gases. "We found that the momentum of the ensuing explosion is enough to eject the surrounding highly shocked rock material into space," Kurosawa said. "Such explosions occur on carbon-rich meteorites, but not on carbon-poor ones." Kurosawa believes that, while evidence of such collisions might be difficult to obtain on smaller objects, larger bodies like the dwarf planet Ceres should have enough gravity to to pull the ejected material back to the body's surface. "Our results predict that Ceres should have accumulated highly shocked material produced by these impacts, and so we believe that this provides a guideline for planning the next generation of planetary exploration missions," said Kurosawa. The new study was published online Thursday (April 24) in the journal Nature Communications.
