Turf Wars to Rice Fields

In many ways, the far east is a very different place from our domestic shores. The cultural backgrounds are vastly different, but those backgrounds are housed on separate foundations. They do not share the European honor system that America latched onto, and even reject some tenets we hold dear. Japan especially seems like a different planet, due to their years of seclusion.

However, in some ways, they are no different. Sadly, one of those ways is crime.

"Outrage," released to limited theaters this week, exemplifies that fact. The style of Japanese film makes this take on mafia life something new to us, but thematically it follows crime-filled American classics, like "The Godfather" or "Goodfellas" (note: I am not saying it is as good as either of those classics). This crime drama follows long-time yakuza Otomo. In his years with the mafia, he has seen his kind go from lackeys to ringleaders, but the most recent clan war threatens to take down the entire structure of this corrupt world. In the end, heroes and villains blur into a bitter reality.

This week, I am stretching all the way back to 1954.

I'm not stretching too much this week. It's too cold. Sorry if you wanted some epic non sequitur.

"Outrage" seems like a film inspired by American film. So for this stretch, I will just flip the comparison. There is one Japanese director who has influenced nearly every American film of today. If you are not familiar with Japanese cinema, I will give you one name to look out for: Akira Kurosawa.

This week, I will be looking at "The Seven Samurai."

This epic tale of honor duty opens with a master swordsman in a poor village. Kambei, as he is known, saves a young child from a kidnapper. With this one action, the entire village begs the samurai to save their village from mountain bandits. Kambei agrees, despite being paid in meager handfuls of rice. However, the village needs at least 7 heroes to defend the town. Kambei recruits six more men to his cause: Katsuhiro the youthful warrior, Kikuchiyo the boisterous loudmouth, Kyuzo the silent killer, Gorobei the noble archer, Shichiroji the old friend and Heihachi the jesting charmer.

If you had to skip those names, don't worry. You get to know each of these men on levels beyond their difficult names.

Together they consolidate the village's defenses and shape the villagers into a militia, while the bandits loom menacingly nearby. The villagers and samurai mount a strong defense against the massive invading army. Soon raids and counter-raids build to a final bloody confrontation, where these men are held together by honor and duty alone.

Now to get to my main point. Have you ever seen an old Western called "The Magnificent Seven"? Yep, that is a reinterpretation of "The Seven Samurai." However, Kurosawa's influence does not end there.

If you have ever seen a John Wayne movie, odds are that the film was inspired in some part by Kurosawa's vision. Many Western directors have named him as an influence. His themes and filming style is lovingly replicated in many Westerns. Not only that, but nearly every action film director will cite Kurosawa as well. He was, in many ways, the first director of pure action films. Kurosawa never used dialogue to get a point across, instead vying for movement and subtle looks. In simpler words, this man's genius started two new genres of film from across the sea.

The Final Stretch:

Filming styles are all well and good, but there is something I appreciate even more. In "Outrage," American crime dramas are translated to a Japanese audience. That genre of film is uniquely American, with the cynicism and sense of justice that directly affect our lifestyle. In something like "The Seven Samurai," the Japanese culture is directly translated to us. Their sense of duty and honor, their thirst for familial and nationalist pride... it is all there. Using film, two nations are communicating core values across the Pacific. In many ways, films like these have made the world even more community-oriented. Entertainment makes a great bridge.

Vampiric Romance to Southern Hardships

Yep, I'll be talking about Twilight. Deal with it.

To be honest, I have never found these movies worthy of the ardent fury lavished upon them. Yes, the fans of the series are naive schoolgirls with little idea of true romance. However, I think the anti-fans are much more numerous. Therefore, they are also more annoying.

I have never watched one of the Twilight movies (I have seen three, thank you) and thought, "wow, that was the worst film I have ever seen." I found them all painful and mediocre, but hardly deserving of hatred. Maybe this is merely a result of my wide cinema experience. I have simply seen worse.

Oh, the painful memories of "Babe 2: Pig in the City"...

Anyway, this latest iteration sees the oft-troubled Bella and Edward dealing with the consequences of their marriage and honeymoon. Bella gives birth to a half-vampire child (a process that nearly kills Mrs. Cullen), Edward must deal with his family problems, and third-part-of-the-love-triangle Jacob Black brings unforeseen and shocking developments. In other words, cue angsty melodrama.

This week, I am stretching all the way back to 1939.

As a male, romance movies are not my forte. However, I know a good one when I see it. The worst thing about Twilight is the poor production value, not the story or the characters. In better hands, I don't think these films would have been so polarizing. So let's take romance and melodrama, but put them with better productions.

This week, I will speak about "Gone With the Wind."

"Gone With the Wind"... I feel like a synopsis would not be fair to this massive romance. Viewers follow Scarlet O'Hara into adulthood, starting right at the beginning of the Civil War. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, so all her beaus are going off to war with the North. Throughout the war, she uses men and circumstances to her constant favor. However, Rhett Butler, a slimy gentlemen, decides to control Scarlet through his own nefarious means. The pair end up together as the war ends, but their private battles continue long after the slaves are freed.

First, I will address the cinephiles that decry my comparison. If you don't believe these movies can be fairly compared to each other, look at the pictures I provide. Tell me they are not strikingly similar.

Okay, now that I have that out of the way, I will compare the films themselves. "Gone With the Wind" has an epic story with large characters, real people who have flaws (major flaws, in the case of the two main characters) and epic triumphs over adversity. Twilight has a complicated and interesting setup, but that story is carried by bland characters played by bland actors. It doesn't work great, but the casting is the job of production. And therein lies the biggest rub.

Twilight is atrocious in production value. Shaky cameras and close-ups should be accentuators, not main features. The color palette is uninteresting, and the special effects look like cheap computer graphics. "Gone With the Wind," on the other hand...well, just watch it. Everything is perfect. Period. I would describe my adoration in specifics, but there is too much in this 3-hour film. Let's just say it never feels like a 3-hour film, a testament to great and energetic editing of great actors.

The Final Stretch:
Romance is not dead. Anyone can find a good romance film, no matter the gender. Too often, I think people associate romantic movies with schmaltz and contrivance. This could not be further from the truth. Classic films are great sources for complicated drama and heart-melting moments. I could have easily written this post about many 50-year-old movies. However, modern romance has devolved into teenage angst, making the result seem hollow and dull. Romance can be bigger than life, and movie-goers should be able to distinguish masterpieces from mediocre melodramas.

Bloody Visuals to Clever Claymation

A brutal king, murderous armies, and long expositions about fate. Monsters, myths and brave men willing to fight against both. Ah, where would we be without ancient Greece?

This weekend, we are reminded why these classic tales get so many iterations. This particular tale is that of Theseus and his battle against the bloodthirsty King Hyperion. The wicked king has gathered an army of monsters, all hellbent on finding a fabled artifact to make themselves masters of the world. It seems nothing can stop him, until a young stonemason named Theseus vows to avenge his murdered mother. He gains the aid of an oracle and a small band of loyal followers, embracing his destiny in a desperate battle against an evil tyrant.

This week, I am stretching all the way back to 1963.

I believe in the power of Greek myths, but have grown weary of the special-effect-infused nature of modern iterations. Modern directors have warped the stories to fit action movie stereotypes, so I wish to distance myself from such laziness. Instead, I will look at a film that follows the original story while still attempting to dazzle. Keep in mind that impressive in 1963... well... it is a bit different for us.

This week, I will speak about "Jason and the Argonauts."

Now, you may notice that gold emblem in the bottom left of the picture. That denotes the involvement of special effect wizard Ray Harryhausen, an auteur with few equals. His art... well, let's just say it doesn't hold much weight in modern cinema.

There is a reason we don't see claymation too much anymore.

There are exceptions, but nearly all are children's movies. "Jason and the Argonauts" is not too appropriate for the youngsters. They can watch it and enjoy it, but the themes will sail over their heads. However, the action scenes are undeniably charming. The hydra and skeleton fights have gone down in cinema history for being far beyond their time. Both required meticulous effort and hours to produce (imagine moving each head of a hydra in minute increments, trying to make stills look like they are moving. Yeah). Sure, they don't look real now, but the old-school charm is enough to make them shine.

However, the effects are not the only thing here. The movie also has substance, as the topic of fate is pretty directly addressed. This is a dressed-up literature class, and that makes this move special. In fact, nearly every movie that has the "Ray Harryhausen Emblem" effortlessly combines weighty topics with the oft-dismissed art of modeling clay.

The Final Stretch:
I have a problem with movies that rely on effects. In our technological advancements, average movie-goers have become more inclined to follow a film with bigger effects and set pieces. This has forced studios to pour all their money into such profit barrels, and this is woefully tragic. I have no problem with the occasional mindless action movie, but the market is more oversaturated now than ever before. Movies like "Jason and the Argonauts" were considered mindless entertainment in their day, yet they approach weighty topics with a delightful sense of whimsy. Modern bloodbaths approach nothing of substance, and rely only on spectacle to pull cash from pockets. Meanwhile, "Jason and the Argonauts" gets ignored because it does not possess a grandiose sense of gory realism. This is the way film and time work, but nothing suffers quite as much as special effect spectacle. After all, in 30 years, we will look back at "Immortals" and laugh at the underdone effects.

Comic Capers to Botched Robberies

This weekend, Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy star in "Tower Heist," a comedy caper on par with "Oceans 11" or "The Italian Job." Seeking revenge on a a Wall Street swindler, a group of luxury condominium workers plot the ultimate revenge. The evil broker has stolen their life savings, and the only way to get it back is a heist of monumental proportions.

Seems perfect for the disillusioned "Occupy Wall Street" group, eh?

To be brief, this movie is not the first of it's kind. "Tower Heist" has been receiving decent reviews, but mostly just because this formula is hard to mess up. I'm sure you can think of a film that gathers of group of "specialists" in order to take down some corrupt official. It has been done, and it has been done well (the two I mentioned in the opening paragraph are great examples). The formula is a crowd-pleaser, and this seems the perfect thing to appeal to audiences. However, the best examples of the formula are those that subvert it, changing something about it to keep it fresh. The classic I will discuss does just that.

This week, I am stretching all the way back to 1992.

Heists make for good cinema, so I'm keeping that. However, the whole "friendship" thing needs to go (man, that sounds cruel). I want to pit my heist members against each other, and grow their suspicions to a boiling point.

This week, it's one of my favorites: "Reservoir Dogs."

"Reservoir Dogs" looks at what happens before and after (but not during) a botched jewelry robbery. We meet the players before the film begins, all given cryptic code names. Mr. White is a career criminal who tried to put his storied past behind him. He shares the bulk of the film with the young and rebellious Mr. Orange, a fellow criminal who was shot during the robbery. One of them is bleeding to death, but they have the diamonds. However, no one else is showing up to the meeting spot.

Mr. Pink, the weaselly loner of the group, stumbles in and states there is a traitor among them. Behind him is Mr. Blonde, a terrifying sadist who went nuts during the heist. Their fifth cohort, Mr. Blue, is missing in action. The color-men wait and deliberate, eventually joined by their bosses. By exploring the past and the present, the criminals work to oust the rat among them.

This movie launched the career of Quentin Tarantino, the auteur director who gave us "Kill Bill," "Pulp Fiction" and "Inglorious Basterds." In other words, you can expect a lot of timeline jumps and sudden cuts. That, and violence. Lots of violence. "Reservoir Dogs," though, is probably the purest movie to encapsulate his style. This movie is tense and confusing all at once, and that makes it all the more fun to analyze and deconstruct. Once all the pieces are on the board, everything falls into place.

The Final Stretch:
I like this kind of movie. The "band together for a greater cause" mantra is something I find interesting, and I can watch these movies all the time. "Tower Heist" takes the formula into comedy, and that is a valid choice. Watching colorful characters bounce off each other in light comedy is a great time. However, I love "Reservoir Dogs" because it shows how these heists actually are. To place comedy in these instances is a pretty big stretch. They are fun, but reality can be strikingly powerful. After all, real heists are between terrible people, criminals normally colored a bloody crimson.

Puerto Rican Beaches to Dutch Attics

This weekend, "The Rum Diary" mixes up Puerto Rican parties, Johnny Depp, late nights on moonlit beaches and, as you probably guessed, a lot of alcohol. The poster (which I have included for your perusal) also throws in some outrage, a bit of justice and... well, even more alcohol. Does the movie offer some unique tastes and good times, or will viewers forget it after a crushing hangover? Based on early reviews, critic opinion seems evenly split. One part giddy joy, one part stern rebuke. Mixed well, of course.

Johnny Depp plays Paul Kemp, a writer for a New York newspaper. He has grown weary of the big city bustle and jumps at the chance to change his venue. Puerto Rico is his destination, where he adopts the easy lifestyle of the island. However, an American entrepreneur named Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart) wants to change all that. Sanderson desires to convert Puerto Rico to a capitalist paradise and vacation spot for the extremely wealthy. When Kemp in recruited to write favorably about unsavory business schemes, he is faced with a crossroads; bend to business or live in freedom.

This week, I am stretching back to 1959.

I have used up most of my alcohol knowledge in the first paragraph, so I am going to depart from that metaphor. That leaves me with "diary" (and "the," but I'm bypassing that). I could go with "Bridget Jones' Diary," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" or "Diary of a Mad Black Woman"... but I don't want to. Instead, let's look at a movie based on a play based on a book about a diary.

This week, let's look at "The Diary of Anne Frank."

I think most people know the story of Anne Frank. Her diary has been admired for ages, due to a depth of spirit not seen in most teenagers. This young Dutch Jewish girl hid for two years, jotting down her thoughts on family and the grand topic of life. Despite their tension and crowded conditions, the Frank family still found time to celebrate Hanukkah and rejoice with each other. Of course, they would not exit the attic as free people. Instead, they were led out by Gestapo police to greater horrors.

This is not the best movie I could have picked. The subject matter alone gives the movie some clout, but "The Diary of Anne Frank" is an overly long rendition of a great play. I believe this is a difficult story to transfer to a visual medium, as it doesn't lend itself well outside of books or stage plays. However, the appreciative core of the story can still be found, so try to watch it if you can. "The Diary of Anne Frank" is not a bad film, but it cannot compare to the other mediums this story truly lives in.

The Final Stretch:
Diaries offer a unique glimpse into a singular life. Both of these films use that to communicate a message, but I don't believe film is the place for such an intimate bond. With a book or a play, the thoughts and feelings of the writer live in front of you. In a film, the screen increases the distance between viewer and writer. Diary movies are hard to plant in the ground. However, that does not mean they should not be seen or attempted. If a director can ever tap into the innate human condition of a personal journal, they will accomplish something spectacular.

Suburban Demons to Darker Devils

Paranormal Activity releases it's third installment of home-shot horror this weekend, bringing the popular franchise to theaters just in time for Halloween. The plot is highly secretive, but I can guess that whoever lives in the suburban house is about to get demonized. The first two Paranormals were interesting forays into a relatively new type of film (home-shot horror), but the second saw a rather sharp decline in originality. The horror genre suffers greatly in that new ideas quickly become inane, but will this trilogy find new ways to shock and scare?

This week, I am stretching all the way back to 1973.

Demon movies can get a little too gross, but a select few actually approach the real terror possession can cause. Paranormal Activity does it pretty well, but few movies are as terrifying as this 1973 horror film. I'm keeping demons, I'm keeping children. However, the easy styling of Paranormal Activity gets replaced with directorial bravado.

This week, I will discuss "The Exorcist."

This movie has gained a terrible rapport since it was first released. It approaches a seriously dark subject matter, and some people cannot jump over that major hurdle. The subject of possession, depending on your religious belief, is a real threat that this movie uses to scare people. Many find this manipulative, and I can understand the sentiment. Not everyone should see this movie.

However, if you think you can manage, "The Exorcist" deserves appreciation. Underneath the spooky and controversial veneer, the film is spectacular. Cuts and shifts are used to tremendous effect, pulling the viewer along this terrible tale. The old special effects will probably make modern audiences scoff, but the movie was revolutionary in its day. In fact, I would say the special effects make it more watchable to modern audiences. In it's day, people would faint in the theater. Now, our desensitized sensibilities enable us to better appreciate the filming genius.

The Final Stretch:

Horror films are not the highest form of cinema. In fact, most are cheap and rudimentary. The Paranormal Activity movies are exceptions to modern contrivances, but horror used to house directing genius. Don't dismiss the entire genre too easily. "The Exorcist" is truly terrifying, but the mechanics behind the scenes are amazingly well-executed. Watch modern horror films if you want to be scared. Paranormal Activity movies will get under your skin. However, don't be too afraid to watch old horror films. They are not that scary, but they are fantastic. Horror is not a great genre of film, but there are a few gems hidden among the mud.

Warning Dates to Nursery Rhymes

This weekend, "The Ides of March" comes to theaters, offering a tale of political intrigue and government scandal.

The film is set during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary. When an up-and-coming press secretary (Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal, he discovers a trail leading all the way to his potential presidential boss (George Clooney). The entire candidacy is threatened, putting Gosling in a tricky situation: save his job, or save his morality.



This week, I am stretching all the way to 1976.

I like the whole corruption business. When corruption goes all the way up the American ladder, it becomes especially dramatic. So let's take it all the way to the president. One thing needs to change, though. Instead of Clooney's fiction, let's go to real life. When I think presidential corruption, I think of one man.

This week, I present "All the President's Men."



To give some perspective, Watergate happened in '72. Nixon resigned in '74. This film came out in '76. Within the span of four years, movie producers made a biographical film about one of America's most shameful scandals. Maybe they were capitalizing on scandal, but wow... talk about guts.



However, "All the President's Men" does not focus on the scandal itself, but rather the hardships endured by Woodward (Robert Redford) and Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), the investigative journalists who uncovered Nixon's plot. The film follows their infamous meetings with Washington insiders, wronged secretaries and duped security guards. Every clue leads to more clues or, more frequently, dead ends. The information comes in trickles, making this film an exercise in suspenseful tension. 

The Final Stretch:


Power corrupts. It's an age-old mantra, but one that people need to keep hearing. Truth can and will be obscured from public view. "The Ides of March" looks at what a person hides to obtain presidency, while "All the President's Men" observes what a man did to control that power. However, in both cases, we meet people who have the power to stop them. Politics is the same, no matter your time period. Corruptions and scandals will always pollute the American landscape. However, the search for truth is equally unending.