Yojimbo/The Bodyguard

     This review is a bit different from what I normally write; however, I was not able to see the entire film, and was stuck up to the ending point you will get to. Hopefully I will be able to see it over the summer and will be able to post a 'Part two' review of it. Much of this review may seem like the retelling of the story but, I had been typing while watching, hence the reason for the different writing style. Enjoy! :-D


     The samurai picked up a stick and threw it in the air. It pointed in on direction of the road and he walked around the stick, as if the stick was leading him to his destiny. He then comes across a father and son fighting at their house. It is unfourunate though, that when he is allowed a drink of water, the father, who has just unfortunately lost his son thinks of him as a beggar or stealer. Shots of people looking out their windows at him gives the impression of fear. Then, a dog walks down the road with a hand in his mouth and a happy beat is sounded, because the dog has something to eat. However, it is not so happy for the person whose hand it is. It is quite unfortunate. The same music is played when a man quickly comes out and approaches him and offers him a deal, and is excited. The samurai is still just somber in his stance. The man thinks he is scared but he is just hungry. Unsi-Tori is a wild pig according to his name and Sukasa bangs his prayer drum all day in hope that Unsi-Tora, Unsi-Tori's brother, the good guy,will win. The humour in this movie, even though only 15 minutes into it, is already picking up, and very dark. It is very catchy and interesting.


     The shot of the samurai walking down the middle of the town is similar to that of western films, as with the music playing with the shot. For whatever reason, he keeps his arms folded in his jacket constantly. It is also funny that they show him their tattoos, when they want to fight him because he ends up killing him, cutting off the body parts that have the tattoos on it. He then tells the copper of the need for more coffins, and the music is played again. The lighting in this movie is hard to differentiate because most of the shots are lit throughout the scene. It is odd, though that when the men sit, or stand a certain way, their undershorts show.


     With the samurai's host being as greedy as he can be, they try to fight Ushi-Tori's men, He ends up turning them down and climbing a ladder to watch the fight for amusement. Which is amusing to me. The fact that both sides go towards each other than back off one by one is also adding to the humour. The shot from the ground of the samurai sitting on the tower and the two sides just feet away from each other, swords pointed/aimed, is my favourite. They must then act as if nothing happened because of an official inspection. S, they all pretend to get along fine. It is quite hilarious.


     Now, we can finally see some different lighting, focused on the actors, since there are only two in the shot. You can see the light shining off of the old man's forehead, highlighting his wrinkles, aging him more. In reality, it doesn't seem as if he would be that old, though. Here now, the same music as from before when the dog had the hand is being replayed, while they observe another's actions towards one of higher ranking, as if the music is acting as our insight to their minds and their amusement.


     Hopefully I can see the rest, as I said before. Keep an eye out for a part two review from me on this film. So, until next time--

Dreams by Akra Kurosawa

III: The Blizzard


     The portrayal of man against nature. Which isn’t like any of the other dreams. There is a group of men who are hiking up a mountain. Nature, which is represented by a snow storm demon, is just telling the man to take it easy and freeze to death, to die. But he is struggling and trying to make it to camp. The scene is quite dark with snow billowing all around these four men. There is also a part where it gets really bad and the snow almost seems black. I don’t recall much music or effects in this segment. However, when the main character is laying in the snow, the snow storm demon, who is a beautiful lady, is covering him with ‘blankets’ which is actually snow. The themes and elements of this particular version of the story isn’t like any of the others. Others do have demons which seems to be the only similarity. The shots are mainly medium shots of everyone. The end, the sun comes out and everything is bright and happy, etc.

So, until next time--

4:17-4:42

     so, I can't sleep anymore tonight.

     i kept waking up, since like, 3.


     I have a lot of things on my mind right now I guess. One main one being that I may pretty soon lose another Grandma. I have more than two because of step and half and what-not. Pretty big family. This one is directly blood, though. As was the other one. So now, once she dies, I will only have one blood grandma left. I may be confusing some people but, it makes sense to me. Anywho. See, this Grandma, she has two different kinds of cancer. Breast cancer and now lung cancer, which is new. She's had breast cancer for years, shes a survivour. But it runs in the family. I'm at risk for it. And she has refused treatment since she was first diagnosed because she is stubborn, which I get from all over the place. And, she is taking care of my Down Syndrome aunt. Who is 40. And still doing well. But when she goes, my aunt will have no one. So, St. Patty's Day's weekend we all helped move her down from West Palm to a place called the Shamrock. Ironic, isn't it? Now, the majority of our family lives, not only in South Florida, in Broward County. ::sigh::


     Many people don't know that Down Syndrome also runs in my family. This all on my dad's side, by the way. And everytime people make jokes about "retards", I just want to strangle them. It really pisses me off that people don't understand that it isn't that persons fault. Yes, I used to make fun of them. However, I was younger and didn't understand it, even though I knew my aunt had it. Now, my cousin, from my Uncle, the only other boy this Grandma had, is Down Syndrome too. She however, got diagnosed when they were living over in Germany, not when she was born, like my aunt. It's all an internal thing, that can't be controlled. I just don't know when people don't understand that.


     It makes THEM looks like the retards.


     I'm not quite sure why I'm harping on this, nor why it's at the forefront of my mind. I guess it's just that, the next person, past my Aunt Debbie to take care of my aunt would be my parents. Now mind you, it's going from eldest down, minus my uncle who lives in Chicago. It's not that I don't want her living here, however, we aren't exactly financially stable right now. I am paying for most of my own things except clothes right now. I am contributing to buying my food, as I have been for awhile, I buy my own clothes sometimes, too. I pay anything I owe. See, I do have a job.


     But oh boy, was yesterday a trip!


     Whoa, sounded ghetto there for nanosecond.


     There are now new rules I have to go by and such, which irritates me to the utmost. I am being restricted and given more duties. Basically my entire day has changed. Granted, I have not worked for three weeks on a Sunday because I have had so much going on, however, for them to make new rules and regulations, only on sundays, in only my area, where only I work, is just.... rude. What the hell did I do? Did I do something wrong? If so, please tell me! Don't just change that schedule on me and expect me to conform. You can't change the animals diets on them because you feel like it!


     When I feed the iguanas yesterday, they were ravenous!


     Like they hadn't eaten in about a week! Same with one of the turtles we have. And the opossum. And, she gets feed everyday!
That's not normal, nor right. I don't like it. At. all.


     It is just not cool.


     So, I am just about thinking of quiting my job. However, all day, I was saying to myself, even though I love the animals, they are pushing it too far. But when I saw how Wilma, the opossum and Freckles, one of the iguanas was eating, [trying before I even put their bowls down!] I know that I need to stick it out for them.


     So, until next time--

Dreams by Akra Kurosawa

II: The Peach Orchards

    The girl that the little boy thought that he saw was a messenger. She was a tree spirit, but she had a message to deliver for the other Peach Orchard tree spirits to the little boy and his family. Because it was "doll day", to celebrate the Peach Orchards. But, since they had been chopped down by the little boys family, they sent the messenger to his house. After much thought, they allowed him to see them in bloom again. They danced, made music, and sung. As a way of the trees being made, in a quicker pace. All of which hypnotized the little boy. But then, he went up into them, after seeing the girl again. All of a sudden, the trees disappear, and you only see the stumps. The dolls, inside the house, and the spirits were on different levels, just as a tree is. He then saw a small, little tree in bloom, which represented the little girl. Because she was a younger generation of the spirits, but still one, she was on the level of what she would eventually become, as a new, sprouting tree, showing hope. The little boy hadn't wanted his family to cut down the orchard in the first place, but ended up not being heard because in the Japanese culture, young children do not defy their elders.


    I'm sorry if my review is a bit mixed up, and/or all over the place but, I got everything done and it's good!


    So, until next time--

Dreams by Akra Kurosawa

I: Sunshine Through the Rain

     For some odd reason, the curiosity of the little boy over takes his mother's warning. Kurosawa's dream seems to be a warning to himself that he is about to have a major change happen in his life. The fox people are holding a wedding precession in the middle of the forest, just after the rainstorm, and the little boy is caught watching them. Something that is forbidden. In the tradition of the fox people, he is supposed to kill himself, and is not allowed back inside his home. The symbolism of the huge doors to enter the home area show how the Japanese people are forced to live in isolation. When the boy is walking through the field of flowers, the vivid colouration shows the beauty of life, and because of the task he has of killing himself or finding the fox people, it is important to understand that he robbed his own life of beauty. The use of masks in this short, as in the same as in Kurosawa's 'Throne of Blood' helps the fox people to keep the same expression, a highly steady, or serious, one. The child's walk through the flowers works in the last scene, mixed with the mountains, shows how death is looming over his head.

     This dream has a connection with the story of Adam and Eve in the Christian bible, Beauty and the Beast, an American children's movie, and the story of Peter Pan. The way it connects to Adam and Eve is because of the curiosity the little boy has, is just like Eve's curiosity in what the apple tastes like. After she tastes the apple/after he sees the fox people, she must go through the pain of child birth/he must go through the act of killing himself. It is similar to the Beauty and the Beast, in the sense of the little boy being the place of Belle, venturing into an area that shouldn't be travelled in, and the discovery of something that isn't supposed to be there. Though, there are not really many consequences in 'the Beauty and the Beast', but the exposure of an odd beauty that is not normally seen. In the case of the little boy, the fox people. The way it is similar to Peter Pan is how, because he is so young, he shouldn't grow up, and Peter Pan, because he is older, has to grow up, and because of his actions, the little boy is forced to grow up, by performing the act of killing himself. Another story that 'Sunshine Through the Rain' is similar to, is the story of Pandora, an her box of secrets in the world. When Pandora opens her box, she realizes so many different things, horrible things, happy things, but she managed to close the box in time to save one last thing for safe keeping; hope. The little boy has unleashed something he shouldn't have; the anger of the fox people unto himself.
Next short, II: The Peach Orchids, will be tomorrow. I think. And hope.


     So, until next time--

ABC's of Chinese Cinema vs. American Cinema

Aspiring/Assonite
Beauty/Big Bang
Close-Ups/Carefulness
Delicacy/Daring
Effects=colouration/graphics
Fast paced=action/sex
Graphics are numerous in both forms of Cinema, and extremely beautiful:
-fake blood
-computer graphics
Horrible translationsinto English/Horrible plots
Indirectly, both are completely involved with each other, it's Just that it sometimes, as horrible as most American films are now, some of the Cinese films made are just as bad, or almost there. But, it's OK in a sense, because of their use of cinematographic eLements.
Many differences:
Newer ideas/No change in pace, usually the same stuff.
Old themes, old tales to be told/Only for entertainment(mostly)
Payment to the actors is very different, Queerly though, or maybe not so much, Replicas in cinema are used so much, and so well, that it is possible to actually by many on the internet now. However, most of the replicas used in chinese cinema are from a Story, or a Tale from centuries ago, in which a great legend is known about the artifact. There are American films however, that are based on lengends, and stories, in which the plot revolves around. However, most of the time, in American Cinema, films seem to follow the same plot/story line over and over again, and the true plot gets lost or has gotten lost over the years and times it has been repeated. Thus, many people cannot Understand why tradition is Virtuously being brought into American Cinema.
Why is it though, that Americans don't seem to apperciate films that are worthy of praise when they put those same films down?
But yet, X rated films don't seem to be put down. Then again, that is another conversation for another day....
You can fill out your own alphabet if you want, because I believe that I am done here. Although, I may be falling asle....ZZZZZZZZZZZZ....
Sorry about that.... long day. As I was saying:
Cinema in general just doesn't get appreciated that way it should anymore, so please take out the time and try to.


     So, until next time--

Some Like it Hot

     A classic, made in 1959, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. Curtis and Lemmon pose as women in the movie (not as a drag queens, just dressing as women) because they were witness to a big-time murder back home, in Chicago. The film is in black and white, as it was originally made, though the cover has a shot of these three joksters in colour. But with the film being in black and white, it is easier to see differences in lighting and some other elements throughout. One major lighting choice that kept catching this viewers eye wasevery time the lighting was on Marilyn Monroe, it was so soft, to make her look almost like an angel, where as on any other person in the film, even other women, it was the same, dull, boring lighting that was used on the men. The main reason this was done was because she was the star of the movie and this was one of the few ways to [literally] illuminate her amongst the rest of the cast. Because of the time period, the costuming is very wonderful.


     The actors and actresses are constantly in different outfits, throughout the film. You even have scenes of the actors changing because of the fact that two of the main characters are actually men and having to pose as women, because this is one of the only ways they can hide. Some of the outfits Monroe wears however, look quite unconventional because of the fact that the top portion of it is merely mesh with just a little bit of sparkles and fabric covering up her breasts. It is quite interesting however, because one of the actors goes from man to woman to man in his costuming. It is quitehilarious, as well. This is film is a comedy, but it is most definately not the first time I have had the pleasure of viewing it.


     So, until next time--