324) Sanshiro Sugata Part Two (1945)

324) Sanshiro Sugata Part Two (1945) Dir: Akira Kurosawa Date Released: ??? Date Seen: August 14, 2011 Rating: 2.75/5

This one treated me a bit better than the first Sanshiro Sugata but apart from that great confrontation at the beginning, which I can just imagine Johnnie To drooling over, there's not a lot to love here. It's ok but not really memorable.

243) Sanshiro Sugata (1943)

243) Sanshiro Sugata (1943) Dir: Akira Kurosawa Date Released: April 1974 Date Seen: July 25, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

The opening action scene of this film, which I've come to regard very highly just because Johnny To used it as the biggest influence on Throw Down, is stirring. Two groups of men standing together in two opposing groups, their collective body language saying more about them than most dialogue could. The rest of the movie I was just fascinated with how holier-than-thou our titular hero was. Seriously, he's a DIIIIICK. You don't want to hang out with this guy because he will threaten you, get drunk with you and then fight your grandpa, probably in that order. I didn't buy his redemption arc but I did enjoy the film as an action flick.

RV!: Rashomon (1950)

RV!: Rashomon (1950) Dir: Akira Kurosawa Date Released: December 1951 Date Seen: May 19th, 2009 Rating: 4.75/5

The dual nature of the film's morality--both simple and complex--is made all the more entrancing by Kurosawa's graceful and mysterious camerawork. See my blurb in The L Magazine.