Archive for the ‘Marathon’ Category

note:  I’ve decided to go back to doing individual reviews for each film in my marathons.  Please continue to enjoy.

Having decided to marry, Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer), Karin (Meryl Streep) migrates to Africa to do so and run a farm while she’s there.  Eventually she finds that she meets Denys (Robert Redford) and falls madly in love with him after discovering that this marriage she wanted turned out to be nothing like she expected.  The film chronicles Karin’s time in Africa. (more…)

It’s been two week since my last update on my Kurosawa watchings and I’m here to report that I have since then completed my planned marathon.  I did finish a month later than planned, but really who cares?  In the last two weeks I’ve watched High and Low (1963), Stray Dog (1949) and Seven Samurai (1954).  Here are my thoughts on each. (more…)

I’ve been a horrible blogger.  I’ve spent the last few weeks paying more attention to my writings for http://www.thefilmstage.com and I’ve forgot all about my marathon posts (and even viewings).  However, fret not I will not abandon this crash course in film education.  I will complete this marathon; however I think I’m going to change how I handle these Marathon posts.  From now on I will make 1 post each week where I will discuss two, or how many, films that I watched that week in my marathon.

Anyways, this past week in my Kurosawa Marathon I watched: (more…)

After 30 years of working Hyakken Uchida [Tatsuo Matsumura] decides to retire as a professor and live out his retired life as a writer.  The Professor finds himself going through ups and downs at home in Japan during the war in the forties and as he enjoys his birthdays along with his former students who always want to know “Mahda Kai?” (Not Yet?) as after downing a massive glass of beer replies “Madada Yo!” (No Not Yet!). (more…)

After Taketori Washizu [Toshiro Mifune] and Yoshiaki Miki [Minoru Chiaki], Commanders of the First and Second Fortress respectively, help suppress a surprise attack from Inui they have been called to meet with the Great Lord.  On the way to the Spider Web Castle they become lost in the maze of a forest that surrounds the castle.  In this forest they meet a spirit [Chieno Naniwa] that tells them of their future and this leads them on a path of betrayal and murder to reach these goals that were foretold for them. (more…)

Lord Hidetora Ichimonji [Tatsuya Nakadai] after many years of battle and eventually becoming the ruler of his vast lands has decided that he has done enough and would like to retire from his life.  He decides to bequeath his kingdom to his three sons: Taro [Akira Terao], Jiro [Jinpachi Nezu] and Saburo [Daisuke Ryu].  After his third son, Saburo, speaks up frankly his father takes offense and decides to disown Saburo and banish him from his lands.  Tango [Masayuki Yui], Lord Hidetora’s assistant, defends Saburo and receives the same treatment as Saburo.  Shortly after Lord Taro and Jiro takes power of the land Lord Hidetora finds himself quickly being shunned out of his world by his sons due to their inability to put up with his ways anymore now that they no longer need to answer to him. (more…)

So this December I started and completed my goal of my Yule Tide Marathon.  The films reviewed were all first time watches for me and they spanned from the 40s right up to 2003.  Here are a list of the films reviewed: (more…)

George Bailey [James Stewart] has always wanted to leave his home town and travel the world and be somebody, but throughout his life he’s always found an excuse not to go and to stay home and care to some business or another.  One Christmas Eve he and his business partner find themselves $8000 short on their books and in desperate need of money.  George in a moment of fear of incarceration and the evil Mr. Potter [Lionel Barrymore] finally gaining access to everything in the town he wishes for death and that he was never born.  His guardian angel, Clarence [Henry Travers] appears to show George how the world would be if he never was. (more…)

After being a performer for so long and being fed up with his hectic schedule Jim Hardy [Bing Crosby] decides to retire and live the rest of his life on a farm.  After that fails to live up to his expectations he decides to turn it into a special kind of club, The Holiday Inn, where people can come on each public holiday and enjoy a special song and dance show he put on with all his guests. (more…)

So what if one Christmas Eve as Santa [Edward Asner] is doing his thing an orphan climbs into his sack and gets carried back to the North Pole and ends up being adopted by an elf and being raised as an elf while actually being a human?  Well this is what happened to Buddy [Will Ferrell] and eventually he kind of comes across the information that he isn’t an elf and that his biological father, Walter [James Caan], is on teh naughty list and wants to meet him.  So Buddy goes on a long journey to New York City and meets the family that could’ve been while sharing his Christmas cheer with the entire city. (more…)