Lee Grant, the Oscar-winning actress (“Shampoo”) says she decided after her win to try to direct since good roles for older women were limited. It turns out that was about the halfway point of her 98 year (so far) life. What followed was a narrative feature (“Tell Me a Riddle”) and several documentaries, including “Down and Out in America,” which won an Oscar.
When we last ran our list of the oldest living feature film directors in late 2022, where Grant stood was a mystery. Since her breakout in William Wyler’s “The Detective Story” (1951), her first nomination, her year of birth was unclear. But recently she has clarified that that she was born in 1925. That makes her, to the best of our knowledge, older than any of her peers.
Below are listed the 25 oldest. Since our most recent list, Norman Lear, Robert M. Young (both of who briefly were the oldest...
When we last ran our list of the oldest living feature film directors in late 2022, where Grant stood was a mystery. Since her breakout in William Wyler’s “The Detective Story” (1951), her first nomination, her year of birth was unclear. But recently she has clarified that that she was born in 1925. That makes her, to the best of our knowledge, older than any of her peers.
Below are listed the 25 oldest. Since our most recent list, Norman Lear, Robert M. Young (both of who briefly were the oldest...
- 2/16/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
(We are running this review from 2016 in commemoration of Pearl Harbor Day.)
By Lee Pfeiffer
If ever an epic deserved the Blu-ray deluxe treatment, Fox's 1970 Pearl Harbor spectacular Tora! Tora! Tora! is it. The film was a major money-loser for the studio at the time and replicated the experience of Cleopatra from a decade before in that this single production threatened to bankrupt the studio. Fox had bankrolled a number of costly bombs around this period including Doctor Doolittle, Hello, Dolly and Star! Fortunately, they also had enough hits to stay afloat. However, the Tora! debacle cost both Fox chairman Darryl F. Zanuck and his son, production head Richard Zanuck, their jobs. Ironically, Darryl F. Zanuck had saved the studio a decade before by finally bringing Cleopatra to a costly conclusion and off-setting losses with spectacular grosses from his 1962 D-Day blockbuster The Longest Day. By 1966, Zanuck and that film's producer...
By Lee Pfeiffer
If ever an epic deserved the Blu-ray deluxe treatment, Fox's 1970 Pearl Harbor spectacular Tora! Tora! Tora! is it. The film was a major money-loser for the studio at the time and replicated the experience of Cleopatra from a decade before in that this single production threatened to bankrupt the studio. Fox had bankrolled a number of costly bombs around this period including Doctor Doolittle, Hello, Dolly and Star! Fortunately, they also had enough hits to stay afloat. However, the Tora! debacle cost both Fox chairman Darryl F. Zanuck and his son, production head Richard Zanuck, their jobs. Ironically, Darryl F. Zanuck had saved the studio a decade before by finally bringing Cleopatra to a costly conclusion and off-setting losses with spectacular grosses from his 1962 D-Day blockbuster The Longest Day. By 1966, Zanuck and that film's producer...
- 12/7/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
“Hey, Manny!”
By Raymond Benson
One of the generally underrated and mostly forgotten great action thrillers of the 1980s was Runaway Train, a sleeper that took audiences by surprise in late 1985/early 1986. Produced by the low-rent team of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus for the now-defunct Cannon Films, Train was not the partners’ ordinary B-movie action fare. The picture’s pedigree assured that there was going to be something interesting within, and there was.
Runaway Train was originally an Akira Kurosawa project. The Japanese director had conceived the movie, co-written a screenplay with two of his regular colleagues, and planned to make it in conjunction with a Hollywood studio in the late 1960s. According to the supplements on Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray release of the film, Kurosawa wanted to cast Henry Fonda and Peter Falk in the lead roles of escaped convicts...
“Hey, Manny!”
By Raymond Benson
One of the generally underrated and mostly forgotten great action thrillers of the 1980s was Runaway Train, a sleeper that took audiences by surprise in late 1985/early 1986. Produced by the low-rent team of Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus for the now-defunct Cannon Films, Train was not the partners’ ordinary B-movie action fare. The picture’s pedigree assured that there was going to be something interesting within, and there was.
Runaway Train was originally an Akira Kurosawa project. The Japanese director had conceived the movie, co-written a screenplay with two of his regular colleagues, and planned to make it in conjunction with a Hollywood studio in the late 1960s. According to the supplements on Kino Lorber’s new Blu-ray release of the film, Kurosawa wanted to cast Henry Fonda and Peter Falk in the lead roles of escaped convicts...
- 2/20/2021
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Tetsuya Watari, the Japanese actor who worked with international cult favorites Seijun Suzuki and Kinji Fukasaku on some of their best-known films, died on Aug.10 of pneumonia at age 78. His death was announced Friday following a private family funeral.
Joining the Nikkatsu studio in 1964 after graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University, Watari soon became a mainstay of its action line-up, starring in Suzuki’s 1966 “Tokyo Drifter” and Toshio Masuda’s 1968 “Outlaw: Gangster VIP,” which became a six-part series. Both films have been widely screened abroad, and since rereleased for home entertainment.
After Nikkatsu turned over production to softcore porn in 1971, Watari left the studio and joined Ishihara Promotion, the talent agency started by Nikkatsu mentor and megastar Yujiro Ishihara in 1963.
In 1975 Watari starred in Fukasaku’s action biopic “Yakuza Graveyard,” playing a self-destructive gangster who was based on a real-life model. But he was prevented by illness from appearing in Fukasaku’s signature gangster series,...
Joining the Nikkatsu studio in 1964 after graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University, Watari soon became a mainstay of its action line-up, starring in Suzuki’s 1966 “Tokyo Drifter” and Toshio Masuda’s 1968 “Outlaw: Gangster VIP,” which became a six-part series. Both films have been widely screened abroad, and since rereleased for home entertainment.
After Nikkatsu turned over production to softcore porn in 1971, Watari left the studio and joined Ishihara Promotion, the talent agency started by Nikkatsu mentor and megastar Yujiro Ishihara in 1963.
In 1975 Watari starred in Fukasaku’s action biopic “Yakuza Graveyard,” playing a self-destructive gangster who was based on a real-life model. But he was prevented by illness from appearing in Fukasaku’s signature gangster series,...
- 8/15/2020
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Japanese auteur Miike Takeshi delivered an entertaining masterclass to a packed audience as part of the Singapore International Film Festival on Sunday, where he held forth on a range of subjects. Conducting the masterclass was Singaporean filmmaker Kirsten Tan (“Pop Aye”).
A day earlier, Miike received an honorary award from the festival.
In a career spanning some 30 years, Miike has directed more than a 100 movies and TV shows. He attributes his prolific output to his years as an assistant director where he apprenticed with the likes of Shohei Imamura and Toshio Masuda and learnt to maximise the time and limited budget allocated for a film in the most efficient manner. “Even now, when we are having lunch at the location, when the crew and actors are having a luxurious meal, I think I can use this time to make a short TV commercial,” said Miike.
Miike’s latest film “First Love...
A day earlier, Miike received an honorary award from the festival.
In a career spanning some 30 years, Miike has directed more than a 100 movies and TV shows. He attributes his prolific output to his years as an assistant director where he apprenticed with the likes of Shohei Imamura and Toshio Masuda and learnt to maximise the time and limited budget allocated for a film in the most efficient manner. “Even now, when we are having lunch at the location, when the crew and actors are having a luxurious meal, I think I can use this time to make a short TV commercial,” said Miike.
Miike’s latest film “First Love...
- 12/2/2019
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“My mum never made lunch for me.”
“Who would for scum like you?”
By 1972, Kinji Fukasaku could already look back on a long career making movies for Toei studios. Additionally, his contribution to Richard Fleischer’s “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970) marked the director’s first international collaboration as he was responsible for the Japanese segment of the film together with his colleague Toshio Masuda. Even though much of his body of work consisted of contract work for the studio, many of his projects also showed signs of the kind of energy and anarchy which would constitute his later work.
On the surface “Street Mobster” sounds like the kind of movies Fukasaku had done previously. As film scholar Jasper Sharp points out, the original title of the film, “Gendai yakuza: Hitokiri yota”, signifies a shift from away from the traditional approach to the gangster genre. However, it was not until Fukasaku’s final entry to the series,...
“Who would for scum like you?”
By 1972, Kinji Fukasaku could already look back on a long career making movies for Toei studios. Additionally, his contribution to Richard Fleischer’s “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970) marked the director’s first international collaboration as he was responsible for the Japanese segment of the film together with his colleague Toshio Masuda. Even though much of his body of work consisted of contract work for the studio, many of his projects also showed signs of the kind of energy and anarchy which would constitute his later work.
On the surface “Street Mobster” sounds like the kind of movies Fukasaku had done previously. As film scholar Jasper Sharp points out, the original title of the film, “Gendai yakuza: Hitokiri yota”, signifies a shift from away from the traditional approach to the gangster genre. However, it was not until Fukasaku’s final entry to the series,...
- 11/26/2018
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Each month, the fine folks at FilmStruck and the Criterion Collection spend countless hours crafting their channels to highlight the many different types of films that they have in their streaming library. This August will feature an exciting assortment of films, as noted below.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Tuesday, August 1
Tuesday’s Short + Feature: These Boots and Mystery Train
Music is at the heart of this program, which pairs a zany music video by Finnish master Aki Kaurismäki with a tune-filled career highlight from American independent-film pioneer Jim Jarmusch. In the 1993 These Boots, Kaurismäki’s band of pompadoured “Finnish Elvis” rockers, the Leningrad Cowboys, cover a Nancy Sinatra classic in their signature deadpan style. It’s the perfect prelude to Jarmusch’s 1989 Mystery Train, a homage to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the musical legacy of Memphis, featuring appearances by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Joe Strummer.
To sign up for a free two-week trial here.
Tuesday, August 1
Tuesday’s Short + Feature: These Boots and Mystery Train
Music is at the heart of this program, which pairs a zany music video by Finnish master Aki Kaurismäki with a tune-filled career highlight from American independent-film pioneer Jim Jarmusch. In the 1993 These Boots, Kaurismäki’s band of pompadoured “Finnish Elvis” rockers, the Leningrad Cowboys, cover a Nancy Sinatra classic in their signature deadpan style. It’s the perfect prelude to Jarmusch’s 1989 Mystery Train, a homage to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and the musical legacy of Memphis, featuring appearances by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Joe Strummer.
- 7/24/2017
- by Ryan Gallagher
- CriterionCast
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this second episode of a two-part series, David and Trevor are joined by Pablo Knote to discuss two films (Cruel Gun Story and A Colt is My Passport) from Eclipse Series 17: Nikkatsu Noir.
About the films:
From the late 1950s through the sixties, wild, idiosyncratic crime movies were the brutal and boisterous business of Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan. In an effort to attract youthful audiences growing increasingly accustomed to American and French big-screen imports, Nikkatsu began producing action potboilers (mukokuseki akushun, or “borderless action”) that incorporated elements of the western, comedy, gangster, and teen-rebel genres. This bruised and bloody collection represents a standout cross section of what Nikkatsu had to offer, from such prominent,...
About the films:
From the late 1950s through the sixties, wild, idiosyncratic crime movies were the brutal and boisterous business of Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan. In an effort to attract youthful audiences growing increasingly accustomed to American and French big-screen imports, Nikkatsu began producing action potboilers (mukokuseki akushun, or “borderless action”) that incorporated elements of the western, comedy, gangster, and teen-rebel genres. This bruised and bloody collection represents a standout cross section of what Nikkatsu had to offer, from such prominent,...
- 3/11/2017
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this first episode of a two-part series, David and Trevor are joined by Pablo Knote to discuss three films (I am Waiting, Rusty Knife and Take Aim at the Police Van) from Eclipse Series 17: Nikkatsu Noir.
About the films:
From the late 1950s through the sixties, wild, idiosyncratic crime movies were the brutal and boisterous business of Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan. In an effort to attract youthful audiences growing increasingly accustomed to American and French big-screen imports, Nikkatsu began producing action potboilers (mukokuseki akushun, or “borderless action”) that incorporated elements of the western, comedy, gangster, and teen-rebel genres. This bruised and bloody collection represents a standout cross section of what Nikkatsu had to offer,...
About the films:
From the late 1950s through the sixties, wild, idiosyncratic crime movies were the brutal and boisterous business of Nikkatsu, the oldest film studio in Japan. In an effort to attract youthful audiences growing increasingly accustomed to American and French big-screen imports, Nikkatsu began producing action potboilers (mukokuseki akushun, or “borderless action”) that incorporated elements of the western, comedy, gangster, and teen-rebel genres. This bruised and bloody collection represents a standout cross section of what Nikkatsu had to offer,...
- 2/1/2017
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
To mark the release of Outlaw Gangster VIP: The Complete Collection on 18th April, we’ve been given 1 copy to give away on Blu-ray. In 1968, acclaimed director Toshio Masuda (Rusty Knife, Tora! Tora! Tora!) and rising star Tetsuya Watari (Tokyo Drifter) teamed up for Outlaw: Gangster VIP. The series offers up a depiction of
The post Win Outlaw Gangster VIP: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Win Outlaw Gangster VIP: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 4/18/2016
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Nikkatsu logo, especially in the late 1950s and early 1960s, was a bit of a promise – 80-100 minutes of wild guys, sexy ladies, mob showdowns, a handful of visually-striking locations (get ready for nothing but bars, nightclubs, and docks), and a good deal of brooding over morality before the inevitable eruption of violence. These were as programatic as they come, yet within those strictures, the filmmakers under contract to the studio found enough room to practice some pretty wild stuff, or at least have some fun in so doing. Though the true classics from the studio (especially those by Shohei Imamura and Seijun Suzuki) were definitely outliers, to the point that the directors behind them were punished or fired for making them, that baseline promise captured the imaginations of young moviegoers at the time and have remained steadfast pleasures for today’s cinephiles.
For those whose curiosity was piqued...
For those whose curiosity was piqued...
- 3/30/2016
- by Scott Nye
- CriterionCast
In celebration of Japan’s oldest film studio, Nikkatsu, Arrow Video assembles its first collection of titles reflecting the late 1950s inauguration of a star system contracted for their ‘Diamond Line.’ This trio of features reflects the rising popularity of extravagant genre narratives in the evolving system, and includes obscure titles from master auteurs such as Seijun Suzuki, Toshio Masuda, and Buichi Saito (early titles from Suzuki and Masuda were also part of a notable 2009 Eclipse series set, Nikkatsu Noir).
The pearl of the collection is Suzuki’s Voice without a Shadow, a rare gem from the master director’s early period. One of four films he made in 1958 (another being the early classic Underworld Beauty), it feels rather heavily modeled after various American film noir tropes, but in true Suzuki fashion, much more complicated. If “Beauty” felt like a generous Sam Fuller riff, then “Voice” seems a recalibration of something like Sorry,...
The pearl of the collection is Suzuki’s Voice without a Shadow, a rare gem from the master director’s early period. One of four films he made in 1958 (another being the early classic Underworld Beauty), it feels rather heavily modeled after various American film noir tropes, but in true Suzuki fashion, much more complicated. If “Beauty” felt like a generous Sam Fuller riff, then “Voice” seems a recalibration of something like Sorry,...
- 3/15/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Branded to Kill is among the Nikkatsu films to be screened.
The BFI will showcase a month long London film festival tribute to Japan's legendary Nikkatsu Studios during the month of June. Below is press release information:
The oldest of Japan’s film studios, Nikkatsu was established in 1912 as the Japan Cinematograph Company (Nippon katsudo shashin kaisha). Home to ‘father of Japanese cinema’ Shozo Makino, it fostered early directors like Kenji Mizoguchi, Daisuke Ito and Tomu Uchida, until restructuring of the industry by the wartime government in 1942 saw its production facilities hived off to form the new Daiei Corporation, with Nikkatsu surviving only in an exhibition capacity.
In 1954, Nikkatsu resumed production, rising phoenix-like under the guidance of studio head Kyusaku Hori to carve out a unique identity in the highly competitive market of the postwar Golden Age. Its breakthrough came with the 1956 double whammy of Takumi Furukawa’s Season of...
The BFI will showcase a month long London film festival tribute to Japan's legendary Nikkatsu Studios during the month of June. Below is press release information:
The oldest of Japan’s film studios, Nikkatsu was established in 1912 as the Japan Cinematograph Company (Nippon katsudo shashin kaisha). Home to ‘father of Japanese cinema’ Shozo Makino, it fostered early directors like Kenji Mizoguchi, Daisuke Ito and Tomu Uchida, until restructuring of the industry by the wartime government in 1942 saw its production facilities hived off to form the new Daiei Corporation, with Nikkatsu surviving only in an exhibition capacity.
In 1954, Nikkatsu resumed production, rising phoenix-like under the guidance of studio head Kyusaku Hori to carve out a unique identity in the highly competitive market of the postwar Golden Age. Its breakthrough came with the 1956 double whammy of Takumi Furukawa’s Season of...
- 5/21/2013
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
The Twitch curated Tokyo Drifters: 100 Years Of Nikkatsu screening series continues at the Tiff Bell Lightbox this Saturday with a rare screening of Masuda Toshioi's Rusty Knife. The first top ten hit from the future Nikkatsu hitmaker will screen from 35mm and you can win tickets now!The first of numerous top-ten box-office hits by Nikkatsu workhorse Toshio Masuda -- who went on to direct a whopping fifty-two features for the studio in just ten years -- Rusty Knife features top Nikkatsu star Yujiro Ishihara as Yukihiko, a former low-level yakuza freshly released from prison after serving a five-year term for killing the man he believed responsible for the rape and suicide of his girlfriend. Although he now intends to go straight, Yukihiko puts his...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 2/6/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Article by Dan Clark of Movie Revolt
Well it’s that time again, time for another installment of Streaming for Your Pleasure. With Memorial Day weekend upon us America is about to officially start the summer. Barbeques, beers, and beaches will surely take up much of our time this weekend, however let us not forget the purpose behind this day as we celebrate the glory that is a three day weekend. In all seriousness it is a time to honor our Veterans and current soldiers for the remarkable sacrifices they make. No matter what political stance you may take I feel that is one thing we can all get behind. With that in mind I dedicated this installment to all things military as I look at military centric films currently available on Netflix Streaming.
The Longest Day
Directed By: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, and Darryl F. Zanuck
Written...
Well it’s that time again, time for another installment of Streaming for Your Pleasure. With Memorial Day weekend upon us America is about to officially start the summer. Barbeques, beers, and beaches will surely take up much of our time this weekend, however let us not forget the purpose behind this day as we celebrate the glory that is a three day weekend. In all seriousness it is a time to honor our Veterans and current soldiers for the remarkable sacrifices they make. No matter what political stance you may take I feel that is one thing we can all get behind. With that in mind I dedicated this installment to all things military as I look at military centric films currently available on Netflix Streaming.
The Longest Day
Directed By: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki, and Darryl F. Zanuck
Written...
- 5/30/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Beginning today, TCM.s 31 Days Of Oscar® and host, Robert Osborne are taking viewers on a trip around the world through nearly 350 Academy Award®-nominated and winning films. Throughout the month, TCM will feature movies set in 47 worldwide locations such as Canada (Feb. 2), Germany (Feb. 7), Italy (Feb. 14), Africa (Feb. 15-16), Russia (Feb. 16), Southeast Asia (Feb. 23), the Middle East (Feb. 28), China (Feb. 29), Japan (March 1) and Hawaii (March 1). Sit back and enjoy the adventure!
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is packing its bags and hitting the road for a globe-trotting February packed with the very best in movie entertainment. With each night.s programming set in a different location, the 2012 edition of TCM.s ultra-popular 31 Days Of Oscar® is going to take viewers on a trip around the world through nearly 350 Academy Award®-nominated and winning films. The extraordinary lineup features 25 Best Picture honorees and 30 movies appearing on TCM for the very first time.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is packing its bags and hitting the road for a globe-trotting February packed with the very best in movie entertainment. With each night.s programming set in a different location, the 2012 edition of TCM.s ultra-popular 31 Days Of Oscar® is going to take viewers on a trip around the world through nearly 350 Academy Award®-nominated and winning films. The extraordinary lineup features 25 Best Picture honorees and 30 movies appearing on TCM for the very first time.
- 2/2/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Hideaki Nitani and Yujiro Ishihara
in Toshio Masuda's Red Handkerchief (1964)
Via Cinema Strikes Back
"Sad news the weekend for fans of Nikkatsu action films of the 1960s," writes Chris MaGee at J-Film Pow-Wow. "Actor Hideaki Nitani, best known for his supporting roles in such films as Underworld Beauty and Tokyo Drifter, died of pneumonia on Saturday, January 7th at a Tokyo hospital. He was 81…. In 1954 Nikkatsu had finally begun to produce films again after having temporarily shuttering itself during the post-war Us Occupation. Joining Nitani during this hiring blitz were stars like Akira Kobayashi, Yujiro Ishihara and Jo Shishido. Nitani made his screen debut in 1956 in Takumi Furukawa's The People of Okinawa. This would begin a string of roles, mostly as tough guys and gangsters, in the films of Seijun Suzuki, Yuzo Kawashima, Ko Nakahira, and Koreyoshi Kurahara, amongst others."
From the Mainichi Daily News: "Nitani shifted his...
in Toshio Masuda's Red Handkerchief (1964)
Via Cinema Strikes Back
"Sad news the weekend for fans of Nikkatsu action films of the 1960s," writes Chris MaGee at J-Film Pow-Wow. "Actor Hideaki Nitani, best known for his supporting roles in such films as Underworld Beauty and Tokyo Drifter, died of pneumonia on Saturday, January 7th at a Tokyo hospital. He was 81…. In 1954 Nikkatsu had finally begun to produce films again after having temporarily shuttering itself during the post-war Us Occupation. Joining Nitani during this hiring blitz were stars like Akira Kobayashi, Yujiro Ishihara and Jo Shishido. Nitani made his screen debut in 1956 in Takumi Furukawa's The People of Okinawa. This would begin a string of roles, mostly as tough guys and gangsters, in the films of Seijun Suzuki, Yuzo Kawashima, Ko Nakahira, and Koreyoshi Kurahara, amongst others."
From the Mainichi Daily News: "Nitani shifted his...
- 1/9/2012
- MUBI
Blu-ray Review
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Directed by: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda
Cast: Jason Robards, Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Takahiro Tamura
Running Time: 2 hr 25 min
Rating: G
Due Out: December 6, 2011
Plot: The story of the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor is told from the point of view of both sides of the conflict.
Who’S It For? War buffs, your Dad, but also any American who wants to know a little more about their country’s history.
Movie:
Though not a financial success at the time of its release, Tora! Tora! Tora! has aged well thanks to the accuracy of the filmmakers. Unlike Pearl Harbor, the filmmakers focus on the actual story of the attack and the events that led up to it, rather than trying to force in a love story or anything else that may detract from what happened. Also, to tell the story from both sides,...
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Directed by: Richard Fleischer, Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda
Cast: Jason Robards, Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Takahiro Tamura
Running Time: 2 hr 25 min
Rating: G
Due Out: December 6, 2011
Plot: The story of the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor is told from the point of view of both sides of the conflict.
Who’S It For? War buffs, your Dad, but also any American who wants to know a little more about their country’s history.
Movie:
Though not a financial success at the time of its release, Tora! Tora! Tora! has aged well thanks to the accuracy of the filmmakers. Unlike Pearl Harbor, the filmmakers focus on the actual story of the attack and the events that led up to it, rather than trying to force in a love story or anything else that may detract from what happened. Also, to tell the story from both sides,...
- 12/16/2011
- by Megan Lehar
- The Scorecard Review
DVD Playhouse—December 2011
By Allen Gardner
The Rules Of The Game (Criterion) Jean Renoir’s classic from 1939 was met with a riot at its premiere and was severely cut by its distributor, available only in truncated form for two decades until it was restored to the grandeur for which it is celebrated today. A biting comedy of manners set in the upstairs and downstairs of a French country estate, the film bitterly vivisects the bourgeoisie with a gentle ferocity that will tickle the laughter in your throat. Renoir co-stars as Octave. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Introduction to the film by Renoir; Commentary written by scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by Peter Bogdanovich; Comparison of the film’s two endings; Selected scene analysis by Renoir scholar Chris Faulkner; Featurettes and vintage film clips; Part one of David Thomson’s “Jean Renoir” BBC documentary; Video essay; Interviews with Renoir, crew members,...
By Allen Gardner
The Rules Of The Game (Criterion) Jean Renoir’s classic from 1939 was met with a riot at its premiere and was severely cut by its distributor, available only in truncated form for two decades until it was restored to the grandeur for which it is celebrated today. A biting comedy of manners set in the upstairs and downstairs of a French country estate, the film bitterly vivisects the bourgeoisie with a gentle ferocity that will tickle the laughter in your throat. Renoir co-stars as Octave. Also available on Blu-ray disc. Bonuses: Introduction to the film by Renoir; Commentary written by scholar Alexander Sesonske and read by Peter Bogdanovich; Comparison of the film’s two endings; Selected scene analysis by Renoir scholar Chris Faulkner; Featurettes and vintage film clips; Part one of David Thomson’s “Jean Renoir” BBC documentary; Video essay; Interviews with Renoir, crew members,...
- 12/12/2011
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
This is one of my favorite World War II films. Tora! Tora! Tora! was also one of the few Hollywood productions that took any time to examine the Japanese side of the Pearl Harbor bombing that instigated Us involvement in the war in the Pacific. This film was a huge undertaking, and as such, Fox loaded some big talent into the project.The film had two credited directors, Richard Fleischer (Soylent Green, Mandingo, 10 Rillington Place) for the American side of the story, and Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale, Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Cops Vs Thugs) & Toshio Masuda. These are just the three who made it to the end, initially the idea was to get the master, Akira Kurosawa, to direct the Japanese sequences, however,...
- 9/9/2011
- Screen Anarchy
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release 1970’s Tora! Tora! Tora!, the seminal World War II action film about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, on Blu-ray for the very first time on December 6.
No list price has been announced yet.
Pearl Harbor is attacked on December 7, 1941 in Tora! Tora! Tora!
Directed by Richard Fleischer (Soylent Green)–with Japanese sequences helmed by Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda–and starring Martin Balsam (Psycho), Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane) and Jason Robards (All the President’s Men), Tora! Tora! Tora is best remembered for utilizing footage from the actual attack on Pearl Harbor. This new edition will feature the extended Japanese cut of the film containing 10 minutes of previously unreleased footage.
Not surprisingly, the Blu-ray is being issued on the week of the 70th anniversary of the attack.
There’s no official word yet about other supplements that are slated for the...
No list price has been announced yet.
Pearl Harbor is attacked on December 7, 1941 in Tora! Tora! Tora!
Directed by Richard Fleischer (Soylent Green)–with Japanese sequences helmed by Kinji Fukasaku and Toshio Masuda–and starring Martin Balsam (Psycho), Joseph Cotten (Citizen Kane) and Jason Robards (All the President’s Men), Tora! Tora! Tora is best remembered for utilizing footage from the actual attack on Pearl Harbor. This new edition will feature the extended Japanese cut of the film containing 10 minutes of previously unreleased footage.
Not surprisingly, the Blu-ray is being issued on the week of the 70th anniversary of the attack.
There’s no official word yet about other supplements that are slated for the...
- 6/30/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
This one is coming up late, due to Criterion jam packing a ton of releases on Friday, right while I was finishing up the original post. I think they wanted to mess with me, which is very funny. But being the premier (and only) site that gives you the best coverage of Hulu Plus movies, I don’t mind taking the time at all. I’m hoping it has nothing to do with the recent shake-up going on that Josh just reported on the other day (here), and with Hulu wanting to be bought because of financial problems stemming from multiple sources, this makes one wonder what’s going to happen to the Criterion Collection and their deal with Hulu. I’m crossing my fingers that whoever buys the service, be it Amazon, Google or Yahoo (who is the frontrunner), it doesn’t ruin the deal in place for Criterion and its films.
- 6/26/2011
- by James McCormick
- CriterionCast
Way back in the ancient year of 2007, a retrospective entitled Nikkatsu Action made the rounds at festivals such as Fantastic Fest and Fantasia. For many, this series was the first introduction to this unique and stunning style of action and crime films from Nikkatsu. On August 25, 2009, Eclipse, which is a Criterion sub-label, released a Region 1 box set of five DVDs entitled Nikkatsu Noir. The set includes Takashi Nomura’s exceptional A Colt is My Passport (1967), which played as part of the Nikkatsu Action retrospective, as well 4 other titles: Koreyoshi Kurahara’s I Am Waiting (1957), Toshio Masuda’s Rusty Knife (1958), Seijun Suzuki’s Take Aim at the Police Van (1960), and Takumi Furukawa’s Cruel Gun Story (1964). Reviews of the films in the set will appear on Twitch in the near future, but do not wait: seek out this set as soon as possible.
- 8/27/2009
- by Rodney Perkins
- Screen Anarchy
Ratings History: Opening in theaters in Thailand this past weekend, Yuthlert Sippapak's Buppah Rahtree 3.2: Rahtree's Revenge made history as "the first Thai film to be classified under Thailand's new motion-picture ratings system," reports Wise Kwai at his Thai Film Journal. The latest installment of a series that began with one of my favorite comedy / horror films of all time, Rahtree's Revenge is "suggested only for viewers aged 18 and older." Wise Kwai points out that Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds probably has the honor as the first film from any country to be rated under the new Thai system.
Classic Film Noir on DVD: The next edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, is fast approaching; meanwhile, one of my personal highlights from two years ago will finally be released on DVD tomorrow. Eclipse Series 17: Nikkatsu Noir, a five-disc box set from the Criterion Collection, features Takashi Nomura...
Classic Film Noir on DVD: The next edition of Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, is fast approaching; meanwhile, one of my personal highlights from two years ago will finally be released on DVD tomorrow. Eclipse Series 17: Nikkatsu Noir, a five-disc box set from the Criterion Collection, features Takashi Nomura...
- 8/24/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
Sing it with me now!
We’re off to outer space
We’re leaving Mother Earth
To save the Human race
Our StarBlazers!
Oh the memories. On this side of the Pacific it was called Starblazers. Back in its homeland it was called Space Battleship Yamato. It was also called ‘Damn cool’ by any kid who saw when they were growing up. And we can all rejoice, run up to complete strangers in the street, give them a great big hug and yell at them, ‘Its back, its coming back. Space Battleship Yamato is coming back!’ It has been 25 years since the last film screened in cinemas and it is making its valiant return thanks in whole to original Yamato producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki. He may be 73 years old but by golly if he still doesn’t have the heart of a child.
To achieve that, Nishizaki has founded Yamato Studio,...
We’re off to outer space
We’re leaving Mother Earth
To save the Human race
Our StarBlazers!
Oh the memories. On this side of the Pacific it was called Starblazers. Back in its homeland it was called Space Battleship Yamato. It was also called ‘Damn cool’ by any kid who saw when they were growing up. And we can all rejoice, run up to complete strangers in the street, give them a great big hug and yell at them, ‘Its back, its coming back. Space Battleship Yamato is coming back!’ It has been 25 years since the last film screened in cinemas and it is making its valiant return thanks in whole to original Yamato producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki. He may be 73 years old but by golly if he still doesn’t have the heart of a child.
To achieve that, Nishizaki has founded Yamato Studio,...
- 8/2/2008
- by Mack
- Screen Anarchy
The third and final entry in the Nikkatsu Action retrospective at this year’s Fantasia Festival, Gangster VIP reunites director Toshio Masuda, star Tetsuya Watari and production designer Takeo Kimura from Velvet Hustler but the two films could scarcely be more different. Where Hustler was a light, playful film Gangster VIP is a much darker piece, one revolving around a man consumed by his circumstances, fully aware that his lifestyle will consume everyone around him and forced by his conscience to therefore shun any sort of “decent” relationships so that only those who somehow deserve it will be in the line of fire. Based loosely on the story of real life gangster Goro Fujita, Gangster VIP casts Watari as a sort of noble outcast, someone forced by poverty into a life of crime but also someone who has managed to retain a sense of honor and who recognizes fully that...
- 7/15/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
Goro likes a simple life. The big city. Fast cars. Faster women. That’s all it takes to keep the carefree young man happy. Put him behind the wheel of a car and he has not a care in the world, whistling on his way to work. That the car is stolen and Goro works as a hitman seem almost secondary, secondary that is until Goro draws the task of killing the head of an opposing crime family and then must hide in Kobe - to his point of view a backwards, vulgar place with nothing worthwhile to do. Not to worry, he’s told, it shouldn’t be a long stay. The family will take care of things here and when everything is settled Goro will be free to return.
This is the world of Velvet Hustler, a surprisingly light hearted and carefree crime romp from director Toshio Masuda...
This is the world of Velvet Hustler, a surprisingly light hearted and carefree crime romp from director Toshio Masuda...
- 7/13/2008
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
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