Category: Foreign Films I Don’t Hate
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Criterion: I Live In Fear (*****) has reason on all sides
Kurosawa, Shimura and Mifune by this point are in full swing. There is nothing in the world that matches their ability to relay a story.
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Criterion: Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (****) begins a great adventure
This is definitely a star turn for Mifune, if there ever was one. His performance is exceptional and layered.
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Criterion: Seven Samurai (*****) stands the test of time
Seven Samurai should be Movies 101 for any serious lover of film. If you haven’t seen it, you should.
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The Fifth Element (****) is worth Another Look
The name Korben Dallas just begs for a series of sequels. These never happened. Maybe it is for the best, but I could have enjoyed a few more ventures to other planets in the future.
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Criterion: The Idiot (**) – Pure soul / faithless world / messy film
There is no known full version of this film. If there were, it might take me a year to finish. It would likely be a lot better, though.
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Criterion: Stray Dog (***1/2) wanders beautifully
It’s the invention of the buddy cop trope that gets Stray Dog it’s spot as a Criterion release.
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Criterion: Drunken Angel (****) is a stunning look at postwar Japan
Drunken Angel is a flawed, but brilliant first film by one of the world’s greatest directors. Knowing he is this good when he started out makes me hopeful for a future I already know.
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Criterion: Snow Trail (****) – Mifune’s debut has another star
It’s Shimura who steals this story, though. His performance connects the viewer to the humanity of some of the fiercest combatants of the Western world in a format we all can relate to, no matter the barrier.
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Criterion: The Seventh Seal (****) Death went up to Denmark
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There are people out in the world, no matter how much is shut down. They fight a battle just like the one being fought here. Like Block, some of them just need a reason to carry on.
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Criterion: 8 1/2 is a critic’s dream / director’s nightmare
As if a critic knows what’s worth creating. “To learn silence,” indeed.
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 