Toshiro Mifune – Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews

For those worried that Mifune’s film quality might recede without his great collaborator, this is exhibit D (The Samurai Trilogy being A, B and C) that his instincts were good.

Criterion: The Sword of Doom (***) doesn’t land flush

Jul 24, 2020

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coolpapae

in 3 Stars, Action, CPE, Criterion, Foreign Films I Don’t Hate, Movie Reviews, Toshiro Mifune

A weak third act tears down the momentum of what could be a classic film.

Criterion: Red Beard(****) -Kurosawa’s Last with Mifune

Jul 18, 2020

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coolpapae

in 4 Stars, CPE, Criterion, Drama, Foreign Films I Don’t Hate, Movie Reviews, Toshiro Mifune

This is not Kurosawa’s best work. In many ways, it is a film of its time. Much of Kurosawa’s work is more of the timeless quality. This feels like something one might have seen from some of the better television dramas of the 1960’s. For that, it is still worth our time.

Criterion: High and Low (****) Parasite from the age of the morality play

Jul 12, 2020

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coolpapae

in 4 Stars, CPE, Criterion, Drama, Foreign Films I Don’t Hate, Toshiro Mifune

The director’s master of wide screen is such an art by this point that it feels like an entirely different story is being told for long, wordless passages.

Criterion: Yojimbo and Sanjuro – The Masters at play (****1/2)

Jun 29, 2020

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coolpapae

in 4.5 Stars, Action, Classic, Comedy, Criterion, Foreign Films I Don’t Hate, Movie Reviews, Toshiro Mifune

It’s a pleasant consequence of having the skill to turn above average into the unforgettable. These films should not be important bedrock films. Yet here they are, standing head and shoulders above, almost 60 years later.

Criterion: The Bad Sleep Well (****1/2) Pigs on the Wing

Jun 9, 2020

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coolpapae

in 4.5 Stars, Criterion, Drama, Foreign Films I Don’t Hate, Movie Reviews, Toshiro Mifune

Like anything Kurosawa does by now, it’s completely worthwhile and a keeper for the memory book. No one has better control of the images one sees through lighting, angles and dialogue. He controls the mood of the viewer at his whim. It’s hard to imagine a better film maker from his time.

Criterion: The Hidden Fortress (****) Gold in the wood

May 25, 2020

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coolpapae

in 4 Stars, Action, Criterion, Foreign Films I Don’t Hate, Movie Reviews, Toshiro Mifune

This is a good film, with some wonderful elements. Even if it is a bit too indulgent with wackiness, the story and Kurosawa’s eloquent use of wide screen are worth repeated viewings.

Criterion: The Lower Depths (****) life by the drop

May 22, 2020

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coolpapae

in 4 Stars, Criterion, Drama, Foreign Films I Don’t Hate, Movie Reviews, Toshiro Mifune

Into this miserable world walks an old, happy man (Hidari) who has something positive and distinct to say for everyone. This is enough to get several of the stories to explode into the open.