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(05/19/05 3:46pm)
Danny Boyle is the last director I expected to make a children's movie. With a track record of films involving heroin addicts ("Trainspotting"), island paradise lunatics ("The Beach") and murderous "zombie" masses ("28 Days Later"), no one suspected Boyle to suddenly make a movie that didn't have an R-rating. Surprisingly enough, Boyle's entry into family entertainment in the form of "Millions" is a successful one.\nBrothers Damian (Alex Etel) and Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon) have recently lost their mum and their father Ronnie (James Nesbitt) decides it is time to move into a new home and begin a new life. In the midst of all the unpacking, Damian decides to begin building a cardboard-box fort outside the railroad tracks in his backyard. Unfortunately, this fort is soon no more, as a giant black Nike bag comes crashing into it carrying well more than 200,000 British pounds. The worst part? It's a week before the United Kingdom permanently switches over to the Euro currency so there is very little time to use the money. While Anthony prefers to buy friends and objects, young Damian is more concerned with helping out the needy. Constantly encouraged by holy visions from the saints Damian so strongly admires, it's only a matter of time until a certain someone comes looking for the bag they "lost."\nBoth Etel and McGibbon made their acting debuts in "Millions" and the results are incredibly convincing. Etel proves to be innocent and incorruptible while McGibbon comes off as the typical annoying older brother who claims to know everything. They make for a great pairing. Hell, they look like they're actually brothers, and I enjoyed their interaction.\nDanny Boyle seems to be pulling tricks out of Tim Burton's directorial hat as the film is wildly imaginative and surreal at times. From the boys racing their bikes through myriads of sunflowers to watching their house be built from the ground up in a matter of seconds, "Millions" is visually appealing in every aspect and at times magical. Even the musical score, arranged by John Murphy, is hauntingly reminiscent of the usual Burton/Danny Elfman collaboration. \nThe only thing that really hurts "Millions" is its running time. While it would seem that a movie around 100 minutes would fly by in no time, I think that if chopped down to 80 minutes then it would've been much tighter and flowed even quicker. This comes as no surprise though, considering it seems to happen in every Danny Boyle movie I've seen before. \nSmall nitpicks aside, "Millions" is still great entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. In a movie world where the family is constantly drawn to the newest "Harry Potter" sequel or latest Pixar concoction, it's good to finally see some variation on the big screen.
(05/19/05 4:00am)
Danny Boyle is the last director I expected to make a children's movie. With a track record of films involving heroin addicts ("Trainspotting"), island paradise lunatics ("The Beach") and murderous "zombie" masses ("28 Days Later"), no one suspected Boyle to suddenly make a movie that didn't have an R-rating. Surprisingly enough, Boyle's entry into family entertainment in the form of "Millions" is a successful one.\nBrothers Damian (Alex Etel) and Anthony (Lewis Owen McGibbon) have recently lost their mum and their father Ronnie (James Nesbitt) decides it is time to move into a new home and begin a new life. In the midst of all the unpacking, Damian decides to begin building a cardboard-box fort outside the railroad tracks in his backyard. Unfortunately, this fort is soon no more, as a giant black Nike bag comes crashing into it carrying well more than 200,000 British pounds. The worst part? It's a week before the United Kingdom permanently switches over to the Euro currency so there is very little time to use the money. While Anthony prefers to buy friends and objects, young Damian is more concerned with helping out the needy. Constantly encouraged by holy visions from the saints Damian so strongly admires, it's only a matter of time until a certain someone comes looking for the bag they "lost."\nBoth Etel and McGibbon made their acting debuts in "Millions" and the results are incredibly convincing. Etel proves to be innocent and incorruptible while McGibbon comes off as the typical annoying older brother who claims to know everything. They make for a great pairing. Hell, they look like they're actually brothers, and I enjoyed their interaction.\nDanny Boyle seems to be pulling tricks out of Tim Burton's directorial hat as the film is wildly imaginative and surreal at times. From the boys racing their bikes through myriads of sunflowers to watching their house be built from the ground up in a matter of seconds, "Millions" is visually appealing in every aspect and at times magical. Even the musical score, arranged by John Murphy, is hauntingly reminiscent of the usual Burton/Danny Elfman collaboration. \nThe only thing that really hurts "Millions" is its running time. While it would seem that a movie around 100 minutes would fly by in no time, I think that if chopped down to 80 minutes then it would've been much tighter and flowed even quicker. This comes as no surprise though, considering it seems to happen in every Danny Boyle movie I've seen before. \nSmall nitpicks aside, "Millions" is still great entertainment that the whole family can enjoy. In a movie world where the family is constantly drawn to the newest "Harry Potter" sequel or latest Pixar concoction, it's good to finally see some variation on the big screen.
(05/19/05 4:00am)
The release of "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" is something I had eagerly anticipated for a long time. I had heard rave reviews from the Cannes Film Festival, watched the film collect a couple Golden Globes and yet it never came out in theaters nor did I have access to HBO which it premiered on. So finally "Life and Death" finds its home on DVD and I must say I'm not pleased with the results.\nAvoiding any sort of back story whatsoever, the film jumps right in at Peter Sellers' (Geoffrey Rush) switch from hosting BBC radio programs to his acting career on the big screen. We watch his life unfold through various episodes ranging from his numerous collaborations with Blake Edwards (John Lithgow) on the popular "Pink Panther" series and a short focus on Stanley Kubrick's (Stanley Tucci) "Dr. Strangelove." Rather than remain focused on his films, the bigger picture is looking at how Sellers deconstructed himself and fell into various bouts of depression, which ruined marriages to original wife Anne (Emily Watson) and subsequent wife Britt Eckland (Charlize Theron). \nFirst and foremost, if you have never seen a Peter Sellers film, don't even bother watching "Life and Death" until you have. It isn't really a proper biopic and a lot of the jokes (which are quite sparse) are derived directly from his movies and aren't that funny without the background. The best part of the movie is Rush's performance as Sellers because he is dead-on every time and even looks exactly like him. However, like a lot of Sellers' movies, the rest of the cast remains in the background. Watson, Theron and Lithgow's performances are so random and episodic that they don't really have much time to shine. The relationship between Kubrick and Sellers, something I was really hoping would be covered in detail considering Kubrick loved Sellers' acting abilities, amounted to less than five minutes of screen time for Tucci. At almost two hours, a large part of the movie is a complete downer.\nThe DVD extras come with two commentary tracks, one featuring Geoffrey Rush and director Stephen Hopkins while the other has writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. There is 20 minutes worth of deleted scenes which thankfully remained cut out, considering they were all depressing, save one where Sellers keeps crashing his car into every car on the street. Finally, there is the typical making-of featurette containing interviews spliced with clips of the movie to fill up time. It was interesting hearing what the real Blake Edwards had to say about the movie, but nothing ground-breaking is discussed. \nIn the end, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" isn't really a laughing matter. It's a serious look at one of cinema's greatest comedic chameleons and this ends up hurting the film. My advice would be just pickup "Dr. Strangelove" or the original "Pink Panther" flick and have yourself a good laugh.
(05/19/05 1:45am)
Students who have long awaited the arrival of the DVD "Kinsey" might be surprised to learn that the film still credits the "University of Indiana" instead of IU.\nOscar-winning writer/director Bill Condon apologized for this mistake when he attended the special premiere of the movie in November at the IU Auditorium. He promised then the credits would be fixed when the movie went to widespread audiences.\nLarry MacIntyre, IU's director of media relations, said the mistake is unfortunate but certainly not intended.\n"We would wish he made the change and I know Bill (Condon) was very sincere in wanting to change the credits," he said. "It was probably just an oversight."\nDespite not making the correction, IU's campus is featured in the documentary portion of the double-disc DVD. Released on Tuesday, there are two different versions of the DVD. The two-disc set, in addition to containing a commentary by Condon, 20 deleted scenes and a gag reel, also features three supplements directly related to the Kinsey Institute.\nThe first, a documentary titled "The Kinsey Report: Sex on Film," covers the beginnings of the production process all the way up to the premiere hosted on the IU campus. "Sex Ed. at The Kinsey Institute" is a short featurette with Kinsey Institute curator Catherine Johnson-Roehr which showcases some of the sexual artwork and artifacts contained in the museum. \nThere is also an "Interactive Sex Questionnaire," developed by Kinsey Institute research scientist Erick Janssen, which allows the viewer to answer sexual history questions similar to those asked by Kinsey's research assistants in the film.\nJennifer Bass, head of information services at the Kinsey Institute, said she was pleased the institute was so involved with the DVD. \n"It was such a great opportunity for us to get out information about the current Kinsey Institute and give viewers an introduction to us here at IU," Bass said. "We're very pleased with the documentary and all the special features associated with the Institute on the DVD release." \nBass said she didn't know about "University of Indiana" remaining in the credits.\nThe biopic, which tells the story of IU professor and human sexuality research pioneer Alfred C. Kinsey, was released in theaters nationwide in late November 2004. The film, however, had been in pre-production stages as early as 2000.\nJoshua Corum, a junior majoring in human sexuality and psychology, said he enjoyed the movie and thought it helped attract attention to the subject.\n"I thought ("Kinsey") was great, however, I don't think it got enough press or praise," said. "Sex research has been a controversial subject. I felt this movie helped shed some light on the level of professionalism, maturity and open-mindedness it takes to do such research."\nThe film, which cast Oscar nominees Liam Neeson ("Schindler's List") as Alfred Kinsey and Laura Linney ("You Can Count on Me") as his wife Clara, details the life of the Kinsey Institute's founding figurehead from his early childhood, his collection research of gall wasps and finally his interest in human sexuality which lead to the publication of "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" in 1948. IU held a special premiere of the film to coincide with the release on Nov. 13, 2004, where Linney and Condon made a special appearance. \nAt the premiere, Condon told the audience, "I know when Dr. Kinsey became famous he was once asked 'what about a Hollywood picture based on your life?' And he said 'I can't think of anything more pointless.' So here we are!"\nWhen awards season came about, "Kinsey" received three Golden Globe nominations (Best Picture -- Drama; Best Performance by an Actor -- Neeson; Best Performance by a Supporting Actress -- Linney). Linney also received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.
(05/12/05 4:00am)
Epic filmmaking has been in a rut ever since the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy ended in 2003. Antoine Fuqua's "King Arthur" was a disaster, Wolfgang Petersen botched "Troy" and I didn't even bother seeing Oliver Stone's "Alexander" biopic. The problem? None of these directors were really qualified to make an epic. When I learned Ridley Scott was helming "Kingdom of Heaven," I definitely had confidence in the same man who brought us "Blade Runner," "Black Hawk Down" and of course "Gladiator." \n"Kingdom of Heaven's" storyline revolves around the story of a young blacksmith named Balian (Orlando Bloom) who is visited by Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a baron claiming to be his father. Balian dismisses the man wishing only to go about his craft until he commits murder and has no choice but to flee town. Balian catches up with the baron intent on traveling to Jerusalem until local authorities catch up and battle ensues. Godfrey is wounded and shortly after passes away but not before passing his title onto his son. Balian then travels to Jerusalem and finds himself serving under the leprosy-stricken King Baldwin (Edward Norton). Notions of war slowly begin brewing as Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) and Reynald (Brendan Gleeson) disrupt the mutual peace between Jerusalem and the Muslim nation. The passing of King Baldwin allows Lusignan to take the throne. Sure enough, he announces war on the Muslims and yet another crusade ensues over the Jerusalem. \nWe've seen Orlando try and make a name for himself ever since "LOTR" put him on the map and the results were disappointing. While his performance in "Troy" was laughable, Orlando succeeds with "Kingdom." He is strong, confident and embodies the qualities of a man of knightly caliber with the only real complaint being that sometimes he seems too one-dimensional due to lacking an emotional range. The short performances by Neeson and Jeremy Irons, the latter playing enforcer Tiberias, are wonderfully convincing and I only wished they had more screen time. Eva Green is gorgeous and alluring as she plays Orlando's love interest despite being the wife of Lusignan. Edward Norton is also noteworthy considering even though we never see his face from behind the iron mask, his presence as King Baldwin is mysteriously engaging. My only real complaint with actors was that Csokas seemed very off-key at times while Brendan Gleeson was just too awkward.\nThe cinematography is breathtaking thanks to John Mathieson, who had previously collaborated with Scott on "Gladiator," "Hannibal" and "Matchstick Men." The beautiful landscapes and horrifying warfare makes you feel immersed in the film and that is one of the great qualities that Scott possesses in his films: the ability to put you in his cinematically crafted world. His world in "Kingdom" becomes very secular, not giving any preference towards the religion of Christians or Muslims, and this helps the film succeed. The only real problem with "Kingdom" is that it seems very rushed in certain places. Over 30 minutes were cut from Scott's original film so hopefully a future DVD release sees these elements restored. \nThere was a lot riding on "Kingdom of Heaven" since all recent epics were such upsets. While it may seem too rushed in areas, "Kingdom" is a solid film thanks to cast, crew and certainly Ridley Scott. It's been five years since "Gladiator" and about time Scott was handed another $100 million-plus budget. He makes excellent use of the money, creating an epic with satisfying end results.
(05/12/05 4:00am)
So far in my life I have seen three versions of "The Phantom of the Opera" and none of them were on the stage. Although I have never experienced Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical spectacle based on Gaston Leroux's novel, I have seen different cinematic interpretations of the same story. There is the old classic of the 1920s featuring the chilling Lon Chaney, a mediocre made-for-TV version with a then very old Burt Lancaster, and finally Italian horror master Dario Argento's gory take on the subject. Now I can say that I've seen the biggest budgeted version of "Phantom" and am rather disappointed with the results.\nThe Webber/Schumacher version starts off at an auction after the opera house has been destroyed by the infamous Phantom (Gerard Butler). The auctioning of a broken chandelier leads directly into a retelling of what occurred in this very location. The opera diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver) is furious over the replacement of the theater's manager and storms away leaving the production without a lead. The new managers decide to give the young Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum) a chance at stardom and the results prove successful. Raoul de Chagny (Patrick Wilson), a childhood sweetheart, happens to catch Christine's debut and soon she is unable to decide who to dedicate her love toward: Raoul or her teacher, the Phantom. From this point on Christine is fought over by the two men who desire to be with her. \nWhile "Phantom" is full of eye candy in the forms of wonderful cinematography, extravagant costumes and the adorable Emmy Rossum, the movie overall seems to lack any form of excitement. The musical score is quite impressive but a fair amount of the vocal performances, especially those of Butler's "Phantom," wind up either boring, annoying or in many cases both. Clocking in at almost two and a half hours, that's a lot to endure if your attention is only kept by all the pretty things onscreen. And hey, it didn't really help much with picking Joel Schumacher as director because if anyone knows about poor filmmaking, he gets a gold star in it. \nThere are two different versions available of "Phantom": the first being a bare bones release with nothing besides the theatrical trailer while the other is a two-disc set full of supplements. The documentary "Behind the Mask" gives you a look at the history behind one of Webber's most successful Broadway musicals. There are three featurettes which cover the pre-production and filming processes and one even deals with the choice of Joel Schumacher as director. You also get a deleted scene titled "No One Would Listen" which is one of the newly-written songs for the film that got left on the cutting room floor. Surprisingly enough, there is no commentary from Webber which I was expecting since he has been trying to make this film for over a decade.\nWebber's "The Phantom of the Opera" film counterpart is probably greatly appreciated by those who've actually seen the theater production of it but for me I was left with a rather dry taste in my mouth. The musical is a genre that Hollywood is trying to revive in this day and age and I find myself much more impressed with the flamboyantly arrogant "Chicago" and humorously entertaining "Moulin Rouge." Phantom's extras make this a good rental, but doesn't merit a purchase.
(05/12/05 4:00am)
When it comes to Italian comedy, there are the good films and the great films, with a majority of them falling into the latter. These greats come from the likes of directors Federico Fellini and Mario Monicelli just to name a few. Yet there is one man, Pietro Germi, whose relatively serious demeanor was capable of making comedic gold in the form of "Divorce Italian Style."\nThe story of "Divorce Italian Style" is a delightfully simple one. Baron Ferdinando Cefalú (Marcello Mastroianni) is frustrated with his current marriage to wife Rosalia (Daniela Rocca) and desires to marry his cousin Angela (Stefania Sandrelli). The problem is that divorce is illegal in Italy and therefore he is stuck longing to commit adultery. The desire to murder his wife in various ways comes to mind but he cannot justify getting away with any of them without facing serious repercussions. When the Baron learns of the return of his wife's pre-marriage love interest Carmelo (Leopoldo Trieste), he devises a plan to catch her in an act of infidelity which would justify his murderous rage and allow remarriage to Angela. \nThe film proves to be quite entertaining and humorous from start to finish. Mastroianni is one of the Italian comedic geniuses who does a great job in "Divorce" with only his contributions to Fellini's films besting this performance. He is simply delightful with his sleepy-eyed gaze and amusing ideas of murder ranging from the typical stabbing and shooting to sending his wife off to space in a rocket. Rocca comes off as plain annoying with her overly-caring attitude and constant banshee-esque howling laughter. I make mention of Fellini because this film not only resembles the same "comedic value through facial expression" that Fellini so routinely used but it also pokes fun at one of Fellini's greatest comedies, "La Dolce Vita," which caused a crazy uproar in Italy the year prior to the release of "Divorce." \nThis double-disc set is made up of a wonderful black and white transfer of "Divorce Italian Style" and numerous supplements which cover one of Italy's lesser known film directors. The documentary "The Man with a Cigar in His Mouth" features interviews with Germi's friends and contains much detail about his career. "Delighting in Contrasts" is another set of interviews taken in 2004 which discusses "Divorce" from cast and crew members. In addition there are screen tests from the casting call and an interview with screenwriter Ennio De Concini whose screenplay ended up winning the 1962 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Finally, a 28-page booklet rounds out the set including essays on the film from the likes of Martin Scorsese and others. \nIf you're a fan of comedies and have never had the chance to see "Divorce Italian Style," I encourage you to track down the DVD and give it a shot. It is hilarious from start to finish and ranks quite high on my list of Italian favorites. "Divorce" is a great entry into the Italian style of comedy and hopefully at the end you'll find yourself craving more.
(05/12/05 1:48am)
When it comes to Italian comedy, there are the good films and the great films, with a majority of them falling into the latter. These greats come from the likes of directors Federico Fellini and Mario Monicelli just to name a few. Yet there is one man, Pietro Germi, whose relatively serious demeanor was capable of making comedic gold in the form of "Divorce Italian Style."\nThe story of "Divorce Italian Style" is a delightfully simple one. Baron Ferdinando Cefalú (Marcello Mastroianni) is frustrated with his current marriage to wife Rosalia (Daniela Rocca) and desires to marry his cousin Angela (Stefania Sandrelli). The problem is that divorce is illegal in Italy and therefore he is stuck longing to commit adultery. The desire to murder his wife in various ways comes to mind but he cannot justify getting away with any of them without facing serious repercussions. When the Baron learns of the return of his wife's pre-marriage love interest Carmelo (Leopoldo Trieste), he devises a plan to catch her in an act of infidelity which would justify his murderous rage and allow remarriage to Angela. \nThe film proves to be quite entertaining and humorous from start to finish. Mastroianni is one of the Italian comedic geniuses who does a great job in "Divorce" with only his contributions to Fellini's films besting this performance. He is simply delightful with his sleepy-eyed gaze and amusing ideas of murder ranging from the typical stabbing and shooting to sending his wife off to space in a rocket. Rocca comes off as plain annoying with her overly-caring attitude and constant banshee-esque howling laughter. I make mention of Fellini because this film not only resembles the same "comedic value through facial expression" that Fellini so routinely used but it also pokes fun at one of Fellini's greatest comedies, "La Dolce Vita," which caused a crazy uproar in Italy the year prior to the release of "Divorce." \nThis double-disc set is made up of a wonderful black and white transfer of "Divorce Italian Style" and numerous supplements which cover one of Italy's lesser known film directors. The documentary "The Man with a Cigar in His Mouth" features interviews with Germi's friends and contains much detail about his career. "Delighting in Contrasts" is another set of interviews taken in 2004 which discusses "Divorce" from cast and crew members. In addition there are screen tests from the casting call and an interview with screenwriter Ennio De Concini whose screenplay ended up winning the 1962 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Finally, a 28-page booklet rounds out the set including essays on the film from the likes of Martin Scorsese and others. \nIf you're a fan of comedies and have never had the chance to see "Divorce Italian Style," I encourage you to track down the DVD and give it a shot. It is hilarious from start to finish and ranks quite high on my list of Italian favorites. "Divorce" is a great entry into the Italian style of comedy and hopefully at the end you'll find yourself craving more.
(05/12/05 12:48am)
So far in my life I have seen three versions of "The Phantom of the Opera" and none of them were on the stage. Although I have never experienced Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical spectacle based on Gaston Leroux's novel, I have seen different cinematic interpretations of the same story. There is the old classic of the 1920s featuring the chilling Lon Chaney, a mediocre made-for-TV version with a then very old Burt Lancaster, and finally Italian horror master Dario Argento's gory take on the subject. Now I can say that I've seen the biggest budgeted version of "Phantom" and am rather disappointed with the results.\nThe Webber/Schumacher version starts off at an auction after the opera house has been destroyed by the infamous Phantom (Gerard Butler). The auctioning of a broken chandelier leads directly into a retelling of what occurred in this very location. The opera diva Carlotta (Minnie Driver) is furious over the replacement of the theater's manager and storms away leaving the production without a lead. The new managers decide to give the young Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum) a chance at stardom and the results prove successful. Raoul de Chagny (Patrick Wilson), a childhood sweetheart, happens to catch Christine's debut and soon she is unable to decide who to dedicate her love toward: Raoul or her teacher, the Phantom. From this point on Christine is fought over by the two men who desire to be with her. \nWhile "Phantom" is full of eye candy in the forms of wonderful cinematography, extravagant costumes and the adorable Emmy Rossum, the movie overall seems to lack any form of excitement. The musical score is quite impressive but a fair amount of the vocal performances, especially those of Butler's "Phantom," wind up either boring, annoying or in many cases both. Clocking in at almost two and a half hours, that's a lot to endure if your attention is only kept by all the pretty things onscreen. And hey, it didn't really help much with picking Joel Schumacher as director because if anyone knows about poor filmmaking, he gets a gold star in it. \nThere are two different versions available of "Phantom": the first being a bare bones release with nothing besides the theatrical trailer while the other is a two-disc set full of supplements. The documentary "Behind the Mask" gives you a look at the history behind one of Webber's most successful Broadway musicals. There are three featurettes which cover the pre-production and filming processes and one even deals with the choice of Joel Schumacher as director. You also get a deleted scene titled "No One Would Listen" which is one of the newly-written songs for the film that got left on the cutting room floor. Surprisingly enough, there is no commentary from Webber which I was expecting since he has been trying to make this film for over a decade.\nWebber's "The Phantom of the Opera" film counterpart is probably greatly appreciated by those who've actually seen the theater production of it but for me I was left with a rather dry taste in my mouth. The musical is a genre that Hollywood is trying to revive in this day and age and I find myself much more impressed with the flamboyantly arrogant "Chicago" and humorously entertaining "Moulin Rouge." Phantom's extras make this a good rental, but doesn't merit a purchase.
(04/28/05 4:00am)
A meditation on deception. A celebration of fakery. Genius auteur Orson Welles' final completed work, the pseudo-documentary "F for Fake," is both of these and so much more. \nOrson Welles, the same luminary who created "Citizen Kane," found himself fascinated by the lives of two of the last century's greatest liars: art forger Elmyr de Hory and author Clifford Irving. De Hory is the film's focal point for he was a man who amassed great wealth by duplicating the artwork of Picasso, Modigliani and countless others, and then proceeded to sell his copies to art museums all around Europe. Irving finds himself in the mix as he not only wrote a biography all about de Hory, he also wrote one of the greatest fake autobiographies about Hollywood's favorite eccentric, Howard Hughes. Throw in Welles himself along with collaborator Oja Kodar and even Pablo Picasso and then the lying truly begins.\nWelles' "F for Fake" is a tough film to crack. The lines of truth and falsehood become blurred as every minute passes leaving one to question: was all of this a lie or perhaps all of it was really true and Orson is just lying to us all? The performances themselves are quite amusing, especially the occasional appearance of Welles or the questionable gazes of Picasso from his bedroom window. The film itself though is a hard one to place in the great filmography of Welles. While it isn't on the same level as "Citizen Kane," "Touch of Evil" or even "The Lady from Shanghai," "F for Fake" is not intended to rival any previous efforts but instead create something entirely new and is accomplished quite well. \nWhile "F for Fake" is impressive, the content found on this Two-disc set is even more so. Disc one contains the film along with audio commentary by Oja Kodar and cinematographer Gary Graver, an introduction by film director Peter Bogdanovich and the nine-minute "Fake" trailer. Disc two is where this set really shines. The documentary, "Almost True: The Noble Art of Forgery," is an honest look at de Hory. Also, there is a "60 Minutes" interview with Irving about his Hughes hoax and then a 1972 press interview with Hughes discussing said hoax. Saving the best for last, the documentary "Orson Welles: One Man Band" is a supplemental gem. The entire documentary focuses on all of Welles' films that never reached completion and is full of exclusive footage, interviews, Welles performing magic tricks and many other treats. \nThe DVD release of "F for Fake" finally brings one of Welles' most mysterious endeavors to light. If you aren't familiar with Welles' films or have only seen "Citizen Kane," I highly recommend viewing some of his other films before taking on "Fake." When you know more about the man and his movies, the results of this set are much more rewarding in the end.
(04/27/05 4:54am)
A meditation on deception. A celebration of fakery. Genius auteur Orson Welles' final completed work, the pseudo-documentary "F for Fake," is both of these and so much more. \nOrson Welles, the same luminary who created "Citizen Kane," found himself fascinated by the lives of two of the last century's greatest liars: art forger Elmyr de Hory and author Clifford Irving. De Hory is the film's focal point for he was a man who amassed great wealth by duplicating the artwork of Picasso, Modigliani and countless others, and then proceeded to sell his copies to art museums all around Europe. Irving finds himself in the mix as he not only wrote a biography all about de Hory, he also wrote one of the greatest fake autobiographies about Hollywood's favorite eccentric, Howard Hughes. Throw in Welles himself along with collaborator Oja Kodar and even Pablo Picasso and then the lying truly begins.\nWelles' "F for Fake" is a tough film to crack. The lines of truth and falsehood become blurred as every minute passes leaving one to question: was all of this a lie or perhaps all of it was really true and Orson is just lying to us all? The performances themselves are quite amusing, especially the occasional appearance of Welles or the questionable gazes of Picasso from his bedroom window. The film itself though is a hard one to place in the great filmography of Welles. While it isn't on the same level as "Citizen Kane," "Touch of Evil" or even "The Lady from Shanghai," "F for Fake" is not intended to rival any previous efforts but instead create something entirely new and is accomplished quite well. \nWhile "F for Fake" is impressive, the content found on this Two-disc set is even more so. Disc one contains the film along with audio commentary by Oja Kodar and cinematographer Gary Graver, an introduction by film director Peter Bogdanovich and the nine-minute "Fake" trailer. Disc two is where this set really shines. The documentary, "Almost True: The Noble Art of Forgery," is an honest look at de Hory. Also, there is a "60 Minutes" interview with Irving about his Hughes hoax and then a 1972 press interview with Hughes discussing said hoax. Saving the best for last, the documentary "Orson Welles: One Man Band" is a supplemental gem. The entire documentary focuses on all of Welles' films that never reached completion and is full of exclusive footage, interviews, Welles performing magic tricks and many other treats. \nThe DVD release of "F for Fake" finally brings one of Welles' most mysterious endeavors to light. If you aren't familiar with Welles' films or have only seen "Citizen Kane," I highly recommend viewing some of his other films before taking on "Fake." When you know more about the man and his movies, the results of this set are much more rewarding in the end.
(04/21/05 4:00am)
Back when I was a freshman in high school, Mudvayne and I had a rocky start. I can remember listening to L.D. 50 and thinking it was boring and uninspired. I gave them a second chance, taking the advice of a friend who said to listen more closely to the music, and somehow it all clicked. Mudvayne was all about the mathematics. Sure, they were nowhere near powerhouses like the Dillinger Escape Plan or Sweden's Meshuggah, but Mudvayne had one hell of a structure to its songs. When Mudvayne's third release The End of All Things to Come dropped, I saw my jaw dropping at how amazing the songwriting had become. Now Mudvayne and I are about to part ways once again.\nLost and Found, Mudvayne's fourth release and follow-up to 2002's The End of All Things to Come, is practically devoid of all the things that made previous albums so interesting. Almost every track is radio-friendly trite; essentially there is never a heavy moment other than a riff or two here and there. A large majority of the songs meander about and become repetitive where math metal is everything but repetitive. It's all about spiraling riffs and sporadic song structures -- both of which Mudvayne is now seriously lacking.\nNot every song on Lost and Found is a complete waste. Opener "Determined" is quite brutal, but don't expect the rest of the album to live up to the heaviness. "Forget to Remember" and "Just" show that bassist Ryan Martinie can still play some amazing basslines while drummer Matt McDonough hammers away at the skins with pure precision. "Fall into Sleep" is akin to "World So Cold" from Mudvayne's previous release in that the song slowly drifts from calm verses to pummeling choruses and just plain rocks.\nThe rest of the songs, however, are quite disappointing. "Rain. Sun. Gone." leads you to believe that Mudvayne is attempting melodic metalcore in the vein of Shadows Fall or Killswitch Engage but said attempt fails miserably considering the song goes nowhere. "Choices" opens up with an amazing mathematical rhythm that gets spoiled once the music begins droning and you get creepy choruses featuring alien children chanting "eenie meanie miney mo" which is 8 minutes of worthlessness. And the album's first single "Happy?" is nothing but nu-metal bullshit aimed at the angst-ridden teenage masses of today. \nWhile Mudvayne quit wearing the stupid masks and face paint long ago (maybe someday Slipknot will follow suit), there is still immaturity in this kind of music. I can understand releasing one or two tracks to get on the radio but this is just nonsense. Lost and Found almost taints Mudvayne's previous releases because I honestly cannot imagine where they were trying to go musically other than the mainstream. Go pick up L.D. 50 and listen to "Death Blooms." I assure that one song puts all of Lost and Found to shame.
(04/20/05 5:02am)
Back when I was a freshman in high school, Mudvayne and I had a rocky start. I can remember listening to L.D. 50 and thinking it was boring and uninspired. I gave them a second chance, taking the advice of a friend who said to listen more closely to the music, and somehow it all clicked. Mudvayne was all about the mathematics. Sure, they were nowhere near powerhouses like the Dillinger Escape Plan or Sweden's Meshuggah, but Mudvayne had one hell of a structure to its songs. When Mudvayne's third release The End of All Things to Come dropped, I saw my jaw dropping at how amazing the songwriting had become. Now Mudvayne and I are about to part ways once again.\nLost and Found, Mudvayne's fourth release and follow-up to 2002's The End of All Things to Come, is practically devoid of all the things that made previous albums so interesting. Almost every track is radio-friendly trite; essentially there is never a heavy moment other than a riff or two here and there. A large majority of the songs meander about and become repetitive where math metal is everything but repetitive. It's all about spiraling riffs and sporadic song structures -- both of which Mudvayne is now seriously lacking.\nNot every song on Lost and Found is a complete waste. Opener "Determined" is quite brutal, but don't expect the rest of the album to live up to the heaviness. "Forget to Remember" and "Just" show that bassist Ryan Martinie can still play some amazing basslines while drummer Matt McDonough hammers away at the skins with pure precision. "Fall into Sleep" is akin to "World So Cold" from Mudvayne's previous release in that the song slowly drifts from calm verses to pummeling choruses and just plain rocks.\nThe rest of the songs, however, are quite disappointing. "Rain. Sun. Gone." leads you to believe that Mudvayne is attempting melodic metalcore in the vein of Shadows Fall or Killswitch Engage but said attempt fails miserably considering the song goes nowhere. "Choices" opens up with an amazing mathematical rhythm that gets spoiled once the music begins droning and you get creepy choruses featuring alien children chanting "eenie meanie miney mo" which is 8 minutes of worthlessness. And the album's first single "Happy?" is nothing but nu-metal bullshit aimed at the angst-ridden teenage masses of today. \nWhile Mudvayne quit wearing the stupid masks and face paint long ago (maybe someday Slipknot will follow suit), there is still immaturity in this kind of music. I can understand releasing one or two tracks to get on the radio but this is just nonsense. Lost and Found almost taints Mudvayne's previous releases because I honestly cannot imagine where they were trying to go musically other than the mainstream. Go pick up L.D. 50 and listen to "Death Blooms." I assure that one song puts all of Lost and Found to shame.
(04/14/05 4:00am)
In the documentary world of filmmaking, it's easy to miss out on important features when you've got big films like "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Super Size Me" grabbing for your attention. Sure it's easy to be attracted to Michael Moore's anti-Bush tirade or Morgan Spurlock's insane McDonald's eating binge, but what about documentaries dealing with a bigger subject range? Chances are you probably never heard much buzz about "The Corporation," so consider yourself about to be informed.\n"The Corporation," based on the book "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power" by author Joel Bakan, has been on a roll for quite some time. Sure it didn't pick up an Oscar nod at this year's ceremonies; it still collected 23 awards across numerous film festivals including a major win last year at Sundance, receiving the Best World Cinema -- Documentary Audience Award. To get straight to the heart of the matter, "The Corporation" is an analysis of corporate business on the global scale. The interviews range from company CEOs and VPs to the likes of fellow documentarian Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky. The film dissects various noteworthy companies and seeks to point out the harmful aspects of big business which range from IBM's connection with Nazi Germany during World War II to modern day problematic entities such as Enron and everything in-between. \nWhile it might seem like such a topic would be full of business world lingo and slowly-paced, "The Corporation" ends up being quite the opposite. The film takes a very civilized approach and remains both visually stimulating and entertaining. Sure the corporate interviewees talk the big talk, you still get plenty of humorous anecdotes from the likes of Michael Moore, journalists, whistleblowers and even a business spy. Plus "The Corporation" does an excellent job of conducting a psychological case study on how corporations fit every characteristic of a psychopath. \nMost documentary DVDs tend to be loaded with extra features and "The Corporation" is definitely no exception. On this 2-disc set, the first disc contains the 2 ½ hour film along with an extra 2 hours of content including Q&A sessions with the directors and author, eight deleted scenes, interviews, two commentary tracks and trailers. The second disc has an additional 5 hours of interview material from the 40 contributors which you can watch either according to topic or individual. And if you pop the DVD into your PC you can access a ton of other material via Web sites. \n"The Corporation" is worth your attention if you're interested in how businesses go about conducting affairs and handling problems that we've all seen covered on nightly news broadcasts. The film takes an amusing tone rather than an in-your-face harsh one and that makes a world of difference when it comes to viewing a documentary. So now that you've gotten your fill of political diatribes and fatty hamburgers over the past year, go ahead and give "The Corporation" a shot.
(04/13/05 4:36am)
In the documentary world of filmmaking, it's easy to miss out on important features when you've got big films like "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Super Size Me" grabbing for your attention. Sure it's easy to be attracted to Michael Moore's anti-Bush tirade or Morgan Spurlock's insane McDonald's eating binge, but what about documentaries dealing with a bigger subject range? Chances are you probably never heard much buzz about "The Corporation," so consider yourself about to be informed.\n"The Corporation," based on the book "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power" by author Joel Bakan, has been on a roll for quite some time. Sure it didn't pick up an Oscar nod at this year's ceremonies; it still collected 23 awards across numerous film festivals including a major win last year at Sundance, receiving the Best World Cinema -- Documentary Audience Award. To get straight to the heart of the matter, "The Corporation" is an analysis of corporate business on the global scale. The interviews range from company CEOs and VPs to the likes of fellow documentarian Michael Moore and Noam Chomsky. The film dissects various noteworthy companies and seeks to point out the harmful aspects of big business which range from IBM's connection with Nazi Germany during World War II to modern day problematic entities such as Enron and everything in-between. \nWhile it might seem like such a topic would be full of business world lingo and slowly-paced, "The Corporation" ends up being quite the opposite. The film takes a very civilized approach and remains both visually stimulating and entertaining. Sure the corporate interviewees talk the big talk, you still get plenty of humorous anecdotes from the likes of Michael Moore, journalists, whistleblowers and even a business spy. Plus "The Corporation" does an excellent job of conducting a psychological case study on how corporations fit every characteristic of a psychopath. \nMost documentary DVDs tend to be loaded with extra features and "The Corporation" is definitely no exception. On this 2-disc set, the first disc contains the 2 ½ hour film along with an extra 2 hours of content including Q&A sessions with the directors and author, eight deleted scenes, interviews, two commentary tracks and trailers. The second disc has an additional 5 hours of interview material from the 40 contributors which you can watch either according to topic or individual. And if you pop the DVD into your PC you can access a ton of other material via Web sites. \n"The Corporation" is worth your attention if you're interested in how businesses go about conducting affairs and handling problems that we've all seen covered on nightly news broadcasts. The film takes an amusing tone rather than an in-your-face harsh one and that makes a world of difference when it comes to viewing a documentary. So now that you've gotten your fill of political diatribes and fatty hamburgers over the past year, go ahead and give "The Corporation" a shot.
(04/07/05 4:00am)
I remember walking into the local Best Buy, doing my rounds and looking for stuff to buy over spring break. When I walked up to the register, an old friend working there came over and asked if I had ever heard of a band called the Bravery, to which I kindly replied "No." He then rushed over to a counter and handed me what would be the Unconditional EP that came free with my purchase. I popped in the CD as soon as I returned home and by the middle of the first track I knew I would find myself purchasing the debut full-length the day it hit shelves.\nThe Bravery, hailing from New York City, play an equal mix of New Wave electro-rock and atmospheric dance grooves resulting in a blend of the Killers, Interpol and even small bits of the Strokes from time to time. The self-titled debut features 11 tracks that make you want to hit the dance floor if even to just let your head keep bobbing to the beat. The strong opener "An Honest Mistake," along with the undeniably poppy "Unconditional" and sing-along anthem "Out of Line" all showcase the Bravery's saccharine love affair with '80s keyboard electronica and it works extremely well on these tracks. The standout track "Swollen Summer" takes a simple drumbeat and nonsensical guitar soloing and lets it swell into a chorus which lets you picture an audience clapping along and excitedly jumping in the air.\nUnfortunately, not every song on this release is worthwhile and catchy. "No Brakes" starts off with a Strokes-esque, low-riding bassline and then just meanders about with no real musical payoff. While some of the techno background on "Tyrant" is really atmospheric and enjoyable, it all gets wasted once the chorus rolls around and the vocals head into U2 territory. "Public Service Announcement" should be advising the listener against repetitive sound conditions because the beat never changes and relies on terrible '70s imitation disco complete with "woo woo woo hoo-ooo" humming. \nGranted this isn't a perfect release nor extremely original in terms of musical styling, the Bravery is an act whose really good songs make up for the weaker ones. Most tracks clock in a little over 3 minutes and remain enjoyable while not overstaying their welcome. An added bonus on the CD comes in the enhanced content which contains videos for "An Honest Mistake" and "Unconditional," both of which are quite cool. The Bravery definitely does a fine albeit emulative job on this debut release, which merits checking it out. While the music is anything but a breakthrough, at least the Bravery did a damn good job letting its influences shine through.
(04/06/05 4:28am)
I remember walking into the local Best Buy, doing my rounds and looking for stuff to buy over spring break. When I walked up to the register, an old friend working there came over and asked if I had ever heard of a band called the Bravery, to which I kindly replied "No." He then rushed over to a counter and handed me what would be the Unconditional EP that came free with my purchase. I popped in the CD as soon as I returned home and by the middle of the first track I knew I would find myself purchasing the debut full-length the day it hit shelves.\nThe Bravery, hailing from New York City, play an equal mix of New Wave electro-rock and atmospheric dance grooves resulting in a blend of the Killers, Interpol and even small bits of the Strokes from time to time. The self-titled debut features 11 tracks that make you want to hit the dance floor if even to just let your head keep bobbing to the beat. The strong opener "An Honest Mistake," along with the undeniably poppy "Unconditional" and sing-along anthem "Out of Line" all showcase the Bravery's saccharine love affair with '80s keyboard electronica and it works extremely well on these tracks. The standout track "Swollen Summer" takes a simple drumbeat and nonsensical guitar soloing and lets it swell into a chorus which lets you picture an audience clapping along and excitedly jumping in the air.\nUnfortunately, not every song on this release is worthwhile and catchy. "No Brakes" starts off with a Strokes-esque, low-riding bassline and then just meanders about with no real musical payoff. While some of the techno background on "Tyrant" is really atmospheric and enjoyable, it all gets wasted once the chorus rolls around and the vocals head into U2 territory. "Public Service Announcement" should be advising the listener against repetitive sound conditions because the beat never changes and relies on terrible '70s imitation disco complete with "woo woo woo hoo-ooo" humming. \nGranted this isn't a perfect release nor extremely original in terms of musical styling, the Bravery is an act whose really good songs make up for the weaker ones. Most tracks clock in a little over 3 minutes and remain enjoyable while not overstaying their welcome. An added bonus on the CD comes in the enhanced content which contains videos for "An Honest Mistake" and "Unconditional," both of which are quite cool. The Bravery definitely does a fine albeit emulative job on this debut release, which merits checking it out. While the music is anything but a breakthrough, at least the Bravery did a damn good job letting its influences shine through.
(03/31/05 5:00am)
In 1980 Japanese film-directing legend Akira Kurosawa found himself in a rut. Coming off a successful Academy Award win for his film "Dersu Uzala," Kurosawa was unable to attain financing for his samurai war epic "Kagemusha." After being turned down, Kurosawa began painting storyboards for his film although he felt it would never see the light of day. This all would change, however, once film directors Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas learned of Kurosawa's lack of funding and made the decision to finance the Japanese auteur. This same decision allowed Kurosawa to bring about one of the finest films in his cinematic career.\n"Kagemusha" (The Shadow Warrior) is the almost entirely factual retelling of the great war between Lord Shingen Takeda and the forces of Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu Tokugawa. In the beginning, Lord Shingen is accompanied by his generals who have discovered a thief who looks exactly like him. For sparing his life, Shingen's double (Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays both Shingens) agrees to serve under him. When the real Lord Shingen is wounded and passes away, the generals decide to cover up his death by replacing him with the double. Throughout the movie, Shingen's double is forced to live a life of secrecy while maintaining strong relationships with his troops, government officials and most importantly Shingen's own grandson. If living this kind of life wasn't hard enough already, Shingen's land faces the oncoming legions of Nobunaga and Ieyasu and he is forced to lead his country into battle.\nKurosawa's "Kagemusha" is easily one his finest masterworks. Nakadai's performance as Lord Shingen's double is at times both noble and endearing yet absolutely heartbreaking when he finally realizes he no longer has a life of his own. While the film does focus on the majestic warfare of feudal Japan, there is an even greater focus on the human condition of a man who is no longer in possession of his identity. Shingen's double is a doppelgänger haunted in his nightmares by the dead leader whom he replaced. This combination of identity crisis and imperial discord results in a film that rivals Kurosawa's other successes such as "Seven Samurai" and "Rashomon." \nCriterion's release of "Kagemusha" is hands down the best release a Kurosawa film has seen on DVD yet. This stunning 2-disc set is loaded with supplements which include commentary by scholar Steven Prince, theatrical trailers/teasers, brand new interviews with directors Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, a "making-of" documentary, the featurette "Image: Kurosawa's Continuity," which displays the film through Kurosawa's storyboards, five Suntory Whiskey commercials shot on the set of "Kagemusha," onscreen comparisons of Kurosawa's sketches with actual film stills and finally a massive 48-page booklet containing storyboards, essays, biographical sketches and even an interview with Kurosawa himself shortly after the film's release. And if all that wasn't enough, the film print is pristine and restores almost 20 minutes not seen in the original U.S. theatrical cut.\nOne has to wonder what would've happened had Akira Kurosawa never been able to make this breathtaking masterpiece. The success of "Kagemusha" allowed Kurosawa to create his Shakespearean war epic "Ran" and together those two films work together as a testament that Kurosawa could work with a big budget and still maintain a purely artistic vision. Accept no substitutes, no one made samurai films like Kurosawa did and nothing comes close to "Kagemusha"
(03/30/05 5:06am)
In 1980 Japanese film-directing legend Akira Kurosawa found himself in a rut. Coming off a successful Academy Award win for his film "Dersu Uzala," Kurosawa was unable to attain financing for his samurai war epic "Kagemusha." After being turned down, Kurosawa began painting storyboards for his film although he felt it would never see the light of day. This all would change, however, once film directors Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas learned of Kurosawa's lack of funding and made the decision to finance the Japanese auteur. This same decision allowed Kurosawa to bring about one of the finest films in his cinematic career.\n"Kagemusha" (The Shadow Warrior) is the almost entirely factual retelling of the great war between Lord Shingen Takeda and the forces of Nobunaga Oda and Ieyasu Tokugawa. In the beginning, Lord Shingen is accompanied by his generals who have discovered a thief who looks exactly like him. For sparing his life, Shingen's double (Tatsuya Nakadai, who plays both Shingens) agrees to serve under him. When the real Lord Shingen is wounded and passes away, the generals decide to cover up his death by replacing him with the double. Throughout the movie, Shingen's double is forced to live a life of secrecy while maintaining strong relationships with his troops, government officials and most importantly Shingen's own grandson. If living this kind of life wasn't hard enough already, Shingen's land faces the oncoming legions of Nobunaga and Ieyasu and he is forced to lead his country into battle.\nKurosawa's "Kagemusha" is easily one his finest masterworks. Nakadai's performance as Lord Shingen's double is at times both noble and endearing yet absolutely heartbreaking when he finally realizes he no longer has a life of his own. While the film does focus on the majestic warfare of feudal Japan, there is an even greater focus on the human condition of a man who is no longer in possession of his identity. Shingen's double is a doppelgänger haunted in his nightmares by the dead leader whom he replaced. This combination of identity crisis and imperial discord results in a film that rivals Kurosawa's other successes such as "Seven Samurai" and "Rashomon." \nCriterion's release of "Kagemusha" is hands down the best release a Kurosawa film has seen on DVD yet. This stunning 2-disc set is loaded with supplements which include commentary by scholar Steven Prince, theatrical trailers/teasers, brand new interviews with directors Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas, a "making-of" documentary, the featurette "Image: Kurosawa's Continuity," which displays the film through Kurosawa's storyboards, five Suntory Whiskey commercials shot on the set of "Kagemusha," onscreen comparisons of Kurosawa's sketches with actual film stills and finally a massive 48-page booklet containing storyboards, essays, biographical sketches and even an interview with Kurosawa himself shortly after the film's release. And if all that wasn't enough, the film print is pristine and restores almost 20 minutes not seen in the original U.S. theatrical cut.\nOne has to wonder what would've happened had Akira Kurosawa never been able to make this breathtaking masterpiece. The success of "Kagemusha" allowed Kurosawa to create his Shakespearean war epic "Ran" and together those two films work together as a testament that Kurosawa could work with a big budget and still maintain a purely artistic vision. Accept no substitutes, no one made samurai films like Kurosawa did and nothing comes close to "Kagemusha"
(03/24/05 5:00am)
In the world of Chambara (Japanese for sword fighting) cinema, there are two kinds of films. The first comes in the form of hokey, poorly organized samurai films which present unrealistic battles and pathetic attempts at a storyline. The second are those rare gems of mastery from the likes of Akira Kurosawa and various other legendary filmmakers. They're the kind of films that portray warriors as masters of their blade who wage battles on an epic scale in a serious manner. Kihachi Okamoto's "The Sword of Doom" (Daibosatsu Toge) is one of those rare gems.\n"The Sword of Doom" tells the story of a wandering ronin who goes by the name of Ryunosuke Tsukue. He is on a simple quest: to unleash carnage and destroy all opposition in his path. Nothing can stop him. No one can defeat him. From the slaughter of an innocent grandfather to countless battles against dozens of samurai, Ryunosuke carves a murderous path of destruction all across Japan.\nWhat makes the film so incredible is the relentless amount of violence that is captured on the celluloid. For being made in 1966, you would swear after watching it that it was made within the last decade. Remember the scene in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill Vol. 1" where the Bride fights the Crazy 88 all over the tea house? Well, strip out all the stylistic flair and replace it with sheer brutality and you can see how "The Sword of Doom" served as an influence on QT's flick. While the battles alone are astonishing to watch, the acting is top notch. Ryunosuke, played by Tatsuya Nakadai (you might recognize him as the gun-toting Unosuke from Kurosawa's "Yojimbo"), is purely maniacal with his sudden movements and flickering eyes. Nakadai's performance keeps you on the edge of your seat and at times creates a tension since you never know when he'll lash out at the nearest bystander. Kurosawa regular Toshirô Mifune plays a small but intimidating role as the dueling instructor Toranosuke Shimada. Mifune's showdown against well over a dozen samurai is one of the most beautifully photographed battles in Chambara cinema as he dashes about in the night's snowfall overcoming his assailants. \nUnfortunately, the DVD itself is greatly lacking in terms of extras. All you get is an essay from film critic Geoffrey O'Brien. No trailers, no interviews, nothing. Being that this is a Criterion Collection release though, one can assume that they looked for all the materials they could possibly find and just ended up with nothing else of value. Plus director Kihachi Okamoto's recent passing away also pretty much cancelled any hopes of a retrospective interview on one of his finest works. The essay is a pretty good read and the DVD transfer and subtitling job are both excellent considering how flawless the film looks and reads. \nIf you're looking for a Chambara film that doesn't hold back, then "The Sword of Doom" is right up your alley. The pure psychosis of Ryunosuke makes for an amazing character study of how far one man's madness can push him to the brink of total self-destruction. Pair this with the film's unrestrained violence and the end result is an experience unlike any other found in Japanese cinema.