George Lucas

Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Edition of Akira Kurosawa’s Legendary ‘Kagemusha’

BrianTT — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:43:10 -0600

CHICAGO – Now that he is widely recognized as one of the best filmmakers of all time, it’s almost hard to believe that there was a period in the career of Akira Kurosawa when he couldn’t get financing to make a film. Kurosawa went through a very dark time in the ’70s, punctuated by his disastrous experience with “Tora! Tora! Tora!,” and needed the weight of Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas to help with his comeback, “Kagemusha,” now available in a beautiful Criterion Collection Blu-Ray release.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0

I adore stories like the one behind the making of “Kagemusha” because they reflect the ripple throughout the ages that comes with amazing creativity. In the excellent special feature, “Lucas, Coppola, and Kurosawa,” the interviews draw a definitive line from John Ford (whose “The Searchers” influenced Kurosawa) to Kurosawa’s work to “The Godfather” to “Star Wars” to “Kagemusha,” which itself inspired countless filmmakers. The magic of movies is contagious.

Kagemusha was released on Blu-Ray on August 18th, 2009.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

After the commercial failure of “Dodes’ka-den” and the irascible reputation that followed him after “Red Beard,” Kurosawa started to struggle with financial support in the ’70s. When he was forced to back out of “Tora! Tora! Tora!” due to creative differences, he carried with him a reputation that made funding difficult. He reportedly attempted suicide in 1971, had an awful experience on “Dersu Uzala,” and was reduced to going back to one of his loves, painting. The art that came out of that period would eventually turn into “Kagemusha”.

Kagemusha was released on Blu-Ray on August 18th, 2009.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

Of course, as impossible as he reportedly was to work with, Kurosawa was still a master. Without even asking to see a script, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, two of the men most inspired by Kurosawa’s work, put their financial weight behind whatever he wanted to do next. They recognized that Kurosawa was a filmmaker who never should have been denied funding just on the chance that he might produce another “Seven Samurai,” “Yojimbo,” or “Rashomon”.

What he did produce was the introduction to the final chapter of his career, one marked more by bright colors and epic storytelling. “Kagemusha” finds its creator returning to the samurai story but with a much more cynical, dark worldview. It’s the anti-hero story, taking the least “samurai-esque” character and turning him into the hero.

A warlord dies and a peasant thief is called upon to impersonate the leader to keep warring factions from knowing of the kingdom’s weakness. The new leader is haunted by the spirit of the old one and Kurosawa continues to play with a regular theme of his career - what is real and what is illusion.

The plot of “Kagemusha” is interesting but it’s primarily a stunning visual experience. There are shots in “Kagemusha” that stand among the best of the ’80s. In particular, a shot of men marching through fog as orange light and shadows play in the background (at around the 20-minute mark) is one of my favorite shots of all time.

Kagemusha was released on Blu-Ray on August 18th, 2009.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Criterion Collection

“Kagemusha” doesn’t just resemble a cinematic painting. It was designed as a moving piece of art. The 44-minute video piece reconstructing “Kagemusha” through Kurosawa’s paintings and sketches called “Image: Kurosawa’s Continuity” shows an artist who did a lot more than just storyboard. An included booklet of essays and artwork that inspired the film would be enough of a collector’s item for Kurosawa fans to justify a purchase of the entire release.

The film itself has been restored with a high-definition digital transfer and a DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 soundtrack. The image looks appropriately transferred. I was concerned it would be overly polished, taking away a lot of the original appeal of the film by making it look too plastic in HD. That has not happened.

Unmentioned special features include a commentary by Kurosawa scholar Stephen Prince, a 41-minute documentary on the making of the film, Suntory Whiskey commercials made on the set of “Kagemusha,” a gallery of storyboards painted by Kurosawa and images of their realization on-screen, and theatrical trailers and teasers.

Very few filmmakers are as essential to a viewer’s understanding of the history of the medium as Akira Kurosawa. There are millions of people out there who love “Star Wars” and “The Godfather”. Find one who hasn’t even heard of Kurosawa and tell them the story of how their favorite filmmakers were essential in the comeback of a master. Pass the creative spark along.

‘Kagemusha’ is released by The Criterion Collection and stars Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, and Kenichi Hagiwara. It was written by Akira Kurosawa & Masato Ide and directed by Kurosawa. The Blu-Ray was released on August 18th, 2009. It is not rated.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: ‘South Park’ Rocks in HD With 12th Season Blu-Ray Box Set

BrianTT — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:53:24 -0600

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – I honestly never though Trey Parker and Matt Stone would still be pumping out “South Park” episodes in the era of HD Blu-Ray. It’s not that I’m not a fan. I’ve seen the brilliant movie, “South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut” a dozen or so times, but I thought that would be near the end of the phenomenon of Stan, Kyle, Kenny, & Cartman. Years later, it looks like it was just the beginning.

Watching the first episode of “South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season” on Blu-Ray, “Tonsil Trouble,” and laughing as hard as I have at anything on television in a long time, I became convinced that not only was I wrong but that “South Park” could still be pumping out brilliant episodes for another twelve seasons. It’s going to be around as long as Matt & Trey want to do it.

South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season was released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Paramount Home Video

And there’s no better way to watch it than on Blu-Ray. Animation always looks great in HD and, honestly, Fox is going to have to follow suit with upcoming seasons of “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” if they hope to compete.

South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season was released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Paramount Home Video

The season/volume sets for those Fox shows are always among the best of the year because of their impressive collection of special features but they should really follow the model of “South Park” when it comes to picture and sound.

The fourteen uncensored episodes of “South Park“‘s twelfth season are now available in a three-disc set with 1080i High Definition picture and a Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 track. The episodes look beautiful and “uncensored” is not just a cheap label to sell DVDs with a show like “South Park”. This is the way “South Park” should be seen.

And what you’ll see is another strong season of the show. In the last few years, “South Park” has gotten a little more hit-and-miss but that’s because the writing team goes so far with their insane concepts. If it works, like when Cartman gives Kyle AIDS in the season premiere (don’t ask how), then it can still be laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Of course, the commitment to insanity creates some episodes that don’t work. The controversial mid-season premiere, “The China Problem,” in which George Lucas and Steven Spielberg rape Indiana Jones, was ballsy and creative but just didn’t work. Still, I’d much rather have a show that takes risks and sometimes fails than one that walks the line down the middle.

South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season was released on Blu-Ray on March 10th, 2009.
Photo credit: Paramount Home Video

Highlights of season twelve of “South Park” include “Tonsil Trouble,” “Major Boobage” (with a great “Heavy Metal” spoof) and “Elementary School Musical”.

The episodes of “South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season” are accompanied by Trey Parker and Matt Stone mini-commentaries and each disc includes a bonus feature - “Six Days to South Park: A Day-by-Day Making of South Park,” “Making Boobage: Behind the Scenes of “Major Boobage”,” and “Behind the Scenes: “About Last Night” HD”.

The one problem with TV on Blu-Ray is still the price point. I clearly think the twelfth season of “South Park” is worth owning, but unless Paramount and other studios start offering more features or Blu-Ray-only functionality, an MSRP of $69.99 is going to be a little steep for a lot of buyers. That’s $5 an episode. Yikes.

You’ll find it on sale for less most places, but the rating at the top of this review takes the cost into account. With only 308 minutes of show and three special features, seventy bucks is too much.

When the price comes down on Blu-Ray discs - and it will as the technology gets more popular - TV in HD Blu-Ray will take off. Once again, four foul-mouthed boys will have led the way.

‘South Park: The Complete Twelfth Season’ is released by Paramount Home Video and stars Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It was created by Parker & Stone. It was released on March 10th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Boldly Goes Animated With Potent Story, Mediocre Animation, Anemic Acting

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:01:00 -0600

CHICAGO – “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which is the inaugural animated “Star Wars” project from Lucasfilm Animation and “Star Wars” architect George Lucas, feels and looks every bit as introductory as a foundational attempt could be.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

In many ways, the film again typifies what every “Star Wars” film always does. We’re again treated to yet another compelling storyline. Despite public perception that Lucas declared three years ago that the decades-long “Star Wars” saga has come to an end, Lucas now clarifies.

Lucas merely says the Skywalker family plotline has runs its course.

Upon its completion, he now has a plethora of new stories to impart – and much more money to rake in – about the beloved galaxy so far, far away. In the “Star Wars” storyline, the three-year clone wars took place between “Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.

View our full, high-resolution “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” image gallery.

Story aside, though, we’re again deluged with atrociously melodramatic acting (this time solely in the form of voice work). What’s most interesting is that the cheesy acting, which is legendary in the “Star Wars” saga, actually for the first time has found a better home.

The animated format actually manages to dial down the dreadful acting and makes it more tolerable than the live-action, human format.

In terms of the quality of its animation, which is clearly front and center in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” the film flirts in a middle ground between amateur and truly elite design work. The quality of the work neither completely underwhelms nor blazes a new path for the future of animation.

The animation ultimately pales in comparison to the world’s best movie animator – Disney’s Pixar Animation Studios – and much more closely resembles modern-day video games. You needn’t put this animation under a microscope to see the awkwardly square designs where decidedly smoother and rounder imagery should appear.

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” which is directed by Dave Filoni and written by George Lucas and others, stars Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Tom Kane, Nika Futterman, Ian Abercrombie, Catherine Taber, Kevin Michael Richardson, David Acord and Anthony Daniels. The film opened everywhere on Aug. 15, 2008.

Continuing reading for Adam Fendelman’s full “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” review.

Heroic Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) confronts a foe from the past in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.
Image credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) engages in battle with an enemy in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.
Image credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Continuing reading for Adam Fendelman’s full “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” review.

‘Star Wars’ Producer George Lucas to Speak in Chicago on Monday

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 10:53:08 -0700

Legendary writer, director, editor and producer George Lucas (“Star Wars”) will speak in Chicago on Monday night before a business crowd at the Economic Club of Chicago. Lucas will be joined by Ariel Capital Management President Mellody Hobson.

Samuel L. Jackson (left) and George Lucas on the set
of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.
Photo credit: IMDb
Though Lucas and Hobson decline to speak about their romance, they no doubt have been seen together at events for more than a year and are furthering the trend of making stops in Chicago, according to news on Monday from ChicagoBusiness.com.