New pics for The Last Samurai released

[Margaret Lo]

Originally posted by Earl Hartman
Margaret:

The "offensive" part, to me, is the presence of La Cooze, but I assume you have something else in mind. If I may speculate, does it perhaps go something like this?

It is offensive that Asia and Asians (especially hot Asian babes), are, once again, going to be used as exotic backdrops against (and upon) which the Heroic White Guy Proves His Manhood.

If so, I can dig it, but, like I said, too much armor, too many swords, and too much blood to miss.

Also, archery is featured prominently, so I really have to see it for professional reasons. I actually got a call from a casting agent connected with the film looking for a kyudo archer. Immediately I'm fantasizing ("Why, yes, I am a licensed kyudo teacher. What's that? You need someone to instruct Mr. Cruise in kyudo? Why, yes, I would be interested in this....What? You need me to report to the set in Kyoto right away for six months? Yes, I think that can be arranged....").

However, they had no use for a white guy; they were looking for a Japanese guy to play a part in the film and he needed to know how to shoot a bow. One of our members in Seattle actually sent in his resume and a photo, but he was not chosen. I heard that Cruise "studied" kyudo with somebody in Kyoto for the film, but if he "studied" kyudo like he "studied" swordplay (as evidenced by that silly video where he is shown "teaching" Catie Kouric how to use a sword) I'm not too hopeful.

Also, does anybody know the actress who plays Cooze's main squeeze? I've never heard of her, and she seems to go by a single name, which is really odd.

Actually Earl, I'm not bugged about heroic white guy flexes for hot asian babe...in exotic land, that's potentiallly a cheesy porn movie which I won't admit to seeing.

It is also only mildly stupid that Cruise's character would be "accepted" somehow when you still can't get thru a day in Nippon w/out being gaijined.

No what's usually worst for me is seeing a bunch of Chinese guys hired to play samurai and they're hacking away at Japanese with a cantonese accent...ouch ouch my poor ears (that was Shogun I believe where a chinese guy played one of the samurai higher ups). Or, really awkward martial arts, hack hack again!

Let's hope the extras can indeed speak Japanese and the hot babes too. As to kyudo, well that's your pain, let's hope the beautiful gear makes up for your sure suffering.

M

[Earl Hartman]

Ah. I see. Yeah, that's a pain. However, Shogun was so bad all the way around that all that stuff escaped me, I was laughing so hard.

Is that going to be happening in this flick? If so, where did you hear this?

If so, that's just plain stupid. They've got a whole damn country of perfectly good Japanese actors to choose from. Why would they do something like that?

I didn't see any Chinese names in the credits on IMDB, but maybe I should check again.

Anyway, that's one of the (many) reasons I hated Kill Bill. Either get your actors to speak Japanese properly, dub it in later, or just forget the whole damn thing.

Well, yes, the whole premise of some American being accepted as a bushi is pretty stupid, but that's never stopped anybody from making a movie before.

"Getting gaijined"? I like it.

"Honey, I'm home!"

"Welcome home dear.....oh, you look just awful! What happened?"

Well, I'm sitting on the train, miding my own business, when I got gaijined by a bosozoku gang."

"Oh no! Are you hurt?"

"No, not really. They just ripped out my pride and jumped up and down on it, but it should grow back."

[Margaret Lo]

I haven't heard that they used Chinese actors, its just a deep seated fear...

Also, it BUGS me beyond words to see beautiful weapons mishandled. I have not seen Japanese bows in any museum in the US. But I've had the good luck to have had close looks at the Japanese swords on display in Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) - real beauties they are. There's one that's just my size... black lacquer, clean simple furniture.

My mate Ping was an intern in the MFA and was even offered a chance to handle a blade!!! Ping wisely declined on the theory that one should keep all limbs attached to the body whenever possible.

It's just wrong to inflict bad technique on perfectly innocent weapons. Just as painful to the eye as bad Japanese to the ear.

M

[Earl Hartman]

Well, I rummaged around the official site for TLS, but I couldn't find any Chinese names, so I think we're safe there. The guy who plays the head bushi Katsumoto (Watanabe Ken) is a good actor. He was the sidekick truck driver in Tanpopo, one of my all-time favorite films.

So far, the clips I have seen don't make the swordfighting look too stupid, so perhaps I can hope that this might be a case of "might not be as disappoined as I think I'll be".

Still, it is a Tom Cooze move, so I'm not expecting too much.

Also, when I hear that a Western director "venerates" Kurosawa Akira and envisioned his movie as a "tribute" to him, I break out in a cold sweat. This is, usually, a Very Bad Sign, witness the George Lucas crapfest known as "Star Wars". These guys always totally miss Kurosawa's point and only see the surface.

[Rennis]

Originally posted by Earl Hartman
I heard that Cruise "studied" kyudo with somebody in Kyoto for the film, but if he "studied" kyudo like he "studied" swordplay (as evidenced by that silly video where he is shown "teaching" Catie Kouric how to use a sword) I'm not too hopeful.

Then I wouldn't get my hopes up too much. A female friend of mine in Kyoto who is a Cruise fan was giving me daily updates on his activities while he was in Kyoto and he was only there for around a week.

As a complete aside, I've found that T.C. is a perfectly good actor when he's in the occassional non-standard, non-hollywood films that he gets involved with ever so often. The "big money" movies he get involved in are also generally so bad it would be hard for any amount for brillant acting to make them decent.

[Earl Hartman]

Actually, I kind of liked him in The Firm. But normally I just can't stand him.

[Rennis]

Originally posted by Earl Hartman

Also, does anybody know the actress who plays Cooze's main squeeze? I've never heard of her, and she seems to go by a single name, which is really odd.

I only know her from the Keizoki Beautiful Dreamer movie that sprung from the Keizoku tv drama (wonderful corny and black Japanese humor, for example the police having to do an impromtu rugby scene trying to keep the decapitated head of the victim away from his wife, etc). She was eventually killed by her own sister in that movie, but based on her performance she seem to be fitting for the role she has to play in The Last Samurai. In her Japanese work she only goes by the name Koyuki as well. I checked the cast section of the Keizoku Beautiful Dreamer DVD but it didn't give any specific information about her as an actor so...(shrugs). I know do know that she is fairly new to the acting pool over there having made her debut 4 or 5 years ago.

Best,
Rennis Buchner

[Martyn van Halm]

Movies and martial arts - especially serious martial arts - are always a tenuous, awkward connection.

How many times I've seen young kids joining an aikido club because they admire Seagal bashing someone through a glass display after applying sankyo... And we're there explaining 'well, no, after applying sankyo, you put the opponent on the floor without hurting him too much. Nooo, don't bounce your uke against the wall first....'

As a kobujutsu practitioner I like Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, because the choreography was done by Sugino Yoshio sensei and Mifune was a serious student of the arts, not a 'star' who thinks he can faithfully portray a samurai after a week of drinking sake with a kobujutsu master.

Modern kenjutsu is nicely portrayed in Sidney Pollack's The Yakuza - especially the fight at the end is realistic. Again, Takakura Ken, who portrays the swordfighter, is an accomplished student of the martial arts.

I'll probably watch this movie more for the sets and mise-en-scene.

[StanLee]

Don't forget the movie Gohatto. There's some pretty good fencing scenes in it I think.

[Shimura]

Sorry to get off topic, but what is the big deal about Shogun. On what levels was it sooo bad? If a recall the Japanese actors were all played by Japanese, including my ultimate favorite Mifune, the swordwork was resonable (what there was of it) and the costumes and sets were great. I even believed it was filmed on location entirely in Japan, not partly in New Zealand like the upcoming TLS.

Yes I will admit I am a Shogun fan. Loved the book, loved the movie (own the entire series), and loved the true story when I took time to research it. I even visited Blackthorne's (Will Adam's) grave while I was in Japan. Though James Clavell suffered alot at the hands of the Japanese as a POW during the war, I think he did a great job trying to distill in his own way, and without complete bias, Japanese culture in the West. Speaking of Kyudo, what about that cool (not necessarily real) demo given in Shogun? I think if they want to make an interesting Meiji era movie thet should use Clavell's book Gaijin as a base.

Granted Kurosawa is the god of samurai and jidaigaki movies, and all his films of some of my all time favs. But everything can't be Kurosawa. Again a little off topic, and I know I'm rambling, but has anyone seen "Samurai Fiction". I thought it was great. Nice swordplay, and good humor. Comments?

[kenkyusha]

Originally posted by Shimura
snip
has anyone seen "Samurai Fiction". I thought it was great. Nice swordplay, and good humor. Comments?

Yes... all of the kenjutsu looked like TSKSR... any idea who the fight choreographer was? Anyone? Beuller?

Be well,
Jigme

BTW, Earl-san, we still aren't certain how you feel about the Star Wars movies, would you mind elaborating

[Earl Hartman]

In any Kurosawa movie, Mifune is a god. In almost anything else, he stinks up the joint. He even said himself that he is not proud of any of his work except his work with Kurosawa. Dunno why, but there it is.

I disliked Shogun because it seemed like a version of the old "Heathen Japanee cruel and crafty, Great White Hunter noble and kind." Heap kind round-eye saves suffering Japanese peasant from cruel feudal lord. Heap kind round-eye saves hot Japanese babe from abusive husband, she repays him by slipping into his futon, etc. All it took was one scene like that and I just got soured on the whole thing. Also, for some reason, the Japanese actors seemed stiff and unnatural. Perhaps it was because the director was a foreigner. In addition, while I may be accused of unforgivable snobbery, I got sick of how people made such a big deal about how one could learn all about Japanese culture by watching the series. Sorry, but the idea that one should think that one can learn about Japan by watching a piece of popular entertanment like that is ludicrous. Just imagine how you woud feel if you met a Japanese who said he had learned all about American culture by watching John Wayne movies (assuming the reader of this is an American, anyway. Other nationalities may choose their own analogy).

Haven't read the book, BTW. Also, this just personal taste. I'm sure many people liked it.

Jigme: when I say crapfest, that's exactly what I mean. A steaming, fetid pile of mind-numbing, stupefying proportions. Lucas needs to sit at the feet of Peter Jackson so he can learn how to make a CGI fantasy that means something instead of a masturbatory "look-how-cool-I-am" jerk-off fest that lies there like a week old dead fish.



Samurai Fiction? Never heard of it.