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Thread: Just saw the last Samurai

  1. #46
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    Originally posted by Chrono
    I guess I'll have to get them from Amazon.
    If you're going to have to buy them, let me tell you what I did a few years back:

    To save money I got together with some friends who were also martial arts movie fans, and each of us would buy one film which we would then share. Sort of a movie-of-the-month thing.

    Sometimes we'd get together at someone's house to watch as a group (good for those that didn't have VCRs -- not ubiquitous back then), other times we'd pass them around.

    I got to see more movies than I would have if I'd had to buy them all myself, plus I had someone to talk about them with.

    Just a thought, for what it's worth.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

  2. #47
    Steven Resell Guest

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    Mr. Wood,

    Recently I've been getting a lot of my Japanese films at the local Border's and Tower Records. I couldn't believe it when I saw the entire Zatoichi series on DVDs at Border's!!!

    FWIW, a buddy of mine rents a lot of foreign films off of "Netflix". I haven't seen their selection so I'm not sure if they carry "tampopo" in particular, but it seems as though he has rented several chanbara type movies from there.

    Steven

  3. #48
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    Originally posted by Steven Resell
    Mr. Wood,

    Recently I've been getting a lot of my Japanese films at the local Border's and Tower Records. I couldn't believe it when I saw the entire Zatoichi series on DVDs at Border's!!!

    FWIW, a buddy of mine rents a lot of foreign films off of "Netflix". I haven't seen their selection so I'm not sure if they carry "tampopo" in particular, but it seems as though he has rented several chanbara type movies from there.

    Steven
    Border's? I love Border's! I get all my books from there. I'll have to make sure and look next time.

    I remember watching a small interview with, I think, the founder of Netflix and he said that they have every single DVD that has been made. But, I'm not sure if he meant throughout the world, or just the US.

    Jon
    Jonathan Wood

  4. #49
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    Originally posted by Yagyu Kenshi


    If you want to rent, it depends on where you live. Here in Seattle, with our large Japanese population, it's no problem. I couldn't say about where you live. Check the usual sources like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video for the more popular titles. Some will be dubbed in English, others will have subtitles.
    You really live in seattle Brian? scarecrow video, the largest video store there is, is the best place to go when searching for any obscure film. be it foriegn or otherwise. If scarecrow doesn't have it you probably have to go to japan to get it.
    Grandmaster, Soke, Dr. Julian Gerhart Phd

    10th dan Fakuyu ryu Jujutsu
    8th dan Babikyu ryu Ninjutsu
    7th dan Meriwana ryu Aikido
    4rd dan Chipu baduka ryu Iaido

  5. #50
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    Originally posted by Julian Gerhart
    You really live in seattle Brian? scarecrow video, the largest video store there is, is the best place to go when searching for any obscure film...
    I know; that's why I said "Here in Seattle...it's no problem." Scarecrow caters to just about every ethnic/socio-economic/political/whatever group there is. Whenever I get to the University District I head for Scarecrow just to spend an hour or so browsing.

    I only said "Check the usual sources like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video for the more popular titles" because they're all over the country and Chrono isn't in Seattle.

    I, on the other hand, have been in Seattle practically since the Meaker girls first arrived.

    I also go to Kinokunia at Uwajimaya, though more for books than movies. (My job takes me to the ID several times a week, so it's not an extra trip.)

    Brian "the web footed" Owens
    Last edited by Brian Owens; 25th December 2003 at 06:52.

  6. #51
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    Edit to above post: Don't tell me, all you Seattleites, I know. I feel like a fool. First I wrote "Meeker Girls" and that didn't look right, so I changed it to "Meaker Girls" and it still didn't look right. Then I realized it should have been "Mercer Girls" but my time to edit was up.

    I really do pride myself on my knowledge of Seattle history, but sometimes my typing goes faster than my brain can follow.
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

  7. #52
    Troy McClure Guest

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    Another good resource is Netflix. I haven't looked too in depth at their Japanese movie selection, but a friend of mine says their Asian movie section is huge. He's big into movies from Hong Kong and finds many that otherwise would be unavailable here in Texas.

  8. #53
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    Hello,
    Thanks for the info on netflix I had never heard of them. Is your name really Troy Mcclure? Like on the Simpsons? That must be tough, sorry.
    Daniel Garner
    Proud member of the
    Zombie Gun Club
    Denton branch

  9. #54
    tanoshiidesu Guest

    Talking Tom vs better than Tom

    Seeing the Last Samurai was entertaining, but I wouldn't describe it as being more than that. It was an eastern western and as I watched there were some parts that really bothered me and my friends who were with me. The emperor was a huge disappointment, he was very foppish which I thought was an unneccesary twist to his already weak character, further more I don't believe that Japan was founded "by a handful of honourable men". I think it was more than that and it wasn't all honour and glory. I have a few more issues with the movie, but aside from the problems the film was very entertainment but that's all. Akira Kurasowa films are better if one is interested in samurai movies, but this was more of a western in my opinion. And if one wants to go looking for good movies at good prices...a ton can be found on ebay.
    shitsurei shimasu,
    Shelley

  10. #55
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    I saw it. It wasn't quite as bad as I thought it would be.

    Shrug.

    Can't hold a candle to a really good period piece made by a good Japanese director. I imagine the effect would be similar if we here in the West watched a film about, say, Robin Hood directed by a Japanese director.

    As my wife said, for a film about Japan made by an American, it wasn't that bad.

    But, come on: having the cherry blossoms scattering to the wind as Katsumoto is dying? Gimme a break.

    However, I thought the repsects paid by the soldiers to the samurai was a nice touch.

    However, for the film to work, you have to accept the premise that the samurai were brave and honorable men, as opposed to a rapacious and parasitic self-appointed armed nobility who took power by armed force and then proceeded to oppress the other 90% of the country under the threat of being killed out of hand. You aslo have to accept that modernity with all of those disgusting things like trechnological, scientific, and medical advances and democracy was actually a regression. Nonsense, of course.

    Anyway, I'm not going to bother to watch it again, but I have seen worse. The production values were pretty good, and the kyujutsu wasn't half bad, so all in all it wasn't a total waste of time. But Cruise still can't act.

    FWIW, I have heard that the Emperor Meiji actually was a fairly slight and aristocratic man.
    Earl Hartman

  11. #56
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    Brian --

    Whew. For a minute there, I thought you were going to tell me you were from Sumner or Puyallup. (For those who are wondering what I am talking about, see http://www.lib.washington.edu/specia...aPHColl596.xml .)

    As for what Brian is talking about, see http://www.historylink.org/output.cfm?file_id=1125 and http://www.seattleschools.org/area/archives/history.xml

    Or, if you're of the right age, think of David Soul as you sing along with Perry Como.

  12. #57
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    Originally posted by Joseph Svinth
    Or, if you're of the right age, think of David Soul as you sing along with Perry Como.
    I always think of Bobby Sherman. I will always equate David Soul with Starsky & Hutch.

    And obviously Perry Como was only here in July, August, or September. "The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle"? Should have been "The greyest skies..."

    I've been iced in up in the Silver Lake area for the last 2 days. Finally got out this evening. How's it been down in Edmonds?
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

  13. #58
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    Well, better late than never, I have a copy! I liked the storyline and the movie apart from the baseball sword techniques that predominate done by both Western and Japanese.

    As usual a Tateshi cant turn actors into swordsmen within a few days so we cant really expect too much can we.

    I saw Kill Bill too and begged my friend not to even get me copy of that. The only realistic bit in it was the Japanese girl band.

    Hyakutake Colin
    Hyakutake Colin

    All the best techniques are taught by survivors.


    http://www.hyoho.com

  14. #59
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    Originally posted by Earl Hartman

    FWIW, I have heard that the Emperor Meiji actually was a fairly slight and aristocratic man.
    He may have been in his younger days, but towards the end of his life he had actually become a fairly large man who was well known in circles who would be in the know to have eating and drinking problems (which the court of course tried their best to cover up). If I remember correctly Bix mentioned this in his biography on Hirohito.

    Rennis Buchner

  15. #60
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    Originally posted by hyaku
    Well, better late than never, I have a copy!
    You mean it's already out on video in Japan?

    Is the English dialog subtitled in Japanese or was it shown there just as it weas here?
    Yours in Budo,
    ---Brian---

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