Lee Buchenau

DVD Review, Mar 16 2004

Band of Outsiders is easily Godard's most accessible and most enjoyable film. This is early 60's New Wave spirited, movie convention bashing Godard, not the abstract inpenatratably political Godard of the late 60's and on. Spontaneous and joyful the picture has that wondeful feel of Paris in the early 60's. Godard punctuates the film with brilliant witty asides that are among his finest. The Louvre tour and Madison dance are some of the coolest moments on film. In fact the entire movie conveys a great sense of cool, a quirky cool. For me the film is especially notable because it introduced me to Anna Karina. This is one of the seven films she made with Godard and with this film I became… Read more

DVD Review, Mar 16 2004

Kurosawa's Dreams is a collection of short films that work as part of a whole, but like all collections some films are far inferior then others. The film is Kurosawa's most personal and several segments are a bit heavy handed and indulgant. The segments that worked for me were among the best of Kurosawa. The Peach Orchard with its mysterious mood and breathtaking color is a highlight. The Tunnel with a powerful performance by the actor playing the officer is a strong and simple reflection on war. Crows is a stunning segment that recreates and uses effects to lead its character through the paintings of Van Gogh. The weakest segment is Mount Fuji in Red which uses poor special effects to tell… Read more

DVD Review, Mar 16 2004

(Minus one star because of the poor condition of the print)
Ikiru is argueably Kurosawa's masterpiece and the film is one of the true classics of all cinema. It suceeds on so many levels. A truly moving film that doesn't go for cheap sentiment, but instead touches the soul. Every action, camera move, and edit is brilliantly utilized make the film like a virtual text book in the power of filmmaking. The birthday party, Watanabe's song, the look of the office, the night of pleasure, the wake, the swing, and Shimura's eyes all linger long after seeing the film. Cinema at its finest.

Image: (1:33:1) I first saw Ikiru on a blurry video cassette, the DVD is a lot better, but unfortunately… Read more