Zatoichi the Fugitive (1963)

Zatoichi the Fugitive

Medium: Film
Director: Tokuzo Tanaka
Country: Japan
Released: 1963
First Consumed: April 11, 2012
Format: Hulu streaming (via PS3)
Rating: 7.0

The Series gets its first repeat director, Tane returns married to an asshole, and we get the best, most insane sword fight yet. It's also the only one you could call boring at times. Though even with Tane showing up, the plot is completely new. No Boss Kanbei or hometown pals still trying to kill him.

That fight at the end makes it all worth it. It is too good.

Justified, Season 3

Justified, Season 3

Medium: TV
Creator: Graham Yost
Network: FX
Dates Aired: Jan. 17 - April 10 2012
Consumption completed: April 10, 2012
Genre: Drama
Rating:9.5/10

Graham Yost and his writers deliver yet another wonderful season of Deputy Marshall Raylan Givens killing bad dudes. They must have felt some strong pressure to recapture the what they had in Mags Bennett as the big bad. They didn't quite succeed, but damn if they didn't give us two of the most compelling villains this season in Robert Quarles and Elston Limehouse. On top of that, Boyd Crowder was back in top criminal form.

Justified isn't only about the villains, though. Everyone was in top form. Timothy Olyphant is much deserving of some Emmy love, and Joelle Carter made Ava's transition into the criminal a beautiful thing.

Here's to the long look forward to another season of one of TV's best shows. (Rumors that Yost is courting Jeff Goldblum for the 4th season appeared today. Holy Shit, right?)

Retribution (2006)

Retribution

Medium: Film
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Country: Japan
Released: 2006
First Consumed: April 9, 2012
Format: Netflix streaming
Rating: 7.5/10

I feel I should open with this. Kairo (Pulse) is probably my favorite horror film of the past 20 or so years. It's probably one of my favorite horror films ever. It's definitely the only movie, as an adult, I've had to pause at night so I could turn the lights on because I was so fucking scared. There. Now you know.

The rest of the 2nd best Kurosawa's filmography (that I've seen) proves to me that he's a master of creepy atmosphere and slow-moving scares. And yes, I'm including his 2009 drama Tokyo Sonata. That shit's scary as hell.

Retribution is ultimately a bit predictable, but that's not really a problem. The scary parts scare, and the whole thing is tinged with Kurosawa's brilliant brand of creepy weird. It's not one of his best, but it's worth your time.

'Desertshore' by Nico

Desertshore

Medium: Album

Artist: Nico
Label: Reprise
Country: Germany
Released: 1970
First Consumed: April 9, 2012
Genre: Avant-Folk
Rating:5/10

RYM All-Time List: #566
I'm not ashamed to admit that love for Nico baffles me. Desertshore has plenty mood and atmosphere, and.... Yeah, that's about it.

I do not care for Nico. Does this make me a bad person?

RYM All Time list refers to the list of greatest albums ever recorded, as voted by users, on RateYourMusic.com

Happy Endings, Season 2

Happy Endings, Season 2

Medium: TV
Creator: David Caspe
Network: ABC
Dates Aired: Sept. 28, 2011 - April 4, 2012
Consumption completed: April 8, 2012
Genre: Comedy
Rating: 9/10

I'm still not sure how to document television within the format of the blog. I know I don't want to do single episode reviews, and waiting until a series is over could take years. For now, I'll write up whole seasons of currently-airing shows.

I started to really enjoy Happy Endings at the end of its first season,but fell in love hard when it came back in the fall. There wasn't a bad episode all season. When this is on in my house, it's rare to hear five consecutive seconds without us laughing. This is comedy that is both physical and wordy and clever. It goes for obscure film references and simple fart and fall-down jokes. The writers have been magnificently pulling jumbled and busy plots together into something great, while also fleshing out these silly characters into deeper, more emotionally engaging silly characters.

I highly recommend this series, and I hope desperately that it returns next fall.

New Tale of Zatoichi (1963)

New Tale of Zatoichi

Medium: Film
Director: Tokuzo Tanaka
Country: Japan
Released: 1963
First Consumed: April 9, 2012
Format: Hulu streaming (via PS3)
Rating: 7.5

Well, I got those 20 minutes of runtime I asked for back. I'm now three filma into the Zatoichi series and have yet to see any sort of growth or change in quality. New Tale feels more complex in its plotting than the previous two entries, but that doesn't make it any better. It also introduces several new characters, while still dealing with actions of the past two films.

The Tale of Zatoichi Continues ended with the blind masseur killing the cruel Boss Kanbei, his employer in the first film. New Tale finds him back in his home town where Kanbei's brother and some cronies have tracked him down. Also, Zatoichi reunites with his old sword teacher (who's totally a dick), and gets involved in a love triangle that you know immediately isn't going to pan out well for anybody (The series seems to still be unclear on how to handle the romantic aspects of Zatoichi. The plot here isn't dissimilar to that of the Zatoichi/Tane relationship of the first two films, but Zatoichi acts much differently here). There's also a weird hostage sub plot that mostly plays out in the tertiary until the climax. And none of this matters because Zatoichi is depressed and sick of killing. Shintaro Katsu is called upon to cry several times.

Yeah, that's too much stuff. It could have been executed worse, though. We still have time for Zatoichi's typical brooding, which is a plus.


My modern American brain can only accept film franchises in the form of trilogies, so I'm unfairly expecting some major shake-ups in the next entry.

This was the first Zatoichi film shot in color. I liked the black and white, and the color added absolutely nothing but a more modern look, but it shore is purty.

Hobson's Choice (1954)

Hobson's Choice

Medium: Film
Director: David Lean
Country: United Kingdom
Released: 1954
First Consumed: April 9,2012
Format: Hulu Streaming (via PS3)
Rating: 8/10

I believe Hobson's Choice was one of David Lean's only comedies. That's a shame, as based on the film, he had quite a knack for it. Or maybe it's not such a shame. His dramas and epics are all fantastic. Maybe Hobson's Choice (and Blithe Spirit, which I've not seen) is just a nice change of pace of the master.

The great Charles Laughton inhabits the titular role of a domineering and drunken patriarch who tries to marry off his younger daughters and force the eldest (Brenda De Banzie) into running his boot store while he gets plastered down at the pub. Banzie's inherited some of her father's more bossy and controlling traits but has them balanced with a real intelligence and cunning. Watching her dismantle her father's plans, and then his business is the real joy of watching Hobson's Choice.

Well, that and Charles Laughton. He's not just the buffoon the above poster makes him out to be.