(Welcome to The Movies That Made "Star Wars," a series where we explore the films and television properties that inspired George Lucas' iconic universe. In this edition: The classic jidaigeki film "Three Outlaw Samurai.")
As the first feature film from the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha, "Three Outlaw Samurai," holds a special place in the pantheon of Japanese films. It tells the story of three samurai who battle corruption and balance their honor and obedience to the system that produced them with doing what's actually right — something that feels almost radical in this style of filmmaking. The movie's stars — Tetsurô Tanba, Isamu Nagato, and Mikijirô Hira as the titular samurai — were reprising their roles from a television show with the same name that had started the year before. According to the essay by Bilge Eberi that accompanies the Criterion Collection's excellent Blu-ray transfer of the film, the original show seems lost to time.
As the first feature film from the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha, "Three Outlaw Samurai," holds a special place in the pantheon of Japanese films. It tells the story of three samurai who battle corruption and balance their honor and obedience to the system that produced them with doing what's actually right — something that feels almost radical in this style of filmmaking. The movie's stars — Tetsurô Tanba, Isamu Nagato, and Mikijirô Hira as the titular samurai — were reprising their roles from a television show with the same name that had started the year before. According to the essay by Bilge Eberi that accompanies the Criterion Collection's excellent Blu-ray transfer of the film, the original show seems lost to time.
- 12/20/2023
- by Bryan Young
- Slash Film
In the 1960s, when the Japanese film industry was at the beginning of a fundamental change structure-wise and regarding the stories out on screen, so were the traditional themes, characters and virtues represented by them. However, even the most famous figure of the samurai-genre, Akira Kurosawa, nearly always kept a certain skepticism towards the warrior code, the bushido, and the way it was put into practice, making films such as “Seven Samurai” or “Rashomon” also stories about human weakness and treachery as they are studies about the nature of the bushido, who it kept those with power in their place. Nevertheless, it was not until the 1960s when the tone and the design of the genre would fundamentally change, a reflection of the European version of the western in some way, with directors such as Hideo Gosha delivering their brand of chambara and yakuza films with works like “Three Outlaw Samurai”. Interestingly,...
- 7/29/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
In the 1960s, when the Japanese film industry was at the beginning of a fundamental change structure-wise and regarding the stories out on screen, so were the traditional themes, characters and virtues represented by them. However, even the most famous figure of the samurai-genre, Akira Kurosawa, nearly always kept a certain skepticism towards the warrior code, the bushido, and the way it was put into practice, making films such as “Seven Samurai” or “Rashomon” also stories about human weakness and treachery as they are studies about the nature of the bushido, who it kept those with power in their place. Nevertheless, it was not until the 1960s when the tone and the design of the genre would fundamentally change, a reflection of the European version of the western in some way, with directors such as Hideo Gosha delivering their brand of chambara and yakuza films with works like “Three Outlaw Samurai”. Interestingly,...
- 7/29/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
For some, Rian Johnson is the director of the acclaimed hit Looper, which proved he was ready for the big league budget of Star Wars directing. But for others, Rian Johnson is one of the keepers of classic cinema, both in taste and style. Like Lucas before him, Johnson is an old school filmmaker working in a contemporary blockbuster setting. Rian Johnson is a perfect fit for Star Wars, and I’ll detail why in great, painful lengths. Rian Johnson is exactly what Star Wars needs right now.
On October 30th, 2012 Disney announced they were acquiring Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and that there would be new Star Wars films every two to three years (that’s since changed). Just barely a month before, Rian Johnson’s film Looper was released wide in September to wide critical acclaim and instantly embraced by fans as a modern sci-fi classic. The first question in...
On October 30th, 2012 Disney announced they were acquiring Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and that there would be new Star Wars films every two to three years (that’s since changed). Just barely a month before, Rian Johnson’s film Looper was released wide in September to wide critical acclaim and instantly embraced by fans as a modern sci-fi classic. The first question in...
- 5/24/2017
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (Collin Llewellyn)
- Cinelinx
Director Rian Johnson is deep in the post-production process of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and is currently editing the film. In a recent interview with Empire, he said that the film is taking shape and that he's excited. I think every Star Wars fan is excited to see how this next chapter in the saga story comes together!
The filmmaker went on to talk about some of the cinematic influences he had when directing The Last Jedi and also talked about his experiences developing and shooting the movie. When it comes to his influences, he mentioned three films and explained what each one of them brought to the table:
“‘Twelve O’Clock High’ was a big touchstone, for the feel and look of the aerial combat as well as the dynamic between the pilots. 'Three Outlaw Samurai’ for the feel of the sword-fighting, and the general sense of pulpy fun.
The filmmaker went on to talk about some of the cinematic influences he had when directing The Last Jedi and also talked about his experiences developing and shooting the movie. When it comes to his influences, he mentioned three films and explained what each one of them brought to the table:
“‘Twelve O’Clock High’ was a big touchstone, for the feel and look of the aerial combat as well as the dynamic between the pilots. 'Three Outlaw Samurai’ for the feel of the sword-fighting, and the general sense of pulpy fun.
- 1/30/2017
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Author: Jon Lyus
Yesterday Lucasfilm announced the title of Star Wars Episode VIII as The Last Jedi. The internet instantly wound itself into a whirlwind of speculation about what bearing the title would have on the as-yet-unknown plot of the film. So hungry are we now for any tidbits of information that three simple words are be debated and amplified to extraordinary proportions. More of that coming up later.
Moments following the announcement the director tweeted this:
Excited (and relieved) to finally share this! https://t.co/QKzA21tuog
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) January 23, 2017
Not as excited as the legion of Star Wars fans, buoyed by a stellar turn from Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One both critically and commercially, to have a great new title. The Force Awakens was a turning point for the saga. It was a search for Luke Skywalker, and the final moments revealed that the last jedi (as...
Yesterday Lucasfilm announced the title of Star Wars Episode VIII as The Last Jedi. The internet instantly wound itself into a whirlwind of speculation about what bearing the title would have on the as-yet-unknown plot of the film. So hungry are we now for any tidbits of information that three simple words are be debated and amplified to extraordinary proportions. More of that coming up later.
Moments following the announcement the director tweeted this:
Excited (and relieved) to finally share this! https://t.co/QKzA21tuog
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) January 23, 2017
Not as excited as the legion of Star Wars fans, buoyed by a stellar turn from Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One both critically and commercially, to have a great new title. The Force Awakens was a turning point for the saga. It was a search for Luke Skywalker, and the final moments revealed that the last jedi (as...
- 1/24/2017
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Episode 8 is officially named 'The Last Jedi,' directed by Rian Johnson the film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and Andy Serkis in returning roles with new cast members Benicio del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.
Speaking with Empire Rain Johnson named a couple of films that inspired 'The Last Jedi,' saying:
‘Twelve O’Clock High’ was a big touchstone, for the feel and look of the aerial combat as well as the dynamic between the pilots. 'Three Outlaw Samurai’ for the feel of the sword-fighting, and the general sense of pulpy fun. And ‘To Catch A Thief’ was a great film to rewatch, for the romantic scale and grandeur.”'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' is scheduled for release on December 15, 2017.
Speaking with Empire Rain Johnson named a couple of films that inspired 'The Last Jedi,' saying:
‘Twelve O’Clock High’ was a big touchstone, for the feel and look of the aerial combat as well as the dynamic between the pilots. 'Three Outlaw Samurai’ for the feel of the sword-fighting, and the general sense of pulpy fun. And ‘To Catch A Thief’ was a great film to rewatch, for the romantic scale and grandeur.”'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' is scheduled for release on December 15, 2017.
- 1/16/2017
- by noreply@blogger.com (Flicks News)
- FlicksNews.net
While the film that had the most direct influence on the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII is certainly J.J. Abrams‘ The Force Awakens, director Rian Johnson has shared some key inspiration when it comes to the tone and themes of his upcoming sci-fi sequel. While he previously stated two inspirations for the Star Wars saga’s next installment, that list has expanded, thanks his talk at Star Wars Celebration Europe.
The list includes six titles that Johnson encouraged the story group of Lucasfilm to watch before filming began, a thematic lookbook that features a mixture of beloved classics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai and lesser-known gems such as 1943’s Sahara. However, Twelve O’Clock High still stands as Johnson’s top pick for most influential. The most recent film on this list is from 1960, suggesting Johnson’s cinematic influences are less peer-based than deeply embedded in a more classical style.
The list includes six titles that Johnson encouraged the story group of Lucasfilm to watch before filming began, a thematic lookbook that features a mixture of beloved classics such as The Bridge on the River Kwai and lesser-known gems such as 1943’s Sahara. However, Twelve O’Clock High still stands as Johnson’s top pick for most influential. The most recent film on this list is from 1960, suggesting Johnson’s cinematic influences are less peer-based than deeply embedded in a more classical style.
- 7/18/2016
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Star Wars Celebration 2016: What we learnedStar Wars Celebration 2016: What we learnedJason Gorber7/18/2016 10:45:00 Am
Back when George Lucas announced that he was selling his company to Disney and entrusting his vision to a new generation of filmmakers, the director who I initially championed to have a crack at a Star Wars film was Rian Johnson. His film Looper proves to be a wonderful example of how to balance sophisticated narrative, swashbuckling adventure and wry, sardonic humour all in one gloriously visual package.
Johnson’s previous films like Brick gained him a cult following among enthusiasts, but perhaps his most watched work are the several "Breaking Bad" episodes he directed to great acclaim, including “Fly”, a memorable, Hitchcockian episode where an errant pest disrupts the protagonists as they cook up their illicit goods. John Boyega described the shoot as “Rian doing an indie movie within a franchise”, and...
Back when George Lucas announced that he was selling his company to Disney and entrusting his vision to a new generation of filmmakers, the director who I initially championed to have a crack at a Star Wars film was Rian Johnson. His film Looper proves to be a wonderful example of how to balance sophisticated narrative, swashbuckling adventure and wry, sardonic humour all in one gloriously visual package.
Johnson’s previous films like Brick gained him a cult following among enthusiasts, but perhaps his most watched work are the several "Breaking Bad" episodes he directed to great acclaim, including “Fly”, a memorable, Hitchcockian episode where an errant pest disrupts the protagonists as they cook up their illicit goods. John Boyega described the shoot as “Rian doing an indie movie within a franchise”, and...
- 7/18/2016
- by Jason Gorber
- Cineplex
Star Wars Celebration Europe is now officially over and everyone can start counting down the time until Star Wars Celebration Orlando begins. Before we get to next year hear are the top 5 most important things to come out of Swce.
1. Star Wars Rogue One is not a traditional Star Wars movie
It is safe to say with the trailer, sizzle reel, and an interview from the cast is that this movie does not have a happy ending to it. Expect a lot of casualties in this movie. A lot more speculation has come about since the panel for Rogue One finished. The biggest buzz came from Mads Mikkelson who confirmed that he is playing Galen who is Jyn Erso’s father. He also revealed that his character is a scientist who has created something that was initially to be beautiful and amazing. So now it starting to make sense that...
1. Star Wars Rogue One is not a traditional Star Wars movie
It is safe to say with the trailer, sizzle reel, and an interview from the cast is that this movie does not have a happy ending to it. Expect a lot of casualties in this movie. A lot more speculation has come about since the panel for Rogue One finished. The biggest buzz came from Mads Mikkelson who confirmed that he is playing Galen who is Jyn Erso’s father. He also revealed that his character is a scientist who has created something that was initially to be beautiful and amazing. So now it starting to make sense that...
- 7/18/2016
- by Michael Connally
- LRMonline.com
Ryan Lambie Jul 18, 2016
Director Rian Johnson talks about following the plot of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with next year's Episode 8...
Attendees at Star Wars Celebration Europe were lucky enough to be among the first to clap eyes on the second trailer for this year's Star Wars: Rogue One. The rest of us will have to wait an unspecified amount of time before that promo appears on YouTube or in cinemas. Still, the celebration's live feed still provided a few new morsels of information, including the latest Rogue One poster and a sizzle reel containing behind-the-scenes footage and glimpses of a few new characters.
Then there's Star Wars: Episode VIII, the 2017 sequel to The Force Awakens. Writer-director Rian Johnson took ther stage at the Future Film Maker panel to talk about his forthcoming movie, and while he didn't drop anything revelatory - we still don't know what its official title is,...
Director Rian Johnson talks about following the plot of Star Wars: The Force Awakens with next year's Episode 8...
Attendees at Star Wars Celebration Europe were lucky enough to be among the first to clap eyes on the second trailer for this year's Star Wars: Rogue One. The rest of us will have to wait an unspecified amount of time before that promo appears on YouTube or in cinemas. Still, the celebration's live feed still provided a few new morsels of information, including the latest Rogue One poster and a sizzle reel containing behind-the-scenes footage and glimpses of a few new characters.
Then there's Star Wars: Episode VIII, the 2017 sequel to The Force Awakens. Writer-director Rian Johnson took ther stage at the Future Film Maker panel to talk about his forthcoming movie, and while he didn't drop anything revelatory - we still don't know what its official title is,...
- 7/18/2016
- Den of Geek
With the exception of several crowd-pleasing samurai epics (like Zatoichi and Three Outlaw Samurai) and a few bargain-priced historical costume dramas (such as The Ballad of Narayama and Gate of Hell), the flow of newly released Japanese art films by the Criterion Collection has slowed to a trickle over the past five years or so. (And for the sake of politeness and avoiding pointless controversy, I won’t invoke Jellyfish Eyes in this argument either.) We’ve obviously enjoyed a steady stream of chanbara, Ozu and especially Kurosawa Blu-ray upgrades during this past half-decade, and there have been several outstanding Japanese sets recently issued as part of the Eclipse Series as well, but we really haven’t seen much else along these lines in the main lineup since Kaneto Shindo’s Kuroneko came out in the fall of 2011. That’s over 200 spine numbers ago! But I’m happy to report...
- 2/16/2016
- by David Blakeslee
- CriterionCast
Takashi Miike‘s The Happiness of the Katakuris begins with a woman probing a freshly delivered bowl of soup only to fish out a miniature angel/gargoyle/teletubby? whose presence seems to instigate the onscreen conversion of the world into claymation before tearing out the poor woman’s uvula and tossing it into the air to float away like a heart-shaped balloon. This is a film that, even in an oeuvre that includes works as disparate as gross out shocker Visitor Q and the kid friendly The Great Yokai War, is pure unpredictable insanity that baffles as much as it entertains. Essentially a horror comedy musical, Miike’s genre mashing farce is loosely based on Kim Jee-woon’s The Quiet Family, in which a family owns a remotely located bed and breakfast whose customers always happen to die during their stay, yet takes that simple premise to its outermost extremes in the silliest of ways.
- 6/30/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Amazon is having a massive sale on Criterion Collection titles, virtually all of them listed at 50% off and I have included more than 115 of the available titles directly below along with a selection of ten I consider must owns. Titles beyond my top ten include Amarcord, Christopher Nolan's Following, David Fincher's The Game, Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory and The Killing, Roman Polansk's Rosemary's Baby, Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited and plenty of Terrence Malick. All the links lead directly to the Amazon website, so click on through with confidence. Small Note: By buying through the links below you help support RopeofSilicon.com as I get a small commission for the sales made through using these links. Thanks for reading and I appreciate your support. Top Ten Must Owns 8 1/2 (dir. Federico Fellini) 12 Angry Men (dir. Sidney Lumet) The 400 Blows (dir.
- 6/6/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Amazon is having a massive sale on Criterion Collection titles, virtually all of them listed at 50% off and I have included more than 115 of the available titles directly below along with a selection of ten I consider must owns. Titles beyond my top ten include Amarcord, Christopher Nolan's Following, David Fincher's The Game, Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory and The Killing, Roman Polansk's Rosemary's Baby, Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited and plenty of Terrence Malick. All the links lead directly to the Amazon website, so click on through with confidence. Small Note: By buying through the links below you help support RopeofSilicon.com as I get a small commission for the sales made through using these links. Thanks for reading and I appreciate your support. Top Ten Must Owns 8 1/2 (dir. Federico Fellini) 12 Angry Men (dir. Sidney Lumet) The 400 Blows (dir.
- 6/6/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Top Ten TV to Film Adaptations This weekend 21 Jump Street scored the top spot at the weekend box-office and Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall are busy preparing a sequel and after posting my review someone on Twitter told me one of the reasons they liked it was because it was a huge improvement compared to most TV-to-film adaptations. While I enjoyed it, I wasn't as excited over it as some people seem to be and I never even thought to compare it to other TV-to-film adaptations, especially considering a film needs to stand on its own, whether it's simply better than other films that tried to make the leap from the small screen to the silver screen is irrelevant. But it did get me to thinking... what are the best TV-to-film adaptations? So I started the process of compiling a list and while 21 Jump Street is a good flick, it...
- 3/19/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Hideo Gosha’s Three Outlaw Samurai started as a television serial before Gosha took his chance as a filmmaker and adapted his show into a prequel of sorts. The film features Tetsuro Tanba, Isamu Nagato, and Mikijiro Hira reprising their roles from the show as three samurai who band together. The film reveals their motives for doing so and casts them in varying degrees along the scale of traditional heroism. Tanba, as the story’s main character, is quick to identify the social issue that has led a group of desperate farmers to rebel against the local lord, whereas his two counterparts need a bit more persuading. All of this occurs on land controlled by a dishonest bureaucrat whom, without really thinking of whether what the farmers has done is right or wrong, does whatever he must to rid himself of the problem and revert the matter to the status quo.
- 3/12/2012
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Chicago – Hideo Gosha’s spectacularly entertaining 1964 feature directorial debut, “Three Outlaw Samurai,” is a samurai film for moviegoers who aren’t necessarily fans of the samurai genre. At a running time of 93 minutes, the picture is briskly paced and packed with suspenseful set-pieces, while centering its narrative on a partnership between three men who could easily be dubbed, “Good,” “Bad” and “Ugly.”
Though the film essentially functions as a prequel to Gosha’s Japanese television show of the same name, moviegoers won’t need any familiarity with the material to get immediately caught up in the action. Tadashi Sakai’s in-your-face cinematography often slants to a diagonal angle while closing in on the agonized faces of foes as they fight to the death. When the sword meets flesh, Gosha doesn’t spare the audience of the blood that follows.
Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Tetsurô Tamba, a veteran actor memorably featured in Masaki Kobayashi’s classic,...
Though the film essentially functions as a prequel to Gosha’s Japanese television show of the same name, moviegoers won’t need any familiarity with the material to get immediately caught up in the action. Tadashi Sakai’s in-your-face cinematography often slants to a diagonal angle while closing in on the agonized faces of foes as they fight to the death. When the sword meets flesh, Gosha doesn’t spare the audience of the blood that follows.
Blu-ray Rating: 4.0/5.0
Tetsurô Tamba, a veteran actor memorably featured in Masaki Kobayashi’s classic,...
- 2/28/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
DVD Playhouse—February 2012
By Allen Gardner
To Kill A Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Robert Mulligan’s film of Harper Lee’s landmark novel pits a liberal-minded lawyer (Gregory Peck) against a small Southern town’s racism when defending a black man (Brock Peters) on trumped-up rape charges. One of the 1960s’ first landmark films, a truly stirring human drama that hits all the right notes and isn’t dated a bit. Robert Duvall makes his screen debut (sans dialogue) as the enigmatic Boo Radley. DVD and Blu-ray double edition. Bonuses: Two feature-length documentaries: Fearful Symmetry and A Conversation with Gregory Peck; Featurettes; Excerpts and film clips from Gregory Peck’s Oscar acceptance speech and AFI Lifetime Achievement Award; Commentary by Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 2.0 mono.
Outrage: Way Of The Yakuza (Magnolia) After a brief hiatus from his signature oeuvre of Japanese gangster flicks,...
By Allen Gardner
To Kill A Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Robert Mulligan’s film of Harper Lee’s landmark novel pits a liberal-minded lawyer (Gregory Peck) against a small Southern town’s racism when defending a black man (Brock Peters) on trumped-up rape charges. One of the 1960s’ first landmark films, a truly stirring human drama that hits all the right notes and isn’t dated a bit. Robert Duvall makes his screen debut (sans dialogue) as the enigmatic Boo Radley. DVD and Blu-ray double edition. Bonuses: Two feature-length documentaries: Fearful Symmetry and A Conversation with Gregory Peck; Featurettes; Excerpts and film clips from Gregory Peck’s Oscar acceptance speech and AFI Lifetime Achievement Award; Commentary by Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 2.0 mono.
Outrage: Way Of The Yakuza (Magnolia) After a brief hiatus from his signature oeuvre of Japanese gangster flicks,...
- 2/26/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Reviewer: Philip Tatler IV
Ratings (out of five): ****
In Hideo’s Gosha’s Three Outlaw Samurai, the title characters aid peasants in their struggle against corrupt overlords. While this plot synopsis (and even the title of the film) suggests a sort of miniature version of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, the parallel is misleading. Both films are rousing adventures and represent the pinnacle of the chambara/samurai genre. But, for all of its swordplay and suspense, Gosha’s film is a bitter depiction of how evil can prevail even when good men do something to prevent it.
Ratings (out of five): ****
In Hideo’s Gosha’s Three Outlaw Samurai, the title characters aid peasants in their struggle against corrupt overlords. While this plot synopsis (and even the title of the film) suggests a sort of miniature version of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, the parallel is misleading. Both films are rousing adventures and represent the pinnacle of the chambara/samurai genre. But, for all of its swordplay and suspense, Gosha’s film is a bitter depiction of how evil can prevail even when good men do something to prevent it.
- 2/22/2012
- by weezy
- GreenCine
Criterion Collection: Three Outlaw Samurai [Blu-ray] Movie: Disc: Click here to read the dvd review! "Often compared to Sam Peckinpah, Gosha’s briskly paced katana operas are frequently drenched with sweat and assorted other bodily fluids. But Gosha is not interested in violence for its own sake, but as an inevitable consequence of his competently constructed and efficiently executed scenarios. If Kurosawa is the Stanley Kubrick of the Samurai genre, then Gosha is its Alan Parker."...
- 2/21/2012
- IONCINEMA.com
Happy Valentine's Day! Sadly, there aren't too many romantic movies hitting DVD or Blu-ray today, but I suppose anything with Johnny Depp always makes for a perfect date flick... even if he happens to be playing an alcoholic. The Rum Diary is really the only major release of the week, with most of the other selections being indie and foreign films including Take Shelter starring Michael Shannon, Jose Padilha's Elite Squad: The Enemy Within and The Human Centipede II: Full Sequence. Criterion is also putting out Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture and Hideo Gosha's Three Outlaw Samurai, and then there are a couple of acclaimed documentaries in The Interrupters and Urbanized. We'd also be remiss if we did not mention 50 Cent's cancer drama All Things Fall Apart... did someone say Oscar snub? What will you be buying or renting this week? Check out the list of new releases after the jump.
- 2/14/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
DVD or Blu-ray? Redbox or Netflix? Streaming? Whatever your poison, we've got the highlights and lowlights on the week's new releases. Moviefone's Pick of the Week "The Interrupters" What's It About? "Hoop Dreams" director Steve James tackles the crisis of inner-city violence and the people who are trying restore peace and unity; following the CeaseFire activist organization for over a year as they try to quash Chicago's outbreak of gang-related crimes, "Interrupters" documents several cases of possible redemption -- with various results. See It Because: Steve James films some incredibly real moments of hope and despair, and while the film feels epic in scope, it hits hardest when you realize that these events are just another day for everyone involved. Also New on DVD & Blu-ray "The Rum Diary" Johnny Depp adapts another Hunter S. Thompson novel, but without any of the flair of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." See...
- 2/14/2012
- by Eric Larnick
- Moviefone
Three Outlaw Samurai (Criterion Collection) I just watched this last night and enjoyed it quite a bit, but for anyone that reads this site often you will frequently see me complimenting samurai features. This one is a bit of a Criterion rarity in that it is feature free outside of the trailer and one essay, but the pricing does reflect that fact as Amazon has the Blu-ray listed at $19.99.
Prior to seeing this film I had never seen anything from director Hideo Gosha, but the storytelling here makes me want to see more. Three Outlaw Samurai follows the story of a wandering ronin who happens upon a situation where a trio of peasants have kidnapped the daughter of a tyrannical magistrate in an attempt to have their demands heard and to stop the oppression that has befallen eight local villages. The situation escalates when the magistrate fights back and two other samurai,...
Prior to seeing this film I had never seen anything from director Hideo Gosha, but the storytelling here makes me want to see more. Three Outlaw Samurai follows the story of a wandering ronin who happens upon a situation where a trio of peasants have kidnapped the daughter of a tyrannical magistrate in an attempt to have their demands heard and to stop the oppression that has befallen eight local villages. The situation escalates when the magistrate fights back and two other samurai,...
- 2/14/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
0:00 - Intro / Jay's New Film Announcement 9:40 - Review: The Artist 59:10 - Trailer Trash: The Amazing Spider-Man, The Bourne Legacy 1:12:00 - Other Stuff We Watched: The Woman, The Other F Word, This Means War, Sanctum, The River, Nightmare Factory, Paris, Texas, Southland Tales, Donnie Darko, Three Outlaw Samurai, Adaptation 1:47:20 - Junk Mail: The Artist vs. Avatar, Actor Performances Influenced by Real-Life Experiences, Career Redefining Roles, Thinking Too Much About Ratings, Quitting Movies Halfway Through, Movies We Each Like that the Others Hate, Bilingual Packaging, U.K. Ratings on DVD Spine, Counting Box Sets, Special Widescreen Format TV, Premium Episode Top 5, On Cinema + Geaux Hornets 2:24:35 - This Week's DVD Releases 2:27:00 - Outro
Film Junk Podcast Episode #357: The Artist by Filmjunk on Mixcloud
» Download the MP3 (68 Mb) » View the show notes » Vote for us on Podcast Alley! » Rate us on iTunes!
Film Junk Podcast Episode #357: The Artist by Filmjunk on Mixcloud
» Download the MP3 (68 Mb) » View the show notes » Vote for us on Podcast Alley! » Rate us on iTunes!
- 2/14/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
Three Outlaw Samurai Directed by Hideo Gosha Written by Kelichi Abe, Eizaburo Shiba, and Hideo Gosha Starring Tetsuro Tamba, Isamu Nagato, Mikijiro Hira, and Mikyuki Kuwano Hideo Gosha's 'Three Outlaw Samurai' is a competently told samurai story that never really reaches levels of brilliance, but manages to remain consistently intriguing and entertaining. Three samurais become caught up in a microscopic class-war uprising that plays out as part siege film and part revenge film. The film begins as a group of peasant men take the magistrate's daughter hostage in an attempt to force a change in the treatment of local farmers. One of the men has written A wandering Ronin named Sakon Shiba (Tetsuro Tamba) happens upon the disturbance and decides to bunk within the hut of the peasants, curious to see what transpires. The magistrate hires his own samurai to resolve the issue, only to find one of the two,...
- 2/12/2012
- by Jay C.
- FilmJunk
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 14, 2012
Price: DVD $19.99, Blu-ray $29.99
Studio: Criterion
Swords slash in the Japanese action-drama Three Outlaw Samurai.
Three Outlaw Samurai, the first film by legendary Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha (Sword of the Beast) is among the most canonized chambara (sword-fighting) films.
An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television series phenomenon of the same name, the 1964 action-drama movie tells of a wandering, seen-it-all ronin (Tetsuro Tamba) who becomes entangled in the dangerous business of two other samurai (Isamu Nagato and Mikijiro Hira) who’ve been hired to execute a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of a corrupt magistrate.
A tight story filled out with well-mounted action sequences, this classic revenge tale is presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
The Criterion Blu-ray and DVD doesn’t have a heap of special features like most of the supplier’s releases, but the movie did get a high-definition digital...
Price: DVD $19.99, Blu-ray $29.99
Studio: Criterion
Swords slash in the Japanese action-drama Three Outlaw Samurai.
Three Outlaw Samurai, the first film by legendary Japanese filmmaker Hideo Gosha (Sword of the Beast) is among the most canonized chambara (sword-fighting) films.
An origin-story offshoot of a Japanese television series phenomenon of the same name, the 1964 action-drama movie tells of a wandering, seen-it-all ronin (Tetsuro Tamba) who becomes entangled in the dangerous business of two other samurai (Isamu Nagato and Mikijiro Hira) who’ve been hired to execute a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of a corrupt magistrate.
A tight story filled out with well-mounted action sequences, this classic revenge tale is presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
The Criterion Blu-ray and DVD doesn’t have a heap of special features like most of the supplier’s releases, but the movie did get a high-definition digital...
- 11/29/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Back in September, we told you that there was a pretty good chance that Criterion would be releasing some classic Hideo Gosha samurai films in the near future and their recent February release scheduled proved that out. On February 14th, Gosha's debut feature Three Outlaw Samurai will hit shelves on DVD and Blu-ray. Though uncharacteristically sparse on special features, with only a trailer and an essay in a booklet, the movie alone is well worth the price of admission, which itself is somewhat discounted thanks to the lack of special features. What better way to tell someone you love them on Valentine's Day than the gift of this fantastic chanbara film? We can think of none.
- 11/18/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
Photos from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Playing the Field, Brave, Arthur Christmas, This Must Be the Place, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Butter, and Ada Wong on the set of Resident Evil: Retribution.
Posters for Young Adult, Titanic 3D, Being Flynn, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, Underworld Awakening and The Iron Lady.
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"Comedy Central has renewed animated series "South Park" for three more seasons. The deal will keep the series on through 2016 and extend its run to twenty seasons…" (full details)
"Walt Disney Studios have proudly announced that a new animated short film based on "Tangled" will screen with "Beauty and the Beast in 3D" opening on January 13th 2012. The short spotlights the royal wedding of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) and...
Posters for Young Adult, Titanic 3D, Being Flynn, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, Underworld Awakening and The Iron Lady.
"Summit Entertainment estimates that this weekend’s domestic opening of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1" will be around $110 million to $125 million, behind only "New Moon"…" (full details)
"Comedy Central has renewed animated series "South Park" for three more seasons. The deal will keep the series on through 2016 and extend its run to twenty seasons…" (full details)
"Walt Disney Studios have proudly announced that a new animated short film based on "Tangled" will screen with "Beauty and the Beast in 3D" opening on January 13th 2012. The short spotlights the royal wedding of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) and...
- 11/16/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
No official announcement concerning physical releases has been made as of yet, but Criterion and Janus films are going to be screening two of director Hideo Gosha's best samurai films, Three Outlaw Samurai and Bandits Vs. Samurai Squadron at this year's Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas in a couple weeks. According to the Fantastic Fest blog, both films will be free for Ff pass holders. In addition to that, Criterion's Hulu channel includes a large number of films that have not yet been released physically, including two other Gosha samurai films, Death Shadows and Hunter In The Dark, recently added. Again, no announcement about a physical release of any of these films has been made, but we think it's a safe bet that it's only a matter of time now.
- 9/9/2011
- 24framespersecond.net
This one is coming up late, due to Criterion jam packing a ton of releases on Friday, right while I was finishing up the original post. I think they wanted to mess with me, which is very funny. But being the premier (and only) site that gives you the best coverage of Hulu Plus movies, I don’t mind taking the time at all. I’m hoping it has nothing to do with the recent shake-up going on that Josh just reported on the other day (here), and with Hulu wanting to be bought because of financial problems stemming from multiple sources, this makes one wonder what’s going to happen to the Criterion Collection and their deal with Hulu. I’m crossing my fingers that whoever buys the service, be it Amazon, Google or Yahoo (who is the frontrunner), it doesn’t ruin the deal in place for Criterion and its films.
- 6/26/2011
- by James McCormick
- CriterionCast
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