For the last decade, Japanese maestro Takeshi Kitano has taken a break from the Yakuza films that have come to strongly identify his entire body of work, turning to projects ranging from Zatoichi to his surreal and allegedly autobiographical trilogy of pictures starting with Takeshis and ending with 2008′s Achilles and the Tortoise. But ten … Continue reading »
Tagged with takeshi kitano …
My Cinematic Alphabet
I don’t typically participate in blog memes, mostly because deadlines aren’t really my thing– this is a leisurely blog, updated when I deign fit to update it, after all, and I have so many other things to do with my time that setting dates for myself generally doesn’t work out. But some memes are just … Continue reading »
Review: Zatoichi, 2003, dir. Takeshi Kitano
To describe Japan’s Takeshi Kitano (or Beat Takesi) as anything other than “versatile” is outright unthinkable. While frequently known and celebrated for his forays into crime dramas with a series of films involving cops and yakuza to his credit– Brother, Sonatine, Hana-bi, Violent Cop– Kitano has displayed an unwillingness to be pigeonholed as a participant … Continue reading »
Something Seasonal: Contemporary Films I’m Thankful For
November is a time of year to ruminate on all the things that we’re thankful for, and as we close in on the end of 2009, I find myself with a list containing innumerable pieces of my life that I’m grateful of. I have a wonderful fiancée with whom I have a fulfilling relationship; I … Continue reading »