A blog devoted to the discussion of the greatest movies ever made, or The Essential Films. From the beginning of cinema history to present day, these films are crucial to the education of anyone who loves the art of film making.
On January 14, 2016, legendary English stage and screen actor, Alan Rickman, passed away at the age of 69 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Bursting onto the silver screen for the first time as Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Rickman's film career was incredibly versatile, playing villains, heroes and in the case of his other iconic role, Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films, a little of both. From action to comedy to drama to fantasy, horror and science fiction, Rickman excelled in every genre. He will remain as one of the great screen actors of our time. Here are his essential films. RIP.
DIE HARD 1988 Directed by John McTiernan Rickman had been on screen before, in mini-series on British television. But Die Hard marked the first time the actor appeared on the big screen, in a major, big-budget Hollywood film. And what a remarkable debut it was. Not only did he steal the show as the menacingly memorable Hans Gruber, he redefined what it was to be an on-screen villain in one of the greatest (arguably, the greatest) action films of all time. His brains to Bruce Willis' John McLane's brawn made for a hero/villain dynamic that has yet to be topped.
ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES 1991 Directed by Kevin Reynolds
Let's be clear here. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is NOT a good film. However, it was a huge financial success and includes one of Rickman's most memorable roles as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Rickman doesn't chew the scenery, he devours it. And by no means is this an insult. On the contrary, his performance is so over-the-top that the otherwise average film becomes a fun adventure film for the whole family. Rickman walks the line between menacing and comedic beautifully here. "Christmas is cancelled!" Brilliant.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY 1995 Directed by Ang Lee
In Ang Lee's much celebrated adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 novel, Rickman plays Colonel Brandon, an older suitor who falls in love with Kate Winslet's Marianne Dashwood at first sight. Emma Thompson, playing Elinor in the film and Rickman's longtime off-camera friend, was quoted as saying how happy she was that Rickman was cast as Brandon so he could portray the "extraordinary sweetness of his nature," citing the fact that he had become known for portraying villains so often.
GALAXY QUEST 1999 Directed by Dean Parisot In this spoof of the "Star Trek" series, Rickman plays Alexander Dane, a classically trained Shakespearean actor who gained fame for an old science fiction show, "Galaxy Quest." Dane has complete disdain for his much-beloved Spock-like alien character, and resents the show and its fan base. An alien race, believing that the Galaxy Quest adventures they've seen are real-life documents, travel to Earth and recruit the cast to actually save the universe from a large-scale intergalactic crisis. Rickman's comedy chops aren't quite often mentioned, but this is his funniest role in his wonderful filmography.
DOGMA 1999 Directed by Kevin Smith
Bartleby and Loki are fallen angels that have found a loophole that allows them to re-enter the gates of Heaven. There's only one problem: if they go through with this plan, it will completely undo God's word, which will cause the apocalypse. Enter Metatron (Rickman) who appears before Bethany Sloane, a Catholic woman who works at an abortion clinic, whose faith in God is slipping. Metatron is the voice of God and informs Bethany of her holy quest as the last scion and how she must recruit two unlikely prophets and the 13th disciple to literally stop the apocalypse. Rickman was the first "big name" actor that Kevin Smith had worked with, and while this was the only time they worked professionally, the two continued a friendship for all the years following this film.
THE HARRY POTTER FILMS 2001-2011
Rickman seemed like pitch-perfect casting for Professor Severus Snape at the time the first Harry Potter film was in pre-production. To fans of the book series, Rickman's adeptness at playing the heavy made sense. He blew everyone's already high expectations away with his introduction and first encounter with Radcliffe's Potter in Sorcerer's Stone. He shared an on-screen chemistry with his junior partner that echoed exactly what was Rowling's original text. The chemistry would last for 10 years over 8 films, and while, depending on that franchise entry's plot, the characters didn't interact as much as in other films, it was still, pardon the pun, magic. It all comes to a head in the final installment, Deathly Hallows Part II, where we finally get the much-needed context to Snape's treatment of Potter... and it's heartbreaking.
LOVE ACTUALLY 2003 Directed by Richard Curtis In what has now become a modern holiday favorite, Alan Rickman joins an all-star British cast including Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Martin Freeman, Rowan Atkinson, Andrew Lincoln, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kiera Knightley in a film of interlocking romantic holiday stories. Rickman plays opposite his friend Emma Thompson in his story, portraying her husband who is considering having an affair with a younger secretary at his office, whose sexual advances are from subtle. Rickman's character is ultimately very human and very fallible, but the audience never truly loses sympathy for him.
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET 2007 Directed by Tim Burton Rickman returns to the role of the bad guy, this time in Tim Burton's gory adaptation of the infamous horror musical, Sweeney Todd. This time around, Rickman is Judge Turpin, the corrupt official that sentences Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) fifteen years earlier, thus starting Todd's quest for bloody revenge.
OTHER NOTABLE FILMS:
THE JANUARY MAN (1989)
QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER (1990)
TRULY MADLY DEEPLY (1990)
CLOSET LAND (1990)
BOB ROBERTS (1992)
MICHAEL COLLINS (1996)
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (2005)
PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER (2006)
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)
THE BUTLER (2013)
The journey continues as FORCED PERSPECTIVE goes back…to the future!
On this episode, join SportsGuy515 and Adolfo, along with special guest BIG D, as they continue their BACK TO THE FUTURE retrospective with a discussion on the first highly-anticipated sequel simply known as Back to the Future, Part II. PLUS:
-Does BTTF, Part II cram too much into one film?
-Were Parts II and III the first pair of sequels shot back-to-back in history?
-Why sequels with casting changes bug the hell out of us…
-The third wheel that was Jennifer Parker.
-How to tell which scenes were reused from Part I and newly-shot for Part II.
-The story of why CRISPIN GLOVER did not return for Part II, and the issues he had with Part I.
-What filming technique did BTTF, Part II pioneer?
-Kirk Cameron (once again) lies to us – this time about hoverboards!
-What BTTF, Part II actually got right about the future.
-Thomas F. Wilson was the REAL star of this movie, and here’s why…
-The celebration that was 10/21/15, known as BACK TO THE FUTURE DAY!
-Why flying cars are kind of a bad idea…
-A brief discussion on the infamous BACK TO THE FUTURE ANIMATED SERIES…
-…and MORE!
OVER 90 MINUTES OF GREAT BTTF DISCUSSION!! PUT ON YOUR SELF-LACING SNEAKERS, GRAB YOUR HOVERBOARD, AND DOWNLOAD/STREAM NOW!!!
We are back with a new format and a new direction! Join Adolfo Acosta and new co-host Mark Espinosa as we discuss, arguably, the greatest film of all time: CITIZEN KANE!
On this show:
• How did we first experience the film?
• The pros and cons of Laserdisc
• How did Orson Welles get into Hollywood, including a discussion on the War of the Worlds Broadcast
• Discussions on both THE BATTLE OVER CITIZEN KANE and RKO 281
• If you’re Orson Welles, how do you top CITIZEN KANE?
• The similarities between Charles Foster Kane and William Randolph Hearst
• The brilliance of the narrative device and how innovative it was
• Gregg Toland’s gorgeous cinematography
• Rosebud: What does it symbolize and does it matter?
• The greatest dirty joke in movie history
• The similarities between CITIZEN KANE and THE INTERVIEW. (Yes, we make a connection!)
• How did Hearst blackmail the Hollywood studios to almost kill CITIZEN KANE
• HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY is the FORREST GUMP of 1941
• What happened to Welles post-KANE?
• How did the film, after its initial box office failure, become to be regarded as the greatest film of all time?
•What other box office bombs of the modern era could potentially be considered a classic in 40 years?
• Orson Welles as Jesus?
• And much more! DOWNLOAD NOW
Join SportsGuy515 and Adolfo, along with special guest BIG D, as they begin the first of 3 episodes discussing undoubtedly one of the greatest trilogies of all-time, the BACK TO THE FUTURE Trilogy. On this episode of FORCED PERSPECTIVE, the trio discuss the film that started it all, the original Back to the Future. PLUS:
-Big D considers BACK TO THE FUTURE as his 2ND favorite trilogy ever…what’s his 1ST?
-The trio share their early BTTF memories.
-“A REAL 5-star movie.” -Big D / Is it really a perfect movie?
-Marty McFly’s unique character arc.
-The original concept for the time machine.
-The story of ERIC STOLTZ as the original Marty McFly.
-Stoltz remains in two scenes in BTTF – which scenes are they?
-Crispin Glover, Tom Wilson, and Billy Zane – each uniquely awesome in their own way.
-Adolfo’s childhood “butthead” story.
-The weirdness of Part II’s opening scene compared to Part I’s closing scene.
-Huey Lewis and the News and the concept of “The Power of Love.”
-The phenomenal Alan Silvestri score.
-The show gets HACKED by someone who’s a little too enthusiastic to talk about the original Back to the Future NES game…
The original “Episode 69″ has finally been unleashed upon the masses!
At long last, the rumored “lost episode” of FORCED PERSPECTIVE has finally hit the airwaves! Originally scheduled to be “Episode 69″ in the show’s chronology (and advertised as far back as September to be a part of Forced Perspective’s SUMMER 2015 TRILOGY – which, to date, is the only trilogy in existence with only ONE PART to it), it has lingered for too long inside the Forced Perspective Vault. That is, until today, when it is unleashed upon the world in all of its glory!
Join SportsGuy515 & Adolfo, along with their special guest BRANDON DRAVEN, as they wrap up Summer 2015 with reviews for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Insidious: Chapter 3, Trainwreck, and Fantastic Four! PLUS:
-The trio pay tribute to the great “ROWDY” RODDY PIPER (who passed away around the time of the episode’s original recording).
-The greatness of SHOUT! Factory releases and why they (along with Criterion, Kino, etc.) will NEVER go down in price…
-A PEZ DISPENSER MOVIE? Seriously???
-The ridiculousness of the HOLLYWOOD studio system.
-The wackiness of NICOLAS CAGE.
-“Dan Aykroyd is a WHORE.” -Adolfo
-Who has more heel/face turns – BIG SHOW or REBECCA FERGUSON?
-Why is “Darth Maul” in THE FURTHER???
-What the greatest VILLAINS of our time have in common, according to Draven…
-The biggest problem (in general) with PREQUELS
-The awesomeness of both JOHN CENA and LEBRON JAMES in Trainwreck.
-The LEGENDARY 50+ MINUTE BURIAL of Fantastic Four – A MUST-LISTEN!
Cast: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter, Susannah York
Screenplay: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton; Story by Mario Puzo; Based onSuperman by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster
Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Producer: Pierre Spengler
Awards & Honors
Academy Awards
Winner: Special Achievement Award for Visual Effects
Nominated: Best Sound
Nominated: Best Film Editing
Nominated: Best Music, Original Score - John Williams
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
Winner: Best Science Fiction Film
Winner: Best Actress - Margot Kidder
Winner: Best Music - John Williams
Winner: Best Special Effects
Winner: Best Production Design
Nominated: Best Actor - Christopher Reeve
Nominated: Best Supporting Actress - Valerie Perrine
Nominated: Best Director - Richard Donner
Nominated: Best Costumes
American Film Institute
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains: #26 - Superman
BAFTA
Winner: Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles - Christopher Reeve
Nominated: Best Cinematography
Nominated: Best Production Design/Art Direction
Nominated: Best Sound
Nominated: Best Supporting Actor - Gene Hackman
Golden Globes
Nominated: Best Original Score - Motion Picture - John Williams
National Board of Review
Top Ten Films of 1978
Writers Guild of America
Nominated: Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium
They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you... my only son.
SPOILERS AHEAD
It's hard to imagine now in the era of Marvel films ruling multiplexes across the country, that there was a time when superhero films were not only rare, the were practically non-existent. Superman: The Movie is not the first superhero film, there were superhero films that came before . Comic strip characters like Dick Tracy and The Phantom had many serial adventures in the 1940s, as did characters that are still popular today like Captain America and Batman. Superman was no different, starring in his own serial and a 1950s television show with George Reeves as the titular character. But never before had there been a major motion picture released by a major studio like Warner Brothers. The production of Superman: The Movie was unprecedented. While Star Wars took moviegoers to a galaxy far far away the summer before, Warner Bros. promised audiences that "you will believe a man can fly." And with a price tag of $55 Million, the biggest budget of a movie ever up to that point, they certainly spent enough money to make that happen.
The film was long in development at Warner Bros. Alexander and Ilya Salkind, a father/son production team, bought the film rights from DC Comics (not yet a Warner subsidiary) in 1973, but it wasn't until 1978 that the film opened in theaters. The casting process for the major roles was long, as was finding a director and screenwriter to adapt the material. The budget was also enormous, at the time it was the most expensive film ever mad. Richard Donner was eventually hired in 1976 as the director after the Salkinds were impressed by his work on The Omen. Almost immediately, Donner threw out most of the pre-production work, including Mario Puzo's script, and started from scratch. Puzo's script was full of too much camp and was apparently too bloated, with both scripts totalling 550 pages. Tom Mankiewicz was brought on to completely re-write the project, however Puzo still remains as the credited screenwriter. It was decided early on that both Superman and Superman II would be shot simultaneously, which is why we get the set-up of General Zod and his henchman at the beginning of the first film. (The first film originally ended with the Krytponian criminals escaping the Phantom Zone in a cliffhanger.) However, Donner and the Salkinds did not work well together and at one point stopped speaking with each other, using director Richard Lester as an intermediary. A decision was made to focus completely on the finishing the first film, despite the fact that 75% of the sequel had already been filmed. Lester would eventually finish, and get directing credit, for Superman II.
Despite behind-the-scenes production drama, none of it is evident on-screen. Superman: The Movie is a delightfully fun, at times campy, but ultimately inspiring piece of comic book cinema. To this day, it sets the standard for the superhero origin story. The film begins on Krypton, many years ago, as the planet is on the brink of destruction. Jor-El sends his only son, Kal-El, in a tiny space ship off the doomed planet towards Earth. Jor-El knows that Earth's sun will give him powers beyond those of mortal men, that in fact he will be a god. However Jor-El also knows that perhaps human beings need a figure like Kal-El to inspire them, to give them hope and to save them. The rocket crash lands in Kansas, where baby Kal-El is discovered by the Kents, an older couple who live in a farm. The Kents teach Kal, whom they rename Clark, good, old-fashioned American values. So that one day, this visitor from a strange planet, this god who walks among us, will stand for truth, justice and the American way. On the verge of adulthood, Clark receives a "calling" from the rocket ship he came to Earth in and follows this calling to the North Pole, where he creates his Fortress of Solitude. In this Fortress, a ghostly computer program of Jor-El teaches Kal how to use his powers and of his Kryptonian heritage. When he emerges as a 30 year old man, Kal is ready to introduce himself to the world. He takes a job at the Daily Planet, a major Metropolitan newspaper, disguised as a mild-mannered reporter. But he soon sheds his disguise in order to stop criminals, save people and introduce himself to Lois Lane (and the world) in a most spectacular fashion. He is dubbed "Superman" by Lois and quickly captures the attention of Lex Luthor, a notorious criminal genius. Can Superman stop Luthor's evil scheme of destroying California for financial gain?
I'm here to fight for truth, and justice, and the American way.
Superman featured ground-breaking special effects, which earned them an Academy Award at that year's Oscars. The tagline for the film was "You will believe a man can fly." And audiences did. However, as impressive as the effects were, the film would have been nothing if Superman, himself, didn't work. And 100% of the credit goes to the late, great Christopher Reeve in the title role. Many stars were considered, offered and tested for the role including the now unlikely candidates of Muhammad Ali, Clint Eastwood, Dustin Hoffman, Bruce Jenner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Pacino and James Caan. But in the end, they went with the relatively unknown Reeve. With all due respect to all past and future Supermen, Reeve's performance is as iconic as Sean Connery's James Bond or Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones. George Reeves will always get credit for popularizing the character on television, but he reportedly hated the role and always played too close to camp. Brandon Routh did a great Reeve impression in Superman Returns (a film that isn't as bad as people think it is), but it just further emphasized that he was just not Reeve. And Henry Cavill... well... let's just say, that's not Superman. Reeve did something with the character that no one else has ever quite captured. He put in TWO performances: one as Clark Kent and one as Superman. And it's the Clark Kent performance that's the most important. Much like Quentin Tarantino so elegantly put it (via David Carradine) in Kill Bill Vol 2: "Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He's weak... he's unsure of himself... he's a coward." Coward may be a little harsh, but the rest of it is spot on. And that's how Reeve played him. Weak, unsure and, yes, cowardly. And all to draw suspicion away from him to protect his loved ones from harm. Reeve's performance has yet to be topped, and I'm betting it never will be.
Interestingly enough, Christopher Reeve was not top-billed, even though he was the title character. Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman received title credits ahead of the "rookie" Reeve. Brando was heavily sought after by the Salkinds to get major star power for the film. Brando would play Jor-El, the prophet who correctly predicts Krypton's destruction and sends his son away for a better future. In the 1970s, Brando was notoriously difficult to work with and he had a reputation for being lazy. But the international success of The Godfather made him a major box office attraction again and it was too much for the filmmakers to ignore. Upon first meeting with the producers, he initially refused to appear on-screen, trying to convince them to use a green bagel with his voice (seriously.) Donner eventually flattered Brando into playing the role on-screen, to which he agreed provided they met his price of $4 million and 12% of the box office. He also insisted his scenes be finished in 12 days and refused to learn his lines, so Donner had to strategically place cue cards out of camera shot, much like Coppola did for Brando in The Godfather. Despite all this, Brando delivered an earnest and memorable performance as Jor-El. Kal-El's "reunion" with his father in the film and in Donner's version of Superman II are actually quite moving, even though the actors did not actually film together.
You were great in your day, Superman. But it just stands to reason, when it came time to cash in your chips, this old... diseased... maniac would be your banker.
Where comic book purists may have ruffled feathers, however, is in the depiction of super villain, Lex Luthor. Luthor is the balding criminal genius that matches his brains against Superman's brawn. In the comics, Lex is best known by comic book fanboys as a cold, calculating businessman. Gene Hackman's performance is very far from that. In fact, it's so campy, that he seems like he stepped off the set of the old Adam West "Batman" TV show. You get the impression that Hackman basically went over the top because that's how he believed comic book villains are supposed to act. However Hackman's scenery chewing shtick still works for the tone of this film. And while there are many scenes of him interacting with his buffoonish henchmen Otis (Ned Beatty) and Miss Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine), when he finally encounters Superman and tells him of his insane scheme to blow up California, he comes off like a true madman. Furthermore, when traps Superman with the Kryptonite, he is cemented as one of the great screen villains.
- Easy, miss. I've got you.
- You - you've got me? Who's got you?
The rest of the cast also delivers. Margot Kidder, who's casting process for Lois Lane was almost as exhaustive as Superman's, brings the right spark to the role of the smart-ass reporter. She also has fantastic on-screen chemistry with Reeve, which for these two characters is incredibly important. No other Superman film has quite been able to capture that. Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Terrence Stamp and Marc McClure also help fill out the supporting cast, giving life to the world of Metropolis, Smallville and Krypton.
And of course... who can forget that iconic music by John Williams. To this day, the most recognizable and iconic superhero theme song of all time. As much as films like The Avengers or the Dark Knight have elevated the comic book genre, with all due respect to their composers, they are missing the iconic musical march that John Williams delivers. Danny Elfman did a similarly iconic score for 1989's Batman, but seemingly no other superhero film has yet to have a wonderfully beautiful theme as this.
Superman: The Movie was released in December of 1978, and just in time for Christmas, became a massive financial success. It was the second highest grossing film of the year, behind Grease, and went on to become the 6th highest grossing film of all time to that point. It was also Warner Bros' most financially successful of all time. It would spawn 3 more sequels with Reeve, a return to the character under Bryan Singer with Brand Routh in the title role and kickstart DC Comics' new "cinematic universe" with 2013's Man of Steel. More importantly, Superman is an essential film as it built the foundation of what is now currently dominating the box office. Without Superman: The Movie, there is no X-Men franchise, there is no Iron Man, no Spider-Man and no Dark Knight trilogy. Thanks to this film, we all believe a man can fly.
No, sir. Don't thank me, Warden. We're all part of the same team. Good night.
On January 10, 2016, legendary musician David Bowie lost his battle with cancer at the age of 69. Bowie had a profound impact on the history of pop music and rock 'n roll and he will be truly missed in that industry. However, Bowie also had a significant career as an actor as well. Here we celebrate the Essential David Bowie Films. RIP.
ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS 1973 Directed by D.A. Pennebaker
Documenting the July 1973 Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. Bowie announced that this was the final time he would appear, but what he really meant was this the last time he would perform as Ziggy Stardust. A landmark documentary concert film, with, of course, fantastic music.
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH 1976 Directed by Nicholas Roeg
In the film where he most closely resembles Bowie's Ziggy Stardust persona, Bowie is Thomas Jerome Newton, a humanoid alien creature that has come to Earth to collect water for his home planet. With his advanced knowledge, he becomes very wealthy by patenting alien technology on Earth. The fortune he's amassed will help him build the spaceship he needs to return home, but will he ever get there?
THE HUNGER 1983 Directed by Tony Scott
Bowie plays John Blaylock, who has been promised eternal life by Miriam, his vampire lover. But Miriam is tiring of John, who now fears for his life. Betrayed, he seeks the help of Dr. Sarah Roberts, a research scientists who studies aging in primates. But soon Sarah gets caught in Miriam's web.
MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE 1983 Directed by Nagisa Oshima
In this World War II era film, Bowie is Capt. Jack Celliers, a prisoner of war in a Japanese prison camp. Captain Hanoi, a strict disciplinarian, is mystified by the British officer's surrender, thinking him a coward who should have committed suicide honorably. Vastly underrated and under-seen, the film explores themes of honor, loyalty and courage.
LABYRINTH 1986 Directed by Jim Henson
For children of the 1980s, this is their most beloved David Bowie roll. Jennifer Connelly's Sarah, a troublesome teenager, accidentally allows her baby brother to be kidnapped by Bowie's Jareth The Goblin King. Jareth transports her to a fantastic land with many strange creatures and perilous dangers where she's instructed to escape a labyrinth of his own creation. Should she escape, and defeat Jareth, she can have her baby brother back. The film plays like a Muppets LSD trip, and is fondly remembered by an entire generation.
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST 1988 Directed by Martin Scorsese
Bowie appears in only one scene, but it is a memorable one. As Pontius Pilate, Bowie lectures Willem Dafoe's Jesus about the values of telling the truth and denying his claims as being the Messiah. Frustrated and disgusted with Jesus, he walks away leaving him to his fate.
THE PRESTIGE 2006 Directed by Christopher Nolan
Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) is a stage magician who is obsessed with destroying the life of his professional rival, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), seeking revenge for accidentally killing his wife during an illusion. In his quest for vengeance, he seeks out the famous Nicola Tesla (David Bowie), who he believes might hold the key to actual real "magic." Tesla builds him a truly incredible machine, but urges Angier to never use it, but will he listen?
At long last, your favorite movie podcast, FORCED PERSPECTIVE, has reawakened, and is coming back with a short REACTION EPISODE to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Join SportsGuy515 and Adolfo, along with their special guest BIG D, as they give their first reactions to the film and speculate on/discuss many plot points.
As a result, this will be a very SPOILER HEAVY discussion. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO HEAR SPOILERS, GO WATCH THE FILM BEFORE LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
Look for a FULL REVIEW of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on the next episode of FORCED PERSPECTIVE – with (hopefully) a few surprises thrown in! DOWNLOAD/STREAM NOW!
SportGuy’s Twitter: @SportsGuy515
Adolfo’s Twitter: @Adolfo_Acosta
The Essential Films Twitter: @EssentialFilms
FORCED PERSPECTIVE E-Mail: fpmpodcast@gmail.com
This is the nature of war. By protecting others, you save yourselves.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Seven Samurai is perhaps Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece. This is saying a lot, considering Kurosawa's filmography reads like a list of Japanese film canon: Rashomon, Ikiru, Throne of Blood, Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, Sanjuro... the list goes on. And those films went on to inspire future great directors like Sergio Leone and even George Lucas. However, Seven Samurai combines such a rich story, wonderful acting, phenomenal action and epic scale to deliver one of the greatest films of all time.
A group of marauding bandits have decided to spare a farming village, a regular punching bag of theirs, until the time of the next harvest. The locals go to the village elder and it is decided that they will hire a group of samurais to defend the village and drive the bandits away forever. Since they have no money, it's decided that they need to find hungry samurai that will accept payment in millet. In a neighboring village, an aging ronin, Kambei (Takashi Shimura), rescues a hostage from a thief, which so impresses the villagers that they immediately seek his guidance in their thief problem. Kambei agrees to defend the village, but reckons he'll need at least seven samurai to be an effective unit. Kambei recruits the remaining six, including young apprentice Katsushirō (Isao Kimura) and samurai wannabe Kikuchiyo (Toshirô Mifune). The seven samurai then train the villagers in preparation for the siege, and the film climaxes in one of the greatest battle sequences on film.
Perhaps the most memorable character in the film is Kikuchiyo, portrayed by Mifune in a star-making performance. According to Mifune, the film was originally written as six samurai, but it was decided that six "serious" heroes was too boring. Mifune, who was originally cast in another role, was recast as the new character Kikuchiyo. Wanting Kikuchiyo to stand out from the pack as a wild card, Kurosawa gave Mifune complete creative license to interpret the character and his actions however he saw fit. At times, Mifune could be accused of hamming it up for the cameras, but the end result is ultimately extremely entertaining.
It's hard to believe that this was Kurosawa's first samurai film, a genre that he would become associated with the rest of his career, and he ended up making perhaps the definitive samurai film for many cinephiles. Especially when Kurosawa innovated, or at least popularized, new storytelling tropes. This was one of the first "getting the band together" films, where the first act of the film is spent gathering the team together for a job. Examples of this can be seen in the Hollywood remake The Magnificent Seven, The Guns of Navarone, Ocean's Eleven, Inception and even The Blues Brothers. It also features the "Establishing Character" trope of introducing the hero in a scene unrelated to the rest of the plot. The example in this film is Kambei, willing to sacrifice his topknot, to disguise himself as a monk to rescue a hostage. This exposes us to Kambei, tells us he is an honorable samurai, willing to do whatever is necessary and, ultimately, a bad ass.
Kurosawa also proved himself as not just a master storyteller, but a phenomenal action director. The Star Wars trilogy? George Lucas lifts them directly from this film (and also steals characters from Hidden Fortress to create R2D2 and C-3PO, but that's another story.)
final battle sequence is absolutely thrilling and Kurosawa broke from tradition to film it. Kurosawa used multiple cameras shooting simultaneously to shoot the epic sequence: a fixed camera in a standard set-up, a camera for quick action shots and what he called a "guerilla" camera to get the hard to capture shots of action. All the action and camera work was meticulously choreographed and the end result is a spectacular action sequence that continues to thrill audiences over 60 years later. On top of this, the film is spectacularly shot and beautifully composed by cinematographer Asakazu Nakai. And all those "wipes" you see in the
In addition to the brilliant action, the film is also expertly written. You would think that in a story with seven main characters, one or two might get lost in the shuffle. Each samurai is fully realized and given plenty of screen time to develop. You have the leader, the wild card, the teacher, the master swordsman... you even have time for the young recruit, Katsuihro, to have a forbidden romance with one of the village girls. Add to this the mix of beleaguered (and sometimes comical) villagers and the film is rich with characters and identity. The only drawback is the villains, the bandits, don't get much face time except at the end of the film when they are the threat to be vanquished. But that's OK, given how beautifully the rest of the characters are developed, it's OK if the bandits are just that... bandits.
The film is a long one, clocking in at over 3 and a half hours (with an intermission), but your patience will be rewarded. All of the character building and plot builds to the explosive final sequence, which by the time the action goes down, is well-earned. In fact, Seven Samurai rewards you for every minute you watch the film. It is endlessly entertaining as well as being Kurosawa's epic masterpiece.
