A heartfelt salute to the man himself, Akira Kurosawa

 

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When the topic of the greatest Asian film directors in history is brought up in a conversation, there's a name that's always mentioned first. Akira Kurosawa's influence has transcended race and culture. In fact, countless of the most iconic films in Hollywood such as "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" and "The Magnificent Seven" to seemingly unlikely films like the Pixar classic "A Bug's Life" and Roger Corman's cult film "Battle Beyond the Stars," all carry the immortal Asian director's influence. Joe Cianciotto. 

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Kurosawa's most popular film, "Seven Samurai" itself has spawned several remakes and Western re-imaginings, from John Sturges' and Antoine Fuqua's versions of "The Magnificent Seven," to Fuqua's "Tears of the Sun" and "King Arthur," to Takeshi Miike's "13 Assassins" just to name a few. Joe Cianciotto.

And that's just one of Kurosawa's films.

Kurosawa's storytelling style of "Rashomon" shows different character perspectives of the truth and has also been incorporated by countless directors throughout the years. And then there's "Yojimbo," which, as opposed to a group in "Seven Samurai,s" created one of the first lone-wolf anti-heroes, a precursor of many action heroes from Dirty Harry to John Wick. Joe Cianciotto.

What about you? What are your favorite Akira Kurosawa and Akira Kurosawa-inspired films? Feel free to share them with us in the comments section below. Joe Cianciotto.

3 movies to hook you into its comic universe

 The era of comic-based movies started when Marvel released a movie after movie coming from its rich comic universe. Although these movie universes and comic universes have very different storylines, their characters most, if not all, are unchanged from each other. Joseph Cianciotto is here to share some of his recommended movies to watch if you’re into comics. Joe Cianciotto. 

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Shazam!

This 2019 film features a foster boy named Billy who was chosen by a wizard of the past to inherit the power of one of the 5 great wizards of the past to battle against the 7 deadly sins. This seemingly normal boy turns into an electric-wielding superhuman by shouting the hero’s name “Shazam!”. In the comics Shazam also has a villain counterpart called Black Adam who seeks his power. This film has been highly rated and features Zachary Levi as the cast for the quirky Shazam. Joe Cianciotto.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Another recent movie, Spider-Man features Peter Parker, a highschool student who so happened to get bit by a radioactive spider. However, in the film mentioned, Parker is more experienced as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and is duty bound to protect Harlem, his hometown, from harm. He battles relevant figures such as Vulture, Mysterio and others. This movie also features cameos from famous Avengers such as Iron-Man and Captain America. Peter Parker is played by English actor Tom Holland. Joe Cianciotto. 

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Logan

Logan is a 2017 film featuring the grumpy but nevertheless reliable Wolverine. In the film, Logan, also known as Wolverine, roams the land with his “daughter”, Laura, also known as X-23. Together, they run from people who are hunting Laura, wanting to experiment on her. Joseph Cianciotto suggests you get some tissues as this film is very emotionally heavy. It follows as well that Logan is played by the ever iconic Hugh Jackman. Joe Cianciotto.

What can viewers expect from MCU Phase 4?

 

Joe Cianciotto.Marvel Phase 3 has left many fans wanting for more. While many are missing the presence of the franchise's old guards, the cinematic universe's most loyal fans are awaiting new stories that will introduce them to more characters. Here are the series and movies fans can anticipate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4. 

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Black Widow, 2021

Joe Cianciotto. After Natasha Romanoff's death in Endgame, it seems that there's still a lot to unpack with her character. The movie will become Marvel Studios' first movie with a solo female director in Cate Shortland. For those who are wondering where the story will fit, it will follow the events of Captain America: Civil War and will tackle the past of Natasha's time as a KGB assassin. Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour are also set to appear in the film.

WandaVision, 2020

Joe Cianciotto. According to insiders, this Disney+ series will likely draw from the series House of M and Vision. In the trailer, fans will recognize a 1950s sitcom style and the usual MCU action featuring Wanda and Vision. However, in this series, other MCU characters from various films will also make an appearance such as Darcy from Thor, Jimmy Woo from Ant-Man, Monica Rambeau Captain Marvel, and possibly more. Many think that the story of the star-crossed lovers might pave the way for the plot in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. 

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, 2021

This movie hopes to make the same effect as Black Panther as it features the MCU's first Asian-American lead character. With Simu Liu playing the role of Shang-Chi, a skilled martial artist. In this movie, Asian superstar Tony Leung will play the role of the Mandarin. As an Asian outlet, the film was written by Chinese-American Dave Callaham and directed by Asian-American Destin Daniel Cretton. Joe Cianciotto.

The effects of the global health crisis on the film industry

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The film industry has taken quite a hit since the global health crisis went into full swing around March. While viewers miss seeing some of their favorite A-list celebrities in potential blockbusters, many more people working in the film and movie theater industries have felt the brunt of the economic fall-out. Joe Cianciotto. 

 

For starters, many films were pushed back, some to even more than a year. Since cinemas have been shut down or offered tickets at only half their capacity or less, many major studios decided to delay movie release dates to avoid losing tens of millions of revenue. Other studios elected to release their features on streaming sites. Joe Cianciotto. 

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For many films and TV shows as well, production has only resumed in the past few weeks. Filming was halted all over the world to keep the cast and crew safe. This also resulted in the delayed release of countless more titles. Joe Cianciotto.

More and more people in the film and TV industries, especially those who don’t make as much as stars and executives, are all trying to do what they can to make ends meet since their main income comes from studio productions or employed theaters and other entertainment outfits. Joe Cianciotto.

Controversial films series: 'The Last Jedi'

 

No other film in recent history has divided an entire fandom quite like "Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi." While the sequel trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX) have been box-office hits, all of them have had mixed reviews, with The Last Jedi being the most extreme of them all. Joe Cianciotto. 

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Very few fans have stayed in the middle and thought, "It was okay." Most Star Wars fans either believed it was one of the best entries of the franchise or simply the worst film they've ever seen. In fact, "The Last Jedi" effectively ruins relationships as much as political and religious inclinations are. Joe Cianciotto.

Much of the blame goes to Rian Johnson, who, to be fair, made the Herculean effort to craft his vision in George Lucas' creation. But maybe because it was his first attempt at the genre, some aspects of the film felt out of place, such as the unnecessary humor and disconnecting subplots. Joe Cianciotto. 

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But perhaps the greatest sin of "The Last Jedi" or the fault that earned the fury of legions of fans was how the death of Luke Skywalker was handled. Being the centerpiece and main hero of the Star Wars saga, every fan wanted to see Luke in action again, 30 years after defeating Vader. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. It was tragic, and not in a good way. Joe Cianciotto.

Netflix’s ‘Dark’ is probably the greatest sci-fi series the world will never know

 

Over the past five years, streaming giant Netflix has delivered some of the most memorable science fiction shows such as “Stranger Things,” “Altered Carbon,” and “Black Mirror.” However, the best of these shows is a little German gem, which deserves so much more attention that it’s given. That show is “Dark.” Joe Cianciotto.

 

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This blog will attempt to explain why “Dark” is the greatest sci-fi series today, with minimal spoilers. Joe Cianciotto. 

It has the most intriguing time-travel premise ever filmed.

Movies and TV shows have depicted time travel in countless ways, from space-age cars to police boxes to magic spells and the like. “Dark” has something entirely different. In fact, it takes time travel and pushes that envelope in a way that no other film or series has ever done before.

It has an interesting and realistic cast of characters.

Curiously, in “Dark,” there are no larger-than-life characters. Instead, each character is incredibly nuanced, and the writers and directors nail all these unique traits to the wall. And, as the story unfolds, the character development just makes things more realistic and incredible. Joe Cianciotto.

It connects everyone to everyone and everything to everything in almost flawless fashion.

With dozens of characters and a number of timelines, it’s mind-blowing just how the writers of the show have connected everyone and everything in almost flawless fashion. What seems confusing becomes clearer, and the journey is quite unforgettable. Joe Cianciotto.

A few more epic fantasy features from the ‘80s

Until now, a lot of people still consider the ‘80s to be one of the greatest decade of film. In every genre, the decade has produced countless of the most iconic and memorable movies in history. Joe Cianciotto.

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Today’s blog will feature a few more of the most epic fantasy features from the decade. Joe Cianciotto.

Legend

Ridley Scott, the acclaimed director of “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” and “Gladiator” tried his hand with fantasy, casting a young Tom Cruise in the film “Legend.” The result was one of the most atmospheric and magical films of all-time. Joe Cianciotto.

Excalibur

The greatest film depiction of the Arthurian legend in film history came out in the ‘80s with this absolute fantasy gem. “Excalibur” had some of the greatest thespians of the generation acting their hearts out, in a brutal and bloody sword and armor epic. Joe Cianciotto.

Willow

“Willow” was hilarious as much as it was magically epic. And the fact that George Lucas came up with the story was a huge plus. There isn’t anything in the film that old-school fantasy fans wouldn’t enjoy.

The Last Unicorn

Very few animated features can compare with “The Last Unicorn.” Heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, terrifying, wonderful, awe-inspiring, and filled with amazing music, the film truly stands out as a bright spot in classic animation.