Something the Lord Made (2004)

I'm not entirely sure how this flick made it into my Blockbuster queue. I mean, I know I was interested in it and added it, but how it climbed to the top, I'm still uncertain. That said, I wasn't too impressed with the movie, overall.

It's the true story of Vivien Thomas and Alfred Blalock, who performed the first heart surgery in history. The surgical aspects of the film were pretty well-done, but I imagine, toned down a great degree for the more squeamish people watching. However, all of the subplot dealing with the racism inherent in the system and in the country, felt a bit hackneyed. I'm sure that's the way it really was, but it wasn't handled too well in the film, and often just dragged down the plot.

Speaking of plot, it was pretty boring for most of the movie. It has a very made-for-TV feel, despite HBO's production values. The performances were very good though, especially Mos Def and Rickman. The two really had a great chemistry, and it shows in the final product.

Not a bad movie, but it could have been far better. It felt very manipulative, to me, with the score swelling up and winding down at just the precise moments where the emotional impact would be most.

A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

Very well-made documentary on American cinema in the 1970's. Plenty of good interview footage from most of the key players; Scorsese, Copolla, Altman, Julie Christie, Roy Schneider, William Friedkin, and plenty of others I'm forgetting. It's pretty by-the-books, as it presents the influences first, in a great sequence, then goes year by year, examining what was going on in the world and how it influenced the work, with film clips littered throughout. A few good stories about productions, and insights from people like Paul Schrader and Francis Ford Copolla on their own work. Definitely entertaining, and provides a lot of information, if you're interested.

Kagemusha (1980)

Kurosawa is one of the directors that always intimidate me when I watch one of their films. Nothing against the films themselves, of course. But, Kurosawa's stature is so legendary and his pictures so rich and dense, it can be overwhelming at first. Then, of course, you start watching the movie and you're completely absorbed in it, throughout the whole running time.

As far as I understand, Kagemusha was a 'dry-run' for a movie Kurosawa wanted to do later, which became Ran. I saw Ran a while back, and I didn't get into it as much as I thought I would. Though, I'm determined to watch it again soon, because it's Kurosawa, and I think I must not have been in the right mindset for the movie, when I saw it. But, for a 'dry-run', Kagemusha is pretty damn good.

Kagemusha centers upon a powerful Japanese warlord in the 16th century, who is assassinated and soon passes away. A thief is hired to impersonate the warlord so that the warring factions don't realize he's really dead. He's reluctant at first, but then decides to take the offer.

I was surprised with how tightly plotted Kagemusha is. The story is engaging, and fairly easy to follow, which isn't always the case with movies that throw around many fuedal Japanese names. Kurosawa's mise-en-scene is spectacular, manipulating everything from color, to shadows, to the environment, perfectly.

There are many great scenes in Kagemusha, that catch your eye. One, early on, is a warrior running through a village, past many downed soldiers. As he runs by, the soldiers all get up in his wake, sensing the warrior's urgency. It does a great job of holding your interest, making you wonder what's making him run so fast. There's another great scene later, as they're putting the warlord's body out to sea. Enemy spies watch on, from a dilapidated shack, and you can barely see their eyes peeking out from between the logs. Unbeknownst to them, they're being spied on by somebody else hiding in the shack, whose eyes you can also see. Then, there's the awesome, surreal dream sequence. Oh yeah, then the big battle. Kagemusha is loaded with 'wow' moments.