Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Seven Samurai (1954)

Genre : Drama / Foreign
Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
Running time: 207 minutes



In this age of fast-paced action and short attention spans, Seven Samurai can seems a little out of place. With a running time of over 3 hours, and being a Japanese film sub-titled in English, it certainly is not something a lot of people would dare undertake. I sure was hesitant at first, but I decided to take the plunge. I’m glad I did.

Seven Samurai is a story of a village of Japanese farmers, in the 1500’s, who hire a group of samurai to defend them against a gang of criminals who raid their crop every year. It is a tale of honor, rituals, standing up for oneself, fighting spirit and respect for traditions.

Did this movie need to last this long? Probably not. Though I must say the cinematography is beautiful, amazing considering it was shot in the 1950’s. The acting is overly dramatic, but it goes with the territory here. Fight scenes are not greatly choreographed either, but that is forgivable.

All things considered, this is a great film, that can seem too much to take at first but that is worth the experience, for true cinema lovers.

Rating: ««««
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