I don’t normally post this sort of stuff, but there are probably more than a few of you who would jump at the chance to pick up a few of Criterion’s pricey (but not overpriced - let’s get that straight) offerings. From now until November 25th, every in-stock item at Criterion’s website is being offered at a hefty 40% discount. For the record, that includes every Akira Kurosawa film they currently offer. Other choice offerings include Hiroshi Inagaki’s Musashi Trilogy (ahem), Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love, the Yasujiro Ozu box set, and what I consider to be the best Samurai film ever made (yes, even better than Seven Samurai), Masaki Kobayashi’s Hara-Kiri.

Don’t drag your feet, peeps…

Our comrade AnaKhouri already gave this a mention, but since Variety has provided some meagre details, I thought I’d jump in on the fun.

YES - the setting is moving from Japan to modern-day America…which I’m rather meh about. I mean, if you were to attempt a remake and set it in ancient Japan, what would be the point of remaking it? Why not just watch the original?

That said…

Action will be moved from ancient Japan to contempo America, where a court must decide the facts about the rape of a woman and the murder of her husband.

…so my question is - how is this different from just about every crappy, grade-z courtroom drama ever made?

The good news: Akira Kurosawa’s final script, a film based on Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death” but set in Russia, will be getting the anime treatment in 2010. Kurosawa was working on getting the script produced when he died in 1998, but it was shelved after he passed away.

The bad news: Hollywood is planning a remake of Rashomon. What the fuck? How do you remake perfection?

To wrap it up: Kurosawa goes anime, Hollywood screws up a great story AGAIN. Seriously, are you even surprised anymore?

Link

io9 posted a tidbit today that Seven Samurai is receiving a sci-fi facelift from a certain Shane Salerno (no, I’m not familiar with him either, although io9 claims he penned the Shaft remake - which I quite liked actually).

And no, this isn’t the other remake they keep talking about.

I could probably work up a lot of bile over this if I wanted, but it’s probably not worth the effort. Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai has been re-made so many times at this point it seems pointless to get worked up over yet another re-hash, and conversely it’s just as hard to get excited.

The script’s current title isn’t much to write home about, either. Doomsday Protocol? Wasn’t Vin Diesel just in that? I don’t know - and frankly I don’t care. The attention-deficit young adult crowd will probably eat it up like high-powered ritalin, but I’m past the point of caring.

Although it does make me want to go home and watch the original.

A self described ‘film enthusiast, [...] passionate student of Eastern philosophy, and an admitted Nipponophile’ Patrick Galloway is the author of the book Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook out now from Stone Bridge Press.

Mr. Galloway was recently kind enough to chat with us regarding his new book, and future plans.

Yellow Menace: Congratulations on your book; it’s a real hoot.

Patrick Galloway: Thanks! I was going for “hoot.” Also “romp,” “blast,” and “brilliant, informative read” (laughs)

YM: Well, you certainly succeeded!

PG: Thanks. Thanks a lot.

YM: Can you tell us a little about yourself? I read a little on your background from your site. What spurred your interest in Japanese film?

PG: The short answer is Akira Kurosawa, but really it goes back to my teen years and the discovery of Eastern Philosophy, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism. These teachings had a profound effect on me, and made me want to learn more about the cultures where they thrived. Buddhism led me to Zen and Zen led me Japan. However it wasn’t until the late 1990s that I finally discovered Japanese film.

YM: Wow…consider me impressed! I’ve been watching Japanese movies all my life, (thanks to my Asian Dad) and I found plenty to learn from your book.

PG: I wish I had an Asian dad! Sure would have helped writing this book. But I’m an obsessive type. Once I get into something, I can get pretty monomaniacal which tends to shorten the catch-up period.

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