The NBA Addict!
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
The Seven Samurai
Just bought and watched a "copy" of The Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa. The movie piqued my interest because it (and Kurosawa in general) was credited to be the inspiration for movies like The Magnificent Seven (which I have yet to watch), movies by Spielberg, Lucas, et. al., and was credited by Stephen King in the Author's Notes of Wolves of the Calla, book four of the Dark Tower Series. Some say that it is the best Japanese movie made, period.
That, and I read about it in Adrian's blog. Ü
What can I say? Shichi-nin no samurai was made in 1954, but the black-and-white visuals did not deter one from experiencing this great movie. It was clean (in a cinematic sense), swordfights were mostly real without being overly gory, and there was superb characterizations from the primary characters. Each of the Seven were describable in a word: leader, apprentice, follower, witty, contemplative, smooth, and boisterous. There was a Kuwabara(from Yu Yu Hakusho) type of character, a Goemon(Lupin III) type... the actors came through with their performances, making each character distinct.
But movie buffs watched it mainly because of Kurosawa. Not being a polished movie critic, I didn't know what to look for. The DVD feature with the commentary was enlightening, to say the least, on how meticulous a director must be to come up with perfect scenes on every scene. And this is a 3-hour movie, fellas. Whew! If it were me, I'd only be able to direct the 10-minute gap that served as an "intermission", presumably for washroom breaks. (Every 3-hour movie should have this!)
Anyway, I got to get back to my job (this is borrowed time on a borrowed computer). All I can say is, for curious movie fans, watch it. Its a far cry from the special effect-laden action flicks we see in moviehouses nowadays, but The Seven Samurai is a movie, not a flick.
'Till the next, peeps!
That, and I read about it in Adrian's blog. Ü
What can I say? Shichi-nin no samurai was made in 1954, but the black-and-white visuals did not deter one from experiencing this great movie. It was clean (in a cinematic sense), swordfights were mostly real without being overly gory, and there was superb characterizations from the primary characters. Each of the Seven were describable in a word: leader, apprentice, follower, witty, contemplative, smooth, and boisterous. There was a Kuwabara(from Yu Yu Hakusho) type of character, a Goemon(Lupin III) type... the actors came through with their performances, making each character distinct.
But movie buffs watched it mainly because of Kurosawa. Not being a polished movie critic, I didn't know what to look for. The DVD feature with the commentary was enlightening, to say the least, on how meticulous a director must be to come up with perfect scenes on every scene. And this is a 3-hour movie, fellas. Whew! If it were me, I'd only be able to direct the 10-minute gap that served as an "intermission", presumably for washroom breaks. (Every 3-hour movie should have this!)
Anyway, I got to get back to my job (this is borrowed time on a borrowed computer). All I can say is, for curious movie fans, watch it. Its a far cry from the special effect-laden action flicks we see in moviehouses nowadays, but The Seven Samurai is a movie, not a flick.
'Till the next, peeps!
Monday, August 16, 2004
First Post / Team USA Blunders
I switched in this morning at the start of the second half. The score was 49-27. Initial reaction: OK, Team USA is on track.. until I found something weird with the scoreboad.
Sitting beside the Puerto Rico Flag was the score "49".
WTF?
I watched the 3rd quarter and the first part of the 4th. USA was having a mini-run to close the gap to within 9. But when USA threw up an airball which led to a fast break, with Carlos Arroyo outrunning Lamar Odom and outsmarting him to get an "And-1", I knew it was game over. They couldnt shoot from the outside, Tim Duncan was triple-teamed at the post every time, and most importantly, they couldn't defend perimeter players and slashes.
Sitting beside the Puerto Rico Flag was the score "49".
WTF?
I watched the 3rd quarter and the first part of the 4th. USA was having a mini-run to close the gap to within 9. But when USA threw up an airball which led to a fast break, with Carlos Arroyo outrunning Lamar Odom and outsmarting him to get an "And-1", I knew it was game over. They couldnt shoot from the outside, Tim Duncan was triple-teamed at the post every time, and most importantly, they couldn't defend perimeter players and slashes.
Yari na talaga sila ngayon! [They're doomed!] Lets see if David Stern still doesn't regret putting together a team that was meant to sell, not to win. NBA the best basketball in the world? They better redeem themselves in the next game. Even if they go on to win the gold, this game was just plain unexcusable.
Oh yeah. Welcome to my blog. Ü
