Since 2010 marks Akira Kurosawa’s centennial (100th birthday), we should be reminded of the things this man saw and endured during his lifetime which played a role in his filmmaking. The notorious atom bombs being the top of the list and, as such, a reoccurring theme throughout his career. Rhapsody In August is just such an example of the effect this horrific event had on the lives of the people who suffered through it. It seems only fitting that my final Kurosawa review will be of a later piece in his career. More »

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Perhaps the most relevant and topical of all of Akira Kurosawa’s films today, The Bad Sleep Well is an intruiging tale of corrupt businessmen, corporate kickbacks, and bribery.

And while we sit in the mire of a recession (as a result of similar actions mind you), Kurosawa here provides not only a deep and suspenseful story but also a film full of laugh out loud comedic moments. And we’re talking some seriously funny stuff here. More »

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I’m really grateful to have had the chance to see Kurosawa’s last film, Dreams (1990), at the New York Film Forum. Not only is it an incredible film–certainly one of his best–but it provides, if in a problematic form, a sort of answer to the two questions Kurosawa claims to have struggled with all his life: Why can’t people be happier? and Why can’t they be happier together? More »

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Of course, no discussion of Akira Kurosawa would be complete without a mention of Kurosawa’s (arguably) best and (certainly) best-known film: The Seven Samurai. More »

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