Chicken Little Season

Did I mention that Netflix rocks?

I watched The Misfits yesterday then Open Season, put The Misfits in the mailbox and then after the mail ran Chicken Little was there so I watched it too!

So it was a busy movie day!

Open Season was alright. Not everything can be Ice Age, Shrek, or The Incredibles.

It is about a tame grizzly bear who winds up in the wilderness having to live on his own. Some of the characters were there for filler and not much else. There were some jokes that just didn't work and ultimately it felt a bit empty but in a big, bright, shiny package.

Chicken Little was much better. A take on the bedtime story with a War of the Worlds twist on it. What can I say but Disney knows how to tell a story and backs it all up with top shelf animation. This is a great movie. It had some great funny moments and some cute and fully developed characters, something that was lacking in Open Season.

Then afterwards I decided to venture out into the cold and picked up Ran, the last great Kurosawa movie he made. His take on King Lear. I remember seeing this in the late 80's but haven't seen it since so even though I was familiar with the story it was like the first time I've seen it.

As with most of the Criterion editions of Kurosawa films they have brilliant commentary which explains all of the nuances of the shots. The framing to signify the importance of the characters. The intricate details of the lenses and how they captured the action.

Any up and coming filmmaker who has no idea on where to start would be well served by listening to many many commentaries on classic films. These are better than an expensive film school IF you have a camera and can go out and practice what you learn. Believe me this is like film school in a box.

Yeah it takes practical hands on experience to be a great filmmaker but for volumes of knowledge you can't beat Criterion commentaries.

Ran itself is an amazing spectacle full of pageantry, treachery, and samurai set in medieval Japan. He probably out Shakespeare's Shakespeare in fact. It is a shame that the Mifune friendship had ended years before after Red Beard. He would have been an outstanding Saburo.

I am not sure what is on tap for today but I am sure that there will be some good college basketball on as rivalry week comes to a close. I missed most of the great match ups this week because of the documentary but that is fine. I'd rather do something that I love like film than watching basketball even though I love it as well.

Which reminds me that Florida will probably be the odds on favorite to win March Madness. They are every bit as good as they were last year and are bringing back their starters. Can you say unstoppable?