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Ikiru, a review by Antares

Ikiru





Year: 1952
Film Studio: Toho
Genre: Drama, Classic
Length: 143 Min.

Director
Akira Kurosawa (1910)

Writer
Shinobu Hashimoto (1918)...Writer
Akira Kurosawa (1910)...Writer
Hideo Oguni (1904)...Writer

ProducerCinematographer
Asakazu Nakai (1901)

Music
Fumio Hayasaka (1914)...Composer

Stars
Takashi Shimura (1905) as Kanji Watanabe
Shinichi Himori (1907) as Kimura
Haruo Tanaka (1912) as Sakai
Minoru Chiaki (1917) as Noguchi
Miki Odagiri (1930) as Toyo Odagiri, employee
Bokuzen Hidari (1894) as Ohara
Minosuke Yamada as Subordinate Clerk Saito
Kamatari Fujiwara (1905) as Sub-Section Chief Ono

Review
       In a span of just five years, Akira Kurosawa completed three genuine masterpieces, , Ikiru, and Seven SamuraiIkiruIkiru from the rest of the films that deal with similar subject matter, is the way the structure of the story is laid out for the viewer. Once again, as with Ratings Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.

(From Ikiru (1952) on December 4th, 2009)

The Greatest Show On Earth, a review by KinkyCyborg

The Greatest Show On Earth



Title:The Greatest Show on Earth
Year: 1952
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Rating: NR
Length: 152 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Betty Hutton
Cornel Wilde
Charlton Heston
Dorothy Lamour
Gloria Grahame

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Closed Captioned


This movie doesn't quite live up to it's lofty title but it was a very entertaining watch nonethless. More of a documentary style tribute to the Ringling Barnum & Bailey Circus, you get a fascinating behind the scenes look at the machinations of circus life and the incredible amount of time and effort that went into these big top productions which sadly have given away to indoor performances at arenas & stadiums.

Charlton Heston was good as Brad Braden, leader of the circus and Cornell Wilde was great as trapeze star, The Great Sebastien. I would have taken just about any other female lead over Betty Hutton as Holly, another high flyer. I didn't understand how this woman's character could be the object of both these mens affections as I found her unattractive and annoying, incessantly whining throughout the movie. On the other hand Gloria Grahame as Angel, part of the elephant act, was a complete knockout!  James Stewart as Buttons the Clown was good also as a man on the run from the law, hiding in obscurity behind the painted face and goofy clothes. All in all these sidebar stories took a back seat to the goings on of the circus itself.

I spotted Bing Crosby, Bob Hope & Van Johnson as uncredited crowd spectators. I'm sure there are others I missed.

The rest of the cast was filled out with the actual circus performers which brought total authenticity to the acts. The crowd may have been actors but the wonderment on their faces, especially the children would have been as real as can be as I remembered my first trip to a circus as a young boy which was minuscule in comparison to these grand spectacles. The elephant acts were nothing short of majestic! 

A little research revealed that the circus is still going strong, still riding the trains of the eastern seaboard with two parallel tours offering different shows at different times of the year so that people could take in both should they so choose. It's a shame this traveling phenomena doesn't make it's way up into Canada as I would love to take the family to see it.

A great movie to watch where the Circus itself if by far the star of the show.

KC

Rating:

(From KinkyCyborg's Random Reviews 2011 on May 24th, 2011)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

18. Five by Five (2000-04-25)
Writer: Jim Kouf (Writer)
Director: James A. Contner
Cast: David Boreanaz (Angel), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Julie Benz (Darla), Christian Kane (Lindsey McDonald), Thomas Burr (Lee Mercer), Tyler Christopher (Bret Folger), Stephanie Romanov (Lilah Morgan), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Rainbow Borden (Gangbanger), Francis Fallon (Dick), Adrienne Janic (Attractive Girl), Rodrick Fox (Assistant DA), Thor Edgell (Romanian Man), Jennifer Slimko (Romanian Woman)

It's always fun to see Faith again. I always liked this episode. Only this time I found, that her turn to Angel at the end was coming to suddenly.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on July 11th, 2009)