Hulu is streaming 6 of the Zatoichi films.

      Zatoichi the blind swordsman is an iconic character that has never quite seen the poplarity outside of Japan. He has been the inspiration for many charcaters. Inspired filmakers like Robert Rodriguez. There was even a fun, if uneven, American take starring Rutger Hauer called Blind Fury which features Terence O’Quinn and a swordfight between Hauer and Sho Kusgi!
     The movies are basically a variation on a theme but they feature some amazing fight seqeunces. Some great ones include the inevitable group of bad guys getting completely owned by the seemingly harmless blind man. If you liked Kill Bill you will have a very good time following the exploits of one of Japan’s most enduring film series. There have been 27 films in all. Oh..and the best part is this is all possible due to a partnership with Criterion.

So revisit or begin your journey with Zatoichi.

     Catch them while you can… and if you can,,, it is Hulu after all.

Yeah, so we interviewed a LOT more people than just Lloyd Kaufman, and we couldn’t possibly be happier about it.  Joining us for the interview (from left to right) are Matt Morris, Lindy Starr, Richard Taylor and Zach Beins.  What results can only happen when visiting with denizens of Tromaville.

Just in case you aren’t familiar with Troma films, you probably shouldn’t listen to this interview if you’re offended by jokes about Michael Jackson, Pat Robertson, various projectile body fluids and…oh yeah, plenty of swearing.  If you ARE familiar with Troma films, you’ve probably already started listening to the interview half way through this paragraph.

We had a great time talking with everyone and can’t thank everyone enough for taking the time to talk with us!

 

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Stop what you’re doing right now.  No…really, STOP what you’re doing and watch this video.  I know it’s no secret that most of us are drooling geeks for the sci-fi/fantasy film Ink, but I’d post this even if we didn’t know the Winans.  Commissioned to make a short film with Pentax cameras and lenses.  Never content to just make a film to show off a piece of equipment, Jamin (with his wife, Kiowa, returning to the roles of producer and sound and production designer) makes a fun story of an uncle gone wrong and how his relationship with his niece literally saves him.

You’ll notice Ink alumni Chris Kelly, Jeremy Make and Quinn Hunchar return in this fun short that needs to be seen by as many people as possible.  You won’t regret watching this.

This week, we wrap up our series on John McTiernan with a look at Die Hard With a Vengeance.  You can watch the alternate ending below.

Archangel

 

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It’s scary when just three of us take over two hours to talk about the year in film that was 2009.  We barely even touched on our honorable mentions, either.  I’ll include our individual lists after the jump.

 

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Being at least somewhat of a hipster, I was legally obligated to post this trailer. This is not really a film but a “visual album” from the best band in the world, Animal Collective. Just judging by this if you’re one of the people who’s only knowledge of the band is through “My Girls” you might be a little freaked out by what you’re seeing. This looks far more “Hollinndagain” than “Merriweather Post Pavillion” and I guess I’m open to that.

ODDSAC is currently playing at Sundance and for all we know could become the next “The Wall“…but it’s far more likely that it will just be some art project that a few weeks from now won’t see more than the closet of Noah Lennox/Panda Bear.

by Dave Minkus
Dave’s Score: 7.5/10

It’s really nice when I get the chance to see a movie that lets me take off my critic’s hat and just enjoy it for what it is. For me, that kind of movie is a true story that’s well made. It isn’t about the “film”, it’s the story that’s important. Extraordinary Measures is exactly that kind of film. I understand people’s trepidation at the commercials that have been airing on CBS seemingly non-stop for the past few months.

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We continue our series on John McTiernan films with one of his greatest films, The Hunt for Red October.  Cody Green joins us today so he can work on a very unique school assignment.  We’re curious to see what everyone thinks of it.

 

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Wow.  I’m a bit shocked not only by this development, but the direction the franchise is going.  Just in case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past couple hours, Ain’t It Cool has confirmed that Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire are off the Spider-Man franchise.  Not only that, but Sony is going to reboot the series a whopping 10 years after is started.

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This week, we continue our series on John McTiernan and have a pretty honest discussion of Predator.

Our thoughts and prayers also go out to Tee Morris and his daughter during this tough time.  If you want to help the family, you can chip in with the below widget set up by Phillipa Ballentine.

 

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