Like Kurosawa I make mad films

Okay, I don't make films, but in case you haven't noticed, I am a little bit of a film nerd. And if I did make films...well...who knows.

When I had the opportunity to take classes at UWM during my senior year of high school with discounted tuition, I shirked the chance to take serious, logical mathy-sciencey core classes, instead opting for anthropology and film art. Yes, I made my parents spend their precious hard-earned money so I could watch movies. Hitchcock, Welles, Dali, beautiful noir pieces, light-hearted modern films and early westerns that made me (and still make me) view my favorite non-college films in a new light.
I have always loved the work of Sergio Leone and subsequently all of the Eastwood westerns, from my childhood fighting to stay awake so I could see the end of The Good, The Bad, The Ugly or High Plains Drifer.

Strangely, though, as much as modern film is influenced by the work of Akira Kurosawa, we didn't get to see any Samurai flicks in class. Now, though, instead of sleeping in on weekends, I get up early to flip on IFC and catch the Samurai film of the week.

This week I watched Yojimbo with a keen interest, despite knowing the whole plot beginning to end. This is because Yojimbo was remade as Per un pugno di dollari, or A Fistful of Dollars, a film I've watched time and again. Yojimbo's plot also served as the basis of Last Man Standing, and I don't care what you say, I like Bruce Willis movies. Even the dog with the severed hand made an appearance in David Lynch's Wild at Heart.

Last week's movie was Shichinin no samurai (the Seven Samurai), and even though I've watched it before, it's still a show with everything but Yul Brunner. Remade as the Magnificent Seven, it did feature Yul, along with Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. Both good watching.

So I'm a film nerd. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be watching what I watch, it might come in handy during a quote contest.

And don't get me started on Sailor Moon...