A part of this viewing list: Criterion Collection Spine #267: Akira Kurosawa’s Kagemusha. This is a very thought-provoking film. The story could have easily been turned into farce but for the unbearable tension that Shingen’s double is forced to shoulder in maintaining the pretense that he actually is the ruler, while the real Shingen molders [...]

A part of this viewing list: Criterion Collection Spine #53: Akira Kurosawa’s Sanjuro. At first watch, this film is more comedic and less compelling than Yojimbo. At its essence, this is a buddy flick, but Sanjuro has a double handful of impetuous idiots to wrangle instead of just one. Because of this, Sanjuro’s utmost capability stands out at [...]