Kagemusha & Larry Sanders Show

Kagemusha was a little long, but typically epic film from Kurosawa. It also felt a little too much like Ran. But not nearly as good. Lots of bright colors and pretty good battle scenes. And no one would have the balls to film a battle scene quite like the two big ones in this movie. Pretty darn impressive. Generally good acting, although I can't judge acting in foreign languages quite as well as in English. But I can judge directing, and I'm pretty sure that Kurosawa is my second favorite director after Hitchcock, if for nothing other than their almost unbroken streak of amazing films over decades. Making them better than Howard Hawks (who made some not that impressive films), Wong Kar-Wai & Quentin Tarantino (haven't worked long enough), John Sayles (hurt by some of the movies he's only written rather than directed), and Robert Altman (some utter clunkers). Among some others I can't quite think of right now. Maybe like Hayao Miyazaki, Preston Sturges, and Ernst Lubitsch, none of whom really worked in a genre or type of film I'm entirely capable of raising to the top. Plus, Preston and Ernst made some non-pantheon films. Hayao needs to keep making movies. Maybe after four of five more classics, then I'll be happy and he'll be up there.

I am pretty sure I've seen almost all of the first season of the Larry Sanders Show. I wish I knew when. I think there was one episode I wasn't sure I'd seen before. At least I got to see Jeremy Piven's hairy butt again. Wait, that isn't a good thing. Damn you, Shandling! Oh, but I did get to see Hank's dog story which was so funny. Yay for bestiality. Wait, that isn't a good thing. But oh, so funny!