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4 items from 2012

26 April 2012 6:58 AM, PDT | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

Picking your favorite Akira Kurosawa film is a tricky choice for any movie fan. From "Rashomon" to "Ran," the great Japanese filmmaker, one of the most beloved and influential directors of all time, knocked out a string of classics in a career that lasted well over 40 years. But more often than not, at the top of the list for Kurosawa fans is "The Seven Samurai," the 1954 samurai epic that redefined the action movie for generations.

Following six samurai (and one pretender, iconically played by Toshiro Mifune) who are recruited by a village of farmers to protect them from bandits, it remains to this day one of the most stirring, thrilling adventures in cinema history, and landed Kurosawa firmly on the map in international cinema. The film was released in Japan 58 years ago today, on April 26th, 1954 (a U.S. release, heavily cut down, would follow 30 months later), and to mark the occasion, »

- Oliver Lyttelton

2 April 2012 7:30 AM, PDT | Disc Dish | See recent Disc Dish news »

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: June 26, 2012

Price: DVD $59.95, Blu-ray $69.95

Studio: Criterion

Toshiro Mifune stars as a legendary 17th Century swordsman in The Samurai Trilogy.

The Samurai Trilogy, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki (The Rickshaw Man) and starring the inimitable Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai), was one of Japan’s most successful action-adventure film exports of the 1950s.

Based on the rousing, combat-filled novel by Eiji Yoshikawa that’s often called Japan’s Gone with the Wind, the sweeping Samurai Trilogy fictionalizes the life of the legendary seventeenth-century swordsman (and writer and artist) Musashi Miyamoto. Following him on his path from unruly youth to enlightened warrior, the three films—1954’s Oscar-winning Musashi Miyamoto, 1955’s Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and 1956’s Duel at Ganryu Island—come together as a passionate epic that’s equal parts tender love story and bloody action.

Issued previously on DVD by Criterion in 2004, these latest DVD and Blu-ray editions of »

- Laurence

17 March 2012 10:40 AM, PDT | TheHDRoom | See recent TheHDRoom news »

Here we are at the middle of the month and by now you should know what that means; it's Criterion Collection Blu-ray announcement day! A mere hour or two ago Criterion announced its upcoming June slate, and it's just as diverse and exciting as ever.

Leading the pack of new additions is Charlie Chaplin's first feature-length Comedy classic The Gold Rush. This release features the film in its original 1925 silent form, as well as a restored 1942 sound version. A must for any fan of Chaplin, silent's and overall film history.

The other new additions to the collection consist of Danny Boyle's directorial debut Shallow Grave, a darkly comedic film with a hint of Hitchcock. The film also served as Ewan McGregor's first starring role. The other two new additions are a double treat of Director Steven Soderbergh and American theater actor and monologist Spaulding Gray. And Everything is Going Fine »

16 March 2012 2:30 PM, PDT | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

Well, time to break open those vacation savings for this summer, as The Criterion Collection have dropped a heckuva slate for June, so let's get to it.

Hinted at in the annual New Year's clue, Danny Boyle's breakout debut film, "Shallow Grave," has indeed joined the collection. Starring Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, and Ewan McGregor, all it takes is a dead body and a suitcase full of money to kick off a twisty, funny and vicious little thriller. This edition will be loaded with extras, including "Digging Your Grave," a documetnary from 1993 about the making of the movie by Kevin Macdonald, two audio commentaries, new cast interviews and more. Pretty great set all around.

Steven Soderbergh and/or Spalding Gray fans have much to rejoice about as the director's 1997 and 2010 films "Gray's Anatomy" and "And Everything Is Going Fine" will get the wacky C. The former is essentially a »

- Kevin Jagernauth

4 items from 2012