Samurai Marathon: Yojimo and Sanjuro, revisited

On our recent trip to Toronto and Algonquin park we read about a Kurosawa marathon happening in major cities in the US. Lamenting that we wouldn't be able to see these stunning, classic films on the big screen we decided to do the next best thing: have our own "Samurai Marathon" in the comfort of our own home. It wouldn't be quite the same, but still a lot of fun.

Yojimo (Akira Kurosawa, 1961)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

Samurai, Drama, Action

Yojimo stands out, for me. And not just as a samurai story, but as a drama. It is loosely based on Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett. It has been remade many times, most notably (and notoriously) as Fistful of Dollars. We all likely have encountered the theme and plot, perhaps without even knowing it. I think this is because the story is so succinct and tells such a valuable lesson of the evils and consequences of corruption. Brilliant film.

Sanjuro (Akira Kurosawa, 1962)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Samurai, Drama, Action

I really enjoy Sanjuro, but for very different reasons from Yojimbo. While it is a sequel, these two stories don't feel that connected. I like this tale because it focuses on the consequences of immaturity and rash decisions and exposes that what a samurai means and what he is are two different concepts. It is also very funny.

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SPECIAL: Coen Brothers Films, Ranked

This spring we felt like watching as many Coen Brothers films as we could in chronological order. I had already seen 11 of the 18, which actually surprised me. Four films didn't get viewed, sadly, due to not being able to easily watch (and we didn't want to pay a fee to rent). But I did watch four films for the first time. My favorite of the bunch is still O Brother Where Art Thou, simply because of the glorious combination of Homer's story, the 1930s time period, and the incredible music. All in all, it was a fun experience. Here's the complete list of all Coen Brothers feature films, followed by my rankings. We didn't watch the films highlighted in yellow.

• Blood Simple (1984)
• Raising Arizona (1987)
• Miller's Crossing (1990)
• Barton Fink (1991)--we weren't able to watch
• The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
• Fargo (1996)
• The Big Lebowski (1998)
• O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
  
• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
• Intolerable Cruelty (2003)--we weren't able to watch
• The Ladykillers (2004)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)
• Burn After Reading (2008)
• A Serious Man (2009)--we weren't able to watch
• True Grit (2010)
• Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
• Hail, Caesar! (2016)
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

#14 The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

Rating: Q=5, P=4 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

#13 Blood Simple (1984)
Rating: Q=6, P=4 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

#12 Burn After Reading (2008)
Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

#11 Miller's Crossing (1991)

Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

#10 The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

#9 Raising Arizona (1987)

Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

#8 The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

#7 Hail Caesar! (2016)
Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

#6 Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

#5 The Big Lebowski (1998)
Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

#4 Fargo (1996)
Rating: Q=8, P=6 / Can't Get Enough
Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

#3 True Grit (2010)
Rating: Q=6, P=7 / Comfy Old Standard
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

#2 No Country For Old Men (2007)
Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Can't Get Enough
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

#1 O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
Rating: Q=8, P=8 / Obsession
Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

Anora

Anora (Sean Baker, 2024)

Click here for the basics

Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Drama, Complex Relationships, Romance, Dark Comedy, Sex Industry

Sean Baker finds a way to blend sobering realism with ridiculous insanity in Anora, the Oscar Best Picture winner from last year. Mikey Madison is magnificent and inspiring in her role. I loved Ani from the start. Inside her escort world--where she has a chosen family and admirers and is good at her work--she is confident, brash, sassy, and funny. She is in charge. But outside of this world, she feels different and is supremely naïve. It makes sense: Ani has defined herself by her work. She is an escort. She uses her body for money. Society considers this vulgar or despicable or low... she must be those things, too. Once her make up and lingerie are off, she is riding the subway home to a shabby apartment she doesn't even own. So, when a ostentatiously rich boy walks into her work and offers her more, she can't resist. She desperately wants what she has been told she can't and never will have. She wants to wave it around and scream it in everyone's face. She needs recognition and validation that badly. Unfortunately, her needs overpower her reason and judgement in a really big way.

Profound story with so much between the lines and scenes. Beautiful film.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here

Andor Season 2

Andor, Season 2 (Tony Gilroy, 2025)

Click here for the basics

Rating: DSQ=12, SP=8 / Decadence

Scale A=4, Scale B=4, Scale C=4, Scale D=4, Scale E=4

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Star Wars Universe, Epic

I had high expectations for Season 2 of this amazing show. I knew what the ending would be (Rogue One) and anticipated a lot more tension and depressing moments. And I wasn't wrong. I was blown away and left ruminating about the series for days.

Tony Gilroy knows Star Wars and knows how to write suspense and tension. Andor brings the gritty realism and relevancy to the Star Wars universe that no other Star Wars movie or show has. At times, I felt like I was watching a true story. That happened yesterday. Here on Earth, not in a galaxy far far away. And I think that is the real success and power of Andor. This science "fiction" story feels real. The characters seem like people you know. The emotions are palpable. The urgency makes your heart pound and sets your thoughts whirling--How can I help? What can I do?

How everything from earlier Star Wars shows and movies ties together is very satisfying for a true Star Wars fan--for example, I immediately watched Rogue One after Andor Season 2 and so much changed. I cried in a different way. The viewing experience was entirely changed. But you also don't need to have any context or prior history to get something truly meaningful out of Andor. It stands alone and fits in the timeline. And this is because the writing is masterful. Andor is timeless and important. It tells a story we humans keep experiencing and keep allowing to happen again and again.

Click here to read my post about Season 1.

--Don't understand the ratings? Click here