Definitely in for Rashomon. Been waiting on that one for awhile!

Honestly, that's understandable.

Give Rashomon a shot. It's only 88 minutes, and there's a small number of characters.

Or if you're into Shakespeare, Throne of Blood. It's under two hours.

Both of those were lent to me by a friend after I had only seen The Hidden Fortress (also good). Rashomon is probably my #1 favourite, but I have yet to see about half of his films.

I would say that the rest of his catalog is substantially less so. Give one or two others a try and you'll quickly know if his pacing can work for you. I'd recommend giving Yojimbo a shot.

Hidden Fortress is a very good one to get into AK. It's pretty much what Star Wars took the most out in terms of plot. Yojimbo's solid as well, Fistful of Dollars is the (at the time an unauthorized) remake of it.

Glad to finally get a release date for Weekend, I feel like I've been waiting on it for years.

In for Rashomon!!!!

I say "High and Low" is Kurosawa's most accessible and user- friendly film.

I may have to pick up a part time job to get through the rest of the year.

I'm happy.

Rashomon is short, it comes in at 88 minutes, has only a handful of characters, and has a easy to understand storyline. The fact that the film is used and known in a number of different fields: law, psychology, etc. speaks to the universal nature of its themes.

I've shown the film to around 30-40 people and it's a favorite amongst many. All opinions are different, but I think Rashomon is the most accessible Kurosawa and the easiest starting point for anyone interested in his films. That said, I started with Seven Samurai as well...because I had heard the most about that film.

Rashomon is pretty accessible in part because everyone's seen a sitcom episode that derives from it in some way or another. But I would say that Yojimbo and Sanjuro are equally as accessible, but in this case they're compact films with some good humor, although they have a lot of characters.

I'd say Ikiru is a good opener too, but that's a favorite of mine anyway.

Hmmmmmm..........

^ that movie has been in my queue on Netflix instant view for a while now.

You guys are way too kind. I say anyone who can't get through Seven Samurai should just give up on movies. Harsh, sure, but c'mon, it's fuckin' Seven Samurai!

Nice that they got Cimino to participate with the transfer, but those are some pretty disappointing extras. No commentary from Cimino? No making of doc of any kind? Not even the preexisting one? No dueling comments from critics? COME ON!! There was so much potential for Heaven's Gate supplements. This is a rare day one purchase for me, but my excitement is a bit tempered.

And yeah, Jeffrey Wells is an asshole. He actually tries to make the argument that he knows it's bad because he saw it at the premiere. "I know. I was there."

It's kind of bizarre that so many people get so offended by the very existence of this movie. I'm so fucking sorry that thirty years ago you had to watch a movie that you didn't like. Are people still forcing you to watch it? Why get so pissy over the minority of people who like it?

For anyone who's interested, all three of Pasolini's Life films are available on Netflix streaming.

+1; best Criterion release month yet (one hopefully to coincide with Barnes & Noble's next sale)

Eraserhead did appear on Criterion's Hulu page for streaming, so that's also a good sign.

Good way to give them a test run because they are not for everybody.

Thanks all for the Kurosawa recommendations!

Yes, those extras are disappointing...Criterion dropped the ball in that area....not the first time they've done that when it comes to supplements.

will pick up all those, always was curious about Heaven's Gate.

Also, there is no bad Kurosawa.

Yeah, every once in a while they announce a long anticipated release of a major film and the extras are completely underwhelming.

In this case, I've been hearing speculation that Cimino's participation in the release may have kept them from including some of the more contentious extras (such as the "Final Cut" documentary.) He apparently has a pretty big ego and the documentary doesn't exactly paint him in a flattering light.

If the interview is long I won't mind the lack of a commentary (since I can understand not wanting to talk over the length of an entire 216 minute movie.) But it really would have been nice to get the documentary.

Yes, if any film cries out for a documentary/making of, this one does. Still can't believe Criterion did nothing in this department

That was my thinking as well - Cimino isn't the type to sign off on a 'director approved' release filled with extras extensively dissecting and criticizing his destructive hubris and money-burning ways.