The Last Samurai

[Hai_hai]

I saw a preview for a new movie "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise. There was a small clip of two boys sparring with bokken and other scenes with plenty of samurai swords.
Looks like it's worth watching... when it comes out on video.

[weldon87]

yea i saw the preview too when i went and saw matrix reloaded i see it when someone else tells me its good,i do like tom cruise but this part he took was very spontaneous,i trutfully would rather see someone asian take that role,but i could see tom cruise playing the part of kenshin from the anime rurouni kenshin

[berghaan]

I am not fan of cruise but it sure looked cool

[blur]

Originally posted by weldon87
yea i saw the preview too when i went and saw matrix reloaded i see it when someone else tells me its good,i do like tom cruise but this part he took was very spontaneous,i trutfully would rather see someone asian take that role,but i could see tom cruise playing the part of kenshin from the anime rurouni kenshin

Well, I think the plotline runs that Cruise is a US Army guy hired by the Japanese to help update their army... so it's kinda important to the plot that he ISN'T Asian. There weren't too many Asian US Army commanders in the nineteenth century ;)

Although something must go awry in the film as towards the end of the trailer, Cruise is madly charging downhill with a bunch of Samurai (with swords), seemingly attacking the modern army (with rifles) he has helped to create...?!?

[KhawMengLee]

hmmnnn....reminds me of how the British used Cavalry to charge German positions during WWI...brave...maybe ole' Haig should have bought the machine gun from Maxim instead of laughing at it.

Oh, course this tactic has worked at least once, as with the charge of the light horse but those were Aussies;).

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

[blur]

Oi! Oi! Oi!

The interesting thing about the segment of film is that the soldiers with rifles aren't firing back. They seem to have bayonets fixed and are going in for some hand to hand action.

[iwatekenshi]

Here's the website address.


http://lastsamurai.warnerbros.com/home.php

[blur]

Release Date: December 5th, 2003 (wide); bumped up a week from December 12th, 2003

Language: English, with some scenes in Japanese with English subtitles.

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Distributor Note: Warner Bros. considers this film one of their five major tentpoles of 2003, along with The Matrix: Reloaded, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, The Matrix: Revolutions and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

Production Company: Radar Pictures (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Riddick: Pitch Black 2), Bedford Falls (Lone Star State of Mind, Abandon) (director Edward Zwick's production company), Cruise-Wagner Productions (Shattered Glass, Suspect Zero) (Tom Cruise's production company with Paula Wagner)

Cast: Tom Cruise (Captain Woodrow Algren), Ken Watanabe (Katsumoto), Billy Connolly (Sgt. Zebulah Gant), Tony Goldwyn (Col. Benjamin Bagley), Timothy Spall (Simon Graham), William Atherton, Seizo Fukomoto (The Silent Samurai), Masato Harada (Ohmura), Togo Igawa (Hasegawa), Sosuke Ikematsu, Shin Koyamada (Yoritomo), John Koyama (Omura's Bodyguard), Koyuki (Taka), Aoi Minato, Shichinosuke Nakamura (The Emperor), Hiroyuki Sanada (Uijo), Shun Sugata (Nakao), Scott Wilson

Cast Notes: (2/26/03) One of Tom Cruise's costars in this movie is Togo Igawa, who previously worked with the star in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, in which he played one of the two nearly naked Japanese businessmen caught frolicking with the underwear-clad teenager played by Leelee Sobieski.

Swordwork Note: (7/20/02) Tom Cruise is being trained in Japanese-style swordwork for the film by "sword master" Nick Powell, who also trained Russell Crowe for Gladiator, the cast of The Mummy and Mel Gibson in Braveheart.

Director: Edward Zwick (Legends of the Fall, Courage Under Fire, Glory, About Last Night..., The Siege)

Screenwriter: John Logan (The Time Machine, Bats; cowriter of Any Given Sunday; his latest films before this will be Star Trek: Nemesis and Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas; he's also got Pure Evel and The Aviator in development)

Similar Project: (7/20/02) There's another project in development, at New Regency and John Davis Entertainment, which would be distributed by 20th Century Fox, that also has the title of "The Last Samurai", and a similar premise. That project would also focus on a Civil War veteran, scarred by the trauma of war, who travels to Japan as a mercenary, but the difference is that in this one, he teams up with a samurai who helps him find inner peace (basically, this film's hero is on the other side of the conflict than in Cruise's movie). At this point, if it ever does get made, it's likely to do so with a new title.

Not Based Upon: This movie is not based upon the novel, "The Last Samurai", by Helen DeWitt, which was published in 2000 by Talk Miramax.

Civil War Veteran Note: (7/20/02) Curiously enough, Tom Cruise signed on to this project to play a Civil War veteran after dropping out of Cold Mountain, in which he would've also played a Civil War veteran, on the long journey home after the war. Jude Law signed on for that role instead.

Premise: Set in the late 1870s, this epic film depicts the beginnings of the modernization of Japan, as the island nation evolved past a feudal society, as symbolized by the eradication of the samurai way of life. We see all this happen from the point of view of an alcoholic Civil War veteran turned Winchester guns spokesman, Captain Woodrow Algren (Cruise), who arrives in Japan to train the troops of the emperor, Meiji, as part of a break away from the long-held tradition of relying on employed samurai warriors to protect territories, as the emperor's new army prepares to wipe out the remaining samurai warriors. When Algren is injured in combat and captured by the samurai, he learns about their warrior honor code from their leader, Katsumoto, which forces him to decide which side of the conflict he actually wants to be on... (Spall plays Algren's translator; Connolly plays a friend of Algren's who acquired a limp in the war; Goldwyn plays Algren's commanding officer who recruits him to go to Japan.)

Filming: Production started on October 10th, 2002 at locations in Japan, before then transitioning to sets in New Plymouth, New Zealand, where most of the filming will take place, on a budget of around $100 million. There will also be some filming on sets on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Los Angeles (Burbank). The Japanese shooting will be mostly in Kyoto and at Himeji Castle. The base of the New Zealand filming will be the Taranaki region on the west coast of NZ's North Island (with Mt. Taranaki standing in as Japan's Mt. Fujiama). Filming wrapped up on May 9th, 2003.

Genre: Action, Eye Candy, Historical

[blur]

Interesting stuff in here...!!!

The Last Samurai Script Review
http://www.tnmc.org/dp/0121031.shtml

Three years ago, John Logan brought us what the Academy considered the “best picture” of 2000, the Russell Crowe epic Gladiator. Logan followed up the script a year later (dated May 18th, 2001) with another epic starring another action star, Tom Cruise. This time the result is a vast improvement over it’s predecessor and it takes the form of a Kurosawa homage entitled The Last Samurai. Samurai, like Gladiator, blends historic events with drama and carnage. However, this one might actually deserve the title of “best picture” come next winter.

The screenplay begins with a piece of dialogue whose style is reminiscent of Arthur Golden’s best selling novel Memoirs of a Geisha in which a narrator describes Japan poetically. The voice over, provided by an English translator for the Japanese prince, reads:

GRAHAM (V.O.)

They say Japan was made by a sword...

They say the old gods dipped a coral sword into the ocean,

and when they pulled it out, four perfect drops

fell back into the sea. They say those drops became the

four islands of Japan.

I say the real Japan was made by a handful of brave

men: warriors willing to fight and die because they

believed in what seems to have become a forgotten

word...

Honor.

However, instead of becoming immediately engrossed in Japan, Logan juxipositions the dialogue with the image of the American flag, hanging over a convention hall on America’s centennial. Here we are introduced to Captain Algren (Tom Cruise), a Civil War “hero” who witnessed the massacre of his troops following a botched command. To escape his guilt, which he shares with no one, Algren escapes into a world of opium and liquor. He has sold his image to Winchester rifles, marketing firearms using his heroic image because the public does not know what truly happened during the battle. Algren’s Calvary unit was demolished by a new wave of weapons: Gatling guns.

This mirrors the same situation brewing in Japan, where the Prince hires Algren to become the country’s military advisor during it’s modernization period. The war is being led against the samurai, the last remnants of Japan’s past and the only variable keeping them from the future. However, Algren is captured during a lethal skirmish and taken to the mountain regions, which the samurai inhabit. He quickly becomes accustomed to their ways and befriends Katsumoto, the leader of the samurai, and Yoritomo, the samurai entrusted to care of Algren during his stay. Soon, Algren begins to wonder if he is fighting for the wrong side and takes up a sword for the respected heroes.

What Logan does perfectly in this screenplay is blends action sequences with historical drama. While his attempts at this failed in Gladiator, he seems to be evaluating his mistakes and using them to his advantage in this screenplay. We are hit with basically three battle sequences: the first being the skirmish in which Algren is taken captive, the second being an attempt on Katsumoto’s life, and the third being the grand finale, a battle between the samurai and the Japanese military which mirrors Algren’s haunting memories.

Not only has Logan’s understanding of letting characters motivate the action improved but his understanding of characters has also evolved. Instead of drowning Algren and his friends in the cliches he doomed Maximus to in Gladiator, Logan seems to have used some restraint and turned Algren into a tortured warrior. The only other example of this executed so well is in Coppola’s Willard character in Apocalypse Now. Not only is this going to be possibly Cruise’s best role, but I have a feeling it will grab him an Oscar. Also, the villains of Samurai aren’t drenched in cliche like Gladiator was. They actually have strong motives and convictions that make sense in the parameters of the environment Logan skillfully constructs. Judging from the screenplay and the creative powers behind it, The Last Samurai is already looking to be one of the best films of the new year.

[blur]

More script reviews (with spoilers) at:

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/script_reviews/the_last_samurai.html

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=12709

http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/364/364194p1.html

[blur]

And for the trailers (inc. Japanese trailers)...

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/l/lastsamurai.php

[angryshinai]

Originally posted by KhawMengLee
hmmnnn....reminds me of how the British used Cavalry to charge German positions during WWI...brave...maybe ole' Haig should have bought the machine gun from Maxim instead of laughing at it.

Oh, course this tactic has worked at least once, as with the charge of the light horse but those were Aussies;).

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

vb vb vb
oi oi oi
vb vb vb
oi oi oi

vb
oi
vb
oi
vb vb vb
oi oi oi

[KhawMengLee]

Yep,

A HARD EARNED THIRST NEEDS A GOOD COLD BEER
AND THE BEST COLD BEER IS VIC. VIC BITTER...:D

[Neil Gendzwill]

I don't think any of the mainstream Aus. beers are anything to write home about, including VB. Surely there has to be some microbrewed stuff there that's worth drinking.

[Hongsermeier]

The best beer I've had in my life was in Aus. It was in a little Italian restraunt in Perth. They brewed it there. It was an amber with a wedge of lemon. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

[blur]

Originally posted by Neil Gendzwill
I don't think any of the mainstream Aus. beers are anything to write home about, including VB. Surely there has to be some microbrewed stuff there that's worth drinking.

Horses for courses. Being Canadian, you're already treated to a high standard of beers, which is probably why you can't comprehend why some people come here and think some of our regular domestic stuff is delicious rocket fuel brewed by the gods.

We do have some wonderful microbreweries, too. Not sure what your definition of a microbrewery is, but I define the following guys as one. They make genuinely world class beers:

http://www.malt-shovel.com.au/

From its site:

2003 AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL BEER AWARDS

In case you have been living under a rock, or just plainly haven't heard, the results for the AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL BEER AWARDS 2003, were announced on Thursday 1st May in Melbourne.

We here at the Malt Shovel Brewery were over the moon when the following awards were handed to us:

CHAMPION AUSTRALASIAN BREWERY
Malt Shovel Brewery Ltd

CHAMPION LAGER
James Squire Original Pilsener

BEST IN CLASS
James Squire Original Pilsener

BEST IN CLASS
James Squire Porter

[aru-ma]

Originally posted by KhawMengLee
Yep,

A HARD EARNED THIRST NEEDS A GOOD COLD BEER
AND THE BEST COLD BEER IS VIC. VIC BITTER...:D

Just on that, how dumb can people get? (the one who makes the ads I mean. not you meng) If you're really thirsty (after kendo, cricket or anything else) and drink alcohol straight after you'd be drunk straight away (well give about 10mins), which will get you in trouble on the streets/train/tram if you're walking home or even worse, if you're driving. when you're thirsty it only takes 2-4 glasses of beer (even VB) to get you drunk, therfore the ad is misleading and may cause potential danger.

another thing is, I've never seen a cigarete ad once since I came to melbourne (2000) nor have I seen (outside Indonesia) a cigarete ad that uses the "smoking is cool" image. Now why do they still need that image for beer ads? its about as dangerous as smoking but not even a GP warning is put on the ads.

[m_french]

Originally posted by aru-ma


when you're thirsty it only takes 2-4 glasses of beer (even VB) to get you drunk

Wow Aru-ma, you're a cheap date....I venture to say even the little lass Mingshi can put away more suds than that.:beard:

[Neil Gendzwill]

Originally posted by aru-ma

its about as dangerous as smoking but not even a GP warning is put on the ads.
Uhm, because it's not as dangerous as smoking? Beer and wine in moderate quantities (1-2 drinks/day) is good for you. Cigarettes in any quantity are bad for you.

[Hongsermeier]

Originally posted by aru-ma


when you're thirsty it only takes 2-4 glasses of beer (even VB) to get you drunk, .



2-4 beers....tis but a warm up.

I thought the Aussies could drink.

French...when does the real drinking start??? Bring me a BIG cold glass of Shochu after practice.

[m_french]

Originally posted by Hongsermeier



French...when does the real drinking start??? Bring me a BIG cold glass of Shochu after practice.

Personally being a single malt guy, I'll put off the sochu until I've warmed up with the beer....If I remember the Dojo christmas party in Pali you're a fun drunk. Ofcourse i think you, me and Nishura sensei were the only ones getting toasted.:beard:

[Hongsermeier]

Isn't that what parties are for. Thank god for the designated driver.

[m_french]

Originally posted by Hongsermeier
Isn't that what parties are for. Thank god for the designated driver.

Don't tell me you got Miwako pregnant just so you could have a DD:beard: :beard:

[Hongsermeier]

It worked didn't it?? I don't think she's had two drinks since.:cross_eye

[shirijin]

the best is DORAGUAAA haha