This is the kind of thing that seems funny at 1am, but probably won't seem funny after I've had some sleep. I spent the majority of this weekend trying to clean my room and reading James Kochalka comics. Plus a bunch of other stuff like meeting up with Kathleen to catch a Midnight Madness showing of Harold and Maude, watching the Critereon DVD of The Seven Samurai twice (the second time was for the awesome commentary), and picking up Capcom vs. SNK for the GameCube and getting beaten down by my roommate. The mess has been reduced, but it still looms. Overall, a good weekend.
Posted by Golabutron at September 30, 2002 02:19 AMWell, the only reason this may not be considered funny is that it hits too close to home. I need to get my hands on that "Seven Samurai" DVD. Who is providing the commentary?
Posted by: Daniel Dolinov on September 30, 2002 07:06 AMDaniel: The commentary is by a guy named Michael Jeck, who is an expert in Japanese film and culture. It was actually recorded for the Laser Disc in 1988, but 14-year-old commentary isn't much of a problem for a film like this.
It's a good commentary to watch if you're curious about filmmaking technique and the nature of the post-war Japanese film industry. Jeck never runs out of things to talk about, which is of course what commentary tracks are all about.
Posted by: Joshua A. Hart on September 30, 2002 10:04 AMD00d, I totally recognize all that stuff in your picture.
I don't know if I like the Mike Jeck commentary. I found the stuff he was saying to be kind of generic.
Posted by: Kat D on September 30, 2002 02:23 PMKat: Yeah, I think the commentary on Seven Samurai is more useful if you're not already well versed in cinema, particularly Japanese cinema. I was happy with it because it was like sitting through a lecture from a good film professor. Most commentaries are basically trivia fests, and at least here I feel I learned a thing or two.
Posted by: Joshua A. Hart on September 30, 2002 02:50 PM