Learning from the Masters of Cinema: Kawashima Yuzo's BAKUMATSU TAIYO-DEN

Learning from the Masters of Cinema: Kawashima Yuzo's BAKUMATSU TAIYO-DEN
Exclusive: Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge 2013 Has Its Short Film Winners And You Can Watch 'Em Right Now
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Posted: 06 May 2013 02:00 AM PDT

When highly respected Japanese film magazine, Kinema Junpo, published its list of the Best Japanese Films of the 20th Century back in 1999, it featured many undisputed classics from the likes of Kurosawa Akira, Mizoguchi Kenji, Naruse Mikio and Ozu Yasujiro. However, many Western observers would have been flummoxed by the film that sat proudly in the No.5 spot: Bakumatsu Taiyo-den by Kawashima Yuzo. This film, released through Nikkatsu Studios in 1957, has gone largely unseen by audiences in the West. In fact, this new DVD and Blu-ray release from Masters of Cinema marks the first time that any of Kawashima's films have been released on disc in this part of the world. The reasons for this are unclear, but when Nikkatsu produced a newly...

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Exclusive: Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge 2013 Has Its Short Film Winners And You Can Watch 'Em Right Now

Posted: 05 May 2013 10:00 PM PDT

If you're an independent filmmaker or film student who is looking to broaden your creative circles, exercise your filmmaking skills in new ways and win up to $5,000, then you may want to check out Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge. It's a two-week intensive crash course in cooperative, DIY fueled filmmaking that takes place here in Los Angeles. While it may sound a lot like the 48 Hour Film Projects that seem to be in just about every major city this side of the moon, CFC stands a bit to the left with less emphasis on competition as a true collaborative effort is encouraged between teams -- direct one short, and design sound for the next, who knows what you'll do, but it's all for the greater...

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Posted: 05 May 2013 10:35 AM PDT

Here at Twitch we tend not to put up each and every movie poster on the main page. Pretty ones that catch our eyes are generally posted on our Facebook page, but there are of course always exceptions. Case in point: the poster campaign so far for Pacific Rim, Guillermo Del Toro's upcoming giant monsters versus giant robots flick. We haven't run every single one of their robot posters, but we made sure we put them all up on Facebook because they have all been, without fail, awesome. The latest one Warner Brothers released last week beats all of them into a pulp. And it's a hard one to publish, actually, as it has a weird format. They call it the "Superbanner" and you can...

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