The Critic of the Ages – In Honor of Roger Ebert

Throughout the past few years in which I’ve begun to admire, one individual’s entries on film reviews have stuck out to me and has helped me respect and understand the most significant of cinema: Roger Ebert. A couple hours ago, I heard the dreadful news that his cancer returned and took his life today at the age of 70. Roger Ebert has made numerous entries at the Chicago Sun-Times of film reviews that have been also seen in books, interviews and hundreds of blogs. His opinion alone could convince people to see a movie even if it did not look appealing at first. This post is short because I have a busy day, but I send my respects to his wife, family and friends who are now experiencing the loss of a great individual who truly respected cinema. RIP Roger Ebert, you will not be forgotten and your reviews will go down as the greatest of all time! If not for you, I would have never truly appreciated movies like The Tree of Life.

Comment below if Roger’s words have in the past convinced you to see a movie you loved and if so, which one?

Brilliance in the Classics: Seven Samurai

Hello to all of my fellow movie-enthusiasts! Welcome to another review from Critical Films, and today I will be discussing possibly my favorite film of all time. Sichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai)! This brilliant film was released in Japan in 1954, and is an acclaimed classic directed by the amazing Akira Kurosawa. This action/drama is very well known in Eastern culture, but not as much in its homeland. Due to its age it is a colorless film, but it adds to authenticity of the acting in my opinion. Back then, it was more difficult to create fighting scenes without the special effects we have today. This film includes fantastic acting by Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, and many others!

Based in the 16th century, this story tells the tale of a farming village that is constantly raided by bandits. Eventually, they cannot survive if they are attacked again, and must resort to finding some samurai to defend them. After finding a Samurai by the name of Kanbei (Takashi Shimura), he tells them that the most effective way of defending the village with little to pay the samurai is at least seven. Together, the seven prepare the village for the upcoming battle to fend off the vicious thieves.

This film is an estimated 207 minutes long, and was nominated for 2 Oscars, 4 wins, and 5 other nominations. With a current MetaScore of 99/100, ranked 17th best film on IMDB, and 24th on Rotten Tomatoes shows that this film is a definite must-see film. The film contains a simple, yet fully developed plot that expands into an array of suspense and action.

Akira Kurosawa has been considered by many as possibly the best director of all time, and this film it at the top of his successes.

 

There have been many films and television series influenced by this masterpiece such as The Magnificent Seven and the anime series Samurai 7.

Overall, I would rate this film a 9.5/10. Although I love this movie very much, it is difficult to give a perfect score on any film. This film may not be enjoyable to some viewers, but is renowned throughout the world as one of the best films ever. I see very little flaws in the film besides the occasional goof, but no film is perfect.

In the near future, I plan on reviewing other Kurosawa films, the Godfather trilogy, and many other films that have been ranked by the most prestigious critics.