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Quick Links How Last Man Standing Re-imagines Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo Who Does Bruce Willis Play in Last Man Standing? Last Man Standing Holds Up More Than How Critics First Perceived It

While it sadly seems Bruce Willis will no longer be gracing the silver screen with his charismatic and captivating presence due to his aphasia diagnosis, it's important to remember that he has left behind quite a cinematic legacy with a resume full of films that are sure to stand the test of time. He's an actor who tackled nearly every genre throughout his career. Whenever his name is brought up, it's more than likely that action films like Die Hard or thrillers like The Sixth Sense are the first to come to mind. Last Man Standing is also one worth mentioning, not just because of how undeservedly overlooked and overshadowed it still is, but because it was the...

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In Stuart Galbraith IV's invaluable film biography "The Emperor and the Wolf" -- a detailed rundown of the collaborations between director Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune -- Kurosawa was asked about Sergio Leone's Western "A Fistful of Dollars." Kurosawa reportedly said that Leone's film was "a fine movie, but it's my movie." Leone, as cineastes all know, will be able to tell you, ripped off Kurosawa's 1961 film "Yojimbo," pretty much beat-for-beat, to make "A Fistful of Dollars." Toho, the production company that distributed "Yojimbo," sued Leone and the case was settled out of court.

"Yojimbo," for those unlucky enough not to have seen it, is about a nameless ronin (Mifune) who wanders into a remote 1860s village to discover a vicious gang battle raging. It seems two groups of yakuza are fighting over the gambling rights in this town,...

When Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni were writing the screenplay for their 1954 epic "Seven Samurai," they couldn't have predicted its lasting influence on cinema. Not only did Kurosawa's masterful direction alter and revolutionize the way action sequences would be shot, but the premise became a reliable and lasting template that multiple other filmmakers would employ in the ensuing decades. For those unlucky enough to have never seen "Seven Samurai," the setup is simple: a remote farming village is regularly looted by passing bandits, leaving them destitute. Unable to withstand another attack, the villagers gather up their modest means and hire seven rogue samurai to protect them. The samurai know that the job won't pay, but each one has their own reasons for joining the cause. Using their cunning and limited means, the samurai repel the bandit attack.

Most recently, the "Seven Samurai" premise was transposed onto Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon.

Akira Kurosawa's legendary samurai film Yojimbo not only influenced the direction of cinema in general, but it also inspired a host of remakes and homages. Released in 1961 to immediate critical praise, the film incorporated elements of the western genre and infused it with a specifically Japanese twist. Besides being considered one of Kurosawa's best films, Yojimbo's legacy grew over the decades, and is considered one of Time's best movies of all time, among other accolades. Because of its success and compelling story, Yojimbo inspired several direct remakes and a host of other films that took serious influence from the samurai classic.

Ironically, Yojimbo itself was heavily inspired by the works of author Dashiell Hammett, and some of the best noir films and books served as the backdrop for Kurosawa's vision. The 1942 adaptation of The Glass Key was cited by Kurosawa as an influence (via Paste), though its similarity to...

Much like the first Kill Bill and the rest of his filmography, Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 2 is heavy on violence and pop culture references. While Kill Bill Vol. 1 was a direct homage to kung fu cinema, the sequel plays out more along the lines of a Western. So, naturally, allusions to a lot of Spaghetti Western classics can be spotted all throughout the movie as Uma Thurman’s character, Beatrix Kiddo, a.k.a. the Bride, continues her blood-stained quest for revenge, hunting down her previous accomplices while finally facing her former lover and arch nemesis, the titular antagonist Bill (David Carradine).

Given that Kill Bill: Vol. 2 also delves into the Bride’s training under the legendary martial artist Pai Mei, there are plenty of deliberate nods to cult martial arts films as well. As is common in Tarantino’s filmography, several details also tie in with his other works,...

A lone stranger wanders through the countryside. He walks into a small town that, at first, looks deserted. When the stranger finally meets a few locals and begins talking to them, he finds that the entire town, though remote, is under the uneasy control of two warring criminal gangs. The stranger, identified as a dangerous handler of weapons, is enlisted by each side of the gang conflict to help eradicate the other. The stranger, cynical and perhaps a bit playful, manipulates both sides into killing each other. After a violent conflagration, the stranger wanders away from the town, happily leaving the madness behind.

This is the story of Akira Kurosawa's 1961 film "Yojimo," written by Kurosawa and Ryūzō Kikushima. "Yojimbo" is easily the most cynical film in Kurosawa's filmography, bitterly taking glee in the copious amount of stupidity-inspired death depicted. Kurosawa, with a scoff, might have been making a dismissive...

Universal Pictures has optioned the rights to the ’70s TV series “Kung Fu” and will develop it as a feature film remake. “John Wick” and “Deadpool 2” filmmaker David Leitch is attached to direct, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

David Carradine starred in the original ABC series that ran from 1972-75. Universal will move quickly to set a writer on the film.

Kelly McCormick and Leitch will produce “Kung Fu” for their Universal-based 87North Productions alongside Stephen L’Hereaux. Ed Spielman, the creator of the TV series, will executive produce.

Also Read: 'Hobbs & Shaw' Director David Leitch on Those Epic Surprise Cameos and Post-Credit Scenes

The original series starred Carradine, a white actor, as a Shaolin Monk who traveled the American West while armed with his training in the Chinese martial art of Kung Fu. Carradine once said in an interview that Bruce Lee was at...

The 8th annual B-Movie Celebration is traveling at us faster than a speeding monkey on a rocketship destined for the vast landscape of Mars, and we have the first details on what films and more will be waiting for you should you be one of the lucky ones to attend!

From the Press Release

1984 was not all Big Brother, Big Hair & Big Pants — it was also a great year for movies. This year, the annual The B Movie Celebration wants the “B” movies of 1984 to take a bow.

Many have made the claim that 1984 represented the paragon of both film-going and film-making. With films like Repo Man, The Toxic Avenger, Night of the Comet, The Last Starfighter and Ice Pirates, 1984 turned out to be a cinematic buffet; and the festival will be screening some of the best films from that glorious year, featuring live commentary from the people who made them.

Well, three weeks into January and the DVD and Blu-ray releases are heating up, with some of last summers biggest movies finally hitting the home formats, and some classic re-releases… Here’s the weeks highlights:

Grown Ups (DVD & Blu-ray)

In the tradition of The Big Chill, five childhood friends (Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider) reunite after 30 years to attend the funeral of their beloved youth basketball coach over the Fourth of July weekend. They all stay at the late coach’s lake house with their families in tow. Comedy ensues as they relive old times, tease each other, and try to show their kids how to have fun the old fashion way. The hilarious reunion shows them not only how different their lives have become, but how much they still have in common.

The Switch (DVD & Blu-ray)

Seven years after the birth of his son,...

Fuquay-varina - It was a speedy two days with major stars dropping into my neighborhood.

On a Thursday night the man who made predicted FedEx arrived at a Durham library. Mister McFeely (David Newell) still fits in his Speedy Delivery uniform and hat as he greeted Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fans of all ages. Most of the ages were under seven. Luckily I had brought along a little kid in order not to stick out.

McFeely was at the end of a weeklong tour around the state to touch base with the kids. Lately whenever any star of kid focused tv shows comes to town, it’s part of some over inflated media spectacular stage show at the sports arena. There’s singing, dancing, indoor fireworks and motorcycle stunts meant to dazzle a three year old. Plus there’s a $18 convenience charge on the tickets. But this was not McFeely’s type of entertainment.

And the parade of Roger Corman Cult Classics keeps marching on in with the official releases of three more lovable obscurities courtesy of Shout! Factory!

From the Press Release

This November 2, 2010, get ready for a trio of science-fiction terror palooza when Shout! Factory, in association with New Horizons Picture Corporation will unleash Not of This Earth (1988) Special Edition DVD and The Terror Within/ Dead Space Double-Feature DVD from the popular Roger Corman’s Cult Classics home entertainment series.

Cult filmmaker Jim Wynorski (Big Bad Mama II, Chopping Mall) offers his rendition of Roger Corman’s 1957 cult classic Not of This Earth in the 1988 version, boasting campy performance of fan favorite Traci Lords (Blade, Cry-Baby). The double-feature DVD release of The Terror Within and Dead Space offers fearful futuristic thrills on Earth and in outer space. A must-have for horror fans and collectors, aggregate your Roger Corman movie collection with these...

October 5th is looking so sweet! In what's going to be a banner day for Roger Corman fans, Shout! Factory (god bless its soul) is releasing several of Corman's craziest titles as part of its stellar Cult Classics Collection, and we've got all the details!

From the Press Release:

Stay up all night with the films that put a new twist on the slasher genre. Along with Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th(1980) and Prom Night (1980), Slumber Party Massacre (1982) helped define the slasher film ethos of the 1980s. Put together by first-time director Amy Holden from a script, titled “Don’t Open the Door," by feminist author Rita Mae Brown (Rubyfruit Jungle), the film was an immediate hit for Roger Corman's New World Pictures, eventually spawning two sequels.

Here, for the first time, all three Slumber Party Massacres are brought together in one DVD set, due to drill its way into...