Toshiro Mifune is Japanese...not Chinese
*bop*
But I know the series you're talking about as I've seen at least on of them as well...

Finally got to watch "The Illusionist" last night. Cute, but kinda predictable. Also, was it just me or does Jessica Biel NOT have a face for a Period piece? She just looks WAY too american for a movie set in 1920's-30's Germany...*shrug*
And once again Paul Giamatti was probably the saving grace fo the movie...excellent acting as usual.

Recently sat down to watch "Predator" again cause I'm a huge fan and really needed a pick-me-up earlier this week...yeah I know, odd choice for a pick-me-up but violence is always cheering...when it's happening to other people...or on screen.
Anyway, I have to say that after multiple viewings the movie never gets old and never looses it's cool. It's a very well-paced, well set-up movie with a fantastically original concept. The Plot is not much, the character development is minimal, but the story is done in such a way that you get the idea for the characters and who they are fairly quickly and they don't deviate much form their set roles. But thats kind of the point. The main characters are a team of highly-trained special forces soldiers...a TEAM and they move and act like one. Even Scwartzenegger is well-placed as the burly commander and really I can't think of anyone else during that time-period who could have pulled off the fights at the end any better.
great set-work, good acting all around...really a film that doesn't require crap tons of moving story and drama to make it one of the best films of the last 20+ years...but thats just MY opinion...8)

I guess this is the palce to put the second-line and foreign films etc...lol.

Recently seen movies:

DVD - Casshern and Seven Swords
- Cassern is a semi-robot/steam-punk movie about a guy who is killed then reanimated as a super-warrior and goes on to save his section fo the world from the Evil bad guys (also re-animated) and their legions of Robot Doom. fairly standard-fair, essentially live-action anime, done in muted tones with mostly black and white and splashes of other colors. Very pretty, not terribly deep but very cool in it's own way. Didn't offend my intelligence too terribly. I give it 3 of 5 of whatever units you choose to use.

- Seven Swords is pretty classic Chinese Kung-fu/Sword flick with some big-name Chinese actors and array of entertaining personality and often bizzare swords (The sliding flute-sword was a wicked interesting concept!) and had some pretty decent fight scenes in it that while over-the-top (As much as any wuxia film is) were still well enough done to not be detracting from the overall flow and feel fo the movie. 3 of 5 again.

Theatre: Mongol (subtitled)
- Mongol is the story of the early days of Temudgin Khan who later becomes Genghis Khan. Basically details his yout, meeting his bride and the hardships he had to endure while growing to become the man who would unit Mongolia under one banner. The only actor I recognize in it is Tadonobu Asano who has become one of my favorite actors and his skill easily carries through even without speaking english.
It's a mixed Ruissian/Chinese/Japanese Production with some very good production values. Music, Costuming, Story, Action....all blended perfectly. Not a fast-paced film by any means but well worth the 2 hours plus a little bit that it runs. 5 out of 5.