Akira Kurosawa’s Red Beard is a work of profound humanism, so much so that its titular character is generous enough to give center stage to those around him who really need it: the broken, the destitute, the disenchanted, and the dying. As overseer of everything in his medical facility in 19^th century Edo (now Tokyo) for its impoverished citizens, the red-bearded Dr. Kyojō Niide (Toshirō Mifune) observes what each inhabitant (staff and patients alike) requires to get better. Some need medication; others need meditation, as the past can weigh on the sick as much as present maladies. And a will to live–something that the poor could hardly fathom previously–can be more important for the less fortunate than fortuitous health. Although the events of the film undoubtedly revolve around Red Beard, it is his acquiescent disposition and charitable openness toward revolution (both narratively speaking and even in some ways subtly social) that give everyone else a chance to shine. These other characters–coming and going, improving and dying–are allotted a fair chance in the world for once; they are given liberty, which allows them to find some peace and comfort–true health, in any state.

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Every once in a while, a movie comes along that is championed by a select group of moviegoers, esteemed when most others find it less worthy of reverence. In turn, this group becomes its own little cinematic subculture, one that admires the movie, defending it from outside bashing because it is their own. It both defines the subculture and brings definition to the moviegoers themselves, showing what turns them on, what differentiates their predilections from more popular and/or commercial tastes. If others don’t get what they get out of the movie, then those others should just get out. And, finally, when this line is drawn in the sand, the cult movie is truly born. Walter Hill’s cult classic The Warrior is a prime example of this phenomenon because not only is there a fervent community out there willing to protect it, but the movie itself exhibits an us-against-the-world mentality similar to that of any cult-movie community, ever ready to defend their home turf. And watch out world: yours truly is here to throw down (think West Side Story, but with even more ruthless finger-snapping).

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Call me crazy, but I subscribe to the notion that, since its beginning, the universe has been ever-spreading and everything within its massive expansion has gone along for the ride. Following suit, every initial notion with storytelling potential tends to enlarge exponentially, growing with time and purpose into stories and, if the commercial and/or artistic drive remains resolute, these stories multiply into sequels and beyond. This especially holds true for the interstellar saga from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. After its explosive entrance into the public sphere in ‘77, the Star Wars universe took three years to develop from A New Hope into The Empire Strikes Back, wherein its archetypal characters became more complex and their dilemmas darkened as SW’s expansion followed its primary course into the emptiness of space. But then something changed: George Lucas, supreme author, came down and let there be lightness where the darkness once dominated. And this certifiable change is evident in the trilogy’s finale, Return of the Jedi.

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Trey Parker and Matt Stone have never been ones  to shy away from examining the absurdities of powerful institutions–religion being one that offers much fodder for inspired tomfoolery. South Park episodes that take a closer look at dogma typically deliver the goods in some capacity–be it a witty insight or riotous commentary–and last episode “Jewpacabra” was no exception thanks mainly to Cartman’s extended dream sequence that puts the destruction of Egypt in Exodus into an appropriately brutal light. Take a look after the jump.

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With an insatiable desire to depict worlds in disarray, Roland Emmerich has spent the better part of three decades pumping out grandiose blockbusters bedecked in social destruction with a flair for the skeptical. That isn’t to say there is a whole lot of method behind the madness; Emmerich’s love for blowing stuff up–be it a sturdy building or established fact–is just too primary, too outrageous. And he’s willing to draw on dicey pasts (The Patriot, Anonymous) and controversial presents (The Day After Tomorrow, 2012) to lay waste to the good earth of cinema, scorching anything that resembles sensible storytelling or true scientific inquiry in his movies’ cataclysmic march to commercial success. And leader of this bombastic parade is Independence Day, Emmerich’s most entertaining film to date.

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Confession time sans any shame: When I was a wee boy, I would run around in my backyard, sword-stick in hand, playing in imaginary worlds that were mostly inspired by the 8-bit NES maps in Final Fantasy and Legend of Zelda. These worlds, grand for a little awesome kid, offered the perfect bird’s-eye view of spatial possibilities, offsetting where you could and could not go–that is, until a major weapon, accessory, magic, or tip was found that would be duly employed to blast through any and all obstacles. Needless to say, life was good. But now that I am old and boring and my penchant for whimsically running around in my backyard returns to me only when I am drunk or deranged, such fancies have passed from my everyday existence–until now. Clearly on a similar wavelength, the gamers behind Google Maps dropped an 8-bit April Fools masterpiece on the world. Take a bird’s-eye view after the jump.

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Martin Scorsese is no stranger to gangster films populated by many dishonorable characters in seedy locations, scurrying around in the dark, power-playing for any (and all) loose change and on the even looser morality of their depraved circles. Starting with 1973’s Mean Streets and later reworking the turf in the 1990s with Goodfellas and Casino, Scorsese’s examinations into the gangster lifestyle have no doubt been artistically fruitful for him, as he has been better able–or, perhaps more appropriately, more willing–to show the brutal realities perpetuated by members of the underworld. And yet, in this place of double crosses and deceptions (all for the intention of looking out for number one), as outlandish as it seems, a certain code of “noble” behavior becomes hopelessly entangled in the proceedings: that, at the very least, disreputable people ought to have the common decency to live up to that reliable classification and not turn out to be backstabbers–rats–working against fellow low lives. It’s a fascinating quandary, both absurd and unsettling to behold, and it’s one that Scorsese brings to the forefront in his (only) Oscar-winning film The Departed.

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It’s been an excruciatingly long wait, but Game of Thrones will be back in a week, on April 1. Over the last few months, HBO has been slowly rolling out the goods, with new pics, teasers, and full-fledged trailers–all done for the noble purpose of getting the fans more and more jazzed about the coming winter in Westeros. Now, as the show draws overwhelmingly close, the channel has one last promotional peak for us before our eyes are blinded by the brilliant fantasy panorama. Take a look after the jump.

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It’s a well-known fact in the animal kingdom that, when it comes to taking care of business, otters are swagtastic. They are masters at a myriad of awesome feats, like holding hands with attractive counterparts and cracking open clams on their bellies. You know, things that a person like me wishes he could do on a daily basis. And it turns out I am not the only one who is envious of otter supremacy. There is now proof that Sherlock‘s Benedict Cumberbatch has been stealing their swag for a while, and otters are calling him out for his thievery. Check it out after the jump.

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For years, there have been rampant discussions about authorized and unauthorized reproductions of Square’s RPG touchstone Chrono Trigger. Merely mentioning the game in any way, shape, or form gets fans (like me) extremely interested. It’s that fantastic of a game. Now, judging by a start-menu screen cap that was tossed up on reddit, it appears that a fan-made version will be making its way to the internet. Check it out after the jump.

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