Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Jimmy Wang Yu in One Armed Boxer (Du bei chuan wang)! This really is a nicely crafted montage, especially even the added scene in the top right which might not initially jump out at you.

Related Coverage:
::: Japanese Poster Celebration Month – January 2009

Image Source:
Official original Japanese poster artwork for this film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

There are some movies that can only be seen, felt and experienced on the big screen. Home theater and/or home video just will never do them justice like its projected film version. Tsui Hark throws bold colors, jolting sound design and an overall assault into every spec of The Blade’s celluloid to such an extent that any home video releases will ultimately fall way short of recreating it. Days of Heaven from Terrence Malick certainly comes to mind as a similar type of movie going experience with a projected film print. Criterion while certainly doing an admirable job with its release of Heaven, still fell way short of offering up the power it yielded when unspooled from a film projector on the big screen. I long to see this on the big screen again with only one viewing of its powerful film print under my belt.

In an age of home video overload it takes the best of cinema pumping out of film reel after reel in the dark of the movie theater to remind us how powerful a movie going experience can be. The Blade is one such movie that only truly lives and breaths as a film print. Home video concerns itself more with neat presentation and commercial availability whereas film prints when screened offer up and concerns itself solely with experience. Like any cinephile I’m greatful for home video to register a movie but I long for film print viewings that allow me to actually experience it.

The Blade is hands down one of the best martial arts movies ever made that most people sadly have yet to see. Tsui Hark, wherever you are out there… I can’t thank you enough for making such a true action classic.

Related Coverage:
::: Review by Mark Pollard at Kung Fu Cinema
::: Previous Tsui Hark Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)
::: Japanese Poster Celebration Month – January 2009

Image Source:
Official artwork that was used in the original Japanese poster for the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

Japanese Poster Appreciation Month – January 2009

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Friday, January 2, 2009

This Japanese poster for one of my favorites, Rolling Thunder, perfectly captures the character of William Devane as Major Charles Rane. On first glance it may seem way too simple but upon review it works perfectly and I absolutely love this poster! Outstanding!!!!! Just sit back, review it and let it sink in. I promise at some point you will connect with, bond with and love this poster as it is the destiny for all that come across this poster.

Japanese Poster Appreciation Month – January 2009 (Archive):
::: January 24 – Violent City (1970)
::: January 24 – Mr. Majestyk (1974)
::: January 24 – Hard Times (1975)
::: January 23 – Bullitt (1968)
::: January 23 – The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
::: January 23 – The Great Escape (1963)
::: January 23 – The Magnificent Seven (1960)
::: January 22 – BRAINDEAD (1992)
::: January 22 – Frontiere(s) (2007)
::: January 21 – The Gauntlet (1977)
::: January 21 – Live Like a Cop Die Like a Man (1976)
::: January 20 – Thunder and Lightning (1977)
::: January 19 – Race with the Devil (1975)
::: January 18 – Car Wash (1976)
::: January 17 – The Living Daylights (1987)
::: January 17 – Licence to Kill (1989)
::: January 17 – The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
::: January 16 – Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
::: January 15 – The Wilby Conspiracy (1975)
::: January 14 – The Graduate (1967)
::: January 13 – Excalibur (1981)
::: January 12 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
::: January 11 – Omohide poro poro (1991)
::: January 11 – The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
::: January 10 – Take a Hard Ride (1975)
::: January 9 – Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
::: January 9 – Yatterman (2009)
::: January 8 – Game of Death (1978)
::: January 7 – Crime Busters (1977)
::: January 6 – Sisters (1973)
::: January 5 – Crime Boss (1972)
::: January 4 – White Lightning (1973)
::: January 3 – The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
::: January 2 – Rolling Thunder (1977)
::: January 1 – Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2008)
::: January 1 – Army of Darkness (1992)
::: Preview – Cannonball! (1976)
::: Previous Japanese Posters Featured @ Cinema is Dope

Related Rolling Thunder Coverage:
::: Heywood Gould on ROLLING THUNDER – Weird Wednesday
::: Previous Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)
::: 3 Current Pictures of Linda Haynes
::: Thread discussing movie on CHUD Forums

Japanese Cinema Sites I Highly Recommend:
::: Jason Gray
::: Mark Schilling’s Tokyo Ramen
::: Midnight Eye
::: Nippon Cinema
::: Outcast Cinema
::: Ryuganji
::: Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow

* If you don’t see your site listed here and it covers Japanese cinema please comment below so that I can review it and possibly include it in future lists.

About Japanese Poster Artwork Celebration Month:
To kick off 2009, I can think of no better way of doing so than celebrating Japanese poster artwork. The emphasis will be more of western films through the lens of Japanese poster artwork and of course some of my own personal all-time favorites. At a future date I’ll probably have a month devoted to solely Japanese films and their poster artwork. So be sure to tune in each day during the month of January as I have an incredible amount of incredible Japanese posters that will be on display. Hopefully at the end of this I can convert many of you into life long fans of Japanese posters!

Please help and spread the word on the January 2009 themed Japanese Poster Celebration Month here at Cinema is Dope. Tweet your friends. Mention it in your Facebook status or Friendfeed. Link to it on your blog. Any support is greatly appreciated!!!!!

You can follow along at these specific urls/web addresses:
::: www.cinemaisdope.com/category/movie-wallpaper-japanese-poster-celebration-month/
::: http://tinyurl.com/japanese-poster-2009

Starring in these posters will be: Antonio Sabato, Bruce Campbell, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, Clint Eastwood, David Carradine, Dustin Hoffman, Ernest Borgnine, Gene Hackman, George Lazenby, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Jack Nicholson, James Coburn, Jennifer Billings, Jim Brown, Jimmy Wang Yu, John Boorman, Kate Jackson, Lee Marvin, Lee Van Cleef, Michael Caine, Peter Fonda, Richard Pryor, Roddy McDowall, Sergio Leone, Sidney Poitier, Susan Strasberg, Warren Oates, William Devane and many more…

If you’re interested in Japanese cinema, I highly recommend the following Cinema is Dope picks for January 2009. For this months book selection we have Behind the Pink Curtain by Jasper Sharp. For video recommendation this month we have Linda Linda Linda.

Additionally fans of Japanese cinema will want to pick up this amazing Yasujiro Ozu tribute shirt from Mondo Tees!

As always when in Austin, Texas, be sure to check out Weird Wednesday (January/February 2009 lineup) or Terror Tuesday (January/February 2009 lineup) and of course Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.

My current favorite restaurants in Austin that are an absolute must visit are Clay Pit (be sure to place an order of naan bread) and Uchi. Be sure to tell them CinemaisDope.com sent you if you visit.

Image Source:
Official artwork that was used in Japanese poster artwork for the film.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile
::: Previous Japanese Posters Featured @ Cinema is Dope

Coming Soon – February 2009 @ Cinema is Dope is Lee Marvin Month!!!

Vintage Movie Wallpaper of the Day
Friday, December 5, 2008

Two of the all-time greats Lee Marvin and Spencer Tracy in one of the still sadly under seen gems and classics of cinema in Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). The Criterion laserdisc for this film remains one of my most prized possessions to this day. Be on the lookout for more images posted from this film in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Image Source:
Official 8×10 lobby card used in the original USA release.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile

One more image of Linda Haynes and William Devane to start your week out proper and right. Seems like I heard rumblings of a Blu-Ray version of this movie in the near future…

Caption:
LINDA HAYNES as Linda and WILLIAM DEVANE as Major Charles Rane.

Related Coverage:
::: Heywood Gould on ROLLING THUNDER – Weird Wednesday
::: Previous Movie Wallpaper (Cinema is Dope)
::: 3 Current Pictures of Linda Haynes

Image Source:
Official issued still that was used in its original USA release.

Related Links:
::: IMDb Profile