Latest news with #Kurosawa
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
King Lear is a masterpiece – as told by Akira Kurosawa rather than Shakespeare
I have long had mixed feelings about King Lear. I admire its cosmic grandeur and sublime poetry but balk at its structural unwieldiness and dramatic implausibility: like Coleridge, I find the spectacle of Gloucester's suffering 'unendurable' and there is something gratuitously cruel about Edgar's refusal to reveal his identity to his father. I've never regretted omitting it from my book The 101 Greatest Plays yet I still remember a shocked head of the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford greeting me with the words: 'I hear you've dropped Lear.' Whatever my personal doubts, the play has a mythic quality that has appealed to dramatists, composers and film-makers including our own Peter Brook, the Russian Grigori Kozintsev and the Japanese Akira Kurosawa whose Ran is enjoying a rerelease to mark its 40th anniversary. Seeing Ran again after all this time was an overwhelming experience. It would be absurd to say it is better than Lear but it addresses many of the problems I have with Shakespeare's play. The Gloucester subplot is excised and the opening scene makes total sense. Kurosawa sets the action in a 16th-century feudal Japan where Hidetora (Tatsuya Nakadai), a warrior-chief, divides his kingdom among his three sons, with the eldest first in rank. Where Shakespeare's Cordelia – whom the critic James Agate once dubbed 'gormless' – precipitates a crisis by her obdurate silence, Kurosawa has the youngest son, Subaro (Daisuke Ryu), raise perfectly rational objections to his father's scheme. He foresees that it will breed chaos (one of the meanings of the Japanese word 'Ran') for which he is promptly banished. Kurosawa's greatest innovation is in the character of Hidetora himself. Shakespeare's Lear is despotic and wilful but he is also a man 'more sinned against than sinning'. Hidetora, however, is guilty of barbaric cruelties for which he comes to pay a hideous price. One of the most moving scenes is Hidetora's encounter with his Buddhist daughter-in-law and her blind brother, whose eyes Hidetora himself had gouged out after murdering his father. The meeting takes place in a hovel where we are thankfully spared Poor Tom's wild capering: instead we see a 70-year-old warrior coming face to-face, quite literally, with the consequences of his brutal actions and afflicted by a shame and remorse that propel him towards madness. Part of the brilliance of Kurosawa's film is the way it incorporates Shakespearean motifs while expressing its own philosophy. You see this in the poetic final image where the blind brother, abandoned during the climactic battles, is seen tapping his way inexorably to the edge of a bleak precipice only to stop at the last second. This solitary figure seen against a darkening sky clearly expresses Kurosawa's view of the human condition. We are all poised on the edge of an abyss – for Kurosawa it was the prospect of nuclear proliferation, today it would be climate disaster – into which, if we are fortunate, we do not finally plunge. It is a measure of Shakespeare's power that he stimulates other artists. Edward Bond's play Lear, first seen at London's Royal Court in 1971 and all too rarely since, is not unlike Kurosawa's film in that it shows a society descending into chaos under the influence of an arbitrary ruler. Where Kurosawa's Hidetora is accompanied to the last by his Fool, Bond's Lear is shadowed by the ghost of a boy who once sheltered him. Bond also shows, even more explicitly, the Goya-like horrors of civil war and has powerful scenes that consciously echo Shakespeare. At one point Bond's Lear bends over the beautiful dead body of his cruel daughter, Fontinelle, and asks in bewilderment 'Where is the beast? The blood is still as a lake', which reminds us of Shakespeare's 'Then let them anatomize Regan, see what breeds about her heart'. But while Bond's play merits revival, its final gesture seems inadequate. Shakespeare ends with a tribute to human endurance, Kurosawa with a glimmer of salvation. Bond's play ends with Lear taking a shovel to destroy the protective wall he has built around his kingdom and being killed in the process. Bond argued that his play came to a positive conclusion in that 'I make the king accept moral responsibility for his actions' but I miss the verbal poetry of Shakespeare and the visual resonance of Kurosawa in Bond's final image. Intriguingly, King Lear has also attracted countless composers. Giuseppe Verdi ('It is a sublime subject that I adore') was fascinated by its father-daughter relationship. Benjamin Britten contemplated a Lear opera in the late 1940s, worked on an outline with Peter Pears and left behind a Penguin edition full of annotations. And, of the extant Lear operas, one by the German composer, Aribert Reimann, had a vigorous production at the London Coliseum in 1989. Andrew Clements wrote in Opera magazine that 'the score can register nothing between violent excess on the one hand and numbed desolation on the other', but my faded memory is of a work that had a brutal percussive power and bypassed modern attempts, in the wake of Peter Brook's 1962 stage production, to justify Goneril and Regan. If nothing else, the opera proved that Shakespeare's play, craggy, monumental and flawed as it may be, has proved a magnet for other artists. It has also, in Kurosawa's Ran, yielded one unquestioned masterpiece. Ran is in cinemas now. A four-disc collector's edition is released by StudioCanal on 21 July.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I just saw one of my favorite movies in theaters for its 40th anniversary — but you can stream it for free right now
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. When looking at the top movies to stream for free on Tubi last month, I noticed that the free streaming service had added "Ran" to its library, and it immediately caught my attention. For those who aren't familiar with this movie, it's the final epic from Akira Kurosawa, who, among other things, is notable for being a significant inspiration behind George Lucas' "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope." But the late, great Japanese filmmaker is famous in his own right, having written and directed acclaimed films such as "Seven Samurai," "The Hidden Fortress" (that's the one that inspired "Star Wars") and "Yojimbo." Go through the Wikipedia article for any of those movies (and "Ran") and you'll see words like "significant influence" and "greatest and most influential films in cinema history." "Ran" remains my favorite Kurosawa film, though, even 40 years after its original theatrical release. I first watched it when I was a kid — it was probably the first foreign-language movie I ever watched — and when I saw it was on Tubi for free, I got ready to hit play again. But then I got an email telling me that "Ran" was being restored in 4K for its 40th anniversary. Even better, it was coming to my local independent theater. So, of course, I bought a ticket. "Ran" is a visual masterpiece, expertly creating vivid battle scenes of epic proportions, loaded with color. I wasn't going to miss a chance to see it in theaters — and having now seen the 4K restoration for myself, you shouldn't either. "Ran" is loosely an adaptation of William Shakespeare's "King Lear." In that play, the elderly King Lear divides his country between his three daughters, a decision that leads to him disowning one daughter before being outcast by his remaining daughters and wandering the country as a madman as his daughters fight over his lands. Kurosawa's adaptation holds pretty true to that general plotline. But he chooses to set it in a fictional version of Japan, based on 16th-century Sengoku period Japan. If that sounds familiar to you, that's also when "Shogun" is set, and you can feel shades of FX's hit period drama when watching "Ran." I'd be shocked if the show didn't draw some inspiration from this movie, even though it's directly based on an existing miniseries that predates "Ran" by five years. The historical drama epic stars Tatsuya Nakadai as the aged warlord Hidetora Ichimonji, who, like Lear, divides his lands between his three sons: Taro (Akira Terao), Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu) and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu). Like in the Shakespeare play, the third child refuses to accept this gift with the appropriate level of flattery, and Hidetora disowns him. Based on what I've already told you about "King Lear," you can guess how it goes from there. Now, I don't want to spoil much beyond that, because I want you to go see the original version on Tubi or the 4K restoration in theaters once you're done reading this article. But I will mention that, while the story is compelling enough to hold you're attention, it's the visuals of this movie that make it one of the greatest films ever made. Specifically, there are a few battle sequences sprinkled throughout the movie that are spectacular in every sense of the word. The first such battle sequence takes place at one of Hidetora's many castles, and has two of the brothers' armies assembled outside trying to breach it. At the beginning of the film, when we meet Hidetora and his sons, the sons are each wearing a primary color for their outfit: yellow (Taro), red (Jiro) and blue (Saburo). When they fight, their armies also follow this color scheme, and so in this first battle, we get a sea of yellow and a sea of red meeting in front of this imposing castle. The castle, surrounding lands and even skies are all dreary hues, and it makes the soldiers and their armor pop visually in a truly stunning way. Especially in the 4K restoration. The good news is that this visual experience still comes through in the original version of the film on Tubi. The only thing that doesn't quite hit in the same way is the sound of the film, which is immense at times in the theater. You'd want a decent sound setup to get a similar experience at home. I use a Sonos Arc Ultra, which is our top-rated pick for the best soundbars you can buy right now, and it's plenty satisfying. But the Sonos Beam (Gen 1) I use in my office is also plenty good. So, whether you see it in all its glory on the big screen or opt to watch it at home on Tubi, make sure to check out "Ran" now for its 40th anniversary. There's never been a better time to experience one of the greatest movies ever made. Stream the original version of 'Ran' free on Tubi now or check out the 4K restoration at your local theater Tom Hardy's 'MobLand' just wrapped up with a stunning finale — and I can't wait for a season 2 'Hacks' shocking season 4 finale has me hopeful season 5 could be the show's best yet — here's why 'The Last of Us' season 2 finale live — reactions, who survived, recap and more
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Japan Cuts to Open With Yasuhiro Aoki's ‘ChaO,' Festival's 2025 Lineup Unveiled
The upcoming 18th edition of Japan Cuts, North America's largest festival of contemporary Japanese cinema, will kick off with a special screening of ChaO, the hotly anticipated animated feature debut from director Yasuhiro Aoki. Produced by Studio 4°C, the avant-garde animation house behind Mind Game and Tekkonkinkreet, ChaO reimagines a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale through a cyberpunk lens, transporting audiences to a near-future Shanghai where humans and mermen coexist. The story follows an ordinary salaryman who is unexpectedly thrust into a diplomatic marriage with a mermaid princess, triggering a whirlwind of political absurdity and emotional discovery. With over 100,000 hand-drawn frames created over the course of seven years, Aoki's film is described as a visually extravagant and emotionally idiosyncratic passion project. Japan Cuts is hosting its U.S. premiere ahead of its theatrical release in Japan in August. Gkids has acquired the domestic rights to the film. More from The Hollywood Reporter Canadian Industry Rebuffs Trump's DEI Rollback Sony Music Publishing Acquires Hipgnosis Songs Group Trump's Trade War Will Loom Large Over the Banff World Media Fest Running July 10–20 at the Japan Society's headquarters in New York City, Japan Cuts is co-organized by Japan Society's Peter Tatara and Alexander Fee, and this year features three world premieres, nine North American premieres, and a host of special guests, receptions and live Q&As. 'We're deeply proud to celebrate Japanese film in the heart of New York City,' said Tatara. 'Each year, Japan Cuts presents a look into the contemporary Japanese cinema scene, spotlighting both major award-winners as well as rising stars, and we hope this festival helps build bridges between film lovers in New York and filmmakers in Japan — and more broadly between our two countries — with film a tremendous snapshot into modern Japan's culture, values and soul.' Among this year's marquee guests is prolific director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, who will receive the 2025 Cut Above Award for outstanding achievement in film. Kurosawa will attend the New York premiere of his latest thriller Cloud as well as a screening of Serpent's Path, his 2024 French-language remake of his own 1998 V-Cinema title. Both films will be presented alongside Q&As with Kurosawa. Japan Cuts will also screen 4K restorations of the original Serpent's Path and his rarely seen 1998 feature License to Live on 35mm film. Award-winning actress Yuumi Kawai, this year's best actress honoree at the Japan Academy Film Prize, will also make an appearance. Kawai will present the North American premiere of Yu Irie's A Girl Named Ann, in which she stars as a young woman navigating life on the margins of Japanese society, as well as the U.S. premiere of She Taught Me Serendipity, directed by Akiko Ohku. Kawai also delivers a standout performance in Teki Cometh, Daihachi Yoshida's genre-bending black-and-white thriller that swept the Tokyo International Film Festival and will get its New York premiere at the festival. Further highlights include The Real You, Yuya Ishii's dark techno-mystery adapted from a novel by Keiichiro Hirano, with a live introduction and book signing from the author; A Samurai in Time, a breakout indie hit about a time-traveling Edo-era warrior; and Kowloon Generic Romance, a dreamy manga adaptation set in a romanticized version of the Kowloon Walled City. Shunji Iwai's beloved 1995 classic Love Letter will also return to the big screen in a newly restored 4K version, marking the film's 30th anniversary. The Next Generation section, the festival's sole juried category, will present a curated selection of indie features from emerging directors, with one film receiving the Obayashi Prize, named in honor of the late cult filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi. Japan Cuts will close on July 20 with the world premiere of The Spirit of Japan, a documentary by Joseph Overbey about a Japanese family's centuries-old shochu distillery in Kagoshima. The screening will be followed by a reception featuring shochu from the Yamatozakura Distillery and a Q&A with Overbey. The full 2025 Japan Cuts selection is below. Feature Slate Blazing Fists – Dir. Takashi Miike (U.S. Premiere)ChaO – Dir. Yasuhiro Aoki (Special Screening / Opening Night)Cloud – Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (New York Premiere)The Gesuidouz – Dir. Kenichi Ugana (U.S. Premiere)A Girl Named Ann – Dir. Yu Irie (North American Premiere)Gridman Universe – Dir. Akira Amemiya (North American Theatrical Premiere)Kaiju Guy! – Dir. Junichiro Yagi (North American Premiere)Kowloon Generic Romance – Dir. Chihiro Ikeda (World Premiere)My Sunshine – Dir. Hiroshi Okuyama (New York Premiere)The Real You – Dir. Yuya Ishii (North American Premiere)A Samurai in Time – Dir. Junichi Yasuda (New York Premiere)Serpent's Path (2024) – Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (East Coast Premiere)She Taught Me Serendipity – Dir. Akiko Ohku (U.S. Premiere)Teki Cometh – Dir. Daihachi Yoshida (New York Premiere)Yasuko, Songs of Days Past – Dir. Kichitaro Negishi (North American Premiere) Next Generation Michiyuki – Voices of Time – Dir. Hiromichi Nakao (World Premiere of Final Version)See You Tomorrow – Dir. Saki Michimoto (North American Premiere)Promised Land – Dir. Masashi Iijima (New York Theatrical Premiere)So Beautiful, Wonderful and Lovely – Dir. Megumi Okawara (North American Premiere) Classics License to Live – Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Archival 35mm Screening)Love Letter – Dir. Shunji Iwai (International Premiere of 4K Restoration)Serpent's Path (1998) – Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa (North American Premiere of 4K Restoration) Short Cuts End of Dinosaurs – Dir. Kako Annika Esashi (U.S. Premiere)Flow – Dir. Shoko Tamai (New York Premiere)I Am Not Invisible – Dir. Yuki York (U.S. Premiere)Tree of Sinners – Dir. Rii Ishihara & Hiroyuki Onogawa (North American Premiere) Documentary Japanese Avant-Garde Pioneers – Dir. Amélie Ravalec (New York Premiere)The Spirit of Japan – Dir. Joseph Overbey (World Premiere / Closing Night)What Should We Have Done? – Dir. Tomoaki Fujino (New York Premiere) Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Ran' turns 40: How a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar
Forty years ago, a clerical error and bad blood cost Akira Kurosawa an Oscar. The legendary Japanese filmmaker's Ran proved the final samurai masterpiece of his distinguished career. His third Shakespeare adaptation, the film is epic in every sense of the word — massive in scale, shot in glorious color, with vicious betrayal and intense action and emotion. At the time of its release in 1985, Kurosawa was certainly well-regarded by the Motion Picture Academy, receiving an Honorary Award for Outstanding Foreign-Language Film for Rashomon, followed by Best Foreign-Language Film in 1976 for Dersu Uzala. The 58th Academy Awards found Ran competing for four awards, including Kurosawa's only Best Director nod — despite not being submitted for Best Foreign-Language Film, a snub that was the product of a messy history. More from GoldDerby 2025 Tony Awards: Complete list of winners (updating live) 'What's next?': Allison Janney on playing a 'badass' on 'The Diplomat,' 'West Wing' 25 years later 'Sinners' bonus feature, 'Good Night' live, Sabrina's song of the summer, 'Fantastic Four' theme, and what to stream this weekend Kurosawa was remarkably influential in the West. Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars was essentially a remake of Yojimbo, and films as diverse as George Lucas' Star Wars (Hidden Fortress), Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring (Rashomon), and John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven and A Bug's Life (Seven Samurai) borrowed liberally from his works. If Kurosawa was accessible to Western audiences, it was perhaps in part because he was inspired by Western literature and film. William Shakespeare provided continued inspiration for Kurosawa, adapting Macbeth (Throne of Blood), Hamlet (The Bad Sleep Well), and King Lear (Ran), who as did great early Western filmmakers, including John Ford. International fame aside, Kurosawa's relationship with the Japanese film industry was significantly strained in the late-'60s through early '70s. He was hired to direct the Japanese section of the 1970's Toei-Fox. coproduction Tora! Tora! Tora!, but had difficulty dealing with Fox's communication, editors, and oversight, and spent considerable time in the thick of a mental crisis. He was prescribed two months of rest, so producer Darryl F. Zanuck's son, Richard, flew to Japan to personally fire Kurosawa. Japanese funding for his projects became scarce, and he relied on external financing support from friends for financing Dodes'ka-den. Between health problems and career turmoil, at a particularly low point, Kurosawa attempted to take his own life late in 1971, though he survived and recovered. The career that followed cemented his trajectory of international acclaim with minimal support from the Japanese film industry. In 1972, the Soviet studio Mosfilm approached the director for what became 1975's Academy Award-winning Dersu Uzala, but despite bringing numerous awards home to Japan, he again had difficulties funding his next epic, Kagemusha. Kurosawa met George Lucas and Frances Ford Coppola in 1978 while preparing for the project, and the pair were wowed by Kurosawa's vision. Coming off the success of Star Wars, Lucas convinced 20th Century Fox head Alan Ladd Jr. to provide a reported $6 million in 1979 to complete the film's funding. The film was a success, and Kurosawa ultimately referred to Kagemusha as a 'dress rehearsal' for his biggest project yet: Ran. Used to funding sources outside Japan, for Ran, Kurosawa secured the involvement of French producer Serge Silberman (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), alongside Japan's Nippon Herald Ace, to make the film, which opened in U.S. theaters on June 1, 1985. The Academy's rules for Best Foreign Film allowed one submission film per country to be considered for nomination, with each country having a unique nomination process. Speaking with The New York Times, Silberman admitted he had attempted to submit Ran as an 'independent' collaboration between France and Japan, an unintentional violation of Academy rules. Silberman next considered entering Ran as a French entry, but French rules stipulated submissions to be in the French language. That would require extensive dubbing, because the film starred Japanese actors and was shot and filmed in Japan. Silberman thought a French dub simply wouldn't have worked, so French submission was off the table. The final option would be submission to Japan's Motion Picture Producers Association (now MPPAJ), and this is where it gets even messier. According to the Times, a representative of the Japanese producers association said Ran wasn't submitted for consideration, and that the nominating committee was told the film would be submitted through France. Silberman claimed that the group refused to give more time to the decision after plans for an independent entry were nixed by the Academy. Then again, it's entirely plausible that major players in Japan's film industry weren't displeased with an opportunity to disrupt the film's Oscar chances. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Kurosawa refused to attend Ran's opening-night presentation at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Kurosawa had a rocky history of disagreements with Japan's film industry and had long relied on external funding for production, a recipe for strategic blunder. That snubbed festival was headed by Shigeru Okada, also the head of Toei and a member of Japan's Oscar-selection committee. It may not be a coincidence that Japan submitted Hana Ichi Monme (conveniently a Toei production) in Ran's stead. With its path to the foreign-language film category stymied, Silberman submitted Ran to the Academy for consideration in other feature-length categories, and the rest is Academy Award history. It all makes for a long, twisty story about how Kurosawa's final samurai masterpiece landed him a Best Director nomination in a year where, for a number of odd reasons, it wasn't even up for Best Foreign Film. He received one final honor from the Academy at the 62nd Academy Awards, an Honorary Award celebrating his life in film, appropriately presented by Lucas and Steven Spielberg. 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Tom's Guide
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I just saw one of my favorite movies in theaters for its 40th anniversary — but you can stream it for free right now
When looking at the top movies to stream for free on Tubi last month, I noticed that the free streaming service had added "Ran" to its library, and it immediately caught my attention. For those who aren't familiar with this movie, it's the final epic from Akira Kurosawa, who, among other things, is notable for being a significant inspiration behind George Lucas' "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope." But the late, great Japanese filmmaker is famous in his own right, having written and directed acclaimed films such as "Seven Samurai," "The Hidden Fortress" (that's the one that inspired "Star Wars") and "Yojimbo." Go through the Wikipedia article for any of those movies (and "Ran") and you'll see words like "significant influence" and "greatest and most influential films in cinema history." "Ran" remains my favorite Kurosawa film, though, even 40 years after its original theatrical release. I first watched it when I was a kid — it was probably the first foreign-language movie I ever watched — and when I saw it was on Tubi for free, I got ready to hit play again. But then I got an email telling me that "Ran" was being restored in 4K for its 40th anniversary. Even better, it was coming to my local independent theater. So, of course, I bought a ticket. "Ran" is a visual masterpiece, expertly creating vivid battle scenes of epic proportions, loaded with color. I wasn't going to miss a chance to see it in theaters — and having now seen the 4K restoration for myself, you shouldn't either. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. "Ran" is loosely an adaptation of William Shakespeare's "King Lear." In that play, the elderly King Lear divides his country between his three daughters, a decision that leads to him disowning one daughter before being outcast by his remaining daughters and wandering the country as a madman as his daughters fight over his lands. Kurosawa's adaptation holds pretty true to that general plotline. But he chooses to set it in a fictional version of Japan, based on 16th-century Sengoku period Japan. If that sounds familiar to you, that's also when "Shogun" is set, and you can feel shades of FX's hit period drama when watching "Ran." I'd be shocked if the show didn't draw some inspiration from this movie, even though it's directly based on an existing miniseries that predates "Ran" by five years. The historical drama epic stars Tatsuya Nakadai as the aged warlord Hidetora Ichimonji, who, like Lear, divides his lands between his three sons: Taro (Akira Terao), Jiro (Jinpachi Nezu) and Saburo (Daisuke Ryu). Like in the Shakespeare play, the third child refuses to accept this gift with the appropriate level of flattery, and Hidetora disowns him. Based on what I've already told you about "King Lear," you can guess how it goes from there. Now, I don't want to spoil much beyond that, because I want you to go see the original version on Tubi or the 4K restoration in theaters once you're done reading this article. But I will mention that, while the story is compelling enough to hold you're attention, it's the visuals of this movie that make it one of the greatest films ever made. Specifically, there are a few battle sequences sprinkled throughout the movie that are spectacular in every sense of the word. The first such battle sequence takes place at one of Hidetora's many castles, and has two of the brothers' armies assembled outside trying to breach it. At the beginning of the film, when we meet Hidetora and his sons, the sons are each wearing a primary color for their outfit: yellow (Taro), red (Jiro) and blue (Saburo). When they fight, their armies also follow this color scheme, and so in this first battle, we get a sea of yellow and a sea of red meeting in front of this imposing castle. The castle, surrounding lands and even skies are all dreary hues, and it makes the soldiers and their armor pop visually in a truly stunning way. Especially in the 4K restoration. The good news is that this visual experience still comes through in the original version of the film on Tubi. The only thing that doesn't quite hit in the same way is the sound of the film, which is immense at times in the theater. You'd want a decent sound setup to get a similar experience at home. I use a Sonos Arc Ultra, which is our top-rated pick for the best soundbars you can buy right now, and it's plenty satisfying. But the Sonos Beam (Gen 1) I use in my office is also plenty good. So, whether you see it in all its glory on the big screen or opt to watch it at home on Tubi, make sure to check out "Ran" now for its 40th anniversary. There's never been a better time to experience one of the greatest movies ever made. Stream the original version of 'Ran' free on Tubi now or check out the 4K restoration at your local theater Malcolm has been with Tom's Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He's not one to shy away from a hot take, including that "John Wick" is one of the four greatest films ever made. Here's what he's been watching lately:
