Racing/Car Games

Throne of Blood (1957) dir Akira Kurosawa This is Kurosawa's version of Macbeth. It's not like the more usual Shakespearian adaptations that use the original lines, rather it's the same basic story with different lines in a different setting; medieval Japan. It's unmistakeably Macbeth right from the start as the camera pans across a misty, mysterious, highland landscape. Toshirô Mifune stars Washizu (i.e. Macbeth), initially a soldier (I guess you would say Samurai, although I am not totally sure of the correct usage of that) in the army of the local lord (i.e. King Duncan). Washizu and another soldier, Miki (i.e. Macduff), are on the way back from a victorious battle to their lord's castle. They get lost in forest and come across a spirit (equivalent of the witches) who foretells their promotion and that eventually Washizu will be the new lord but it will be Miki's son who succeeds him. They are promoted, Washizu tells his wife (Lady Macbeth, obviously) about the prophecy and it is she who encourages him on the path of deceit, betrayal and murder that will see him full-fill the rest of the prophecy but attempt to change it so that a son of his own succeeds him. One thing I did find slightly odd, and funny, is that whereas in Shakespeare's original (and the historical facts it is based on) Macbeth becomes King of Scotland, here Washizu becomes Lord of Spider's Web Castle. I am assuming that in Japanese “Spider's Web Castle” sounds more impressive than it does in English. It is very well made, of course, and the actors are good, particularly Isuzu Yamada as Lady Washizu. Like Olivier's Shakespeare adaptions it does not seem dated, and I think the Shakespearian style is what helps there. There is some very impressive cinematography, both of the landscapes and some of the castle interior scenes. One that sticks in my mind is when Lady Washizu hatches one of her plans we see her walk into another room, that is pitch black and then emerge shortly after carrying some bottles of drugged saki. The camera stays fixed for all of this, with the doorway to the dark room in the centre so it's almost like she disappears and then reappears, as if using magic. Definitely well worth watching if you are into Shakespeare or Samurai films. 9 / 10

Here's the last thing I bought! It's mighty expensive at $1600, but it makes a easy go of a complex operation. Set it and forget it and keep a sponge wet it's about all it takes! All it takes is a 4-day dry and a 4-day cure.

I agree @djw180 The Fall of the House of Usher is worth a watch for Mark Hamill’s performance alone. Plus, I’ve been on the fence about watching Kaos. I will definitely give it a go now. Thanks!

I just finished watching The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix. Highly recommended! It's a horror-drama in 8 episodes, very loosely based on Edgar Allen Poe short stories or poems with each episode named after a different work of his. I have never read any of them and some had not even heard of, but I now at least know the brief synopsis of them from Wikipedia. What the creators have done is woven together a plot primarily based on the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" that greatly expands on that. The first episode has the same name as the whole series. Roderick Usher, corrupt billionaire head of a major pharmaceutical company, invites an old adversary, lawyer August Dupin, to his family's derelict house, to confess to a host of crimes. Dupin has been trying to prosecute the Ushers for decades but they always got away with it. Now, following the recent deaths of all six of his children, supposedly in freak, horrific, unrelated accidents, Roderick wants to come clean. Most of the story is now told in flash back, both to the early years of Roderick and his sister Maddie (the brains behind their rise to power) and the children's recent deaths. The next 6 episode each focus on the violent deaths of a different son or daughter, each related in some way to the Edgar Allen Poe story that episode is named after. The final episode, The Raven, then brings everything to it's conclusion, revealing the true cause of all that has happened. It's very, very good. It is a bit bloody and gory at times, but never over-the-top, always done for a reason and usually to fit in with the story that death is named after. It features Mark Hamil in the most un-Luke-Skywalker-like role you can imagine. I never really rated him as an actor in Star Wars, but here, as the Usher's ruthless lawyer he is excellent. Another Netflix series I think is worth a mention is Kaos It's a modern day story of Greek Gods and Heroes, in a world where they most definitely exist and are still worshipped by mortals. Jeff Goldblum is Zeus and there's other recognisable faces amongst the rest of the cast, including David Thewlis as one of Zeus' brothers and fellow god Hades and Suzie Izzard as one of the Fates. It loosely follows the story of Orpheus in the Underworld, but this is part of a bigger plot with both gods and mortals having to accept what fate has in store for them, whether they like it or not.