144 - Hana

Ok ok let me put this out first that I primarily got this to feed my Rie Miyazawa hunger. The story is actually in the same path as her other film (The Twilight Samurai), that of a reluctant Samurai. This film offers a lot and you appreciate the supporting characters, the life in the row houses, and the people that inhabit them.

143 - Tigrero

I follow Jim Jarmusch as much as I can and watching him with one of his influences (Sam Fuller) was a treat to witness. Jim came with Sam to revisit the location in Brazil for Tigrero, a film that never saw the light of day because the studio couldn't get it insured. There's a lot to be learned in the discussions between Jim and Sam. One discussion that sticks for me is Jim asking Sam about shooting on location and where Sam talks about what you don't plan for that you might see when you're on location. Happy accidents. Priceless.

142 - Fishing with John

"fishiiiinnng......with John...." is the hypnotic opening track from each of John Lurie's episodes. It's a neat collection of what I'd consider vacation videos with friends...not your usual friends of course, as they include Tom Waits, Jim Jarmusch, Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, and Dennis Hopper. The casual talk is fun to listen to and using a "National Geographic"-like narrator (Rob Webb) makes it even more amusing (and funny).