Cinepals - The Last Samurai Reaction & Review!

Episode Date: April 1, 2024

Achara and Kristen react to "The Last Samurai", which follows Captain Nathan Algren, portrayed by Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Mission: Impossible series, Jerry Maguire), an American soldier who becomes deeply involved in the samurai culture while training Japan's Imperial Army during the late 19th century. Directed by Edward Zwick, the film also stars Ken Watanabe (Inception, Godzilla, Memoirs of a Geisha), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Wolverine, Avengers: Endgame, Westworld), Tony Goldwyn (Scandal, Ghost, Divergent), Shin Koyamada (The Last Samurai, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior), Masato Harada (The Last Samurai, Chronicle of My Mother), and Timothy Spall (Harry Potter series, Mr. Turner, Enchanted). Join our Patreon www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay for the full length reaction to this show and many others and subscribe to our YouTube channel for the cutdowns www.youtube.com/@cinepals   SOCIAL MEDIA ~ACHARA KIRK~ Twitter & Instagram: @AcharaKirk ~KRISTEN STEPHENSONPINO~ Instagram: @Kris10Kesp ~CINEPALS~ YouTube: @CinePals Insta: https://instagram.com/TheCinePals Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCinePals

Sena. Pals. What is up, everyone? Welcome back. I'm Acharikook, joined by Kristen Stephenson Pino, my very favorite non-Japanese, Japanese person. And by that, I mean, she may not look Japanese, but Kristen grew up in Japan and considers Japan to be one of her many homes. So this will be fun, because you're actually going to be able to understand all the Japanese without subtitles, which makes me very jealous. I'm finally excited. I'll be up in my alley. You'll be like, yeah, I got this. I got this. Without further ado, let's check out this movie. It's Tom Cruise, baby.

Boy, a lot to take in. Yeah, that was intense. That was so beautiful. It was really beautiful. Sad. Yeah. How crazy is it that, out of all the people in the village, they chose her to look after the one that killed her husband.

I feel like there's, like, healing in that, and it takes a lot of strength. It does take a lot of strength. It's almost like it makes things even more painful, but I feel like it's kind of like wise because, you know, normally we're driven by like anger and hate. But when you get assigned basically, right, to somebody who has damaged you or hurt you in some type of way

and you get to know them and they get to see you and their place in that position as well to see what they've taken away from this, you know, he got to see the way he took away from this family. a husband, a father, you know, and that also, I feel like, killed him as well when he'd see them. Absolutely. You know, it was like both ways, but then they both ended up getting to know each other and saw past that the anger and like the sorrow and got something good out of it, which is I think is also very, that's strong. That's powerful and I think it's very beautiful.

I'm going to counter that with the practical side, which is. She was the leader's sister, and therefore it made the most sense to assign the task to her and keep him close. And I think also maybe in a way it was to give her a sense of purpose because like she said in the movie, she's like, you know, let me take my own life. Yeah. You know, like, but he gave her a sense of purpose. It's like, no, you can't. You have to do this thing that I'm entrusting. you to do so you gotta stay and you gotta figure it out yeah you know toughen up and and get it done but yeah

i really enjoyed this movie i love the story you know i i love i think i kind of really like the foreigner learns about another culture i love it too becomes a part of that culture and accepts that culture in a way that they maybe do not accept their own i think that's really beautiful and perhaps my own personal history kind of plays into that a bit because, you know, I'm mixed race. And so in my own personal life, there is always that kind of mixing and weaving of different cultures. And so it's just always really fascinating and deeply fulfilling for me to see something like

this where, you know, white guy comes along, learns the way and is like, I accept the way, you Yeah. No, I feel like it always feels good when you, when you have somebody who isn't very cultured, become, you know, start to become culture and understand things and see the differences and how good they can be. Yeah. And then also, I mean, in a way, like they learned from each other, right? And that was also really symbolic in the name of his sword, which is like he is the samurai who brings the new ways. So he's a part of the old way and he embraces the old way. but also he's bringing them the new. But it was just so fascinating to see his journey

from the very beginning of the movie where he, it's almost like he doesn't have much to live for. He's a broken shell of a man. No purpose. With no purpose. And he doesn't understand their culture at all. He is completely appalled by the tradition of Supuku. And then by the end, he helps his friend to take his own life

because he understands finally the honor of what that means to him. Even though he might not fully agree with it, he's like, I get it. I get it. I respect it. So you do you, I'm going to do me, you know? Mm-hmm.

Oh, man. That was a lot. It's a stunning movie. It was. I feel like the dialogue in it is just absolutely outstanding. Like, Japan in itself is just a deep, like they're deep in general.

They're very deep. They're very wise. and they hold themselves very well. And they're all about the grace and about being, you know, like they'll pick something, whether that's pouring tea. Something is so simple as pouring tea.

Yeah. And they perfect it. You know what I mean? And I think that's so beautiful, especially when you travel around, like, I mean, you've traveled a lot just like me. So you know, like, even when you go to Europe, things are different than coming to the U.S.,

because you came in the U.S. later in life as well, right? Correct, yeah. Okay. even though your dad was American, but I feel like... No, he's English. Oh, I mean English. Sorry. Yeah. That's right.

Okay, so you also see, probably see things a lot like I do. Yeah. Like, when you first came to America, were you a little bit, like, put off on some things? I definitely experienced culture shock, which was surprising to me because I was like, I just came from an English-speaking country to another English-speaking country, and, like, it couldn't be more different, you know? Yep. So, yeah, definitely relate.

Because I came from Japan to the... to the U.S. for the first time ever. And I didn't speak English. Like, I had it, it took the Swiss. Sometimes, you know, I struggle. But I have no accent. Right. I have no accent in English.

But my mentality, and when I'm thinking things through, it just doesn't come out as smoothly or as clear as I'd like, but you wouldn't know that by just looking at me. Sure. So I always tell people my inside, like, I always say in Japanese, I'm like, Nakaakawa, that's, you know, Soto Kawa is America'sen, right? So which means, like, in the inside,

you wouldn't see this, but I'm very Asian. Yeah. I'm very, like, I'm Japanese on the inside. But on the outside, I'm an American. Right. You know, and other, but other than that, you wouldn't, you wouldn't know unless you knew my story. Right.

When I came to the U.S., it was beyond, like, the culture shock, like, was on another level. Like, yeah, when it came to, like, portion sizes, the way things look, the way people behaved, you know, because I grew up following certain rules in Japan and you, you know, you're more trusted also in the, um, in school with certain things that you're not trusted with here in the American schools. And they're just a little bit more like respectful and very like, it's done this way. Yeah. You know, we go from like cleaning our schools

to cooking our own meals, serving it to a, you know, and cleaning it up again. We're here. It's, you have adults constantly doing these things for you. It was interesting because at my age, I was way ahead of the people who I was supposed to be with. You know, and I'm sure you probably felt bad as well when you came here because even when you're in Europe, they're also ahead, I feel like. Yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely had that, yeah. But even, like, just the mannertisms and, like, it took me a long time. Like, I used to, any time I said sorry or, or hello, like, I would always do this.

And people used to make fun of me for the longest time it took, like, maybe, like, seven, eight years or so for me to, like, knock it off. do not bow every time he said hello or I'm like oh I'm so sorry like oh I'm so oh hello you know and they're like why do you always do this and I'm like oh I'm so sorry I'm like why am I doing this

and I'm like well it because it's my sign of respecting you you know and people didn't understand that but also when I would take off my shoes it took a lot for me to keep them on in someone's house in someone's house and I think it finally kicked in because I got tired of soiling my socks

into people's homes and I was like I'm tired of my socks getting dirty because I take them off And then I'm like, okay, they don't do that here. Only certain places. I mean, it's a big adjustment anytime you're moving to a different country and you're learning the culture. But I think that they did this really well in the movie

where like we're learning as he's learning. I've always had a deep appreciation for Japanese culture. And, you know, I'm not Japanese, but in school and stuff, whenever I was given the opportunity to do research projects, I always would try and do one on like Japan or like theater in Japan or just because I've always been fascinated because of the things that you talked about in the Japanese culture like the beauty, the grace, the discipline, the philosophy, everything like that. And I think that the movie really balanced just kind of the brutality of war that we see. But then also just the deep appreciation of the present moment. of life and of beauty

that is just such a deep part of the Japanese culture, I think. You know, and so, yeah, it's just like a really interesting film. Although watching it now, like, over 20 years after it came out and you know how, like, just attitudes have changed. There were certain things where I was like, yeah, I could see how, like, maybe watching it now some people might be like, oh, there's that whole, like, white savior complex that we've got here.

It's like, okay, fine. He's a white guy that, like, I hate when people think like that, shows the way to, I mean, I think it's a valid story, is what I'm trying to say. It's like, it's a valid story, and we can take it as it's a story,

and if it's working to make people interested in Japan and Japanese culture in a positive way, then I feel like it's doing its job, you know? Yeah. Because everything is a story. And even now, like, we're watching Shogun, which is an amazing show.

But they kind of show a little bit more of the brutality of the samurai. Whereas here we're very much presented with the noble samurai, right? Like, like all of the good things because obviously our main character, right? He is the epitome of what, like, the strongest values of a samurai. you know and so I think that's valid equally as valid as a story that someone wants to tell where they show more of the brutality of the samurai who maybe weren't so noble who went around like killing peasants and stuff like that also fair but I like it that in this story we get the version where it's like these guys are badasses and their heroes and they're out here like their their goal is to to do what they think is right for the country even though I know during history like this was a time of great change for Japan where they went

from like we have samurai to like no it's the Meiji Restoration and now we're like advancing forward and you really feel that in the movie Oh 100% And that's always hard to do that make that change and that shift because you're going from something

that's the old way There's something There's something always great about the old ways And then there's always something that's new and exciting about the new. But I'm that person that even with technology today, I'm not the biggest fan of it. Yes, I understand there's great things that come from it. And I'm like, oh, that's actually really cool.

But at the same time, I struggle myself with that change into it because I feel like, man, we're going to lose this, though. And this is the beauty of the simplicity and like just being in the moment and with nature and you're taking it away. and I struggle with that. Yeah. You know, and I feel like this, I don't, like, any culture could watch this film and feel that. Yeah. And feel that struggle with the old and the new because a lot of people don't find that happy medium ground. They just go full blast like one way or the other.

And it's scary. Going the new routes is very, very scary. Change is scary. It is scary. Yeah. Sometimes it's exciting. And then other times it's like, you know, sometimes it's like we take 10 steps forward and then 20 back because it actually didn't work. And then there's other times where it's like, actually, you know, no, that was the best thing that ever happened.

Right. Kind of like if you go back to when we're in school and your teachers are like, oh, you all have a calculator with you all the time. It's like, yeah, ha ha. I do. Yeah, I do. Like, you know, and like, and that's like, that's the best thing in the world. But at the same time, if my phone goes to crap. right then I will be okay

but the majority of like our new youth would not true you know what I mean so there's there's certain things that we're kind of like we're like we think it's great yes but at the same time I almost feel like you still need to learn the old with the new so that you don't

have to rely so much on certain things that like for example their guns like then the machine guns exactly it becomes a crutch exactly so it's like the odds are none of those men truly like if we go from the beginning of the film none of them know how to fight

they're just learning how to basically shoot a gun and kill something with some without even getting their hands fully dirty and like throwing themselves out there where the other guys no matter what their mentality is a little bit different because they're confident in themselves to defend themselves and like

fight but also they're not using like yeah it's completely different being able to take a live from several paces away from far away rather than being able to take a life and look in the eyes of the man that you're killing you know like it's it's a different thing and I personally feel like if you're going to do that that's how it should be it shouldn't be from afar I think that's cowardly that's just my opinion unfortunately that's the way that's the way the battles have gone now I know but do you not think it's cowardly I think it's cowardly like you don't even give anybody a chance like I'm all about fairness I get so mad watching this stuff because I guess not fair you're a samurai at heart and I know that the I know life's not fair, you guys. I know it's not fair. However, if I'm going to get in a fight,

I want it to be fair. I used to go in school, and my sister would be in fights all the time. And if I was watching it, it was one-on-one, I'd be like, all right, cool. I'm not going to intervene. If she gets her butt beat, she gets her butt beat.

It's fair, okay? There was one time this girl came from behind, and I jumped in because I was like, it's not fair anymore. And I will jump in. I'm all about fairness, so I struggle with that. Yeah.

No, this was a really great film. It's amazing. It's stunningly done, the costumes, the set design. I thought that the... The sceneries they had were just... Yeah. And the way that they showed just kind of the chaos of war, it's just very intense.

And then with the music, that last battle with the score, where it was like perfectly done to the music. Like, you feel it rise as they're like, you know, winning. But then, like, it goes. another way when they looks like they're starting to lose. It was just so well orchestrated. Hans Zimmer is a genius. Yeah, overall.

And all the characters are just, you couldn't help. Even the ones there were byheads, you could not help, but like, you know, like on the samurai side anyways, you could not help but love them even though like there was never like, some of them had never had like that, that niceness, but they're just like talking shit the whole time,

but you're like, ha, ha, I love you. Or even the fact that they didn't really say too much. Yes, you didn't need it. We knew exactly which ones were which, like who was who, you know, which was fantastic. So really, really well done. It holds up really well, I think. So you guys let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And, yeah, we'll see you next time.

I'm a charicouk. This is... Chris is Steves Pinot. I'm going to go blow my nose. Bye. See ya.