KUNG FU PANDA is poised to do big "box office" this weekend, as we hear from one of the directors of that film, Mark Osborne himself (pictured). "We couldn't have done it without your mention," he jokes. Spurred by the recent "post" in which I mentioned both KUNG FU PANDA and Jerry Lewis, Mark goes on: "Did I ever tell you that the example I used to explain the tone of Kung Fu Panda to the crew was 'What if Akira Kurosawa shot a Jerry Lewis movie?' No doubt inspired by your love of Jerry!" This is very nice of Mark to say, given our struggles over Mr. Lewis in the past, each coming to peace with Jerry in his own way. It also bolsters my argument, often put forth on the "blog," that Jerry is the source of everything we hold dear as human people, despite his somewhat bleak worldview. And though Kurosawa is Japanese and the Kung Fu Panda is Chinese, I did think of Kurosawa - thereby showcasing my perceptiveness! - when I read in Darghis's KUNG FU PANDA review about "a volley of arrows that falls down like red rain and a delicate swirl of pink petals" ... particularly of Kurosawa's films DREAMS and RAN. (Believe it or not, I just deleted a long paragraph in which I compared Toshiro Mifune's character in SEVEN SAMURAI to both Bob Hope [his braggart's bluster] and Jerry Lewis [physical comedy veering into rage]. And I made a good case, too!)
