remake

There are two types of remake.
1) from foreign to domestic movies, and vice versa
2) domestic remake

It may be OK for the young generation and the people who don't know the original versions, but I think it is very rare for a new comer to prevail the original one.

Because I already know the story and I cannot help comparing it with the first one which usually gives a great impact.

I'm pretty sure that some moviegoers would agree with me.

However, there are two exceptional cases.
1) from "Seven Samurai" (Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film) to "The Magnificient Seven" (John Sturges' 1960 film) [I don't know anything about "The Magnificient Seven" by Christopher Cain in 1998.]
2) "Charlie's Angeles" in 1976 and 2000

As for #1, their backgrounds are entirely different and leading parts of these movies are played by character actors. And the both movies are marvelous.

Concerning #2, Jaclyn Smith, Cheryl Ladd, Kate Jackson, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu are all beautiful and charming ladies, not to mention their great acting.#

motion pictures relating to Christianity

I became a member of the Congregational church about 20 years ago.

In the first year, I was hooked on going to church.

And at the same time, I purchased a dozen of Christian books - the Old Testament, the New Testament, manuals and others in English and Japanese languages.

I didn't realize how deeply the U.S. society has been built up in the briefs.

There were many expressions and situations I never understood in Hollywood movies, and later I found out that they had someting to do with Christianity.

"THANK GOD," I'm now comfortable with Christian movies.#

two American heroes in WW II

I would like to touch on two famous American heroes in the World War II.

1.) Audie L. Murphy (1926-1971)

I loved war films and westerns in 1950's and 60's.

And one of my favorite movie stars in those films was Audie Murphy, who was most decorated American combat soldier during the war, and later became an actor appearing 44 Hollywood films including 33 westerns.

He played himself in the 1955 film version of his book with the same title, "To Hell and Back," which was a great hit in the industry.

When I visited the Pentagon under a training of the U.S. State Department in 2006, I found his name engraved among all veterans in the past wars at a memorial hall, just next to the America's Heroes Memorial - the site where 184 people killed in the building on September 11.

I was very moved by the way that the U.S. Department of Defense respects and honors the people fought for the country, including victims of the 9/11 terrorism.

2.) Daniel K. Inouye (1924- )

Mr. Inouye is known as the U.S. Senator from Hawaii for over forty-five years.

He was assigned to the "Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team," which became the most high-decorated unit in the history of the U.S. Army.

The story of the combat team was picked up by some Hollywood films.

Ten years ago, I had a chance to accompany Senator Inouye for two days in Hiroshima, Japan, where his parents came from.

He was warm, gentle and straightforward.

And I still remember well that at the airport I shook hands with him, but with his "left" hand as he lost his right arm during the war. #