Though I have an obvious love of anything Japanese (the many Japanese movies reviewed on this site is evidence of this), the thought of yet another big budget American formula movie (even though it's largely based in Japan) made me leery about the ultimate worth of THE LAST SAMURAI. Having heard a bit of buzz with the word "epic" in it, I cringed at the thought of being forced to watch a manipulative, American/Asian version of BRAVEHEART (a paint by the numbers film that, all too typically, won an academy award). Nevertheless, I sheepishly left my office/cave, hit the red carpet, pushed my way through the seething crowds, and landed in my seat - copious quantities of popcorn and soda in hand.

From time to time, amidst the dozens of repetitive, factory cranked movies that spew out of the orifices of screen writers and studios, a film emerges that makes up for the atrocities that the viewing public are forced to ingest. My low expectations certainly didn't allow me to hope that THE LAST SAMURAI would be that celluloid Holy Grail, and . it wasn't (quite), but it was certainly far better than I ever imagined it would be. In fact, thus far (in 2003) it's easily the best homegrown movie I've seen.

Set in Japan during the 1870s, THE LAST SAMURAI tells the story of Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), an American military officer tormented by atrocities he and others committed against the Indians. Playing a man that is called a hero but is drowning in a sea of self-loathing and moral turpitude, Algren agrees to go to Japan (for a price, of course) and train men to do the very thing that haunts him - to kill. A negative eye would take note of the extremes of good guys and bad guys, and of a simplistic presentation of the Japanese angst as it was dragged screaming into the modern world. That same negative eye would cringe as Cruise's character succeeds in mastering sword skills in a few months that had taken the endlessly practicing Samurai a lifetime to achieve. And, finally, the cynic would nod his head when poor tormented Captain Algren kills an attacker and finds himself being nursed back to health by the dead man's stunningly beautiful widow - was there ever any doubt that they would fall in love, thus adding a bit of romance for the female audience?

But though I started out expecting the worst, my "negative eye" quickly faded when I witnessed the magnificent cinematography, the lovingly recreated Japanese cities and towns of that era, the excellent acting by everyone involved (Ken Watanabe really stands out, as he ruled the movie with an awe inspiring screen presence.), and the good (if somewhat obvious) script. The struggle for understanding an individual's moral high ground, the question of our place in the universe, the concept of "no-mind" and mental silence, and terms like "honor" are all lighted upon - giving many viewers far more to ponder than two dozen other films put together.

I felt this movie was an important one for Western audiences: Cruise plays a likeable American that audiences can identify with, a foreign culture is looked at favorably (usually we just label them evil and crush them like bugs), and the sword play made such an impression that it might lead new converts to Asian films which offer far more frenetic, and skillful, martial arts.

When it ended I was very high on THE LAST SAMURAI. Yes, it has minor flaws, but its many good points were far more pronounced.

After looking over the credits and smiling the smile of a satisfied movie fan, I walked through Westwood to the Armand Hammer Museum, where the party was being held. There, the customary cavity search passed quickly and I was allowed entry. Keeping in theme, various kinds of Japanese cuisine were offered in many areas (upstairs and downstairs) of the Museum. Sitting under an enormous cherry blossom tree, I contentedly munched noodles, sushi, chicken, salmon, glazed banana spring rolls (magnificent!) and custard while listening to old style Japanese music followed by more modern Japanese fare by Kitaro. On stage, I watched fine demonstrations of swordplay and Kabuki.

The night happily moved along, the film's actors posed for shots and congratulations, and the bar (hot sake included!) flowed nonstop for anyone with a thirst. I might have stayed longer, but a server walked by with lovely colored balls on a dish. Asking what they were, she replied, "mochi." Ah, I recognized the all too common rush of sugar-lust - good mochi (a form of Japanese frozen ice-cream and bean paste) can be one of the wonders of the world. A haze followed - I ingested one ball after another, and soon had to escape for fear of expiring from mochi overdose.

Waddling past the exit, one final surprise remained: a gift bag was handed to me containing ginger therapy shampoo, green tea hair styler spray foam, green tea texturizing lotion, green tea bath salts, ginger therapy conditioner, a green tea fragranced candle, one TAZO "Awake" tea bag (one?), and a lovely Japanese silk something that I haven't completely identified (perhaps it's a kimono belt?).

All in all - grading the movie (which was excellent), the way the party emulates the style and mood of the film (very nicely done!), and the quality of food - this was one of the all around best premieres of the year.