I FAR preferred the Zatoichi series. There are 26 of them! But we watched four including the 1962 original, the 1963 sequel, the 1970 Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo, and the 1989 remake. Eryn went to the last three with me on Tuesdays after school and had a great time. Like me - and unprompted - she preferred the original black and white versions with stylized sword fighting and a focus on the story and buddy-warrior aspect rather than the blood and violence. The 1970 episode was very Spaghetti Western in the Clint Eastwood style and when they piled all the gold from inside the statues to lure in the bad guys - there's a scene where they have gold dust in their mouths - it really evoked the scene where Eastwood paints the town red and calls it hell in High Plains Drifter. The 1989 version got rid of the stylized violence in favor of real violence and the main characters, who are at odds but very respectful of each other in the original (Zatoichi visits his grave in the second film), are more traditionally adversaries. Probably my favorite series since the Halloween Japanese ghost series Kyle and I went to there.
Eryn loved the movies, but I think the two buckets of popcorn, soda, and coffee at Peace Coffee before the show each time also played a part. It was a good place for me to work and her to get her homework out of the way.
For my wife's birthday in January we all went to Buster's on 28th for the first time since their fire, and then to Strait-Jacket. Ming, Kyle, me, Eryn, and my wife. A full contingent. Buster's was great, although we sat so close to the door that every time it opened you had to debate whether to put your coat on. Strait-Jacket is a funny thriller (now; perhaps it was scary or more suspenseful in its day) and very enjoyable.
The twist at the end wasn't unexpected, but it didn't make it any less amusing.
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