[Mashiro]

Glory / 1989 / United States / 7.8 out of 10 Rating on IMDb

Robert Gould Shaw leads the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices from both his own Union Army, and the Confederates. Shaw was an officer in the Federal Army during the American Civil War who volunteered to lead the first company of black soldiers. Shaw was forced to deal with the prejudices of both the enemy (who had orders to kill commanding officers of blacks), and of his own fellow officers.

A movie about the American civil war. Focusing mainly on the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. An African-American company fighting for the Union Army.

Great cast and reenactment.

---

Kikujirô no natsu / 1999 / Japan / 7.8 out of 10 Rating on IMDb

A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way. Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro hardly seems the ideal companion for little Masao who is determined to travel long distances to see the mother he has never met. Their excursion to the cycle races is the first of a series of adventures for the unlikely pair which soon turns out to be a whimsical journey of laughter and tears with a wide array of surprises and odd ball characters to meet along the way.

A really great movie by and with Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano). I can highly recommend it. It's really sad but also funny. In one or another way little Masao is a reflection of the older Kikujiro. Both share the same sad childhood and don't know their own mother.

This is one of the Kitano movies that isn't about the Yakuza, violence and other similar things. So it's a refreshing experience to see.