Sab Shimono Movies
Character actor, onscreen from the '60s. ~ All Movie Guide- 2006
Writer-director Eric Byler adapted his ensemble comedy-drama Americanese from Shawn Wong's bestselling 1995 roman American Knees. The film, like the novel, dramatizes the seriocomic, day-to-day experiences of a number of Asian American immigrants in the City of Angels. At the story's center is milquetoast-dull, middle-aged college professor and divorcé Raymond Ding (Chris Tashima) - so ineffectual that he barely seems to have control over the events that befall him, and so emotionally distant in his relationship with live-in lover, the Japanese-American photojournalist Aurora (Allison Sie), that his inaccessibility destroys their union. Forced to move out of their house, Raymond instead rooms with his aging father, Wood (Sab Shimono), making periodic, unannounced visits back to Aurora's home when she is absent. While Aurora kindles her own romance with American Steve (Ben Shenkman), Raymond moves into his own apartment and takes up with Vietnamese-American Betty (Joan Chen) - a university associate plagued by deep-seated emotional and mental problems.
~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Tashima, Allison Sie, (more)
Season two of the animated action series Samurai Jack covers chapters "XXI" through "XLII" in the saga of the titular hero's travels through time and space to vanquish the evil, shape-shifting wizard Aku. In the season opener, Samurai Jack saves a medieval village from the dreaded Farting Dragon (silent but deadly!). A subsequent episode, "XXII," sets a record for the least amount of dialogue in any TV cartoon series of the early 20th century. Later on, Jack meets Demongo the Soul Collector, loses his precious sandals to bier-bots, squares off against zombies and a sinister DJ who holds his "Rave Slaves" in thrall, seeks the precious Crystal of Cagliostro. Our hero faces one of his most daunting challenges in the season finale, "XLII" (aka "Samurai Jack vs. Da Samurai" -- the last-named character voiced by David Alan Grier of In Living Color fame). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Greg Pak directs Robot Stories, a feature film made up of four separate vignettes set in the near future. In "My Robot Baby," Maria (Tamlyn Tomita) and Roy (James Saito) must take care of a robot baby before they can adopt a real one. In "The Robot Fixer," a car accident puts Wilson in a coma. His mother, Bernice Chin (Wai Ching Ho), tries to connect with him by repairing his old collection of toy robots. Her obsessive quest to find missing robot parts is observed by her daughter Grace (Cindy Cheung). In "Machine Love," a Sprout G9 iPerson (Greg Pak) is introduced to an office environment. In "Clay," sculptor John Lee (Sab Shimono) refuses to get scanned, which would merge his memory with a collective consciousness. He struggles to maintain his humanity against the judgement of his son Tommy (Ron Domingo) and wife Helen (Eisa Davis). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tamlyn Tomita, James Saito, (more)
Season three of the animated action series Samurai Jack covers chapters "XXXVII" through "LII" in the ongoing saga of the titular protagonist's journey through time and space in pursuit of the evil, shape-shifting sorcerer Aku. The season begins with a two-part episode, subtitled "The Birth of Evil," said birth bringing Samurai Jack into battle alongside mythical gods Odin, Ra, and Rama (talk about cultural diversification!); in the course of events, the viewer is apprised of the origin of the omnipotent Aku. In a later two-parter, a latter-day strongman, the Scotsman, rescues Jack when the latter loses his memory. Other season highlights include chapter "XLVIII" (aka "Jack vs. Aku"), with hero and villain divesting themselves of all lifesaving accoutrements to have it out mano a mano -- and with nary a word spoken between them as the action unfolds. Even less reliant upon dialogue is chapter "XLIX" (aka "Seasons of Death") -- no one can accuse Samurai Jack of being a typical TV cartoon talkfest! The season ends with chapter "LII" (aka "Jack and the Baby"), the centerpiece of which is a retelling of the traditional Japanese folk tale Peach Boy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Opening with three back-to-back half-hour episodes, the first season of Samurai Jack wastes no time in setting up its premise: an ancient, Samurai-trained Japanese prince, nicknamed "Jack" by accident, hopscotches through time and space in hopes of toppling the centuries-old reign of terror of villainous shape-shifting sorcerer Aku. These and all subsequent episodes are designated by Roman numerals (I, II, III, and so on) and an alternate title, in the manner of a venerable folk legend. Endowed with his father's magic sword, Samurai Jack pursues Aku into the distant future, where our hero meets a group of archeologist dogs (who look and sound like Rocky and His Friends' Mister Peabody) who agree to help him in his efforts to thwart Aku. In subsequent episodes (set in a variety of time frames), Jack gets mixed up in the long-standing rivalry between the "Woolies" and the "Chritchellites," is blasted to a space colony with a group of pilgrims hoping to escape Apu's tyranny, heads below the waves to a sunken city and a race of amphibians, and comes up against Warrior Women, Lava Monsters, Gangster, and at least one Scotsman -- not to mention his own evil clone. In keeping with the series' efforts to throw the viewer off balance from time to time, episode "XIII" (aka "Aku's Fairy Tale") goes so far off the beaten path that Samurai Jack isn't even in it! Season one concludes with episode "XX" (aka "Jack and the Monks"), wherein Jack's search for the gateway to the past takes him to the sacred Mountain of Fatoom, where the truth will set him free -- if indeed, it is the truth! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
The half-hour animated series Samurai Jack was the full fruition of a dream long held dear by creator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory). As Tartakovsky explained to an interviewer from the Sequential Tart online magazine, "I love action and I love action shows, but I've never seen a show that has enough action to satisfy me. I decided I want good action that's choreographed and since I like samurai, I came up with Samurai Jack." He also wanted to create a series that "has comedy, action, and adventure; it's all those things combined! From show to show you will never guess what will happen next." Though inspired by ancient Japanese legends (stylistically, the series resembled a marriage between cutting-edge anime and "classic" Hanna-Barbera), Samurai Jack's backstory originated in the mind of its creator. The hero was the son of a Japanese emperor, whose civilization was destroyed thousands of years ago by the evil, shape-shifting wizard Aku. Suddenly thrust forward centuries into the future, the young emperor's son endeavored to undo the long-range damage perpetrated by Aku -- which included conquering the world and subjugating generations upon generations of luckless mortals. Adopting the name "Jack" (as he'd been designated by a sarcastic passerby in the 21st century), and armed with his father's sacred sword, our hero utilized his finely honed samurai skills in his efforts to save the world from Aku's clutches. In the course of events, both Jack and Aku zig-zagged forward and backward in time...but alas, never far enough backward to nip Aku in the bud before all the chaos started. Per Genndy Tartakovsky's vision, one was never quite certain if Samurai Jack was to be taken deadly seriously, or if the whole thing was a campy put-on. Not only did the scenario veer sharply from comedy to drama and back again, but even the mixed-genre musical score kept viewers happily off balance. Additionally, Tartakovsky's yearning for "enough action" was carried out in the series' lengthy pantomimic passages, in which action rather than dialogue carried the storyline (a rarity in TV animation of the early 21st century). Introduced with three back-to-back episodes on August 10, 2001, Samurai Jack was one of the best -- and best-received -- of the Cartoon Network's "original" offerings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phil LaMarr, Mako, (more)
Asian-American playwright Philip Kan Gotanda made his directorial debut with this unusual crime drama. When two San Francisco police detectives find a very dead body in an abandoned car, a bit of digging reveals the man was minor-league criminal Harry Sado (Sab Shimono), who left behind his story in his own words -- on tape. Harry's troubles began when he discovered his partner, Mr. Jones (Philip Kan Gotanda), was ripping him off. Harry's logical response was to start ripping off his partner, which led him to hide out in San Francisco. There Harry tied to reunite with his children, which proved to be more trouble than it was worth, and met a mysterious woman who once lived in the apartment Harry had rented. Once Mr. Jones tracked Harry down, though, a confrontation between these two bad men was inevitable. Life Tastes Good was shown as part of the American Spectrum series at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sab Shimono, Julia Nickson, (more)
- 1998
Edward Herrmann narrates this portrait of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, as directed by renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns (Lewis & Clark.) The film is an assemblage of photos, film clips, TV appearances (including a 1957 The Mike Wallace Interview), home movies, and more recent footage. Interviews include Wright biographer Brendan Gill. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Bosco, Julie Harris, (more)
- 1996
Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) receives several royalty checks for an appearance on Japanese TV -- each coming to the munificent sum of 12 cents. This sets Kramer (Michael Richards) to thinking that maybe some Japanese TV executive might be interested in Jerry's concept of "a show about nothing" -- which may or may not explain why Kramer has a hot tub installed in his apartment. Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) hopes to hit it off with her new boyfriend, Brett (James Patrick Stuart), who loves designer furniture and the song "Desperado" -- in that order. And George (Jason Alexander) hires some carpet cleaners -- actually troubleshooters for a religious cult -- to work on the offices at Yankee Stadium. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Benton (Eriq La Salle) tries to save the life of a 13-year-old gang member who's already been declared dead, thereby creating even more friction amongst the ER staffers. Meanwhile, "floating" nurse Rhonda (Jill O'Hara) continues to make disastrous mistakes. And on the domestic front, Greene (Anthony Edwards) worries that Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) may be dating Morganstern (William H. Macy), while Carter (Noah Wyle) grows ever closer to Keaton (Glenne Headly). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Another "based on an actual event!" TV movie, Murder Between Friends is set in 1980s New Orleans. Two friends become involved in murder when the wife of one of them begins cheating on her spouse. Constructed along the lines of "Rashomon", the script offers two entirely different accounts of the homicide and the events leading up to it. Timothy Busfield heads the cast as the hardworking prosecutor who wants to cut through the bull. When first telecast on January 10, 1994, Murder Between Friends was accompanied by a "viewer discretion" disclaimer; smart move. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Busfield, Stephen Lang, (more)
- 1991
After Lisa (voice of Yeardley Smith) bemoans the lack of variety in the Simpsons' dining habits, Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta) warily takes the family out for dinner to Springfield's leading Japanese restaurant, The Happy Sumo. While Homer is initially suspicious of sushi, he discovers he quite likes it once he tastes some, and ends up trying everything on the menu. The last item, however, is a rare variety of blowfish sushi, and the Master Chef (voice of Sab Shimono) is afraid it may have been cut incorrectly -- making it poisonous. Dr. Hibbert (voice of Harry Shearer) informs Homer that he may have only 24 hours to live, and Homer is determined to make the most of his last day, vowing to spend a final bit of quality time with Lisa, Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright), Marge (voice of Julie Kavner), and Grampa (voice of Castellaneta). One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish first aired on January 24, 1991. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
The made-for-television Hiroshima: Out of the Ashes recounts the August, 1945 nuclear bombing of Hiroshima through the eyes of a number of survivors, including Japanese soldiers, citizens, and American prisoners of war. The film is partly based on Michihiko Hachiya's Hiroshima Diary. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Veteran Hawaii-born actor Mako is never less than brilliant in director Michael Toshiyuki Uno's The Wash. The film is a study of love lost and love renewed in California's Asian community. Since his retirement, a husband (Mako) becomes increasingly sullen and withdrawn. Only when his wife (Nobu McCarthy) announces that she wants a separation does the husband begin to reexamine his life. While the story in The Wash is a familiar one, its ethnic overtones set the film apart from others of its ilk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mako, Nobu McCarthy, (more)
- 1982
Made for television, When Hell Was in Session is the true story of Navy commander Jonathan Denton Jr., here played by Hal Holbrook. Shot down during a bombing mission over Vietnam in 1965, Denton endured nearly eight horrendous years as a POW. The plot details Denton's efforts to organize a resistance movement among his fellow prisoners. The film concludes with a powerful re-enactment of Denton's homecoming, as originally seen by millions of American televiewers in 1973. Based on the book by Denton and Ed Brandt, When Hell Was in Session debuted October 8, 1979 ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Quincy (Jack Klugman) races against time to locate and neutralize the mysterious neurological disease that has already claimed three lives on a luxury liner. Though some of the pasengers have managed to escape to shore, the ship is now quarantined and prohibited from docking at any port. Thus Quincy must not only stem the epidemic, but also track down those on dry land who may still be spreading it--and worse yet, his own girlfriend Janet (Diana Muldaur) is now gravely ill. Originally telecast over a two-week period, Slow Boat to Madness has since been syndicated as a single two-hour "TV movie." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In the first episode of a two-part story, Quincy (Jack Klugman) and his lady friend Janet (Diana Muldaur) are enjoying a luxury cruise to Tahiti, when tragedy strikes. One man suddenly jumps overboard and drown, while another is murdered--and the murderer subsequently dies himself. It turns out that a mysterious but deadly illness is rapidly spreading throughout the cruiser...and unless Quincy is able to isolate the source of the disease, no one will ever set foot on shore again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1981
In the waning days of WW2, Jason (Jon Walmsley) wonders if he should marry Toni (Lisa Harrison), especially since he is scheduled to be shipped off to the Pacific front. And in a faraway Japanese POW camp, Ben (Eric Scott) is convinced that he is about to be executed--when suddenly, his captors do an about-face and surrender to him! This pivotal episode ends on a note of triumph...and for some members of the Walton family, a tinge of melancholy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
Doing some creative math in his off-hours, Hawkeye (Alan Alda) figures out how much money he would have made during the Korean war if he'd been a civilian doctor. Dutifully annotating the results, Hawk presents the Army with a bill for services rendered. And on another front, Charles (David Ogden Stiers) arrogantly demonstrates the latest American doctoral techniques to three Korean medics--and thereby sets himself up for another generous serving of Humble Pie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This feature-length pilot for an unsold TV series was based on Mandrake the Magician, the long-running comic strip created by Lee Falk and Phil Davis in 1934. Raised in the Himalayas, the orphaned Mandrake (played as a child by David Hollander, and as an adult by Anthony Herrera) is taught the secrets of magic and mass hypnosis by the wizard Theron (James Hong), and is given an enchanted amulet that will protect him from harm. With the help of his loyal assistant Lother (Ji-Tu Cumbuka), the caped, top-hatted Mandrake attempts to thwart an insane extortionist who threatens to kill innocent amusement-park patrons unless he is given 10,000,000 dollars. Princess Narda, Mandrake's exotic vis-à-vis from the funny papers, is here replaced by a feisty female cohort named Stacy (Simone Griffeth). Earning no plaudits from devotees of the original comic strip, Mandrake was little heard from after its initial NBC telecast on January 24, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Herrera
