What you read today might spark interest in a film for tomorrow

Vacations have left us short-staffed at work, which means an additional work load for everybody who is in the newspaper office.
With much to do and (seemingly) not enough time to accomplish it, I have curtailed my usual "lunch hour" to a "lunch half-hour" this week. That gives me just enough time to munch on a sandwich, read about four pages of my book and get back to the daily grind.
It's not the optimum approach to a work break, but at least I have something good to read!
I received Chris D.'s "Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film" for Christmas.
Chris Desjardins is a programmer at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, which places him in the upper echelon of the world's film snobs. He has also seen thousands of Japanese films, and he shares his experiences in the book, which also combines interviews with many maverick directors.
Desjardins profiles Kihachi Okamoto, Masahiro Shinoda and Seijun Suzuki -- directors whose films we have in our collection -- as well as many directors I have only heard about.
As a result, reading this book intrigues me. I read the book and then I want to see films such as Kinji Fukasaku's "Black Lizard," Yasuharu Hasebe's "Black Tight Killers" and Junya Sato's "True Account of Ginza's Secret Enforcers."
Tracking down some of these films, as difficult as it might become, will give me something to do in the New Year. I resolve to become a more well-versed Japanese film fanatic!