Tag - junji-sakamoto

 
 

JUNJI SAKAMOTO

Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2023
‘Okiku and the World’: Rare romance plot refreshing for period drama
Junji Sakamoto’s tender drama aptly balances lowbrow comedy with sumptuous visuals to portray a romance between urban commoners that defies conventions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2020
‘I Never Shot Anyone’: This nostalgic neo-noir misses its mark
Junji Sakamoto's neo-noir film about a writer leading a shadowy double life has a cast laden with heavyweight talents, but it doesn't quite hit the spot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 20, 2019
'Another World': An uneasy reunion for old friends
While the jury at last year's Tokyo International Film Festival made some unimpeachable selections, it was left to viewers to supply the biggest surprise of the event. "Another World" was an unexpected choice for the Audience Award, which typically goes to more comedic fare in the vein of 2017 winner "Tremble All You Want."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2018
Junji Sakamoto points his camera at small-town Japan in 'Another World'
Born in Osaka in 1958, Junji Sakamoto belongs to a generation of Japanese directors who carved out independent paths in the industry, outside the then-defunct studio system. His feature debut, the 1989 boxing film "Knockout," won a shelf of domestic prizes, including the Blue Ribbon Award for best film. He became known for male-centered action flicks and thrillers, such as the 2000 gangster epic "Another Battle."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 4, 2017
Junji Sakamoto's 'Ernesto' tells the story of a Japanese man's role in Che's revolution
The Latin American revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara remains an enduring leftist icon throughout the world, including in Japan. Here, however, his visage pops up in somewhat apolitical moments — like at soccer games in support of the Urawa Reds.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 4, 2017
'Ernesto': Dealing with the politics of making a political movie
In the late 1960s, posters of Ernesto "Che" Guevara were in every North American college dorm, mine included. Alberto Korda's famed 1960 photo of the Cuban revolutionary leader as rock star had a lot to do with it, as did his execution by Bolivian troops in October 1967, making him an instant martyr and legend.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 1, 2016
'Danchi': The extraordinary everywoman
"Danchi" doesn't translate easily into English. "Apartment complex" or "housing estate" are only rough equivalents for the thousands of public-housing units thrown up in the postwar boom years to cope with Tokyo's exploding population. Equipped with running water, flush toilets and other amenities, with stores and schools close by, danchi symbolized middle-class prosperity for escapees from hardscrabble lives in the countryside. But today Showa Era (1926-1989) danchi, with their tiny rooms, lack of elevators and general air of decrepitude, are relics of another time, with a shrinking, mostly elderly resident population.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on