Author Archive: Eric San Juan
Eric San Juan
November 8, 2018
To celebrate the upcoming release of my book, Akira Kurosawa: A Viewer’s Guide, due out Dec. 15 from Rowman & Littlefield — preorder here! — I’ll be doing capsule reviews all month covering every single Kurosawa film and posting (very) brief excerpts. These will be short impressions and recommendations, nothing more. For a full, detailed analysis of each, grab the book! The Quiet Duel (1949) Toshiro Mifune as a doctor stricken with a sexually-transmitted disease? Sure, why not! Kurosawa’s 1949 drama about a doctor dealing with a terrible secret doesn’t get much attention. It might be easy to blame the studio (this was the director’s first work outside the Toho system) or the lack of a strong home release version (there is no Criterion edition…
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Eric San Juan
November 8, 2018
A series in which I recommend music that might have flown under your radar. Bettie Seveert – Palomine Listen if you like: Matthew Sweet, early Lissie, Sebadoh, awesome songs “Bettie Serveert” sounds like a person’s name, but it’s actually a Dutch indie rock band that has been going since 1991 or so. And yeah, they are STILL going strong nearly 30 years later! As I write this, they are 10 albums deep into their career. Deservedly so, too. This recommendation is of their debut, Palomine, and it’s a winner. I remember jamming with this when it came out in 1992, but at the time it wasn’t “heavy” enough to make waves in the alternative scene. Too bad. The record was fantastic then and is still great…
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Eric San Juan
November 7, 2018
To celebrate the upcoming release of my book, Akira Kurosawa: A Viewer’s Guide, due out Dec. 15 from Rowman & Littlefield — preorder here! — I’ll be doing capsule reviews all month covering every single Kurosawa film and posting (very) brief excerpts. These will be short impressions and recommendations, nothing more. For a full, detailed analysis of each, grab the book! Drunken Angel (1948) Here’s a recipe for movie magic: Put Toshiro Mifune on screen. Pair him with Takashi Shimura. And have Akira Kurosawa direct them. Still a no-name actor, this was Mifune’s first of many roles for Kurosawa, and he came out of the gate strong. The always reliable Shimura was supposed to be the lead here, but Mifune steals so many scenes it…
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Films
A Month of Kurosawa, Akira Kurosawa, classic films, classic movies, film, films, Japan, Japanese cinema, Japanese films, Japanese movies, movie, Takashi Shimura, Toshiro Mifune, Works By Eric
Eric San Juan
November 6, 2018
To celebrate the upcoming release of my book, Akira Kurosawa: A Viewer’s Guide, due out Dec. 15 from Rowman & Littlefield — preorder here! — I’ll be doing capsule reviews all month covering every single Kurosawa film and posting (very) brief excerpts. These will be short impressions and recommendations, nothing more. For a full, detailed analysis of each, grab the book! One Wonderful Sunday (1947) Released in 1947, One Wonderful Sunday follows a young couple through post-war Japan as they struggle to enjoy their life despite being destitute. They’re poor, hungry, and desperate, with little brightness ahead of them in the rough years after World War II, but they try their best to make it work. “People only realize the value of money when they’re…
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Eric San Juan
November 6, 2018
Contributed Post Sometimes life can deal you a lousy hand no matter how careful you may be. It catches you off guard, and most accidents happen at work. Perhaps it’s due to more unfamiliar territory than at home, but a lot of injuries occur in the workplace. So when harm is caused to you within work, what do you do in the aftermath? Image Source Remember All The Details All workplaces should have an accident log book so that both sides can cover their version of events. If you can, try and remember all the details of the accident both before, during and after it. This might be needed if the accident wasn’t your fault and instead was through the carelessness of others. Smaller accidents…
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