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July 16, 2024
 

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Giovanni Fazio

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Giovanni Fazio
Giovanni Fazio has been The Japan Times' resident film crank since 1993. When not at the movies, he is busy recording and playing live with his band Makyo and running the independent electronica label Dakini Records.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 24, 2013
'Pi' among 'unfilmable' books conquered at last on the screen
There are certain novels they say just can't be filmed, but guess what? Most of them have been. "Dune"? "Naked Lunch"? "The Virgin Suicides"? "The 120 Days of Sodom"? "Ulysses"? All done — "Ulysses" twice, even.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 17, 2013
'Armadillo' / 'Cockfighter'
If you go to see "Armadillo", you will be in a cinema watching a war movie. A documentary, yes, but one that's safely on the screen as you sit back and watch Danish soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. You will watch those same soldiers try to relieve the boredom of life on a forward operating base by playing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 11, 2013
'The Future'
Facebook is so awash in shared quotes and clever little sayings attached to graphics, ranging from heartwarmingly New Age to hipster snarky, that few make an impression beyond the time it takes to read them. Still, every now and then you'll hit one that sticks; for me, it was one of those faux 1950s...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / BEST OF 2012
Dec 28, 2012
Comparing notes: What they thought of each other's No. 1
Who says critics are out of touch? At the time of writing, entertainment website Pia's "Satisfaction Ranking" for current films has "Intouchables" at No. 3, and "Argo" No. 2. ("Ninkyo Helper" is No. 1.) Kaori Shoji, Mark Schilling, and Giovanni Fazio got together to chew over their No. 1 picks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / BEST OF 2012
Dec 28, 2012
Hold the McFilms, pass the cinematic cassoulet
It always puzzles me that people turn to the Food page curious to find out about off-the-beaten-track joints that serve up a savory cassoulet or artisan shōchū or whatever, yet so many come to the film page expecting a review of this week's McBurger. Guess what? Tasted pretty much like the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 21, 2012
'Side By Side'
Technological progress comes at us so fast and furious, its claims so inflated, its cautions so ignored, that it's easy to be swept away by the sort of Wired-magazine techno-utopianism in which every leap forward is ipso facto a good thing. But the more mundane reality is simply that if something becomes...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 14, 2012
'The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey(Hobbit: Omoigakenai Bouken)'
OK, I know that some of you out there are anticipating the release of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" more eagerly than the Second Coming, and for you, here's the short review: If you liked Jackson's first three "Lord of the Rings" movies, you'll love this one, too.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2012
'Frankenweenie'
Director Tim Burton started out as an animator at Disney, and after working on such milquetoast projects as "The Fox and The Hound" and "The Black Cauldron" he was greenlighted to develop some of his own stuff. After a few animated shorts, he made his first live-action film at age 25 in 1984, "Frankenweenie."...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 30, 2012
Hashima Island provides the inspiration for a villain's lair
There are a few things no self-respecting 007 super-villain can do without: an exotic beauty who will eventually betray you, a small army of expendable goons, and a way-cool secret lair in which to hatch your dreams of world domination. Bond villain lairs have ranged from Hugo Drax's orbiting space station...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 30, 2012
'Skyfall'
The 007 franchise has been around for 50 years now, and in that time we've seen the good, the bad and the Lazenby. The tendency has been, however, to view the success or failure of each movie as resting entirely on the actor playing super-spy James Bond. People will talk fondly about the rugged, masculine...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 23, 2012
'Hick'
All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl." So wrote Jean-Luc Godard way back in 1961, and some 50 years later people are still testing that theory. The latest young director to do so is Derick Martini, whose "Hick" stars Chloe Grace Moretz ("Hugo," "Kick-Ass") as a jailbait teen runaway, and a Smith...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 16, 2012
'Woody Allen: A Documentary'
Given that Woody Allen pours so much of himself into his films — despite his protests to the contrary — can we really expect to learn more from a documentary? Director Robert B. Weide ("How to Lose Friends & Alienate People") attempts to dig deeper in "Woody Allen: A Documentary," an...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 9, 2012
'Poulet aux Prunes'
Iranian expat author/artist Marjane Satrapi had a breakthrough hit with "Persepolis," her graphic novel about growing up in revolutionary Iran, and she teamed up with director Vincent Paronnaud to bring her story to the big screen in 2007. It worked fantastically well, fully retaining the unique black-and-white...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2012
'3/11 made Japanese treasure the simple and normal things in life'
The notion of a crowd-funded film — whose production is financed by money solicited from potential fans online — has begun to gain a bit of traction, but when it comes to crowd-sourced films, Ridley Scott and his production company Scott Free seem to be one step ahead of everyone else. Their...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2012
'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" is a brain-dead undead movie that takes America's 16th president, the Great Emancipator, and turns him into the Great Decapitator, using his hitherto unknown kung fu fighting skills and silver-tipped axe to dismember dozens of ghouls. One can only imagine what further...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 26, 2012
'A Dangerous Method (Kikenna Mesoddo)'
In the opening scenes of "A Dangerous Method," we find Keira Knightley playing a young woman who is completely, utterly losing it. This is not just a "scream and smash some dishes" movie version of a breakdown, but total gibbering, thrashing, convulsing hysteria. It's frighteningly out of control, and...
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2012
Special screenings and other spinoffs at TIFF
The Special Screenings section at Tokyo International Film Festival is largely made up of films that will soon be opening in Japan anyway, but there are still a few hot tickets this year. With "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away," TIFF has scored the world premiere of this 3-D spectacle featuring the much-loved...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2012
'Argo'
OK, put down your coffee and steady yourself, because you are about to read "Ben Affleck" and "best movie of the year" in the same sentence. Yes, it's true, it wasn't so long ago — somewhere between "Pearl Harbor" and "Gigli" — that Affleck wore out his welcome as a Hollywood A-lister, and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2012
Ahead of TIFF appearance, Corman critical of films 'made for festivals'
The high-minded fare of the film festival circuit and the cheap thrills of B-movie pulp couldn't seem farther apart, but the circuit will be closed when king of the B-movies Roger Corman heads the competition jury at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2012
'The Expendables 2'
The "Expendables" franchise certainly deserves some credit for truth in advertising, although I suppose "The Disposables" or "The Predictables" might have been even more on the mark: This is the sort of generic action movie you're already forgetting as the lights come up.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

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Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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