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July 17, 2024
 

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Kaori Shoji
Kaori Shoji writes about movies and movie-makers for the Film Page, plus takes a turn at the Bilingual Column. Biggest mistake of her career: taking the very dignified Nagisa Oshima to McDonald's for an iced coffee.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 31, 2013
The blessing and the curse of being Steve Jobs
Filmmaker Joshua Michael Stern has the distinction of directing "Jobs," the first big-budget movie biopic on one of the world's most important entrepreneurs: Steve Jobs. The film was bound to come under extreme scrutiny from avid Apple fans, of whom there are many, and so Stern takes a cautious approach,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 31, 2013
'Jobs'
The centerpiece of "Jobs" isn't really Steve Jobs but the portrayal of Steve Jobs by Ashton Kutcher — whose fame heretofore had rested largely on the fact that he was married to Demi Moore. Who would have thought the guy who oozes Hollywood charm and toy-boy insincerity from every invisible pore had...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 31, 2013
'42'
In America today, black players can be found in every sport. But back in 1946 there were no black athletes, especially not in baseball, the "white man's sport." Director Brian Helgeland ("A Knight's Tale") zeroes in on the African-American player who kicked down the door of segregation to sign up for...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 31, 2013
'The Big Bang Theory Season 1'
Director: Various
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2013
Trading identity for compassion in the Middle East
Filmmaker Lorraine Lévy likes to tread lightly wherever she goes. Her aversion to intrusiveness affects the way she looks at the world, and defines her approach to filmmaking. It's certainly a significant part of "Le Fils de l'Autre (The Other Son)," Lévy's latest film (and arguably her most successful),...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2013
'Le Fils de l'Autre'
You'd think it would be impossible to make a movie about Israeli-Palestinian issues that was not mired in political arguments. But filmmaker Lorraine Levy ("London Mon Amour") has done just that. In a simple, lovingly shot film about two families, Levy gently takes the bull by the horns and has it sit...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2013
'Safe Haven'
You know that when you get sweeping-romance novelist Nicholas Sparks ("The Notebook") teaming up with sweeping-romance filmmaker Lasse Hallstrom ("Cider House Rules") you're in for some major sweeping, on par with the Sunday morning cleanup volunteers in Roppongi. The poster for "Safe Haven" promises...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2013
'The Great Gatsby (Karei Naru Gatsby)'
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Japan Times
LIFE
Oct 22, 2013
Mike Mills looks at depression in Japan
Among all the many trips American film director Mike Mills has made to Japan since he first started coming here in the mid 1990s, one incident in particular has remained with him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 17, 2013
Terajima brings legacy to TIFF
The 40-year-old is a dramatic force, with undiluted acting DNA coursing through her veins. Her father is kabuki actor Onoe Kikugoro VII, whose family lineage can be traced back seven centuries. Her mother is treasured actress Sumiko Fuji, whose own father was a famed producer for Toei Films.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 17, 2013
'Does Your Soul Have a Cold?'
Getting the Japanese to talk about their emotions is said to be like pulling teeth, but getting depressed Japanese to bare their souls is like unlocking the mysteries of quantum physics. And yet in the documentary "Does Your Soul Have a Cold?," "Thumbsucker" director Mike Mills does just that. A cinematic...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 17, 2013
'Diana'
Among the crimes committed against Britain's Princess Diana by her husband Charles was his letting slip in the royal circle that she was boring. Unfortunately, the movie "Diana" confirms his accusation. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (best known for his Hitler movie "Downfall"), "Diana" is the portrayal...
CULTURE / Film
Oct 17, 2013
'Bullet to the Head'
Director: Walter Hill
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 13, 2013
What we talk about when we talk about the Olympics
If you're lamenting the number of kōji (工事, construction works) clogging Tokyo streets and coating your lungs with toxic fumes, you can lump at least part of the blame on the Olympics, slated to happen in the summer of 2020. And take comfort in the fact that in the years leading up to the last...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 10, 2013
'Violet & Daisy'
Roses are red, but violets are crimson. As for daisies, well they're caked with dark blood. That pretty much describes "Violet & Daisy," a tale of two teenage girls in the contract-killing business. Elegant, imaginative and effortlessly stylish, the film comes off like a little black dress splattered...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 10, 2013
'Day is Done'
"I hope you're alive when I see you again. Ciao." That's one of the messages left on the home answering machine of filmmaker Thomas Imbach ("Mary Queen of Scots") who made a little autobiographical detour in an auspicious film career with "Day is Done."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 10, 2013
'The Possession'
Director: Ole Bornedal
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2013
Double the trouble, twice the joy for Japan's hafu
Until about 10 years ago, the standard Japanese image of kids of mixed blood was that they were 1) gorgeous, 2) rich and 3) able to live in Japan with none of the kinks and hang out at Azabu clubs when they were 13. In high school, my girlfriends scorned their own Japanese heritage. The common reply...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2013
'Hafu'
Around one in 49 babies born in Japan today are of mixed heritage. That's a surprising figure considering that the country was closed off to foreigners for close to three centuries, way back when.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2013
'L'Ecume des Jours'
Lovingly crafted by Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), modern cinema's DIY auteur, "L'Ecume des Jours" is a celebration of the nicely weird. Gondry has always loved and nurtured society's attractive misfits, wonderful people who happen to be allergic to office cubicles or one-night...
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.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
China’s economic growth comes in worse than expected
Pedestrians in the Wangfujing shopping area in Beijing on July 11, 2024. China's economic growth in the second quarter was lower than forecast, adding pressure on Chinese leaders to lift confidence at the Chinese Communist Party's third plenum this week.
Kansai airports to increase takeoff and landing slots ahead of Osaka Expo
Kansai International Airport in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. The upper limit on the number of takeoff and landing slots at the airport as well as Kobe Airport in Hyogo Prefecture will be raised in spring next year ahead of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.
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.
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

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

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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