Kaori Shoji - The Japan Times

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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

Jun 10, 2015

Zach Braff on the many woes of American dads and crowdfunding

The American dad is doing well, even if he is not what he used to be. Despite the lasting effects of the Great Recession on the U.S. economy and all the other bad stuff that undermines the morale of American males, he is still around — you'll see the evidence in "Wish I Was Here."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jun 3, 2015

Should Adam Sandler be slapped for 'The Cobbler'?

There have been times when I've thought that the reason I was put on the Earth was to keep a strict watch on Adam Sandler. There he was, being his rude, crude, fidgety self with bad posture, and there I was in the screening room, ready to jump into the movie to smash him over the nose with a fly swatter....

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle

Jun 3, 2015

Festival of off-center European films comes to Tokyo and Kyoto

One of the main goals of a film festival is to show movies that audiences won't get to see otherwise. For the festival operators there's another objective: testing reactions to films and stories, and using that information for marketing purposes. And with the number of film festivals being held in Japan...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 27, 2015

Capturing the grief and confusion of an immigrant Asian mother

Asian mothers always seem to overdo it — both in real life and in cinema.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 27, 2015

The mysterious appeal of bras, cleavage and singing teenagers in 'Pitch Perfect'

'Pitch Perfect" is a lively, likable movie. I'm not saying that out of a fear of sounding like a curmudgeonly granny who has to Google "peach slapped" to know what it means — but there's always that risk.

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

May 25, 2015

Tried and trusted cures for May's hay fever, chills and ira ira

Despite the glorious weather, the azaleas in full bloom and traditional spring treats that grace the table this month, May is tinged with sorrow.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 21, 2015

The must-see list is long at Short Shorts film fest

When it comes to getting a movie fix these days, more people opt for their computer screens than venturing outside to a theater. Hollywood has countered this trend with a slew of 3-D blockbusters and cinematic largesse, but how does the short film fare?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 20, 2015

Danish filmmaker's emotional, queasy 'Second Chance'

Scandinavian countries consistently come out tops on the happiness index but Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier ("Love is All You Need") continues in her apparent quest to dig up the darkest muck in the river bed of the human soul. If you're familiar with Bier's world, you'll know how her characters always...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 20, 2015

Blomkamp's sentimental 'Chappie' comes alive

'Chappie" could almost be described as "Three Thugs and a Baby Bot." Though the story raises Isaac Asimov-like issues of good vs. evil in the context of robot technology and its human creators, philosophy takes a back seat as family sentiments sashay to center stage. The titular character is a robot...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle

May 20, 2015

"Inside Architecture — Dare mo Shiranai Kenchiku no Hanashi" is a fascinating look at the relationship between money and city planning, economy and architecture. The filmmaker behind this formidable documentary is 38-year-old Tomomi Ishiyama, a Fulbright scholar who studied at New York City University...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 13, 2015

As Geki×Cine raises its game, Amami goes into battle for her man

Geki×Cine isn't really film and it isn't theater, but rather an intriguing blend of the two. With geki meaning "stage," and "cine" representing film, the finished productions are shown on the big screen. So are they stage-to-screen adaptations? Most certainly not. More accurately, they are stage plays...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 13, 2015

'Ao no Ran' is a riproaring rhapsody in blue

"Ao no Ran" is the latest in the popular Geki×Cine series. To cut a long story short, Geki×Cine is a filmed stage production, but one done so meticulously that not a single moment of relevance or emotion is lost in the translating process.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 7, 2015

Acting brings magic to otherwise flat script

"Horns" is a stewing, blood-infused cauldron of atmospheric horror — and you can expect no less from director Alexandre Aja whose track record so far is frightening ("Piranha 3D," "High Tension"). With "Horns," however, Aja has ventured into adaptation territory (up till now, he had mostly worked on...

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

May 4, 2015

Dating in Japan never used to be this difficult — or creepy

It's spring and love should be in the air. But it's a bad, bad time to be out there in the dating scene.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 29, 2015

Will Smith gets under a waterfall of money in 'Focus'

Will Smith rarely smiles when he isn't running around in a "Men in Black" film. Which is a shame, because comedy and Smith seem like a natural match, especially when he is paired with Tommy Lee Jones, his trusted curmudgeon buddy in the MIB series.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 29, 2015

Tiny House documentary makes Tokyo apartments look like palaces

"Small is Beautiful" is a documentary about the TH (Tiny House) movement, the latest underground trend in housing and real estate in the U.S. In the next few years, though, TH could go mainstream thanks to a growing online community that shares information about what's on the TH market and how to actually...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 22, 2015

Ukraine's young actress in a coded world without sound

Yana Novikova is a 21-year-old Ukranian actress who was born deaf. She is one of the leads in "The Tribe," a near-silent film starring a cast of deaf actors who communicate only through sign and body language. There are no subtitles.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 22, 2015

OMG, are GMOs altering our bodies?

Oh, for the innocent days of old, when one could lick ice cream cones or eat cupcakes with pink icing without thinking anything except "Do I get seconds?" Nowadays, no eating experience can be defined by such blissful ignorance, unless you want to get in the fast lane to the land of obesity, Type 2 diabetes,...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 15, 2015

The trauma of becoming exceptional

Long before it won three Oscars and was nominated for best picture, "Whiplash" — about the mesmerizing and often inexplicable relationship between a music student and his demonically obsessive teacher— had created a big stir in Japan. Media darling and California-based film critic Tomohiro...

CULTURE / Film

Apr 15, 2015

'The Search' for a reprieve from war in Chechnya

Prestigious film awards are often a kiss of death. After all the commotion and red-carpet moments of glory, the winners may fade away or become the victims of attacks launched by the media. Such is the case with Michel Hazanavicius, who bagged a totally-out-of-left-field Oscar for best director in 2012...

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

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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