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November 22, 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
Apr 8, 2015
Woody Allen's sweet tooth, polished till it shines
In an interview back in the late 1990s Woody Allen described himself as "thin but fun," and the exact same thing could be said about many of his movies — doubly so for his latest film "Magic in the Moonlight." This pleasant, diverting film is a sweet hit to the senses before it melts away in your memory...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Apr 8, 2015
Documentary on Japanese 'war brides' is gaining steam
The documentary-film scene just keeps getting better, and here's one recent example that strikes a chord. Three women (Kathryn Tolbert, Lucy Craft and Karen Kasmauski) — all first-born daughters of Japanese war brides who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s to wed Americans — have gotten together...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 1, 2015
'Pride' is a brilliant film that comes before the fall of U.K. mining
The lesbian and gay communities have come a long, long way in both real life and cinema, and "Pride" is evidence of that. The film is set in 1984-85 England, when miners across the country went on strike to protest the government's closing of a large number of mines and the loss of more than 20,000 jobs....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 25, 2015
Jean-Marc Vallee's interlocking tales of heartbreak and lovesickness
It can be hard to find a movie with soul, but "Cafe de Flore" may have too much. This 2011 film by Quebecois filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee tells an ambitious multilayered story that explores love and the idea of soulmates across two eras and cities.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 25, 2015
Ex-MMA fighter Gina Carano whips 'In the Blood' into submission
If you like watching strong athletic women in film, look no further than "In the Blood." Former mixed martial artist Gina Carano not only stars here, she practically whips this movie into weepy submission. Though I wasn't the one getting beaten up by her considerably large fists, 20 minutes in it felt...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 25, 2015
Disappointment, delusion and eternal love in 'Cafe de Flore'
Jean-Marc Vallee, whose "Dallas Buyers Club" bagged three Oscars last year, released a film in 2011 called "Cafe de Flore." The two works are radically different in style and content but it feels like they share a common thread. In both films, Vallee treats love as a precious, mysterious and ultimately...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 25, 2015
The Expendables 3
Director: Patrick Hughes Language: English
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 23, 2015
Where did all the Japanese fathers go?
Aside from ikumen (イクメン, men who play a role in raising their children), Nihon no otōsan (日本のお父さん, Japanese fathers) are a pretty sad lot. The vast majority of them have been and continue to be kaya no soto (蚊帳の外, literally "outside the mosquito net," meaning "left out")...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 18, 2015
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
It isn't the greatest of franchises but that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to "Night at the Museum." The third and final installment, "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb," of the zany, entertainment-for-all vehicle also marks the last screen appearance of Robin Williams, who died last...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 18, 2015
Clown: 'father trapped in a clown costume begins to hunt children'
Fans of horror, rejoice: "Clown" is a horrifically effective sampling from the genre, and definitely not for solitary viewing. It's probably best to get a posse of friends and plan on a party afterwards because this will induce a serious scream-fest with weeping on the side. Yes, it's that scary.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 18, 2015
Blended (Japan title: Kozureja Damekashira)
Director: Frank Coraci Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2015
Capturing Raf Simons and the ghost of Christian Dior
You may not "J'adore Dior," but it's hard not to be fascinated by the goings on within the French fashion house, which is now one of the fashion industry's two remaining haute couture maisons.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2015
The Terrorizers: 'a masterpiece about Taiwan under the influence of money and globalization'
Along with Hou Hsiao-hsien and Tsai Ming-liang, Edward Yang was one of the leading auteurs of Taiwan's New Wave Cinema. Yang, who died in 2007, was considered one of the most talented filmmakers of his generation and though most of his titles never made it the U.S., he was respected by film buffs and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2015
Jessabelle: 'she doesn't have a whole lot going for her'
Although "Jessabelle" was all set for a nationwide release in the U.S. in 2014, the powers that be decided to shelve her. There she was, gathering dust, when Blumhouse Productions (known for its low-budget films) picked it up for a VOD release two months ago. Then she crossed the Pacific to show in theaters...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2015
Sabotage
Director: David Ayer Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 4, 2015
Coming Home: 'a woman victimized by Chinese politics, who retains an inner core of resilience'
"Coming Home" celebrates two relationships: the one depicted in the movie, of a man reuniting with his wife after two decades in prison during China's Cultural Revolution, and the other of director Zhang Yimou partnering once again with his iconic leading lady Gong Li. Together, the pair made their international...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 4, 2015
Diplomacy: 'arguing, raging and spluttering over the destruction of Paris'
One of the miracles of World War II was the preservation of Paris. In 1944, as the Allies drew close, "the City of Light" only narrowly missed being totally demolished by the Nazis.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 4, 2015
Hercules
Director: Brett Ratner Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 25, 2015
Chef: 'battle cry of an artist who dreams of being his own master'
Heads up to "Iron Man" fans, "Chef" is director Jon Favreau's fabulous stress-vanquishing vehicle after all his superhero ventures, and it lets off more steam than all the potholes in New York City. There is not one superhero sighting here. Although "Iron Man" himself, Robert Downey Jr., makes an appearance,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 25, 2015
Annabelle: 'a low-budget porcelain Satan from doll hell'
Now that "Ted" has made it OK for stuffed animals to have a life and hang out with Mark Wahlberg, you'd think cinema would open that door to dolls as well. No such luck: Annabelle, a creepy girl doll resembling Chucky from "Child's Play," turns out to be a porcelain Satan from doll hell.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world
mission sustainability vol.12 : Kose Corp.Kose takes pride in creating beauty in the world

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