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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
Dec 10, 2014
Love, Rosie: 'Astringently fresh look at teenage intimacy'
Bad timing, bad decisions and a whole lot of fidgeting follow the relationship trail of best friends Alex (Sam Claflin) and Rosie (Lilly Collins) — two kids in Dublin who have been holding hands since the age of 5. They share their most intimate secrets, and when Alex loses his virginity, Rosie is...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 10, 2014
Maleficent
Director: Robert Stromberg Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2014
Honeymoon: 'An atmospheric and beautifully shot horror'
It's rare to bump into a solid horror story in the same way it's hard to stumble across a really good cafe. "Honeymoon," by first-time director Leigh Janiak, is just that find. It's atmospheric and beautifully shot, with an ambivalent ending that leaves you wanting more.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2014
The Love Punch: 'The first husband is always the best of the lot'
Emma Thompson has got to be one of the most likable people on the planet. Putting aside her acting prowess, she just comes off as incredibly nice and even manages to ooze a sense of the British upper class without turning into Mrs. Dalloway. In heaven, I get to have tea with her and nibble on her freshly...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2014
Modern Family
Language: English
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 1, 2014
Reality took the shine off Abe's hopes for women in 2014
So this is what I heard: This past year, women were supposedly kagaiteiru (輝いている, shining) in Japan — and their sheen is part of a national policy to value and honor the Japanese female. Excuse me for saying so, but "Usssooo! (うっそおお!, That's a lie!)" As my friend Naoko likes to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 26, 2014
Documentaries at the margins of modern life
There is no film festival in Japan quite like the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 26, 2014
Monica Z: 'Shaky rise of Sweden's best-loved chanteuse'
Swedish jazz singer Monica Zetterlund was her country's best-loved chanteuse, but she wanted more. And the one thing that gave her a chance at global stardom? She could sing in English without a European accent.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 26, 2014
Dhoom 3: 'Bollywood and Hollywood in equal portions'
The first "Dhoom" (2004) was more Bollywood than serious action movie, and then "Dhoom: 2" (2006) upped the ante by bringing in some A-list actors and easing off the dancing. Now, with the third edition to the series, it seems director/co-writer Vijay Krishna Acharya has finally got all the dials in...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 26, 2014
Edge of Tomorrow (All You Need is Kill)
Director: Doug Liman Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 19, 2014
Big Bad Wolves: 'A story so dark the Brothers Grimm are no doubt seething with jealously'
A parent's worst fear is that their children will be abducted, violated and murdered. It keeps them awake at night, gnaws on the fringes of their conscience and can alter the way they look at life and the world — sometimes irreparably. "Big Bad Wolves" banks on this fear and turns it into a story...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 19, 2014
Moms' Night Out (Japan title: Otona no Joshikai Night Out — Hitsuji)
Directors: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 13, 2014
Atom Egoyan raises demons in 'Devil's Knot'
When three children were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1993, the case quickly developed into a massive media spectacle.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 13, 2014
Devil's Knot
One summer afternoon in 1993, three young boys named Stevie, Christopher and Michael went to play at a local nature spot called Robin Hood Hills in West Memphis, Arkansas. Stevie's mom, Pam (Reese Witherspoon), told him to be home by 4:30 p.m., but the exchange was the last she would ever have with her...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2014
The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet: 'He may be a blonde American boy but he has the soul of a self-effacing Zen monk'
In "The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet," the running-away letter 10-year-old T.S. Spivet (Kyle Catlett) leaves for his parents has got to be one of the most moving epistles in cinema history. Brimming with modesty, formal but warmly polite, it could have been written by a nice Japanese son. "I have...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2014
Paranoia: 'Youth and prettiness are no match for crusty, case-hardened menace'
"Paranoia" could almost be described as a spinoff of "The Expendables," only the oldsters are sitting behind mahogany desks instead of firing machine guns. This sounds boring, but it isn't, really. Consider the premise: Harrison Ford (with not one hair on his head) and Gary Oldman (looking evil and spiffy)...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2014
Police Story 2013 (Japan title: Police Story: Legend)
Director: Sheng Ding Language: Mandarin (subtitled in English)
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 10, 2014
Widening income gap has everything to do with the price of eggs
When it comes to okane (お金, money), the Japanese have always been a little ambivalent. For one thing, what do we call it? The character for kane (金) does mean cash but it can also mean gold, metal and many other things that glitter. People also refer to money as oashi (お足, literally: "reverent...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 5, 2014
A more potent beauty, a more complex beast
Some people under 40 are likely to think "Beauty and the Beast" is a classic story created by Disney in 1991. But that animated movie, which has enthralled millions of little girls and boys (and many of their parents, too), was actually based on a hefty novel by France's Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 5, 2014
Sabotage: 'One of Schwarzenegger's bleakest, most violent films'
I owe Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cinematically speaking, he shaped part of my youth and set the gold standard for what male muscles should look like. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" was my secret bible. For a while, I was deeply interested in guys who wore leather and rode Harley-Davidsons (preferably a Fat...
South Korea couple beat same-sex barriers to parenthood
South Korean lesbian couple Kim Kyu-jin (left) and her wife, Kim Sae-yeon, pose with a "pregnant woman" badge during an interview in Seoul last month.
Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
Opportunities await the bold in the Year of the Wood Dragon
2024 marks the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac, with the year predicted to be a good time for fresh starts.
Japan pharma startup developing world-first drug to grow new teeth
A new tooth is seen in a ferret's mouth after it was administered a drug to stimulate the growth of tooth buds.
Don’t worry about global population collapse
Most projections show the world will hit peak humanity in the 21st century as people choose to have smaller families and women gain power over their own reproduction.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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