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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
Jul 16, 2014
Escape From Tomorrow
An audacious kick-in-the-ribs at the Disney kingdom, "Escape From Tomorrow" is cool, cool stuff — albeit in a clunky and kitsch Ed Wood kind of way.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 16, 2014
Les Reines du Ring
French mothers have a reputation for being smoking, skinny bundles of alluring discontent, decked out in black dresses and heels.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 16, 2014
Thor: The Dark World
Director: Alan Taylor
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Jul 14, 2014
In Japan, the 'collapse of the family' is old news
One of the things the Japanese media love to discuss is kazoku no hōkai (家族の崩壊, collapse of the family) — an evergreen topic that's been around since the late 1960s, a time when most urban Japanese families could first afford a television. Academics and tarento (TV personality) commentators...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 10, 2014
'Maleficent'
"Maleficent" takes you on a ride into a non-kiddie realm of betrayal, vengeance and mother-daughter brouhaha. Is that a good thing for a Disney audience? On the other hand, look at "Frozen," which dealt with some sibling rivalry and female empowerment issues. That worked, so there's no reason why "Maleficent"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 9, 2014
Cinema's silent moment with God
If one word could describe "Into Great Silence," what would that be? The film's creator Philip Groning doesn't hesitate when he says, "Monastery." Almost a decade years after its European release, "Into Great Silence" will finally open in Japan this month. In an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 9, 2014
'Into Great Silence'
Imagine a movie that's not a movie at all, but an act of contemplation. This is "Into Great Silence." Sometimes a prayer, more often a rumination, it's a film that sprung from one man's urge for silence. Director Philip Groning wanted to make a documentary about the monks living in the Grande Chartreuse...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 9, 2014
'The Devil's Violinist'
This is a tribute to Niccolo Paganini, the 19th-century violinist often resurrected on screen, mainly for his utter, utter hotness — it was said Paganini didn't make a distinction between the Stradivarius in his hand and whatever lady he happened to fancy at that moment.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 9, 2014
Gossip Girl
Director: Various
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2014
'Edge of Tomorrow'
Some movie stars never let up, and Tom Cruise is a prominent example. In his 50s now, Hollywood's resident Prince Charming is still making action movies with the same laddish physique and boyish smile showcased in the first "Mission: Impossible." Cruise is in nitty-gritty mode this time in sci-fi thriller...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2014
'Ironclad: Battle for Blood' (Ironclad Blood War)
If extraterrestrials visited England in the year 1221, they would have taken one look and gone home. Life was horrible then — full of marauding, armored men, hell-bent on driving the pointy ends of swords into each others' midriffs. That's how "Ironclad: Battle for Blood" portrays medieval living among...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2014
'Downton Abbey'
Directors: Various
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2014
Facing death at the Earth's highest reaches
Peter Hillary was born in 1954, one year after his father, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first men in history to stand on the summit of Mount Everest.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2014
'Beyond the Edge'
Ah yes, adventure movies. We love the plight of the guy who's unlikely to make it, just as much as the sight of him defying the odds.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2014
'Oldboy'
For an Asian female, watching Park Chan-wook's "Oldboy" in 2003 was somewhat agonizing, akin to a wisdom tooth extraction by a dentist with a limited supply of painkillers. Now Spike Lee ("Do the Right Thing," "Miracle at St. Anna") has made a remake under the same name — "Oldboy." This time, the dentist...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2014
'Snowpiercer'
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2014
'Her'
The fact that the promotional poster for "Her" features the lone, male, mustachioed face of Joaquin Phoenix tells you most of what you need to know about this gentlyhorrific tale of the nearfuture. This is a world that very much resembles our own, but taken a little further, in terms of dealing with...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2014
'3 Days to Kill'
This is one terrible movie — the equivalent of a date that any sane woman would avoid like bird flu. Now that I've stuck on the warning label I can relax, and tell you that I secretly loved "3 Days to Kill."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2014
Jobs (Steve Jobs)
Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Jun 15, 2014
True confessions of a bijogā (beautiful jogger)
This is the story of a 39-year-old female runner who works in advertising and runs six times a week.
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

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