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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
Feb 27, 2014
'2 Guns'
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 20, 2014
'Dallas Buyers Club'
Who would have thought Matthew McConaughey was capable of being despicable? The actor formerly mostly noted for turning in performances of unreliable but easy-on-the-eyes boyfriend material ("Contact," "Wedding Planner," "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," etc) could be about to bag his first Oscar with his...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 20, 2014
'The Trials of Cate McCall'
"The Trials of Cate McCall" takes you back to the days of courtroom dramas when cool female legal eagles were played by the likes of Glenn Close and Greta Scacchi, not to mention the original Legal Eagle herself, Debra Winger. Edgy and suggestive, the film throws mostly fast, straight balls that land...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 20, 2014
'Odd Thomas'
Director: Stephen Sommers
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 13, 2014
A butler who brought color to the White House
"The Butler" director Lee Daniels didn't start out as a filmmaker but as an owner of a nursing agency in Los Angeles. "So I know how to gather funds, get the people, and treat filmmaking like a business," he tells The Japan Times. "At the same time, once the filming starts, I can't be just a businessman...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 13, 2014
'The Butler'
Back in 1997, when Steven Spielberg released "Amistad," it was a pretty huge deal for a big-name Hollywood filmmaker to tackle slavery. Now the deal is a lot bigger for Lee Daniels, the second African-American filmmaker in United States history to be nominated for an Oscar (for "Precious" in 2009), who...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 13, 2014
'The Immigrant'
Inspired by his research of white slavery in the early 20th century, James Gray's film focuses on destitute Polish woman Ewa (wrenchingly portrayed by Marion Cotillard), who migrates to the United States in 1921 and is forcibly separated from her sick sister upon arrival. Preyed upon by men, the only...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 13, 2014
'Upside Down'
Director: Juan Solanas
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 9, 2014
Chocolates and funerals, when Japanese lack for love
They say February is the month of love but take it from one who knows — the Japanese have become increasingly suspicious of the whole Barentain (バレンタイン, Valentine's) thing as just another marketing ploy to open womens' purses. And what with the consumption tax kicking in, chances are we'll...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2014
Could 'Snowpiercer' be Bong's ticket out of Korea?
There's a scene in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic sci-fi fable "Snowpiercer" that turns the tables on how Western audiences perceive non-English-speaking Asian characters in what is — for all intents and purposes — a Hollywood production.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2014
'Rush (Rush: Pride to Yujo)'
Race-car drivers and astronauts share many things in common: Both drivers and cosmonauts battle gravity, speed and air pressure. Death or heavy injuries are always a risk. But race-car drivers are of course much sexier, which is probably why bikini-clad girls and race queens hang out at the race track...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2014
'The Following: The First Season'
Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2014
'Snowpiercer'
Snowpiercer" is the film that takes a hammer to climate-change denial. A sometimes whimsical but mostly horrible sci-fi simulation of what could happen in the event of a global-warming catastrophe, the story of "Snowpiercer" kicks off in 2014. And now that the U.N. is reportedly preparing a warning that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2014
Crushing drama through the eyes of little Maisie
Filmmakers Scott McGehee and David Siegel aren't known for blockbusters, but their films, including the duo's 1994 debut feature "Suture," have a reputation for artful framing and pensive little spaces of silence in the dialogue. McGehee and Siegel attribute this trick to their deep admiration for Japanese...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2014
'What Maisie Knew (Maisie no Hitomi)'
What Maisie Knew" is based on the 1897 novel by Henry James. Then and now, "What Maisie Knew" deals with child-neglect, abandonment and just general, sharper-than-a-serpent's-tooth bad behavior on the part of the parents. You want to think that such parents will look back in their old age and writhe...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2014
'A Five Star Life'
Unless one has a lot of wealth at handy disposal, one goes through a fair share of less than luxury hotels. Though in my case, "less" tends to lean toward "vastly less." Anyway, here's the story of a woman whose job is to stay at the best hotels in the world. Nice, huh? "A Five Star Life" traces a few...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2014
'The Lone Ranger'
Director: Gore Verbinski
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2014
'American Hustle'
Being an American is an art form and the path is long and arduous, as we see all too plainly in "American Hustle," a huge, sloppy American Dream saga set in 1978. Based loosely on the famed "Abscam" scandal that put several congressmen behind bars ("Some of this actually happened," the movie informs...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2014
'Thor: The Dark World"
Another year, another Marvel movie. The story begins several thousand years ago, when the warriors of Asgard stop the Dark Elves from using their mega-weapon, the Aether, to destroy the universe. Elf leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) escapes and lies low for a few millenniums.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2014
Star Trek Into Darkness
Director: J.J. Abrams
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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Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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