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

Apr 19, 2007

'Babel' role simply 'had to be me'

Rinko Kikuchi reveals how she clung to movies like a lifeline during her tumultuous teenage years, and now she views acting as her way of returning the favor -- while director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu says she was robbed of an Oscar

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 13, 2007

Not afraid to mention the war

Filmmaker Roland Suso Richter grew up in Berlin at a time when the Wall and all its connotations had full impact on its citizens. "Being a child in Berlin meant growing up entrenched in war and history. There was no escape from it, it was a part of life," Richter says.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 13, 2007

German movies are making headway into mainstream international cinema ("Perfume" and "Head On" leap to the mind), opening up a new window from which to view stories of love, obsession, history and war. "Dresden" takes all these themes and weaves them into one episode: the bombing of Dresden during World...

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Apr 10, 2007

Pass the pills to get me through spring's upheavals

Most things go through upheaval in spring, especially so in Japan.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 30, 2007

A woman with fur around her neck and her hair decorated by a huge corsage has her profile tilted toward a man. Her rouged lips are slightly parted and her lashes cast a seductive shadow on her cheek. This is it: a perfect 1930s film-noir moment. She could be Lauren Bacall; he could be Humphrey Bogart....

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 23, 2007

If nothing else, "Step Up" is a great inducement to hit the gym. Or the barre. And the yoga mat. Anything in fact, to tighten those upper body muscles and get those abs to pop out.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 16, 2007

'A positive impostor'

Israeli filmmaker Radu Mihaileanu has only three feature films to his name, but is known for a solid international reputation, the kind of director whose works are eagerly awaited for in film festivals from Toronto to Berlin. Even so, he was surprised by the interest and enthusiasm over his latest, "Va,...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 16, 2007

'Va, vis et deviens'

On the surface, "Va, vis et deviens" is a political story, drawing from a little-known chunk of history called "Operation Moses." In 1984, 80,000 Ethiopian Jews (known as "Falasha") were airlifted from their native land to Israel in an effort to save them from drought and famine. That incident is a starting...

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Mar 13, 2007

What women want is to be treated 'like a girl'

Since the Danjyo Koyo Kikai Kinto Ho (Equal Employment Opportunity Law) kicked in two decades ago, it's become the norm for women to work as hard and long as men, though not necessarily under the same conditions. Accordingly, money matters between danjyo (men and women) have become a lot more complicated....

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 9, 2007

'Two Sons of Francisco'

At times the tried and true formula works best and this is certainly the case in "Two Sons of Francisco," a Brazilian box-office superhit that had the whole nation rushing to the theaters -- over 5.5. million.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 2, 2007

'Paris, je t'aime'

It's a collage of miniatures, a collection of gemlike vignettes. In "Paris, je t'aime," 21 directors of various nationalities create 18 bite-size shorts (the longest being five minutes) about Paris, each one named after a Parisian neighborhood. Like a plate of hors d'oeuvres from a five-star restaurant...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Feb 23, 2007

'The Secret Life of Words'

There are some things that defy and/or reject the use of words, some occurrences in life that just refuse to be caged within the frames of meaning and logic. Still, philosophers and writers stake their faith in words and its cathartic effects; Jean-Paul Sartre once wrote that to "speak and express oneself...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Feb 16, 2007

The great Sarah Bernhardt said all women are actresses in one way or another, and "Being Julia" explores every facet of that quote.

CULTURE / Film

Feb 16, 2007

Conquering the audience

Hungarian filmmaker Istvan Szabo has the distinction of being the only person from his country to receive an Oscar (for his 1981 work "Mephisto").

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Feb 9, 2007

'The World's Fastest Indian'

One of the more intriguing things about Anthony Hopkins -- despite all his success and knighthood -- is that you get the feeling he's not really interested in reaping the benefits of stardom. That deep down, he's a classic workaholic who does the job for the sheer love of it and the trappings don't matter....

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Feb 2, 2007

'Shooting Dogs'

When Hitler got his collaborators together and proposed the genocide of Jews, one of the things he said to justify the act was that before long the world will forget the whole thing. He is famed for having cited the example of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1917, in which around a million people were estimated...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jan 26, 2007

"Election" is so hard-boiled you'll need a shovel to crack its surface. It's so male they should have a warning sign for female audiences. And not just any male either, but the silent, unexpressive, tradition-entrenched ASIAN male. Directed by Hong Kong actionmeister Johnny To, "Election" reveals the...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jan 19, 2007

'Marie Antoinette'

A recurring scene in "Marie Antoinette" shows the young princess (or "Dauphine" as she was referred to in the Versailles Court) with her head leaning against the window of her carriage, looking out at the passing scenery, or craning her neck to look at the sky. She doesn't speak, and the soundtrack is...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jan 12, 2007

'Lucky Number Slevin'

"Lucky Number Slevin" is slick and frosty: nice to look at but you don't want to get too close. Like that effortlessly attractive, straight-A guy in high school, "Lucky" seemingly has no bumps or flaws and ultimately no soul -- it impresses the hell out of you and leaves it at that. After the oohing...

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Jan 9, 2007

Holidays bring back that lovin' feelin' for work

There's something about the Japanese new year that saps all the energy out of a woman and plunges her into despair. It's little wonder that many a working girl returns to the office after the holidays, heaves a sigh of relief and mutters "shigoto shiteta hoga mashi dawa (it's easier to work)" before...

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The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'

By Tomoko Otake

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