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July 16, 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
Sep 22, 2004
It's a thin line between love and hate
Monster Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Patty Jenkins Running time: 109 minutes Language: English Opens Sept. 25 [See Japan Times movie listings] Aileen Wuornos is often tagged the first female serial killer and the first U.S. woman to receive the death penalty neither is true,...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 16, 2004
Womanlike, manlike -- beware what you ask for
Elsewhere in the world, social distinctions between men and women erode on a daily basis, but in Japan, they still endure. Women are expected to be "onna-rashii (womanly)," men must go by "otoko-rashii (manly)" codes of conduct, and to hell with political correctness. And you know something? We actually...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 15, 2004
A robot could have scripted this
I, Robot Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Alex Proyas Running time: 115 minutes Language: English Opens Sept. 18 [See Japan Times movie listings] When was the last time you were enthralled by a big-budget sci-fi flick?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2004
Tangled in the helix
Code 46 Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Michael Winterbottom Running time: 93 minutes Language: English Opens Sept. 11 [See Japan Times movie listings] In "Code 46," the dynamics of boy-meets-girl is explained not as destiny but as a genetic consequence. In the near-future world...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 1, 2004
Teenager kicks against family
Igby Goes Down Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Burr Steers Running time: 98 minutes Language: English Opens Sept. 11 [See Japan Times movie listings] Watching "Igby Goes Down," I couldn't help thinking how I had wasted my youth on petty things like college and waitressing when I...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 26, 2004
The Showa days: Were they really that good?
True to their inherent sentimentality, the Japanese often get all misty-eyed about times past. Lately the phrase "furuki yoki Showa (the good old Showa days)" has been bandied about. But, one is inclined to ask, were the Showa days really as good as the media would have us believe?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 25, 2004
A young woman's feminist primer
Mona Lisa Smile Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Mike Newell Running time: 119 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings]
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 18, 2004
Minds lost over teenage murderer
The United States of Leland Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Matthew Ryan Hoge Running time: 108 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "The United States of Leland" has a difficult story to tell, but first-time director Matthew Ryan Hoge tries...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 11, 2004
In love with a beautiful woman
L'Histoire de Marie et Julien Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Jacques Rivette Running time: 150 minutes Language: French Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Among French directors, Jacques Rivette seems to have an enduring fascination for la femme -- and that's saying...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 5, 2004
Japanese in need of a break from summer break
Here's the real reason why the Japanese summer vacation is so short (for many, it's a matter of four or five days): the natsuyasumi (summer break) is essentially full of stress and if it were any longer, people up and down Japan would likely pop veins en masse.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 4, 2004
Parental advisory: hormonal overdose highly probable
La Bande du Drugstore Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Francois Armanet Running time: 94 minutes Language: French Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Love is never having to say I love you, goes the tone of "La Bande du Drugstore," a love story in which the couple meet...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 28, 2004
Women on the verge of adoption
Casa de los babys Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: John Sayles Running time: 95 minutes Language: English/Spanish Opens July 31 [See Japan Times movie listings] Gender roles are becoming increasingly fuzzy, even in Hollywood. As women go all out for traditionally male stuff (murderous...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 21, 2004
Dancing as hard as they can
The Company Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Robert Altman Running time: 112 minutes Language: English Opens July 24 [See Japan Times movie listings] What does it mean to be a ballet dancer who lives, breathes and looks to be ready to die for his or her art?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 15, 2004
High-flying names a far cry from good old days
Like people elsewhere in the world, the Japanese have a fondness for the good old days. My great-grandfather's "good old days" were the 1920s, a time when there were public rose gardens in Hongo, with bushes imported directly from Kew Gardens in London. That was a time when rickshaws pulled up alongside...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 14, 2004
Little House on the Pavement
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Shane Meadows Running time: 104 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] A woman is caught between her bad-boy, rock 'n' roll ex-husband and the sweet, adoring current lover in "Once...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2004
Director sends his love to Huppert
La Vie promise Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Olivier Dahan Running time: 93 minutes Language: French Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "La Vie promise (The Promised Life)" is not really a movie, but a love letter from director Olivier Dahan to actress Isabelle Huppert...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 30, 2004
Heaven knows she looks miserable now
Adolphe Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Benoit Jacquot Running time: 103 minutes Language: French Opens July 3 [See Japan Times movie listings] Wordiness is a problem with many literary adaptations. In the effort to remain loyal to the original work, some cram in more dialogue than...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 24, 2004
By the way, how do I look with this raw fish?
There's sushi, and then there's SUSHI. There's the kind you eat in a noisy, friendly atmosphere with all the prices written out in big black characters and taped to the walls. If you feel the act of reading and choosing is too much, just ask for any one of the various sushi setto (sets), depicted in...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 23, 2004
It's all in the pursuit
Toy Love Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Japanese title: Neko wa Nandemo Shitteiru Director: Harry Sinclair Running time: 88 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] For once, the Japanese title works better than the original -- the New Zealand movie called...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 16, 2004
Follow this flowery Lane
Under the Tuscan Sun Rating: * * * (out of 5) Director: Audrey Wells Running time: 112 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Sometimes, when you've reached a certain age, love's not enough. It's gotta be supported with real estate. This is the moral...
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
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.
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.
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
China and Russia conduct joint Pacific military patrol
The Russian corvette Gromkiy enters the Chinese port of Zhanjiang as part of a joint China-Russia naval exercise on Saturday.
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.
How to tweak your diet when temperatures spike
Most people think of hydration as a strictly liquid-based concept, but eating foods with high water content is an essential part of making it through a Japanese summer unscathed.

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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