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November 23, 2024
 

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Mark Schilling
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 19, 2022
‘Wandering’: Questionable subject matter, handled with care
Zainichi Korean filmmaker Sang-il Lee's drama about the lasting effects of an unconventional attachment between a child and a grown adult reveals the brutal realities of Japanese society.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 12, 2022
‘My Small Land’: An intimate look at an uncertain future
Emma Kawawada's compelling drama about a family of Kurdish refugees in Japan lays bare the emotional toll of Japan's treatment of asylum seekers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 5, 2022
‘Lesson in Murder’: A masterclass in portraying evil
Sadawo Abe delivers a chilling performance as a murderous mastermind in Kazuya Shiraishi's psychological thriller.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 30, 2022
'Bldg. N’: Paranormal scares turn plain silly
Minori Hagiwara's commitment to portraying a college student terrorized by ghosts and cult members isn't enough to rescue Yosuke Goto's increasingly wacky horror film.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 21, 2022
‘xxxHolic’: Over-the-top camp casts a lackluster spell
Mika Ninagawa's film about a superpowered high schooler who is forced to repeat his birthday in a time loop is a visual spectacle that gets bogged down with pat philosophizing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 14, 2022
‘Phoenix Goes On’: Buddy road trip offers fun hijinks
Arata Iura and Ryo Narita play off each other well as two friends on a bizarre quest in the follow-up to Kanata Wolf's 2018 film “Smokin' on the Moon.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2022
‘Kingdom of the Apes’: Corporate power games leave a bloody mess
Shugo Fujii tackles a familiar story line in his new film “Kingdom of the Apes”: An intrepid journalist investigates a coverup, incurring the wrath of the powers-that-be. It is a narrative that was injected with topical relevance in the 2019 hit “The Journalist,” directed by Michihito Fujii (no...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 31, 2022
‘Two Outs Bases Loaded’: Bonehead comedy strikes out
Hirokazu Fujisawa's film about the misadventures of two former high school athletes turned burnouts is silly and predictable.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 26, 2022
‘Mlabri in the Woods’ offers a rare look at former hunter-gatherers
Director Yu Kaneko's documentary about an ethnic group living in the hills of Laos and northern Thailand began with an encounter with a Japanese linguist fluent in the Mlabri language.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 24, 2022
‘To Be Killed by a High School Girl’: Hideo Jojo gives a lesson in ‘ick 101’
Hideo Jojo challenges taboos with black comedy in a twisted film about a teacher plotting his own death at the hands of a student.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 17, 2022
‘Straying’: The realities of a love quadrangle
Rikiya Imaizumi's comedy earns its R15 classification with sex scenes that reveal the honest and even humorous moments in intimate relationships.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 12, 2022
Glimpses of postwar Hayama through a father's eyes
'Hayama 1952-1953 Charles Junkerman,” a book of rare photographs, preserves the everyday lives of the seaside town's citizens in vivid color.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 11, 2022
‘Intimate Stranger’ is a psychological thriller for the pandemic age
Director Mayu Nakamura's background in documentary filmmaking played a part in making the feature, which explores the depths of desperation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2022
'Wedding High’: Nuptial chaos delivers big laughs
The ensemble comedy about a wedding gone wrong has some hilarious moments and digs into the ups and downs of Japanese weddings.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 3, 2022
‘Intimate Stranger’: Asuka Kurosawa makes a triumphant return
The actress delivers a layered performance as a desperate yet calculating woman searching for her lost child in Mayu Nakamura's psychological thriller.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 24, 2022
‘Love Nonetheless’: Sexy romp delivers solid laughs
Hideo Jojo's smart comedy attempts to revive the erotic subgenres of the 1970s with mindful updates for modern audiences.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 24, 2022
Hiroshi Okuhara's ‘Hotel Iris’ is a house of mirrors
The director's film adaptation of Yoko Ogawa's novel, in which Masatoshi Nagase plays a dangerously seductive translator, blurs the line between fantasy and reality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 17, 2022
‘Ribbon’: Non unmasks pandemic frustrations in her first feature
The former “Amachan” actor's film was inspired by the frustration and anger of young people whose lives have come to a standstill because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2022
‘Just Remembering’: Bittersweet romance rings true
Daigo Matsui's romantic drama seems to draw inspiration from a segment from 'Night on Earth,' the 1991 cult classic by Jim Jarmusch and starring Winona Ryder.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 3, 2022
‘Popran’: Toilet humor with a moral message
Shinichiro Ueda's zany comedy about the comeuppance of a man whose genitals fly the coop doesn't quite match the energy of the director's “One Cut of the Dead.”
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Saitama court bans demonstrations over anti-Kurd hate speech
Kurdish people in Japan in 2015. A court injunction has banned acts that defame the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association and are disrespectful, such as putting up banner flags or handing out fliers with hate speech like “Refugees should go back to their home countries.”
China reinstates visa-free travel for Japanese nationals
Beijing Daxing International Airport
U.S. aircraft carrier returns to Japan carrying navy’s ‘most capable fighter’
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher speaks to reporters shortly after the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.

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