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July 16, 2024
 

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Mark Schilling
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 Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 28, 2022
Japanese films to look out for in 2022
Hollywood will see strong competition from domestic fare, including Makoto Shinkai's “Suzume no Tojimari” and Naomi Kawase's documentary on the Tokyo Olympics, at the box office this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 27, 2022
‘The World of You’: Director returns to the complexities of youth
Akihiko Shiota's drama, which features two former members of idol-pop group Sakura Gakuin as teenagers who develop an intense bond, presents the delicate nature of relationships with nuance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2022
‘Prior Convictions’: Probation workers and ex-cons tug at the heartstrings
Yoshiyuki Kishi's film about Japan's parole system is a well-intentioned account of the struggles ex-convicts face in the transition to normal life.
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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