Tag - film

 
 

FILM

Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Mar 13, 2019
Takashi Murakami: The face of Japanese contemporary art abroad, underappreciated at home
In Tokyo alone, Murakami's commercial work can be seen in the official mascots for the Roppongi Hills complex and Tokyo MX TV station.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 9, 2019
Actor Jussie Smollett indicted over lying to Chicago police about false hate-crime assault
A grand jury in Chicago has returned a 16-count felony indictment against television actor Jussie Smollett, accusing him of falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of a hate-crime assault, according to court documents made public on Friday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Mar 7, 2019
Seeking out Japanese movies at a film festival in Bangalore
Going to Bangalore, a city of more than 10 million people in India's south, to spend five days watching movies is not the sort of thing I usually do. Which is exactly why I agreed to serve on a jury for the Network for Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) at the 11th Bengaluru International Film...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Mar 1, 2019
Takeshi Kitano: From manzai comic to giant of Japanese film
Many Japanese filmmakers try to promote their films and talents abroad but stumble more than they succeed: Either Cannes rejects their latest masterpiece or Hollywood turns down their J-horror script.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 27, 2019
'Samurai Marathon': A sprint through Japanese history
The arrival of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's infamous "black ships" in 1850s Japan prompted some unusual reactions from a country that had spent the past few centuries shut off from the outside world. Few were as offbeat as that of the feudal lord Itakura Katsuakira, who decided that the best way to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 25, 2019
Rami Malek wins best actor Oscar for 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
Rami Malek won his first Oscar on Sunday for his portrayal of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in musical "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jan 31, 2019
'Bohemian Rhapsody': Queen film won't bite the dust just yet
The Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" is still doing big business in Japan, long after its November release. The movie recently crossed the ¥10 billion mark here, and its impact stretches well beyond box-office stats. Songs from the British band have taken up residence on streaming charts, while affection...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2019
'12 Suicidal Teens': Teen suicide film deeper than most
Youth suicides hit a 30-year high in Japan in fiscal 2017, with 250 kids of high school age and under taking their own lives. Ijime (bullying) was a factor in many of these deaths, but there were others, as well as many unanswered questions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2019
'School-Live!': Zombie flick lands dead on arrival
A manga series whose time in the public consciousness peaked years ago? Check. A cast of idol singers whose acting chops are questionable at best? Check. A script in dire need of a rewrite? Check. You guessed it: It's time for another manga-to-live-action adaptation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 29, 2019
Perennials aside, 2019 promises movie classics in Japan
As a program advisor for the Udine Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, I have spent the last few months scouting Japanese films for the next edition, which will be held April 26 to May 4. This doesn't mean I've seen all the upcoming releases — sales companies are often not ready to screen their...
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Jan 24, 2019
Anime Feminist: Tackling anime's gender bias
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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 24, 2019
The Japanese family, seen through Iranian eyes
Iranian director Ida Panahandeh's fourth feature, "The Nikaidos' Fall," took her way beyond her comfort zone. She didn't speak Japanese nor had she ever visited the country, and yet there she was with a Japanese crew and cast, filming a story about the Japanese family dynamic in the ancient city of Tenri...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2019
'Divine Justice': The surprises behind closed doors
Love hotels feature in many Japanese films, including those, like Ryuichi Hiroki's "Kabukicho Love Hotel" and Izuru Kumasaka's "Asyl: Park and Love Hotel," that make such establishments a central focus. Typically guests drop their social masks within their walls, while employees get an up-close view...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2019
'The Relative Worlds': A rough ride across two universes
The concept of parallel universes is a fascinating one. What if there was another you out there, making the big bucks, fighting in a war or writing bad poetry? And what would happen if you and your alternate self were ever to meet up?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 16, 2019
A second helping of horror for 'Suspiria'
Filmmaker Luca Guadagnino cites categorization as one of his enemies, and the sudden fierceness in his eyes shows he's not kidding.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 16, 2019
'Chiwawa': An enigma wrapped in a riddle
Edie Sedgwick was an Andy Warhol "superstar" and Bob Dylan muse who died at age 28 after bouts with mental illness and drug addiction — and has had a long afterlife as a legendary 1960s "it" girl.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 16, 2019
'The Nikaidos' Fall': What's in a name? Everything.
The weight of tradition threatens to crush a once-great family in "The Nikaidos' Fall," a contemporary drama about people with an unhealthy fixation on the past. Iranian director Ida Panahandeh's film starts in a cemetery and never really leaves the realm of the dead. Its characters are so haunted by...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jan 10, 2019
As the heavyweights return, will 2019 be a smash year for anime?
When looking forward to the coming year in anime, it may be helpful to jump in the time machine and hop back to 2016. That's the year Japan was hit with a flood of smash original anime films, including the sleeper hit "In This Corner of the World" and Makoto Shinkai's "Your Name." By the time 2016 was...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 9, 2019
'Kono Michi': A biopic heavy on sentimentality
Biopics are a Hollywood staple, though poets don't usually get a lot of play, with the Beats (Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and company) among the prominent exceptions. The same is true in Japan: Notorious criminals are more likely to be the subjects of biopics here than famous wordsmiths.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 9, 2019
'His Lost Name': A lack of more than just a name
Cinema abounds with tales of imposters and con artists, but some of the most interesting stories are the ones where people get wise to a deception and decide to go along with it anyway. In "His Lost Name," a young drifter arrives in a rural backwater under a fake identity, only to get sucked into a relationship...

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’