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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.

For Kaori Shoji's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

'Trashed'

Sep 26, 2013

'Trashed'

It’s hard to associate the uber-groomed, aquiline-profiled Jeremy Irons (“Damage,” “Die Hard: With a Vengeance”) with garbage. But in the documentary “Trashed,” which focuses on the problem of global waste, Irons wallows in it.

'The Frozen Ground'

Sep 26, 2013

'The Frozen Ground'

Based on a serial-killer spree in Anchorage, Alaska, in the late 1970s/early ’80s, “The Frozen Ground” draws solid performances from an A-list cast but somehow falls short on terror. Writer/director Scott Walker is careful to maintain a dark, understated mood that blends in quite ...

Farinelli (Castrato)

Sep 26, 2013

Farinelli (Castrato)

Director: Gerard Corbiau Language: French, Italian (subtitled in Japanese) A golden oldie from 1994, “Farinelli” traces the life and times of 18th-century Italian singer Carlo Broschi (Stefano Dionisi), who was castrated in childhood to preserve his angelic voice and went on to a brilliant ...

'Chronicle'

Sep 19, 2013

'Chronicle'

The found-footage thing: It can be addictive. Though as a movie ploy, it always stumps me how the characters would actually go into a dark woods in the middle of the night (“The Blair Witch Project”) or move their family into a house where ...

'Despicable Me 2'

Sep 19, 2013

'Despicable Me 2'

Two things stand out about 2010 animated comedy “Despicable Me”: The hero, Gru (Steve Carell), is a villain (a philosophical oxymoron in itself), and he’s not that despicable. Sure, he freeze-dries people in front of him in line at Starbucks and tries to grab ...

'Blood (Japan title: Land's End: Yami no Koto)'

Sep 19, 2013

'Blood (Japan title: Land's End: Yami no Koto)'

Director: Nick Murphy Language: English Chilling British crime thriller “Blood” stars Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham as cop brothers investigating the murder of a 12-year-old girl in a coastal town. Under the glare of public outrage, Joe (Bettany) tries to nail the most likely ...

Nadeshiko — adorable till they die

| Sep 15, 2013

Nadeshiko — adorable till they die

“France for food, Japan for wives.” That was basically the conclusion made by French journalist/novelist Pierre Loti, who dropped by our shores in 1885 and wrote a book about his stay called “Madame Chrysantheme.” Loti hadn’t exactly caught the Japan bug — he was ...

'Hyde Park on Hudson'

Sep 12, 2013

'Hyde Park on Hudson'

For all intents and purposes, “Hyde Park on Hudson” should have you on hello. Instead, it may leave you feeling the tiniest bit revolted. Focusing on the events of a weekend in the life of 32nd U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, arguably the best-loved ...

'Les Saveurs du Palais'

Sep 12, 2013

'Les Saveurs du Palais'

In France, female chefs rarely get to the top — and when they do, gender issues are rife. One way to deal with it is simply to ignore it, and in this story of chef Hortense Laborie (based on the real-life Daniele Delpeuch) it ...

'Suits'

Sep 12, 2013

'Suits'

Director: Various Language: English “Suits,” the 2011 TV series, is now available for rental. Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) is a brilliant but feckless young college dropout who runs from the scene of a botched drug deal and is miraculously picked up by New ...

Ballet prodigy gets a big lift from mom

Sep 7, 2013

Ballet prodigy gets a big lift from mom

Sixteen-year old ballerina Miko Fogarty may be an American teen prodigy, but despite hailing from that land steeped in stardom culture, she seems to have none of the usual celebrity trappings — or to be particularly interested in them. When we met recently on ...