Tag - scarlett-johansson

 
 

SCARLETT JOHANSSON

Sofia Coppola (right), Bill Murray (center) and Scarlett Johansson attend the Venice Film Festival to present their movie “Lost in Translation” in August 2003.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 13, 2023
The complex legacy of ‘Lost in Translation,’ 20 years on
Sofia Coppola's acclaimed film relaunched Tokyo's global fame, but along the way it forgot to show its Japanese characters some love.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 12, 2021
Does Scarlett Johansson have a case against Disney?
The movie star claims that Disney breached her contract when it released 'Black Widow” simultaneously in movie theaters and on the Disney+ streaming service.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 12, 2017
Hollywood's 'Ghost in the Shell' remake misses the mark
After the online petitions, the countless think pieces and Twitter tirades, Hollywood's "Ghost in the Shell" was never going to have an easy passage. Rupert Sanders' film — a $110 million live-action movie based on a beloved manga and anime property — was ill-fated from the start, tarnished by the controversy surrounding the decision to cast a white actor, Scarlett Johansson, in a role that was originally Japanese.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 15, 2017
'Sing': Pigs can't fly but they sure can sing
'Sing" is brought to us by Illumination Entertainment — the animation studio that brought the "Despicable Me" series and last year's sleeper hit "The Secret Life of Pets." In many ways it's "La-La Land" with animals. In a color-filled, LA-like town inhabited by non-Homo sapiens in human clothing, a koala bear entrepreneur named Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) gets a bright idea on how to restore his failing theater: hold a singing contest and invite all the talented locals. To drum up interest, he offers a cash prize and a chance for the winner to become a professional.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 28, 2016
Scarlett Johansson is the year's top-grossing movie star
Scarlett Johansson was named the top-grossing actor of 2016 on Tuesday thanks to her roles in superhero movie "Captain America: Civil War" and Hollywood satire "Hail Caesar."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 1, 2016
Global ghosts in the shell of Japanese manga
Earlier this year, a major Hollywood studio announced that it was planning to produce a live-action remake of the Japanese manga and anime "Ghost in the Shell." The backlash from cultural critics in the United States and Europe was swift. They deemed that casting Scarlett Johansson in the role of cyborg policewoman Major Motoko Kusanagi was a form of "whitewashing" — where white actors are cast in non-white roles to appease Western audiences. What's more, her character's original Japanese name has been removed from the script; she will only be referred to only as "the Major."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 11, 2016
'Hail, Caesar!': The Coen brothers miss a few pins
The Coen Brothers have always been critical darlings, but their 17th film, the 1950s Hollywood-set comedy "Hail, Caesar!" has shown an unusually wide gap between critical raves and tepid audience response. This despite a star-studded cast that includes George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum and Ralph Fiennes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2016
'Captain America': Civil War: Marvel shows Superman how it's done
Have we reached peak superhero yet? After spending the winter months watching "Jessica Jones" and "Daredevil" on Netflix, viewers can now subject themselves to a barrage of comic-book spectacle at their local multiplex. Following last month's clattering, messy "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" comes "Captain America: Civil War," an even more elaborately conceived clash between costumed ubermenschen.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 1, 2015
'Avengers: Age of Ultron' didn't need a director
How many superheroes does it take to make a movie? At this point, Marvel Studio's cinematic empire is getting so overpopulated that you'd need a spreadsheet to keep track of who everyone is. There are over a dozen comic-book characters vying for attention in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," — some who have their own standalone films and TV series to promote — and the movie barely knows what to do with them all.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 25, 2015
Chef: 'battle cry of an artist who dreams of being his own master'
Heads up to "Iron Man" fans, "Chef" is director Jon Favreau's fabulous stress-vanquishing vehicle after all his superhero ventures, and it lets off more steam than all the potholes in New York City. There is not one superhero sighting here. Although "Iron Man" himself, Robert Downey Jr., makes an appearance, he's more interested in finding a good restaurant than kicking ass.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 1, 2014
Under the Skin: Elegant but queasy piece of cinematic poetry
Jonathan Glazer makes ambitious, scary movies, but he's not prolific — his last outing was "Birth" (2004), a film starring Nicole Kidman that gave new meaning to the word "creepy." Now he has made "Under the Skin," an elegant but queasy piece of cinematic poetry which recalls "2001: A Space Odyssey." Stanley Kubrick explored the relationship between man and machine, proffering insights on what it is to be human in a digital world. Inspired by a novel by Michel Faber, Glazer looks at the human condition through the body, or more specifically, our skin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 28, 2014
Johansson brings some superhero savoir faire to 'Lucy'
If Scarlett Johansson were to have one superpower, perhaps it would be the ability to master any language possible.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 27, 2014
Lucy
"Lucy" is a big movie with a narrow mind; it speaks of all that used to work in a Luc Besson film and doesn't anymore because we're no longer in 1989. Besson ignores that, but he's kept up with current times in other ways. Witness how "Lucy" borrows liberally from recent movies such as "The Dark Knight Rises," "Transcendence" and "Limitless." Besson knows his cinema, but maybe that has taken away from his own store of originality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jul 28, 2014
'Hercules' no match for 'Lucy' in U.S. weekend box office race
"Lucy," starring Scarlett Johansson as a woman with a super-powered brain, collected $44 million to win at domestic box offices, outmuscling "Hercules," but both releases helped pump life into a lackluster summer at U.S. and Canadian theaters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2014
'Her'
The fact that the promotional poster for "Her" features the lone, male, mustachioed face of Joaquin Phoenix tells you most of what you need to know about this gentlyhorrific tale of the nearfuture. This is a world that very much resembles our own, but taken a little further, in terms of dealing with human-relationship issues. People still date, get married and share intimacy, but it's also possible to outsource much of everything that puts a strain on the nerves — includingmessy emotions such as genuine love or the crushing feeling of rejection.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?