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George Hadley-Garcia

For George Hadley-Garcia's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 23, 2010

Different by design

HOLLYWOOD — Tim Burton, the filmmaker who gave a new spin to the classic children's book "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," has now taken up the challenge of a greater classic, "Alice in Wonderland."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 16, 2010

Sam's the man in this 'Moon'

HOLLYWOOD — "Boy, you're bringing back an experience where I got fed up and pretty tired of myself!" exclaims Sam Rockwell on the topic of the sci-fi cult film "Moon," which he dominates more than any other single actor has done in a movie for years.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 19, 2010

Man behind the masks

HOLLYWOOD — Sacha Baron Cohen is perhaps the unlikeliest British movie star since the plain, self-effacing and rather asexual Sir Alec Guinness. But like the brilliant knight — who happened to be half-Jewish — Baron Cohen seemingly becomes the character he plays, even to the point of declining television interviews unless he can appear as the character in his latest film. Ironically, Baron Cohen's two most famous movie characters are anti-Semitic (likewise, Guinness elicited widespread controversy for his stereotypical portrayal of Fagin in the 1948 film of "Oliver Twist").

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 5, 2010

Bigelow sticks to her guns

HOLLYWOOD — Kathryn Bigelow is only the fourth woman ever to be nominated for the Best Director Academy Award — and only the second American female. The first two nominees were Italian Lina Wertmuller and Australian Jane Campion; the third was Sofia Coppola.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Feb 26, 2010

This acting lark is elementary for Downey Jr.

HOLLYWOOD — When one beholds the billboards touting the first movie in the new "Sherlock Holmes" franchise, one sees the slim, natty, Anglo-looking Jude Law and imagines he is Holmes and that the less buff, older and somewhat rumpled Robert Downey Jr. is his Dr. Watson. Wrong, of course, and despite stereotypical expectations, Downey Jr.'s Holmes is earning critical praise, quite apart from the fact that the film is heating up the box office.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jan 22, 2010

Depp the magical mystery man

HOLLYWOOD — It's no surprise Johnny Depp is starring in a fantastical new movie titled "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," which opens in Japan on Saturday.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jan 15, 2010

Days of being wild

HOLLYWOOD — 'I think 'Where the Wild Things Are' is a fantastic book," says writer-director Spike Jonze.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Nov 20, 2009

'2012' star tells of being John Cusack

HOLLYWOOD — The year 2012, according to the ancient Mayas, is the year Earth destructs and a new cycle of life begins. (The Aztec and other pre-Columbian American calendars also held a cyclical view of the universe, sort of a reincarnation of planets at the end of each eon). So leave it to Hollywood to craft a film titled "2012" in which our planet is destroyed and we vicariously experience the struggles of its few heroic survivors.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Nov 13, 2009

Tarantino returns to grind up Nazis

HOLLYWOOD — Quentin Tarantino is back, making another much-publicized and controversial splash similar to (but with more sociological implications) his one-two punch with "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" in 2003 and "Vol. 2" a year later.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Nov 6, 2009

Scaremeister Raimi sheds light on his fondness for darkness

Sam Raimi is best known as the man behind the "Spiderman" franchise, but he's also widely regarded as a master of the macabre and of horror. After all, he broke through in 1981 with "The Evil Dead" after fixating on horror movies as a child. Before age 10, he was making 8-mm home movies.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Sep 4, 2009

Denzel holds the lead

"I think it's hard to generalize," says actor Denzel Washington about movie remakes. He and John Travolta — as the villain — costar in a remake of the 1974 "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," which starred Walter Matthau and was much noted for its powerful score by David Shire. Comparisons between the two versions are invariably being made, generally in favor of the original, which also had an impressive supporting cast.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Aug 7, 2009

Crowe gunslings his way into Japan

"People think of Westerns as being quintessentially American," says New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe. "But they're quintessentially frontier stories. They're integral to anywhere with a frontier. Like Australia. I think the Westerns I've done could just as easily have happened in Australia."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jul 24, 2009

He can't seem to escape from the museum

Ben Stiller is back in the museum. Specifically, in "Night at the Museum — Battle of the Smithsonian."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jun 5, 2009

The future begins here for Pine in 'Star Trek'

The new "Star Trek" movie, with its tagline "The Future Begins," may indeed begin a new phase in the careers of two of its stars, Winona Ryder and Chris Pine.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

May 1, 2009

Sean Penn 'Milk' star is cream of the crop — again

'Y ou know, just to get one of them is something most actors don't get to do, and for a long time I didn't think I'd ever get one, let alone two."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Apr 10, 2009

Mark Wahlberg:'You are what you are'

Before the telephone interview, I am advised by an assistant to the star not to mention the name Marky Mark, by which Boston-born Mark Wahlberg became famous as a rapper after achieving notoriety as a male underwear model for Calvin Klein. These days, I am informed, Wahlberg is trying to consolidate his serious image as an action star and talented actor — with a supporting Oscar nomination (for "The Departed," 2006) under his belt. After all, he's now in his late 30s (born June 5, 1971, the youngest of nine children).

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Mar 20, 2009

Key actor tells of plot to kill Hitler

Until almost the end of 2008, British actor Bill Nighy was one of those faces you couldn't put a name to.

CULTURE / Film

Mar 20, 2009

Key actor tells of plot to kill Hitler

Until almost the end of 2008, British actor Bill Nighy was one of those faces you couldn't put a name to.

CULTURE / Film

Jan 23, 2009

Broth in translation

Although she was born in 1977 (in Atlanta, Georgia), Brittany Murphy is a show-business veteran who grew up fast.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Film

Jan 23, 2009

Broth in translation

Although she was born in 1977 (in Atlanta, Georgia), Brittany Murphy is a show-business veteran who grew up fast.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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