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James Hadfield
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2016
'Jason Bourne': The invincible franchise
It's the Bourne revival: Matt Damon is Bourne again. After an unsuccessful attempt to transfer the franchise to Jeremy Renner in 2012's "The Bourne Legacy," Damon has returned to his most iconic role as the brainwashed CIA super-soldier. He's the real deal, the Sean Connery to Renner's George Lazenby,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 9, 2016
A hive of sonic activity stirs on Kafka's Ibiki release
There's something curious happening on "Nemutte," the sophomore album by Tokyo-based instrumental trio Kafka's Ibiki. When it performs live, the group specializes in long, patiently evolving improvisations that occupy a liminal zone between jazz, ambient, minimalism and experimental rock.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 5, 2016
'Star Trek' lives on and prospers
In principle, it's hard to dislike "Star Trek." Each time the crew of the USS Enterprise venture into the great beyond, broadcasting their mantra of peace and intergalactic harmony, it's a riposte to the iffy politics advocated by other movie franchises: they're the United Nations to Marvel and DC's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 30, 2016
Sushi crimes: How Japan polices its culinary traditions
"This is the best sushi you'll find in LA," says a suavely dressed man to his date, as they swoon over a table laden with ersatz creations like "caterpillar roll" and "spider roll." But just as they're about to consummate their passion, the meal is interrupted by a trio of armed Japanese officials: the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 21, 2016
Hany Abu-Assad: Making strong voices heard
Ever since the first series of "Pop Idol" screened on British TV in 2001, the televised music competition has become practically inescapable, with franchises springing up everywhere from Macedonia to the Maldives. Given how cannily stage-managed these "reality" shows really are, though, it almost comes...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 14, 2016
'The Red Turtle': Studio Ghibli takes an intriguing turn
Two years ago the English-speaking internet world was shaken by the news that Japan's most beloved animation house, Studio Ghibli, would be closing its doors for good. The story, which originated from a fan blog and was picked up by a variety of more reputable outlets that should've known better, quickly...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 31, 2016
'Gods of Egypt': What an ungodly mess
In the latest issue of Kinema Junpo, Japan's most venerable film magazine, you can read a lengthy tribute to Gaga, the dogged independent movie distributor that's marking its 30th anniversary this year. The occasion is certainly worth commemorating: This is the company that released "Seven," "Talk to...
Japan Times
CULTURE
Aug 25, 2016
Koenji's Awa Odori festival celebrates 60 years
For the past few weeks, visitors and residents in Koenji have been haunted by a song — a plaintive, pentatonic melody that seems to circle endlessly, never quite resolving. You can hear it playing over speakers on the station platform just before the train doors close. It's there again as you walk...
CULTURE / Music
Aug 21, 2016
Sukiyaki Meets the World music festival thinks global and acts local
In his classic polemic against modern Japan, "Dogs and Demons," Alex Kerr described how a system of government loans and subsidies in the 1980s spurred a nationwide outbreak of grandiose construction projects. Today, the Japanese countryside is littered with oversized, underused cultural centers, many...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 17, 2016
Superhero films need to reach beyond the geeks
Where superhero movies are concerned, you should never trust a critic. When David Ayer's "Suicide Squad" opened to a barrage of negative press in the U.S. earlier this month, some fans responded by lashing out at film journalists online. One even launched a petition against the review aggregator site...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 17, 2016
'Song of the Sea': Seals, fairies and ancient folk songs
When Isao Takahata's "The Tale of Princess Kaguya" lost out to "Big Hero 6" in the competition for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards last year, it was a reminder of how thoroughly 3-D computer animation has eclipsed more traditional techniques. In the 15 years since the award was introduced,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 10, 2016
'The Jungle Book': Darker yet infinitely more beautiful
After decades spent wrestling with the logistics of international shoots, Hollywood seems to be coming full circle. It's like the early days of cinema again, when exotic locales were evoked within the confines of a movie studio, though today's filmmakers aren't so reliant on hand-painted scenery any...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 29, 2016
Babymetal, Beck and Boredoms bring strong sets to Fuji Rock's 20th birthday bash
"This is Fuji Rock No. 20," said Beck Hansen, lounging against the drum kit at the end of his hit-laden Saturday night set at this year's Fuji Rock Festival. "Twenty years goes in the blink of an eye, so I think we need to just take a moment here to appreciate ... take this in."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2016
Keigo Oyamada sees U.S. 'Fantasma' tour as a good warm-up to new Cornelius material
Hikaru Utada's "First Love" may have sold more copies, but it's hard to think of a Japanese album from the 1990s that has endured like "Fantasma." Keigo Oyamada was 28 years old when he released his third full-length as Cornelius in 1997: a dense collage of polychromatic meta-pop, full of improbable...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2016
With more than 220 acts at Fuji Rock, planning your schedule in advance is crucial
There will be 223 acts performing at this year's Fuji Rock Festival. Planning out your schedule in advance is recommended, traveling to and from the stages can eat up precious time. Here's the route that I'm considering.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 13, 2016
Korean films take on the thorny topic of Japan
Last year, one of the biggest films in South Korea was a swashbuckling tale of freedom fighters battling against a cruel oppressor: Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jul 13, 2016
The Qualite Fantastic! Cinema Collection festival has choice gems among the trash
Opened in 2012, Cinema Qualite has been a welcome anomaly amid the grim decline of Japan's once-vibrant "mini theater" (arthouse) scene.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 30, 2016
Retreat from the heat to the cinema this summer
The summer blockbuster is dead — or at least, it has ceased to exist as a distinct entity. Four decades after "Jaws" set the template for mass-market Hollywood spectacle, the so-called event movie has expanded its turf so dramatically that July and August, once the most fiercely contested box-office...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 29, 2016
'The Program': Stephen Frears cycles round the edges
From the NFL's deflated footballs to the bribery allegations besmirching Tokyo's Olympic bid, it can feel like the entire apparatus of professional sport has become hopelessly corrupt. But are the fans also complicit?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 22, 2016
'Twisted Justice': Gangster black comedy is a shade off
In 2003, a Hokkaido cop named Yoshiaki Inaba was sentenced to nine years in jail, on charges including drug use and possession with intent to supply. During his trial, the former police inspector revealed that his impressive career record had involved an unhealthy degree of collusion with contacts in...

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The race to save 20th-century history