Search - cinema

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 27, 2022

‘Pure Japanese’: Dean Fujioka’s passion project is a fascinating muddle

A typical genre-movie premise gets complicated in director Daishi Matsunaga's film about a stuntman living out his fantasies of old-school heroism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 22, 2022

Shorter Berlin International Film Festival to go ahead with masks, COVID testing

The Berlin Film Festival will go ahead in person next month but will use only half the available seating capacity and require attendees to adhere to strict COVID-19 protocols, organizers said on Jan. 12.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2022

‘Missing’: Shinzo Katayama delivers a twisty thriller

Aoi Ito and Jiro Sato give standout performances in Shinzo Katayama's drama about a teenager trying to unravel the mystery of her father's sudden disappearance.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jan 8, 2022

Hong Kong faces worst of both worlds as omicron ruins 'COVID zero'

Hong Kong, the once-vibrant gateway to China, sacrificed its status as an international hub to 'COVID zero.” But as omicron spreads, the city finds itself at a tipping point.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 6, 2022

‘Haruhara-san’s Recorder’: A story of grief told with the lightest of brushstrokes

Kyoshi Sugita's resonant drama captures the process of mourning with restrained cinematography and subtle performances.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 5, 2022

President Emmanuel Macron tells French daily he wants to 'piss off' the unvaccinated

The cutting remark prompted howls of condemnation from opposition rivals less than four months before the next presidential election.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 3, 2022

French lawmakers to vote on COVID vaccine passports amid death threats

The proposed tightening of the rules has caused an upsurge of anger among anti-vaxxers, with some lawmakers saying they have been subject to aggression.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 30, 2021

‘Red Post on Escher Street’: Sion Sono lets loose in his ode to cinema

Shot in eight days with students from his acting workshop, Sion Sono's madcap drama features standout performances by up-and-coming actors.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 20, 2021

Scholars launch effort to assist peers stuck outside of Japan

Japan's border situation and lack of digitized archives continue to cause problems for academics who need access to historical documents.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 10, 2021

2021 saw breakthrough talents in film rise from the shadows

Ryusuke Hamaguchi's two releases shone abroad, Keisuke Yoshida was honored with a Director in Focus section at home and younger filmmakers blazed new paths.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 9, 2021

‘What She Likes …’: LGBTQ drama gets stuck on stereotypes

Shogo Kusano's film about the relationship between a closeted gay teenager and a girl obsessed with homoerotic manga has its heart in the right place, but gets everything else wrong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2021

TIFF's Director in Focus Keisuke Yoshida makes a case for compassion

The underrated director of films such as “Himeanole,” “Blue” and “Intolerance” gets his due at this year's Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2021

‘She is Alone’: Traumas of relationships past come a-haunting

Natsuki Nakagawa's first feature focuses on two mirroring student-teacher love affairs and edges on the melodramatic while being anchored by strong performances from its leads.
Japan Times
Frankfurt Rhine-Main report 2021
Oct 27, 2021

Hessen and Frankfurt: Open for business

Hessen’s convenient location at the very heart of Europe has played a vital role in establishing the state as one of the most internationally revered business and technology centers in the European Union.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 8, 2021

14 cuts in 25 minutes: How Hong Kong censors movies

The Asian film capital has cracked down on documentaries and independent productions that it fears could glamorize the pro-democracy movement.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2021

James Bond becomes theaters’ new hope for a box office jolt

It's the first Bond film shot with Imax's giant-screen cameras and the first in 3D, which lets theaters charge higher prices.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 17, 2021

How Shang-Chi, master of kung fu, knocked down stereotypes

The Marvel superhero originated in comics filled with racist tropes. The creators of the new film made a list of the preconceptions they were up against and set out to conquer them.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 8, 2021

How gaming will change humanity as we know it

Gaming is profoundly transforming two central aspects of the modern world: culture and regulation. There will be no turning back.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Sep 5, 2021

Need a vacation from reality? Slash your way through 13th-century Japan

Let the newly released Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut whisk you away to a nobler time of scenic isles, marauding samurai and petting foxes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE RECIPE BOX
Sep 4, 2021

Tantan-spiced loaded breakfast toast

This recipe for loaded toast might seem simple, but it's an easy way to spice up breakfast. Top with ground pork, bacon or even a fried egg to make it into a light lunch or dinner.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 2, 2021

‘Cinematic Liars of Asahi-za’: Little untruths go a long way

Yuki Tanada's feel-good drama about a film buff who spins a story to save a local theater is not as complex as the director's past work, but is still a crowd-pleaser.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 27, 2021

Shinichi 'Sonny' Chiba changed Japanese action films

A prolific actor with a staggering number of credits to his name, Shinichi 'Sonny' Chiba delighted audiences for six decades with his riveting screen presence and athletic prowess.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 26, 2021

‘One Summer Story’: Moka Kamishiraishi lights up the screen

Shuichi Okita injects his style of observational humor to this film adaptation of Retto Tajima's manga series.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 12, 2021

A director tackles the story of Japan's own nuclear experiment

Hiroshi Kurosaki put years of research into his film, 'Gift of Fire,' which portrays Japan's project to create an atomic bomb during World War II.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 30, 2021

Gold, silver and bronze aren't just words for the Olympics

With all the talk about gold, silver and bronze medals, take a look at some metal-related vocabulary that you can use even when the Games are done.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 26, 2021

Medics see complacency behind Taiwan's unusually deadly COVID-19 wave

The self-ruled island once went 200 days without a case in the community, but wasn't prepare for what came next.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 24, 2021

‘The Door into Summer’: Some doors are best left closed

An orphaned genius travels to the future and back in Takahiro Miki's treacly sci-fi, “The Door Into Summer,” based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan