Tag - film

 
 

FILM

COMMENTARY / World
Feb 2, 2015
'Selma' and the biopic perversion of history
The Ava DuVernay-directed film 'Selma' is at the center of controversy due to its semi-snubbing by the Oscars and correct observations that it plays loose with history.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 28, 2015
Back to the love hotel for ex-pink film director
Interviews with people you know well can turn awkward if you try to be the probing questioner instead of the coffee-shop companion. No such worries with 61-year-old Ryuichi Hiroki, the former pink film (i.e., soft pornography) director who made his commercial and critical breakthrough with the erotically...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 23, 2015
Activist says Uganda documentary may aid LGBT cause
Japan has developed a more favorable view of sexual minorities in recent years, but activist Mameta Endo wants to raise awareness of the issue further by encouraging people to take in a documentary that captures the hatred, harassment, and risk of prison time such people face in Uganda.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jan 19, 2015
Writer's critical take on Jolie's 'Unbroken' raises readers' hackles
Some emails and online comments in response to Nicolas Gattig's recent Foreign Agenda column, 'Japan may shun 'Unbroken' because it's old hat.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 18, 2015
North Korea pushes Myanmar to seize pirated DVDs of Sony's 'The Interview'
Myanmar police have begun seizing pirated copies of Sony's film "The Interview," a comedy about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with media saying the move followed pressure from the North Korean Embassy in Yangon.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2015
'The Messenger of God'? India censor quits over guru's Bollywood dreams
An Indian film that features a self-styled spiritual leader in jewel-studded costume riding motorbikes and sending the bad guys flying has prompted the chief of the country's censorship panel to quit, citing government interference.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2015
Documentary festival delivers an encore to Tokyo audiences
Last November, Japan Times film critic Kaori Shoji predicted that the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival's (YIDFF) program of screenings would slant toward sociopolitical analysis, focusing on substance over style. Audiences must have welcomed this weighty exposition of the documentary...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jan 7, 2015
Japan may shun 'Unbroken' just because it's old hat
If the Japanese opt to skip Angelina Jolie's 'Unbroken,' let's not blame wholesale refusal to face the past.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 6, 2015
Son of Jackie Chan to stand trial in China on drugs charge
Jaycee Chan, the son of kung fu movie star Jackie Chan, will stand trial Friday on a drugs charge, media reported Tuesday, the latest in a series of minor celebrities accused of narcotics offenses.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 1, 2015
The Vancouver Asahi: Angels are not in the outfield for immigrants
Of making baseball films there is no end. The sport provides an endless supply of ready-made narratives: from a fight to win the pennant ("Damn Yankees") or to simply win ("Major League"), to a player's struggle with illness ("Pride of the Yankees"), or an oversized ego ("Mr. Baseball").
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 29, 2014
Sony's 'Interview' fetches $15 million online in four days
"The Interview" earned more than $15 million in online sales in its first four days of distribution as Sony bypassed a wide theater release amid concerns from major cinema chains about threats of violence.
WORLD
Dec 18, 2014
U.S. determines North Korea behind Sony attack as studio pulls movie
A U.S. government source said investigators had determined North Korea was behind a cyberattack on Sony Pictures as the studio pulled all plans to release its comedy, "The Interview," about an assassination attempt on the North Korean leader.
WORLD
Dec 16, 2014
Rogen defends lampooning of Kim in movie
Actor-director Seth Rogen defended the choice to parody North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in raunchy comedy "The Interview," the movie that sparked a real-life threat from the country and has been suspected as the possible cause of a damaging cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 15, 2014
Sony says news outlets should stop using hacked documents
Sony Pictures Entertainment lawyers have sent a letter asking news organizations to stop writing articles based on stolen documents released by hackers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 10, 2014
And the Mud Ship Sails Away: Knee-deep in it without a care in the world
After premiering at the 2013 Tokyo International Film Festival, Hirobumi Watanabe's slacker comedy "Soshite Dorobune wa Yuku (And the Mud Ship Sails Away)" became an international festival favorite, and it's easy to see why.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 10, 2014
'Afghan Bruce Lee' high-kicking his way to Internet fame
From the ruins of a bombed-out palace above Kabul, a young Afghan man bearing a striking resemblance to kung fu legend Bruce Lee is high-kicking his way to Internet fame, aiming to show another side to his war-weary nation.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 7, 2014
Original Batmobile built in 1963 sells for $137,000
Holy Bargain, Batman! The original Batmobile fetched $137,000 at auction on Saturday, a small fraction of the $4.2 million that a buyer paid last year for another version built for the television show that aired during the 1960s.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.