Akiko Ohku’s clever ensemble piece delves deep into the importance of appreciating loved ones while you can. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/04/24/film/she-taught-me-serendipity/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #akikoohku #rikuhagiwara #aoiito #yuumikawai #japanesefilm
Shuhei Shibue's strenuously entertaining film about the improbable musical career of a Chinese strategist reincarnated in modern-day Japan delivers J-pop high notes and history deep cuts. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/04/17/film/ya-boy-kongming/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #osamumukai #shuheishibue #jpop #utaha
Fast, furious and yet surprisingly restrained, Netflix’s most lavish Japanese movie to date whizzes by without doing much damage to the image of the high-speed rail it’s promoting. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/04/17/film/bullet-train-explosion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #shinjihiguchi #netflix #japanesefilm #jreast #shinkansen #rail #bullettrains #tsuyoshikusanagi
Japanese actor Ryoko Hirosue, who had been taken into police custody on suspicion of injuring a medical worker, has been released, her agency announced on Wednesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/16/japan/crime-legal/ryoko-hirosue-release/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #ryokohirosue #celebrities #japanesepolice #shizuoka #japanesefilm
Masaki Tsujino’s neo-noir comedy of errors unpacks family dysfunction and middle-class mediocrity. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/04/10/film/the-brothers-kitaura/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #masakitsujino #japanesefilm #masaakinakano #hirotaotsuka
“Baby Assassins” collaborators Yugo Sakamoto and Kensuke Sonomura team up again for an action-packed comedy with the mobile-featured Akari Takaishi. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/04/10/film/ghost-killer/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #yugosakamoto #kensukesonomura #akaritakaishi #japanesefilm
Japanese actor Ryoko Hirosue was arrested for allegedly injuring a medical staff member at a hospital in Shizuoka Prefecture after being in a car accident, her agency has announced. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/08/japan/crime-legal/ryoko-hirosue-arrested/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #ryokohirosue #japanesepolice #shizuoka #celebrities #japanesefilm
The combined talents of Suzu Hirose, Hana Sugimoto and Kaya Kiyohara can’t save Nobuhiro Doi’s flimsy fantasy drama. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/04/03/film/unreachable/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #nobuhirodoi #hanasugimoto #kayakiyohara #suzuhirose #japanesefilm
A favorite of Japanese cinema’s golden age auteurs, acting veteran Mitsuko Kusabue brings wisdom and wit to Yurugu Matsumoto’s lighter-than-air comedy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/31/film/lets-meet-at-angies-bar/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #mitsukokusabue #yurugumatsumoto #daisuketengan #japanesefilm
Mark Gill’s visually lush biopic subverts the realism of Masahisa Fukase’s life story by introducing a surreal, imagined antagonist: a human-sized raven. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/27/film/ravens/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #markgill #tadanobuasano #masahisafukase #kumitakiuchi #yokowanibe #photography #japanesefilm
Director Yuji Dan brings a decades-old project to a close with a three-hour odyssey that is a flawed but fascinating time capsule of the late 1990s. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/27/film/boy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #yujidan #katsuyakobayashi #japanesefilm
The central love triangle’s outcome is no surprise, but Yuka Yasukawa’s sweet rom-com is more than just a pastel-hued fantasy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/21/film/my-love-story-with-yamada-kun-at-lv999/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #mizukiyamashita #ryutosakuma #comedies
From Satoshi Kon tributes to indie gems, here are some of the highlights from this year's Niigata International Animation Film Festival. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/20/film/niigata-international-animation-film-festival/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #mamoruoshii #japanesefilm #niigatainternationalanimationfilmfestival #anime #niigata #filmfestivals
Japan’s answer to the Oscars awarded the heartfelt comedy “A Samurai in Time” the best picture prize, with “Oppenheimer” winning best foreign film. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/15/film/a-samurai-in-time-japan-academy-film-prize/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #asamuraiintime #junichiyasuda #makiyayamaguchi #japanesefilm #awards #japanacademyfilmprize
‘Ravens’ brings into focus the turbulent life of Masahisa Fukase, known for his photos of the party scene of 1960s Shinjuku, portraits of his wife and images of ravens. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/14/film/ravens-mark-gill/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #markgill #tadanobuasano #masahisafukase #kumitakiuchi #yokowanibe #photography #japanesefilm
The 85-year-old Masao Adachi keeps his revolutionary fire burning with a respectful portrait of a wanted terrorist in “Escape.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/13/film/escape/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #satoshikirishima #masaoadachi #rairusugita #kanjifurutachi #japanesefilm
“Baby Assassins” director Yugo Sakamoto swaps action for emotion in his coming-of-age film about two college roommates who are as different as night and day. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/13/film/nemurubaka-hypnic-jerks/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #yugosakamoto #shiorikubo #yunataira #japanesefilm
Director Hideo Jojo pushes into forbidden territory and navigates the darker currents of his latest film with assurance. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/07/film/a-bad-summer/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #hideojojo #takumikitamura #japanesefilm
Cinema isn't only about what stories are told, but who tells them. Overcoming severe underrepresentation, women are reshaping the film industry and cultural narratives. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/03/06/japan/women-gender-equality-cinema-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #women #women039sissues #film #media #tiff #japanesefilm #japaneseeconomy #tech #ai
Kenichi Ugana’s horror-fixated punk-rock slacker comedy ticks all the right boxes for midnight movie fans without bothering to be any good. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/06/film/the-gesuidouz/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #kenichiugana #japanesefilm
