Monthly Archives: December 2010

January 2011 movies

Posted on December 30, 2010 by

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the January 2011 issue of EL Magazine, which came out on Christmas day. They cover films released in Tokyo between late December and mid-January. Burlesque Postmodernism is dead, according to Burlesque, a … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Dec. 26, 2010

Posted on December 26, 2010 by

Here‘s this week’s Media Mix, which is the annual Media Mix Awards. There was no room on the page this year for the usual What’s-hot-what’s-not chart, so I’ll include it here. If you have any additions, let me know. The … Continue reading →

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January 2011 CDs

Posted on December 25, 2010 by

Here are the CD reviews I wrote for the January 2011 issue of EL Magazine, which comes out today. All the albums were released by local labels in Japan during the month of December 2010. The Sun Comes Out -Shakira … Continue reading →

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Best movies 2010

Posted on December 23, 2010 by

Here is my list of ten-best-movies-plus that comes out in EL Magazine this week. It was a disappointing year. The pickings were slim because, on the one hand, movies are getting worse and, on the other, Japanese distributors are handling … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Dec. 19, 2010

Posted on December 20, 2010 by

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about university grads’ well-publicized desperation in the face of a shrinking job market. The story has been covered extensively for the past year or so, but the Closeup Gendai feature cited in the … Continue reading →

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Best CDs 2010

Posted on December 17, 2010 by

Before compiling the best-CD list for EL Magazine, which this year will be published on Christmas Day, I usually shut myself in for a weekend in late November and bathe in those albums that have intrigued me over the past … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Dec. 12, 2010

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the Ichikawa Ebizo scandal. As often happens with such stories, the column was outdated the moment it was published. Two days previously, the police arrested the man who allegedly beat up Ebizo. … Continue reading →

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Great moments in iconicness: Christina Aguilera and the “Burlesque” crew hit Tokyo

Posted on December 10, 2010 by

The purposes of a movie press conference are crystal clear but not always easy to accomplish. Journalists want witty and revealing quotes while the cast and staff want to convey what’s appealing about the film without pointing to themselves as … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Dec. 5, 2010

Posted on December 5, 2010 by

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about NHK’s decision to cancel its popular Sunday morning series “Shukan Kodomo no News,” or, more precisely, change it into a news show for the “whole family” rather than one aimed specifically at … Continue reading →

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Seriousness and innocence: A chat with Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Posted on December 1, 2010 by

It’s easy to understand why Apichatpong Weerasethakul‘s latest film, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, was chosen as the opening movie for the latest Tokyo Filmex. It was the Palme D’or winner at Cannes in May, which shouldn’t … Continue reading →

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