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Kaori Shoji

Tomatometer-approved critic

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) 68% EDIT “When a Man devotes itself to creating the image of a lovestruck husband who is ready to do anything to put a smile on his wife’s face. Speaking from a woman’s perspective, Mandoki’s good intentions are appreciated. But that’s about as far as I can go.” – Japan Times Sep 1, 2023 Full Review Patriot Games (1992) 72% EDIT “Patriot Games is great for fans of fast-paced action thrillers, but be prepared to fight for your seat in a sea of people who all look 17. ” – Japan Times Jun 6, 2023 Full Review Girlfight (2000) 87% 5/5 EDIT “As they say about boxing, it's the subtle blows that get to you most.” – Japan Times Mar 25, 2021 Full Review Faces in the Crowd (2011) 0% EDIT “If all of this sounds drearily predictable, it is my regrettable job to tell you that "Faces in the Crowd" walks that well-paved road of serial-killer suspense with a slow, deliberate tread.” – Japan Times Apr 29, 2020 Full Review First Love (2019) 98% EDIT “You need to get to the theater this weekend to see Hatsukoi (First Love), if only as a reminder that even in this time of virus infestation, love can thrive -- in a manner of speaking.” – Japan Subculture Research Center Feb 28, 2020 Full Review Love Actually (2003) 65% EDIT “Out of the cacophony of other, newly minted love affairs that promise eternal love forever and ever, theirs stand out like a winter fern among hothouse roses, adding a much-needed zest to the bouquet.” – Japan Times Nov 5, 2019 Full Review The Journalist (2019) 100% EDIT “Gripping, wrenching and ultimately cathartic.” – Japan Subculture Research Center Jul 25, 2019 Full Review EDIT “Japan has changed beyond recognition since Asada penned the original novel series, but addiction - as this movie abundantly illustrates - is a monster that never dies.” – Japan Subculture Research Center Apr 11, 2019 Full Review Marie Antoinette (2006) 57% 4/5 EDIT “Marie Antoinette is in no way a historical film -- it's a wispy but nonetheless brilliant cutout of a girl who just wanted to have fun. But at the end of the day and in the relative privacy of her bathtub, she would give way to a unnamed sadness.” – Japan Times Apr 1, 2019 Full Review Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) 79% 3.5/5 EDIT “This is a picture that gets right down to the brass tacks of singleton urban living for women in their 30s.” – Japan Times Jan 11, 2019 Full Review Call Boy (2018) EDIT “It's to director Daisuke Miura's eternal credit that none of it is demeaning for any of the characters, even though he defies every taboo in the book of mainstream filmmaking.” – Japan Subculture Research Center Jan 11, 2019 Full Review The Scythian Lamb (2017) EDIT “With its slow burning violence and small town melodrama, The Scythian Lamb is mindful in many ways of Fargo (the TV series) but without the broad streak of snarkiness and splashy bloodletting.” – Japan Subculture Research Center Jan 10, 2019 Full Review Killing (2018) 100% EDIT “[Killing (Zan)] twists and writhes its way to a bloody climax and by then you become well aware of the wondrous weirdness of the samurai.” – Japan Subculture Research Center Jan 10, 2019 Full Review Crazy Rich Asians (2018) 91% EDIT “[Director Jon M. Chu] dares to tread where no Hollywood movie about Asia ever has.” – Japan Subculture Research Center Jan 10, 2019 Full Review Ten Years Japan (2018) 100% EDIT “We're nearing the end of the world but there's a sliver of a chance that we may be able to go out in style. That pretty much sums up the message behind Ten Years Japan.” – Japan Subculture Research Center Jan 10, 2019 Full Review Maleficent (2014) 54% 3/5 EDIT “Maleficent leaves most ends dangling sloppily, much like the creepy crawlies that hang from the trees in Aurora's enchanted forest.” – Japan Times Dec 14, 2018 Full Review The Wolfman (2010) 32% 2.5/5 EDIT “Even with its seasoned A-list cast, The Wolfman doesn't quite conjure the dark angst and the suggestive sensuousness of the Victorian horror tales it was inspired by.” – Japan Times Feb 6, 2018 Full Review Ricky (2009) 63% 5/5 EDIT “"Ricky" also has its share of weirdness, but it's un-Ozon-like in that the queasy sense of distorted reality isn't in the details, but in the overall story itself.” – Japan Times Feb 1, 2018 Full Review Pelican: 74 Years of Japanese Tradition (2017) EDIT “” – Japan Times Jan 30, 2018 Full Review Love Disease (Ai no yamai) (2018) 3/5 EDIT “[Okayama's] performance is sensitive and fragile, forming a nice contrast with Emiko's hard-as-nails type.” – Japan Times Jan 10, 2018 Full Review Fullmetal Alchemist (2017) 28% 6.5/10 EDIT “Fullmetal Alchemist has some good things going for it, but needs to fix the leaks and sputtering in the narrative's engine. The movie leaves room for a sequel, so maybe we'll get to see a new and improved Hagaren soon.” – IGN Movies Nov 30, 2017 Full Review Le coeur rĂ©gulier (2016) 4/5 EDIT “As it is, the dialogue is like poetry - a lovely phrase here, a fleeting and fragile exchange there. Emotions are better conveyed through the astonishing blue of the winter sea.” – Japan Times Nov 1, 2017 Full Review Birds Without Names (2017) 100% 4/5 EDIT “Aoi is impressive as the poisonous Towako but it's Abe who pulls the story along with his small frame and dog-like abjection. The content may be objectionable, but the performances are strong.” – Japan Times Oct 26, 2017 Full Review The Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2017) 3/5 EDIT “Brought to the screen by Ryuichi Hiroki, a master of the genre, "Namiya" comes off like the Japanese version of a Nicholas Sparks vehicle, minus the love story.” – Japan Times Sep 20, 2017 Full Review Icarus (2017) 92% 4/5 EDIT “There's an inescapable sense of loss in the film, mainly because the people involved have been fighting for such a long time.” – Japan Times Sep 6, 2017 Full Review
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