Big Eyes
A restrained but thought-provoking look at art
Movies
Lily Allen hits Tokyo
The candid pop star talks music, family and Japan
The November Man
Poorly defined characters and a complete lack of originality
National Gallery
A unique and privileged look at London’s venerable art museum
The Judge
An obvious, overlong and predictable movie
Jimmy’s Hall
Intelligently told warm, humorous story
Appleseed Alpha
Well done eye candy for fans of Appleseed
12-12-12
Unparalleled star-spotter that’s lots of fun
Vancouver No Asahi
The stars align for a blockbuster Canadian-Japanese production
Jimmy P.
Arnaud Desplechin’s film following Blackfoot WWII vet Jimmy Picard
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return
A joyless, charmless cash-grab
Chōnōryoku Kenkyūbu no San-nin
Comedy about high schoolers experimenting with ESP
Ok Go goes Tokyo
The alt-rockers talk Japan, music and going viral
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Dutiful but second-string sequel to the entertaining original
Tokyo for Ferguson
Japan protests police brutality
Big Hero 6
Original and clever enough to put in the “both parents and kids” category
Maps to the Stars
David Cronenberg’s tragicomic take on Tinseltown
Bad Milo!
Smarter and way more original than the average gross-out comedy
A Promise
French director Patrice Laconte’s first English-language effort
Kinlay
Local band brings island sounds to Shibuya
“Christmas Confusion” Romantic Comedy
Mari coincidentally catches her boyfriend Tachan being intimate with another woman on Christmas.
Sukuitai
A medical drama based on reportage about Tohoku earthquake survivors
Honeymoon
A microbudget gem with a good script and committed actors
Heaven is For Real
As is the hell of sitting through faith-based movies
Love, Rosie
A drippy, unrealistic romantic comedy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
A fitting adieu to Middle Earth
God’s Not Dead
A lame attempt even for faith-based cinema
Gone Girl
Intelligent, mesmerizing, high-level pulp
Alive Inside
Doc about the healing powers of music
Savaged
Surprisingly entertaining zombie thriller
Fury
Intense, visceral and unpredictable war flick
Kami no Tsuki
A flat thriller riddled with false notes
Uhnellys CD Release Party
Avant-garde rap-rock duo presents Loopholic
Delightful Nightmares
SoundWitch lays down lethal romance
Runner Runner
Rushed, pointless and flaccid crime opus
Open Windows
An inventive, gleefully manipulative techno-thriller