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TOKYO SONATAMovie Reviews
Japanese drama about an ordinary family in modern Japan caught in the throes of inert pride and stymied by their own inability to communicate honestly with one another. Cast:Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Yu Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki, Haruka IgawaDirector:Kiyoshi KurosawaRelease Date:March 13, 2009DVD Release:May 4, 2010From:Regent ReleasingRating:PG-13Length:2 hr 0 min
Tokyo Sonata played in key cities to excellent reviews. • Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "Kiyoshi Kurosawa finds just the right melancholy tone..." • And Philip Kennicott wrote in the Washington Post, "...has a melodious title, and by the end it accomplishes one of the most memorable integrations of film and music in recent memory." More Reviews Below...
Tokyo Sonata Positive Reviews (24 Reviews, reviews below)
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Kiyoshi Kurosawa finds just the right melancholy tone to suit a new and all too familiar kind of horror: economic downsizing."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 98 words, 03/20/09
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...a distinctly eccentric variant on the typical domestic affair... Mr. Kurosawa's social critiques rarely reverberate as loudly as this one..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 939 words, 03/13/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is better known for horror films; this is a movie where the horror is internalized, and hideously truthful."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 124 words, 03/13/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...simply shows how lives torn apart by financial emergencies can be revealed as being damaged all along. Unemployment is the catalyst..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 849 words, 04/09/09
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...bold, acutely observant and universal... Although it was surely conceived before the worldwide economic recession hit, its insights apply all the more forcefully now."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 03/27/09
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...well-acted, sensitively told... hits home in this time of financial crisis. It makes one realize how important a job is to personal identity."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 369 words, 03/13/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Each performance in this plaintive work is superb, but Kyoko Koizumi's gently melancholy portrait of the businessman's wife keeps the film true and affecting..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 545 words, 04/10/09
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...transcends conventions of genre and cultural boundaries, and turns out to be one of the most compelling, finely orchestrated and oddly enchanting films of the year so far."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 670 words, 06/26/09
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "Like that most revered of Japanese directors, Yasujiro Ozu, Kiyoshi Kurosawa here uses the microcosm of family to reflect a changing Japanese society..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 672 words, 03/11/09
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a calm, clear look at personal and social collapse places 'Tokyo Sonata' alongside works by such masters as Jean Renoir and Akira Kurosawa."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 06/25/09
KEY CITIES (8 Reviews)
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post: EXCELLENT(cg) "...has a melodious title, and by the end it accomplishes one of the most memorable integrations of film and music in recent memory."(See all of Philip Kennicott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 714 words, 07/17/09
Reyhan Harmanci, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a bit overwrought... but it is beautifully shot, features moving performances by the well-chosen cast and has the unity of vision that is the hallmark of an auteur."(See all of Reyhan Harmanci's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 448 words, 03/27/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it is silence that achieves maximum emotional impact.... And it is music that draws the family back together, calming these agitated souls. Astonishing."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 307 words, 05/01/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "This time Kiyoshi Kuroszawa's telling a realistic social drama, but the story taps deep, cold wellsprings of dread."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 05/15/09
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...could have ended on a discordant note. But director Kiyoshi Kurosawa adds a coda of such sustained tenderness that his juggling act qualifies as a job well done."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 344 words, 07/10/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Scott Foundas, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "Like that most revered of Japanese directors, Yasujiro Ozu, Kiyoshi Kurosawa here uses the microcosm of family to reflect a changing Japanese society..."(See all of Scott Foundas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 672 words, 03/11/09
Andrew Dowler, Toronto Now: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a calm, clear look at personal and social collapse places 'Tokyo Sonata' alongside works by such masters as Jean Renoir and Akira Kurosawa."(See all of Andrew Dowler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 06/25/09
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...a distinctly eccentric variant on the typical domestic affair... Mr. Kurosawa's social critiques rarely reverberate as loudly as this one..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 939 words, 03/13/09
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: VERY GOOD "For all its oddities, this movie does carry weight, and, with more than eight per cent of Americans out of work, the timing of its release here could not be more acute."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,211 words, 03/16/09
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...bold, acutely observant and universal... Although it was surely conceived before the worldwide economic recession hit, its insights apply all the more forcefully now."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 03/27/09
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Derek Elley, Daily Variety: GOOD "...puts some fresh juice into the waning step of the onetime J-horror specialist.... quietly spacey take on characters in massive self-denial is entertaining enough..."(See all of Derek Elley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 634 words, 05/18/08
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...bold, acutely observant and universal... Although it was surely conceived before the worldwide economic recession hit, its insights apply all the more forcefully now."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 03/27/09
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD "...a distinctly eccentric variant on the typical domestic affair... Mr. Kurosawa's social critiques rarely reverberate as loudly as this one..."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 939 words, 03/13/09
12.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Tokyo Sonata's reviews are separated by an average 12.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Tokyo Sonata (24 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Tokyo Sonata's reviews cover 29.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 12,022 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 501 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Tokyo Sonata Coverage, Volume & Length (24 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 19 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Tokyo Sonata's reviews on average broke 19 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Tokyo Sonata's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Tokyo Sonata (24 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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