17 Oscar-nominated movies you can see in Japan tonight

The Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 24, in Los Angeles (which means Monday morning here in Japan). As usual, not all of the films have come to Japan yet. But there are 17 that you can see right now, including two that are legitimately available online for free.

I’ve put together a list by cross-referencing the official Oscar site, IMDB, Metropolis magazine, Tsutaya, YouTube and other sources. Click on the titles to see Japanese trailers.

Argo

This film has been nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin)
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Adapted Screenplay

Metropolis magazine lists Kanto area theaters showing this film here. (Also, it’ll be out on disc here in March.)

Brave

This film has been nominated for:
Best Animated Feature

You can rent this one at the video store now. See its Tsutaya listing here.

Frankenweenie

This film has been nominated for:
Best Animated Feature

Metropolis magazine lists Kanto area theaters showing this film here.

Fresh Guacamole

This film has been nominated for:
Best Animated Short.

Watch the whole thing now:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

This film has been nominated for:
Best Makeup and Hair Styling
Best Production Design
Best Visual Effects

Metropolis magazine lists Kanto area theaters showing this film here.

Les Miserables

This film has been nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Actor (Hugh Jackman)
Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway)
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup and Hair Styling
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Mixing

Metropolis magazine lists Kanto area theaters showing this film here.

Life of Pi

This film has been nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Cinematography
Best Director (Ang Lee)
Best Film Editing
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Adapted Screenplay

Metropolis lists Kanto area theaters showing this film here.

Marvel’s The Avengers

This film has been nominated for:
Best Visual Effects

You can rent this one at the video store now. See its Tsutaya listing here.

Mirror, Mirror

This film has been nominated for:
Best Costume Design

Note: Costume designer Eiko Ishioka appears to be the only Japanese nominee in this year’s Academy Awards. If she wins, it will be a posthumous honor, as she died in January 2012. She previously won an Oscar for “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992).

You can rent “Mirror, Mirror” at the video store now. See its Tsutaya listing here.

Moonrise Kingdom

This film has been nominated for:
Best Original Screenplay

The Warner Mycal cinema chain has some showtime and venue information in Japanese, starting here.

Paperman

This film has been nominated for:
Best Animated Short

Watch the whole thing now:

Prometheus

This film has been nominated for:
Best Visual Effects

You can rent this one at the video store now. See its Tsutaya listing here.

Silver Linings Playbook

This film has been nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Actor (Bradley Cooper)
Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro)
Best Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)
Best Director (David O. Russell)
Best Film Editing
Best Adapted Screenplay

The Warner Mycal cinema chain has some showtime and venue information in Japanese, starting here.

Skyfall

This film has been nominated for:
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing

Metropolis lists Kanto area theaters showing this film here.

Snow White and the Huntsman

This film has been nominated for:
Best Costume Design
Best Visual Effects

You can rent this one at the video store now. See its Tsutaya listing here.

Ted

This film has been nominated for:
Best Original Song

Metropolis lists Kanto area theaters showing this film here.

Zero Dark Thirty

This film has been nominated for:
Best Picture
Best Actress (Jessica Chastain)
Best Film Editing
Best Sound Editing
Best Original Screenplay

The Warner Mycal cinema chain has some showtime and venue information in Japanese, starting here.

12 zodiac animals in 12 seconds, Kitamura edition

The Year of the Dragon has just ended, and the Year of the Snake has just begun.

To mark the occasion, I have made a very quick video guide to the next 12 years of zodiac animals.

The sculptures shown in this video are by Seibo Kitamura (1884-1987), a native of Nagasaki whose most famous work is the Peace statue in that city. It’s one of the few artworks I’ve ever seen that personifies peace in male form, rather than as a goddess. The blog “Nagasaki Perspectives” has photos, plus critical comments.

Meanwhile, to see my “12 zodiac animals in 12 seconds” from a year ago, go here.