Monthly Archives: December 2015

Best albums of 2015

Posted on December 31, 2015 by philipbrasor

In a word, this was a great year for hip-hop, as evidenced by the worldwide acclaim for To Pimp a Butterfly, a record I listened to a lot, and the only reason it didn’t land on this list was probably … Continue reading →

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Best movies of 2015

Posted on December 30, 2015 by philipbrasor

I don’t know if I saw fewer movies this year than last or more, and I don’t feel like counting to find out. For sure, there were a few I wanted to see that I didn’t, like Phoenix, which made … Continue reading →

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January 2016 albums

Posted on December 30, 2015 by philipbrasor

Here are the album reviews I wrote for the January issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on Christmas Day. Product -Sophie (Numbers/Beat) Communion -Years & Years (Interscope/Universal) Pop music continues to evolve despite isolated gripes about how … Continue reading →

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January 2016 movies

Posted on December 29, 2015 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the January issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on Christmas Day. About Ray Gaby Dellal’s bittersweet comedy assumes so many edgy POVs that it feels drained of meaning, with … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Dec. 6, 2015

Posted on December 6, 2015 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization’s complaint against the government for censuring NHK over some staged content on one of its news shows. In the column I imply that NHK tends to toe … Continue reading →

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December 2015 albums

Posted on December 4, 2015 by philipbrasor

Here are the album reviews I wrote for the December issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on Nov. 25. Purpose -Justin Bieber (Def Jam/Universal) Made in the A.M. -One Direction (Sony) Whatever your opinion of Justin Bieber, … Continue reading →

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December 2015 movies

Posted on December 2, 2015 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the December issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on November 25. Art and Craft Certain documentaries are premised on stories or personalities so unusual that they practically direct themselves. … Continue reading →

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