Monthly Archives: July 2020

Review: Dead Souls

Posted on July 31, 2020 by philipbrasor

Like Joseph Heller and the Notorious B.I.G., Chinese director Wang Bing debuted with a work that was so overwhelming in its originality, scope, and message that anything he would produce subsequently was bound to be anticlimactic; but like those two … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, July 26, 2020

Posted on July 26, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the Tokyo gubernatorial election earlier this month. Near the end, I mention a discussion between activist-writer Yasumichi Noma and journalist Koichi Yasuda on the web channel No Hate TV. The title of … Continue reading →

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Eric Clapton, Budokan, Oct. 1997

Posted on July 25, 2020 by philipbrasor

Almost all of the music reviews I wrote for the Japan Times in the 90s and the movie reviews I wrote for the Asahi Shimbun during the same decade are not available on the Internet, so I will remedy that … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, July 19, 2020

Posted on July 19, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about the new rules for plastic shopping bags. As I say in the column, the rules aren’t going to make a big practical difference since shopping bags only account for about 2 percent of all … Continue reading →

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Review: The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil

Posted on July 17, 2020 by philipbrasor

Actor Ma Dong-seok has carved an eviable niche in South Korean cinema as a kind of all-round hybrid tough guy/sympathetic everyman, thanks mainly to his turn as the working class hero of Train to Busan. He’s also a rising star … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, July 5, 2020

Posted on July 5, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the South Korean Netflix drama series Crash Landing on You. Two of the articles I cited in the column were written by women, who make up the bulk of the Japanese audience … Continue reading →

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Review: Blinded by the Light

Posted on July 2, 2020 by philipbrasor

Bruce Springsteen fans of a certain type often seem perplexed by their affection for his music, which is the opposite of subtle. While the themes hit on complex human connections, the emotions are big, the guitars loud, and the arrangements … Continue reading →

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