Monthly Archives: February 2022

Review: The Roads Not Taken

Posted on February 27, 2022 by philipbrasor

Getting the viewer to believe Javier Bardem is the father of Elle Fanning is only the first of many points that director Sally Potter tries and fails to put across in her movie about a day in the life of … Continue reading →

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Review: Ushiku

Posted on February 26, 2022 by philipbrasor

Ian Thomas Ash’s documentary about foreign detainees in Japan’s immigration facilities is a pointedly activist work. In interviews Ash has said that his main purpose was to make the Japanese people understand what their government is doing in their name, … Continue reading →

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Review: Cyrano

Posted on February 25, 2022 by philipbrasor

Though I wasn’t surprised that someone had finally decided to adapt Edmond Rostand’s play as a musical, I was surprised that the producers of the original stage production adapted for this movie chose twin brothers Bryce and Aaron Dessner of … Continue reading →

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Review: Gagarine

Posted on February 24, 2022 by philipbrasor

Sometimes, the circumstances surrounding the making of a film help make the experience of watching it richer. The most obvious example that comes to mind is Jafar Panahi’s Offside, a movie that was set and filmed during an actual 2006 … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Secret births wreak havoc on bureaucratic protocols

Posted on February 23, 2022 by philipbrasor

In 2007, Jikei Hospital in Kumamoto installed a “baby hatch” where infants could be deposited anonymously, presumably by parents who are unable to raise them for whatever reason. Since then, the hospital has received about a dozen babies every year … Continue reading →

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Review: Ballad of a White Cow

Posted on February 17, 2022 by philipbrasor

According to various human rights groups, Iran is believed to execute the most people per capita of any country in the world. The list of crimes subject to capital punishment seems endless, everything from murder to homosexuality to apostasy, and … Continue reading →

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Review: Los Bando

Posted on February 13, 2022 by philipbrasor

For such a small film with modest comic goals, the Norwegian road movie Los Bando takes on a lot. Ostensibly, it concerns the ambitions of a group of small-town teenagers who yearn to play rock n roll and intend on … Continue reading →

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Review: The Rescue

Posted on February 12, 2022 by philipbrasor

Though conventional Hollywood action films are most viewers’ go-to source for visceral entertainment, you really can’t beat a good documentary that thoroughly examines an incident involving extreme danger. Because it was produced by National Geographic, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy … Continue reading →

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Review: Blue Bayou

Posted on February 11, 2022 by philipbrasor

As a movie about anti-Asian racism in America, actor Justin Chon’s directoral debut takes a heavy-handed approach that doesn’t do its theme any favors. The bad guys are bureaucrats and employers who clearly see the main character, Antonio (Chon), as … Continue reading →

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Review: The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Posted on February 10, 2022 by philipbrasor

As the title so starkly conveys, the theme of Lee Daniels’ biopic of the woman who many believe to be the greatest jazz singer of all time is the constant struggle Billie Holiday endured just to exist, but the story … Continue reading →

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