Monthly Archives: January 2023

Review: The Pink Cloud

Posted on January 28, 2023 by philipbrasor

Having recently lived through a pandemic—though many of us may assume we are still living through one—I found that the details of this Brazilian debut feature, filmed in 2019 before COVID, make it more interesting than it really is: the … Continue reading →

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Review: Mr. Moonlight

Posted on January 27, 2023 by philipbrasor

If, like me, you come to this Japanese documentary about the Beatles’ historic 1966 concerts at Budokan in the hopes of seeing the rare footage of the shows taken by the police for security reasons but sanctioned for more than … Continue reading →

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Review: The Banshees of Inisherin

Posted on January 26, 2023 by philipbrasor

As with Parasite, the overwhelming critical success of Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s third feature film is remarkable for its unlikelihood of even being noticed by a general international viewership. In Parasite‘s case, this unlikelihood was a function of its provenance. … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Nobody wants to talk about the death penalty

Posted on January 25, 2023 by philipbrasor

In November, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yasuhiro Hanashi was compelled to quit his post as justice minister after he made a careless remark at a political gathering. Hanashi said that he felt the job of justice minister was “low-key” and … Continue reading →

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Media watch: South Korea happily takes over as brands leader

Posted on January 23, 2023 by philipbrasor

A Jan. 14 article on the Chosun Online website revealed that South Korea has overtaken China as the luxury brand capital of the world in terms of consumption. Citing data compiled by investment bank Morgan Stanley, the news service noted … Continue reading →

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Review: The Shadow Play

Posted on January 21, 2023 by philipbrasor

Ye Lou was once touted as one of the most significant new mainland China directors of the millennium after the overseas success of the atmospheric Suzhou River, a reputation that was further bolstered by his 2006 Tiananmen epic Summer Palace, … Continue reading →

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Yun Jeong-hee

Posted on January 20, 2023 by philipbrasor

I am saddened to read of the death of Yun Jeong-hee, who gave the best film performance of the 21st century in my favorite film of the 21st century, Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry. Yun reportedly died in Paris with Alzheimer’s, the … Continue reading →

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Review: La Civil

Posted on January 20, 2023 by philipbrasor

One of the salient features of the ongoing drug wars in Mexico is how opaque the issue is to outsiders. Though we know who is doing the killing and who is being killed, it’s often difficult to get much further, … Continue reading →

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Review: The Northman

Posted on January 19, 2023 by philipbrasor

Though not trailblazing in any significant way, Robert Eggers’ first two features successfully perverted forms that tend to be thought of as inviolable. The Witch was a horror movie that implied a deep distrust of the devices that characterize the … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Victim of crime seeks compensation the hard way

Posted on January 15, 2023 by philipbrasor

When a person is the victim of theft or fraud, it is often difficult for them to recoup their losses, even if the perpetrator of the crime is caught and punished. According to a Jan. 12 article in the Asahi … Continue reading →

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