Monthly Archives: October 2023

Review: Hypnotic

Posted on October 25, 2023 by philipbrasor

Per its title, Robert Rodriguez’s uncharacteristically brainy sci-fi thriller has a disorienting effect on the viewer that may result in a condition that many of the characters in the story suffer from: They don’t remember anything of what they just … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2023: Interview with Nobuhiro Suwa

Posted on October 21, 2023 by philipbrasor

The dean of this year’s Chanel X BIFF Asian Film Academy (BAFA) was veteran Japanese director Nobuhiro Suwa (M/other, Paris je t’aime), who seemed particularly enthused by both the process and the goals of the Academy. For those who don’t … Continue reading →

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Review: The Point Men

Posted on October 20, 2023 by philipbrasor

One of three mainstream Korean blockbusters released recently that take place in a war-torn country—the other two being Escape from Mogadishu and Ransomed—and one of two based on a true incident, The Point Men, like Ransomed, deals with a hostage … Continue reading →

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Review: La syndicaliste

Posted on October 19, 2023 by philipbrasor

I normally use the chosen English title for non-English language films in this space, but the one the producers hit upon for this French thriller, The Sitting Duck, sounded too much like something Jerry Lewis would have directed, and though … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2023: Interview with Khozy Rizal

Posted on October 18, 2023 by philipbrasor

Khozy Rizal served double duty at the 28th Busan International Film Festival. On the one hand, his short film, Basri & Salma in a Never-ending Comedy, was part of the special program Renaissance of Indonesian Cinema. But he was also … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2023: Interview with Nam Dong-chul

Posted on October 17, 2023 by philipbrasor

As preparation for my coverage of the 28th Busan International Film Festival, which took place Oct. 4-13, I talked via Zoom to the interim festival director, Nam Dong-chul, who is also the chief programmer for the festival. Nam sort of … Continue reading →

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Review: Aalto

Posted on October 16, 2023 by philipbrasor

Though Alvar Aalto is considered not only one of the greatest architects of the 20th century but a central figure of the modernist movement, many people outside of Scandinavia are probably unfamiliar with his name. This probably has less to … Continue reading →

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Review: R.M.N.

Posted on October 15, 2023 by philipbrasor

In his previous movies, Cristian Mungiu has interrogated Romanian society by focusing on specific aspects. In 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days it was the health care system via a woman seeking an abortion. In Graduation it was official … Continue reading →

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Review: The Burden of the Past

Posted on October 14, 2023 by philipbrasor

Atsushi Funahashi describes his movie as a “docudrama,” which usually means a blend of documentary and staged scenes. In actuality, everything here is staged, with real actors. The subject is ex-convicts who find it very difficult to reintegrate into Japanese … Continue reading →

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Busan International Film Festival 2023

Posted on October 12, 2023 by philipbrasor

Due to computer troubles I didn’t post my usual diary while I attended the Busan International Film Festival, which ends today. It was a fairly low-key year, and as usual there were a number of movies I wanted to see … Continue reading →

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