Monthly Archives: January 2024

Review: Sound of Silence

Posted on January 27, 2024 by philipbrasor

When horror movies could no longer top themselves in terms of gross-out imagery and the split-second timing of jump scares, filmmakers had to think of newer ways to frighten us. As one solution, they’ve mostly replaced the visceral with the … Continue reading →

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Review: Poor Things

Posted on January 26, 2024 by philipbrasor

The inspiration for Alasdair Gray’s novel on which Yorgos Lanthimos based his movie is Frankenstein, though Lanthimos tends to make fun of the more serious themes that Mary Shelley traded in, particularly the idea of a man aspiring to be … Continue reading →

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Review: The Quiet Girl

Posted on January 25, 2024 by philipbrasor

Like its titular protagonist, Colm Bairéad’s debut fiction feature hides its emotional contours beneath a hushed facade, a gambit that first feels frustrating since the mileu depicted—rural Ireland in the early 1980s—seems ripe for critical consideration from outsiders like me … Continue reading →

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Review: When You Finish Saving the World

Posted on January 20, 2024 by philipbrasor

As an actor, Jesse Eisenberg occupies a clear thematic space in many moviegoers’ minds that is most readily filled by his nervous portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network; which is a shame, since Eisenberg is capable of a … Continue reading →

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Review: Rifkin’s Festival

Posted on January 19, 2024 by philipbrasor

A common complaint about Woody Allen’s films ever since they moved from overt comedy to more cerebral fare is that the dialogue didn’t change accordingly. It still had that stilted, artificial quality that sounded more appropriate coming off a stage … Continue reading →

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Review: Green Night

Posted on January 18, 2024 by philipbrasor

Chinese director Han Shuai’s first movie, 2020’s coming-of-age story, Summer Blur, was such a big worldwide festival hit that programmers and distributors have been maneuvering ever since to be advantageously positioned when the followup finally dropped. In that regard, Green … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Osaka Expo’s fate remains uncertain three months prior to vital deadline

Posted on January 13, 2024 by philipbrasor

On Jan. 5, three of Japan’s top business lobbies held a joint New Year’s press conference and one of the topics discussed was the disaster in Ishikawa Prefecture, in particular how it might affect the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, whose progress … Continue reading →

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Review: Beyond Utopia

Posted on January 12, 2024 by philipbrasor

Madeleine Gavin’s movie about North Korean defectors, which has been shortlisted for this year’s Documentary Feature Oscar, is custom-made for controversy. Though many Western critics have praised its verité take on the defection process and unflinching depiction of NK regime … Continue reading →

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Review: A Light Never Goes Out

Posted on January 11, 2024 by philipbrasor

Nostalgia, as in the longing for something lost, takes on a double meaning in Anastasia Tsang’s debut feature. On the surface, the thing lost is the craft of neon sign-making, which the film’s protagonist, Heung, played by veteran Hong Kong … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Some fast food operators handle price increases better than others

Posted on January 9, 2024 by philipbrasor

Most businesses that survived the pandemic are now doing well owing to something called “revenge” spending, which is essentially a reflexive action by consumers after they’ve been liberated from reduced spending due to restrictions, whether mandated or market-driven. At the … Continue reading →

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