Monthly Archives: July 2024

Review: Despicable Me 4 and Fly Me to the Moon

Posted on July 19, 2024 by philipbrasor

The Despicable Me franchise just became the most successful animation series ever, box office-wise, which is only believable given inflation and the fact that I assume the franchise includes the Minions-focused films. In any case, resistance is futile, and the … Continue reading →

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Review: How to Have Sex

Posted on July 18, 2024 by philipbrasor

The provocative title could be taken two ways, as either a manual or a philosophical contemplation, but the purport of Molly Manning Walker’s script suggests neither. Despite the manic energy displayed by the three British teens as they arrive at … Continue reading →

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Review: La Chimera

Posted on July 17, 2024 by philipbrasor

Josh O’Connor’s most characteristic facial expression is the sheepish grin, a look he made his own when he played the young Prince of Wales in the third season of The Crown, which is odd because Charles in real life never … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Ministry throws cold water on local government’s registration of same sex couple

Posted on July 14, 2024 by philipbrasor

In May, a same sex couple made news when the city of Omura in Nagasaki Prefecture allowed them to be indicated as the equivalent of a common law couple in their resident certificate, or juminhyo. It is the first time … Continue reading →

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Review: May December

Posted on July 12, 2024 by philipbrasor

Todd Haynes’ latest study of the undercurrents of American notoriety is his most willfully complicated work. It’s based on the 90s scandal involving the late Mary Kay Letourneau, an elementary school teacher who at the age of 34 had sex … Continue reading →

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Review: Àma Gloria and Strange Way of Life

Posted on July 11, 2024 by philipbrasor

The process of parental imprinting is an easy to comprehend miracle, but it’s rarely been explicated as effortlessly as it is in Marie Amachoukeli-Garsacq’s second feature, Àma Gloria. The parent, in this case, is not biological, but rather a nanny … Continue reading →

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Review: Smugglers

Posted on July 10, 2024 by philipbrasor

It’s easy to see why Kim Hye-su is the most popular female actor in Korea. In a culture where a certain beauty standard dictates how women who spend their time in the public eye (not to mention men) are supposed … Continue reading →

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Review: Richland

Posted on July 6, 2024 by philipbrasor

For those who found Oppenheimer less than forthcoming about its subject’s real feelings toward the use of his terrifying invention at the end of World War II, this documentary on the town created by the U.S. government to produce the … Continue reading →

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Review: Bleeding Love and Scrapper

Posted on July 5, 2024 by philipbrasor

Someday, maybe soon, there is bound to be a special section on Prime Video or even the Criterion Channel dedicated to movies starring real-life parent-offspring acting teams ideally playing parents and offspring. Though Ethan Hawke has directed his daughter Maya, … Continue reading →

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Review: Ferrari

Posted on July 4, 2024 by philipbrasor

No pun intended, but Michael Mann has always been a man’s director. His protagonists deal in conflicts that seem particularly masculine in nature, which is why, I suspect, he likes stories set in a past where gender distinctions were more … Continue reading →

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