Monthly Archives: November 2024

Review: Knit’s Island

Posted on November 30, 2024 by philipbrasor

If you’re not into virtual reality, you may need time to adjust to the visual environment of this documentary feature by French filmmakers Ekiem Barbier, Builhem Causse, and Quentin L’Helgouac’h, since it all takes place within the computer game DayZ, … Continue reading →

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Review: The Bikeriders

Posted on November 29, 2024 by philipbrasor

The 1960s was the decade that the Hollywood system died, thus giving birth to a new style of rambunctious narrative art that felt revolutionary at the time. Nowadays, conveying the social atmosphere of the 60s isn’t necessarily difficult, but doing … Continue reading →

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Review: Lust in the Rain

Posted on November 28, 2024 by philipbrasor

Not being a manga reader, I don’t have anything to say about how faithfully director Shinzo Katayama adapted comics artist Yoshiharu Tsuge’s work, but it seems to adhere to the kind of free-form story-based surrealism that Tsuge is famous for. … Continue reading →

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Review: Hail to Hell

Posted on November 23, 2024 by philipbrasor

I would rate this debut feature more highly if the English title had been Hooray for Hell, because it better fits the idiosyncratic tone of the film. The protagonists are a pair of high school girls whose friendship is initially … Continue reading →

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Review: It Ends With Us and Back to Black

Posted on November 22, 2024 by philipbrasor

As both a classic romantic melodrama and a cautionary tale about domestic violence, this adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestseller has to contend with finding an audience that will be receptive to both aspects and then settles on a look that … Continue reading →

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Review: Dream Scenario

Posted on November 21, 2024 by philipbrasor

Despite the startling makeover, it’s difficult to imagine anyone except Nicolas Cage playing Paul Matthews, the suffering and insufferable protagonist of Kristoffer Borgli’s black comedy. No other actor has shown the capacity to laugh not only at himself but also … Continue reading →

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Review: De Humani Corporis Fabrica

Posted on November 20, 2024 by philipbrasor

The Latin title translates as “The Fabric of the Human Body,” a somewhat poetic take on a topic that’s literally visceral, meaning it’s about actual viscera. A previous documentary by the directors Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel covered Issei Sagawa, … Continue reading →

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Media watch: New tax plan’s acceptance in doubt because no one understands its real effects

Posted on November 17, 2024 by philipbrasor

The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) did well in the recent general election, increasing the number of seats it held in the lower house from 7 to 28 (11 constituent + 17 proportional). The party with the most number … Continue reading →

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Review: Gladiator II

Posted on November 15, 2024 by philipbrasor

Though I don’t expect much hard history when I take in a historical drama, I always appreciate it more if I leave it knowing more about the past than I did going in. Ridley Scott’s latest epic, a long-simmering sequel … Continue reading →

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Review: The Devil’s Deal

Posted on November 14, 2024 by philipbrasor

Cynical to the point of nihilism, this 2023 Korean box office hit is touted as a political thriller, though it’s really just another bloody gangster fable that happens to take place against the background of the 1992 general election. Politics … Continue reading →

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