Monthly Archives: October 2025

Review: So Long, See You Tomorrow and Spirit World

Posted on October 31, 2025 by philipbrasor

Baek Seung-bin’s third feature’s literary pretensions go beyond his borrowing the title of William Maxwell’s classic 1979 novel. There’s a gay bar that figures centrally in the plot called Giovanni’s Room, the title of an early James Baldwin novel and … Continue reading →

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Review: Something Is About to Happen

Posted on October 30, 2025 by philipbrasor

The title of this Spanish drama has less to do with the mechanics of the story than with the expectations of the viewer. Director Antonio Méndez Esparza, adapting a novel, concentrates on the everyday concerns of an average citizen named … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Welfare recipients have to choose between benefits and cars

Posted on October 27, 2025 by philipbrasor

In June the Supreme Court ruled that government cuts to welfare carried out between 2013 and 2015 were unlawful in a decision that undermined much of the welfare ministry’s rationale for how it determines benefits. The court ruled in favor … Continue reading →

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Review: The Day Iceland Stood Still

Posted on October 25, 2025 by philipbrasor

October 24 marked the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Day of Peace in Iceland, when 90 percent of Icelandic women commemorated the United Nations International Women’s Year by going on strike. That means not only did working women not go … Continue reading →

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Review: Hard Truths and The Roses

Posted on October 24, 2025 by philipbrasor

One of the many refreshing things about Mike Leigh’s cinema is the way he disregards certain prejudices in terms of plotting and characterization. There are moments during his movies when viewers may ask themselves why a certain character acts a … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Citizens demand end of immigration policy that doesn’t exist

Posted on October 22, 2025 by philipbrasor

One of the two women that Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has appointed to her cabinet is Kimi Onoda, who will be in charge of promoting “orderly coexistence with foreigners.” Onoda, who was born in the U.S. to … Continue reading →

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Review: The Conjuring: Last Rites

Posted on October 17, 2025 by philipbrasor

I have not followed the Conjuring franchise so far and was taken aback by the conceit that it is based on the adventures of a real life married couple, Lorraine and Ed Warren, who performed exorcisms starting in the 1950s … Continue reading →

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Review: Eephus

Posted on October 16, 2025 by philipbrasor

Because of Hollywood, American movies are considered the default cinematic form, meaning any other kind needs to be qualified first; but there are enough American movies that fall outside the perceived Hollywood norm to constitute their own collective genre. This … Continue reading →

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Review: Holy Cow and Brand New Landscape

Posted on October 10, 2025 by philipbrasor

Work, as the Nazis used to say, will make you free, though it depends on which end of the whip you’re on. A lot of it has to do with milieu. Louise Courvoisier’s continually surprising coming-of-age tale, Holy Cow, is … Continue reading →

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Review: Grand Tour

Posted on October 9, 2025 by philipbrasor

Portuguese critic-turned-director Miguel Gomes is comfortable with anachronism. It was the most obvious narrative device in his era-splitting breakthrough Tabu, and in his latest movie it’s essentially a theme. The title refers to a famous travel itinerary available to Europeans … Continue reading →

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