Monthly Archives: May 2026

Review: The Smashing Machine

Posted on May 13, 2026 by philipbrasor

Much has been made of Dwayne Johnson’s lead performance as real-life mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr. Critics have lauded his ability to move beyond his action movie appeal to portray a complex individual going through a difficult set of … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Review: The Sheep Detectives and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t

Posted on May 8, 2026 by philipbrasor

Until Aladdin, big movie stars weren’t normally used as voice actors for animated features, and, in fact, Robin Williams’ Genie set a very high bar that few big names have been able to reach, mainly because of his brilliant ad … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Review: It Was Just an Accident

Posted on May 7, 2026 by philipbrasor

After It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes, its director, Jafar Panahi, accompanied it to many other film festivals, including Busan, where I first saw it in September and which honored Panahi with its … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged | Leave a comment

Review: The Last Dance and They Will Kill You

Posted on May 6, 2026 by philipbrasor

According to the South China Morning Post, Anselm Chan’s melodrama The Last Dance is the highest grossing Hong Kong film in history, at least domestically; which is amazing given the film’s setting and subject matter. Cantonese standup comic Dayo Wong … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Review: The Life of Chuck

Posted on May 1, 2026 by philipbrasor

What Stephen King’s horror stories share with his non-horror stories are carefully constructed narratives based on humanist impulses. His characters, even the ones who are nominally evil, present with traits that everyone can easily identify and maybe even empathize with. … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment