Author Archives: philipbrasor

Review: Sentimental Value

Posted on February 20, 2026 by philipbrasor

Tolstoy’s famous opening line from Anna Karenina about families sounds as if it could have been the jumping off point for Joachim Trier’s latest Oslo-set film, which is both a domestic melodrama and a slyly comic analysis of his chosen … Continue reading →

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Review: In Our Day

Posted on February 14, 2026 by philipbrasor

The fun of a new Hong Sangsoo movie is in discovering what the prolific, wily director is doing this time in terms of structure. This 2023 feature has two narratives that alternate back-and-forth while sharing certain story elements. However, anyone … Continue reading →

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Review: Bugonia and Crime 101

Posted on February 13, 2026 by philipbrasor

Though I don’t remember many of the particulars of Jang Joon-hwan’s iconic environmental thriller Save the Green Planet!, which I only saw once when it first came out in 2003, its creepy uniqueness has somehow lingered. It’s one of those … Continue reading →

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Review: My Everything

Posted on February 12, 2026 by philipbrasor

Director Anne-Sophie Bailly piles one melodramatic layer on top of another in her tale about Mona (Laure Calamy), a late middle aged single mother trying to live her life as naturally as she can while caring for her thirty-something special-needs … Continue reading →

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Review: Spermageddon

Posted on February 11, 2026 by philipbrasor

This Norwegian animated feature splits the difference between cautionary health class lesson and gross-out comedy, and in the process loses some of its intended effect on both tracks, but it’s still an inventive and funny film. Most of if takes … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Government keeps its distance from Japanese language learning for foreigners

Posted on February 9, 2026 by philipbrasor

In Japan, compulsory education stops after junior high school, and though the vast majority of Japanese people now graduate from high school, it wasn’t always that way. Up until about 1980, many young people pursued full-time employment right after finishing … Continue reading →

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Review: Together and Frewaka

Posted on February 6, 2026 by philipbrasor

For much of the moviegoing public, suspension of disbelief remains a requirement, and not just with regards to fantasy, horror, or sci-fi genre films; but fantasy, horror, and sci-fi pretty much constitute the bread-and-butter of contemporary commercial filmmaking, so the … Continue reading →

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Review: Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants

Posted on February 5, 2026 by philipbrasor

Though two-and-a-half-hours long, Tsui Hark’s distillation of a good portion of Louis Cha’s historical fantasy epic (which has been called China’s Lord of the Rings) feels rushed, at least for the first hour, probably because there’s so much stuff going … Continue reading →

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Review: Holding Back the Tide

Posted on January 31, 2026 by philipbrasor

As a nature documentary whose chief purpose is to say something about protecting the environment, Emily Packer’s unique film has a significant advantage: it’s about an animal that is considered a kind of luxury food, the oyster. Limiting her setting … Continue reading →

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Review: The Running Man and Mars Express

Posted on January 30, 2026 by philipbrasor

There’s something both thrilling and slightly deflating about the continued popularity of Stephen King after a gazillion novels and short stories, most of which have been adapted as films or TV shows. On the one hand, his lean prose and … Continue reading →

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