Author Archives: philipbrasor

May 2016 movies

Posted on May 3, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the May issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on April 25. Captain America: Civil War No, Cap hasn’t been transported back in time to fight the Rebs. The internecine … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, May 1, 2016

Posted on May 1, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about the new single by the female idol collective HKT48. The column discusses media charges of sexism against the song and its writer-producer, Yasushi Akimoto, but another topic that has come to the fore in … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, April 3, 2016

Posted on April 3, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about companies that lie to new graduates about job offerings. The column discusses the situation for university graduates, but the problems covered also extend to high school graduates. The 2012 NHK program I cite at … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, March 20, 2016

Posted on March 20, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which concerns that anonymous blog post about the daycare shortage. An interesting footnote about Shiori Yamao that I didn’t learn until after I wrote the piece is that she once played Little Orphan Annie in … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, March 13, 2016

Posted on March 13, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about recent news stories associated with senior nursing care and how they bear on government policy. One of the jumping off points for the column was a conversation that Masako had with a an old … Continue reading →

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March 2016 albums

Posted on March 7, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here are the album reviews I wrote for the March-April issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo Feb. 25. The Catastrophist -Tortoise (Thrill Jockey/P-Vine) Songs For Our Mothers -Fat White Family (Without Consent/Hostess) It’s become a thing to … Continue reading →

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March 2016 movies

Posted on March 2, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the March-April issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo last week. The Big Short At the moment there is no more timely piece of entertainment than Adam McKay’s black comedy … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Feb. 7, 2016

Posted on February 7, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about the Imperial couple’s visit to the Philippines and what it was intended to convey to their fellow Japanese. As pointed out, Japanese people under a certain age probably know nothing about the Battle of … Continue reading →

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Review: Unbroken

Posted on February 4, 2016 by philipbrasor

As has been well documented, at least by the non-Japanese press, Angelina Jolie’s epic Hollywood retelling of the life of Olympic runner Louie Zamperini was not picked up by the usual Japanese distributor for Universal Studios product due to fears … Continue reading →

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Review: The Case Against 8

Posted on January 30, 2016 by philipbrasor

Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s documentary, produced for HBO, immediately sets its priorities and its outlook. As the title forcefully suggests, the movie is a polemic against Proposition 8, the California state initiative to repeal legal same sex marriages, and … Continue reading →

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