Author Archives: philipbrasor

November 2012 movies

Posted on October 27, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the November issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo last Thursday. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Though clearly a stupid movie, this adaptation locates the exploitative kernel of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Oct. 21, 2012

Posted on October 21, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about an ongoing scandal involving singer Sachiko Kobayashi. In the column, I refer to Kobayashi as “the queen of enka,” though that label tends to be thrown around a lot in the show … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Oct. 14, 2012

Posted on October 14, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the fierce competition in Korean high schools to get into prestigious universities. It was inspired by the movie Pluto, which I saw in its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. … Continue reading →

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October 2012 albums

Posted on September 28, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here are the album reviews I wrote for the October issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo earlier this week. Channel Orange -Frank Ocean (Def Jam/Universal) I Know What Love Isn’t -Jens Lekman (Secretly Canadian/Hostess) Do free downloads … Continue reading →

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October 2012 movies

Posted on September 25, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the October issue of EL Magazine, which is being distributed in Tokyo today. The Bourne Legacy Tony Gilroy was a very capable scriptwriter before he was a director, and his addition to … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Sept. 23, 2012

Posted on September 23, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about an NHK special that investigated where the funds approved for reconstruction of the Tohoku region are being spent. The idea that about a fourth of the ¥9 trillion given out so far … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Sept. 16, 2012

Posted on September 16, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the steep increase in the dispensing of psychoactive drugs in Japan. One of the more puzzling aspects of this issue is how far behind the curve government regulation is. Japan has a … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Sept. 9, 2012

Posted on September 9, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about “rumor damage” and its effect on sales of produce from Fukushima Prefecture. Much of the contentiousness I refer to near the end originally arose when it was mainly the foreign media who … Continue reading →

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September 2012 albums

Posted on August 31, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here are the album reviews I wrote for the September issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo last weekend. Some Nights -Fun. (Fueled By Ramen/Warner) Time Capsules II -Oberhofer (Glassnote/Hostess) You drop your guard for only a minute … Continue reading →

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September 2012 movies

Posted on August 27, 2012 by philipbrasor

Here are the movies I reviewed for the Sept. issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo last weekend. Carlos In one of his numerous trite pronouncements, the internationally famous terrorist born Ilich Ramirez Sanchez in Venezuela who later … Continue reading →

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