Author Archives: philipbrasor

Review: Babygirl

Posted on March 26, 2025 by philipbrasor

It occurred to me while watching Halina Reijn’s extramarital transgression melodrama that it might not have worked as effectively as it does if an actor other than Nicole Kidman weren’t playing the main transgressor. With her reputation as a Hollywood … Continue reading →

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Review: Three films by Alain Guiraudie

Posted on March 22, 2025 by philipbrasor

French novelist and filmmaker Alain Guiraudie has been active since the early 90s but didn’t really make an impression on the wider world until after the turn of the century, and even then his films were mainly categorized as Queer … Continue reading →

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Review: Starring Jerry as Himself

Posted on March 21, 2025 by philipbrasor

While watching this self-styled docudrama, one has to take into consideration that it is being directed by a professional filmmaker even if the protagonist-narrator, Jerry Hsu—playing himself, as the title so usefully points out—seems to be making all the decisions. … Continue reading →

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Review: Conclave

Posted on March 20, 2025 by philipbrasor

Though it only, and deservedly, received an Oscar for best adapted screenplay at the most recent Academy Awards ceremony, Edward Berger’s film version of Robert Harris’s bestseller, scripted by Peter Straughan, would have likely walked away with the lion’s share … Continue reading →

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Media watch: The roots of Nihon Hidankyo are not just in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but in Tokyo too

Posted on March 16, 2025 by philipbrasor

When the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, better known as Nihon Hidankyo in Japan, won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, there were probably quite a few Japanese who were unfamiliar with the group, which represents survivors—hibakusha—of … Continue reading →

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Review: Longlegs and The Sweet East

Posted on March 14, 2025 by philipbrasor

It says something about Oz Perkins’ distinctive contribution to the horror genre that his latest features Nicolas Cage in a supporting role as a serial killer who looks, sounds, and acts nothing like the Nicolas Cage we know and love. … Continue reading →

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Review: Flow

Posted on March 13, 2025 by philipbrasor

As a film about four-legged creatures on a perilous long-distance sojourn, the Latvian film Flow, which recently won an Oscar, at first brings to mind the Disney classic The Incredible Journey, which used real trained animals as its protagonists. Flow … Continue reading →

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Review: Four Daughters

Posted on March 12, 2025 by philipbrasor

Because of its unconventional methodology, Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s movie about a family torn apart by religion, which won the best documentary prize at Cannes in 2023, doesn’t scan as a regular documentary, meaning one that’s chiefly invested in … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Does cancelled concert indicate Japan’s real intentions toward Kurdish refugees?

Posted on March 10, 2025 by philipbrasor

On Feb. 24, the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association (JKCA) was scheduled to hold a concert with a Kurdish singer at the Saitama Kaikan in Saitama Prefecture, but it was cancelled the day before. According to the Saitama Shimbun, the reason … Continue reading →

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Review: Wicked and Presence

Posted on March 7, 2025 by philipbrasor

In the end, any review of a movie adaptation of a popular Broadway musical must contend with diehard fans of the stage version, who will invariably love the film because it was most likely made with them in mind. Any … Continue reading →

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