Author Archives: philipbrasor

Review: Immediate Family

Posted on June 17, 2026 by philipbrasor

Unlike that sprawling collective of session musicians called the Wrecking Crew (a moniker many of them disliked) who played on practically every record that came out of Southern California in the 1960s, the Immediate Family, a mere five guys who … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, June 15, 1995

Posted on June 13, 2026 by philipbrasor

Here is a column I wrote about the late Ai Iijima back in 1995 for the Japan Times, which is not available online. At the time, Iijima was at the height of her popularity as a TV personality in Japan. … Continue reading →

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Review: Die My Love

Posted on June 12, 2026 by philipbrasor

I agree with the critical consensus that John Cassavettes’ A Woman Under the Influence is the definitive cinematic treatment of female mental illness in a connubial setting. The movie stakes its credibility on a marital dynamic that is perhaps specific … Continue reading →

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Review: Eleanor the Great and The Rule of Jenny Pen

Posted on June 11, 2026 by philipbrasor

Though Eleanor Morgenstein is only the second leading film role that the 94-year-old American actor June Squibb has ever done, the novelty of such an aged person playing the titular character in a major motion picture like Eleanor the Great—the … Continue reading →

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Review: Masters of the Universe

Posted on June 5, 2026 by philipbrasor

Disclosure: I came to this reboot of the Mattel toy franchise with almost no knowledge of its history or that it had a dedicated fan base cultivated in the 1980s. The reason is that I was busy doing other things … Continue reading →

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Review: The Testament of Ann Lee and The Moment

Posted on June 4, 2026 by philipbrasor

At first, director Mona Fastvold’s decision to fashion a biopic of Ann Lee, one of the founders of the Evangelical Christian movement Shakerism, into a musical sounds willfully counterintuitive, but, in fact, the Shakers were quite a musical bunch. As … Continue reading →

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Review: Sirât and Adam’s Sake

Posted on June 3, 2026 by philipbrasor

Much of the power of Oliver Laxe’s Sirât comes from its disorienting intentions. The viewer is dropped fully into an alien, forbidding environment that is nevertheless programmed, at least temporarily, for pleasure, and the feeling of being out of one’s … Continue reading →

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Review: Materialists

Posted on May 29, 2026 by philipbrasor

As a filmmaker, Celine Song is nothing if not self-aware. Her first film, the lauded Past Lives, referenced her own story as a Korean immigrant to North America in order to plumb the depths of romantic longing as portrayed stereotypically … Continue reading →

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Review: The Forbidden City and Keeper

Posted on May 28, 2026 by philipbrasor

A popular item at international fantastic film festivals for the last year, The Forbidden City presumes to mount an action-packed kung fu extravaganza set in Rome, and for most of the first half lives up to the promise, but it’s … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Lawyer bashed for trying to prevent refugees from being bashed bashes back

Posted on May 27, 2026 by philipbrasor

On May 20 Saitama District Court began hearing a defamation lawsuit brought by a lawyer named Kim Yeong-gong against someone he says directed “hate speech” at him in a blog post in 2024. Kim is demanding ¥7.2 million in damages. … Continue reading →

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