Author Archives: philipbrasor

Tokyo International Film Festival 2023

Posted on November 5, 2023 by philipbrasor

Here are links to the articles I wrote for this year’s TIFF website. Thanks to Karen Severns. Gondola Q&A Sermon to the Birds Q&A A Long Shot Q&A Blind at Heart Q&A Zhang Yimou masterclass Tatami Q&A Roxana Q&A Tony … Continue reading →

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Review: The Beasts

Posted on November 4, 2023 by philipbrasor

Recipient of the Grand Prix at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, as well as the prizes for Best Actor and Best Director, this Spain-France co-production is one of the few TIFF winners that seems like it could have been … Continue reading →

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Review: Saturday Fiction

Posted on November 3, 2023 by philipbrasor

This is the second feature from Chinese director Lou Ye to open theatrically in Japan this year. The previous movie, The Shadow Play, was a cynical comment on the effects of the postmillennial Chinese real estate boom. Saturday Fiction could … Continue reading →

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Review: Loving Highsmith

Posted on November 1, 2023 by philipbrasor

A feature documentary about the novelist Patricia Highsmith makes perfect sense, since so many of her stories have been adapted into movies, thus providing perfect visual illustrations of her themes and atmospheric writing. However, this Swiss production is mostly about … Continue reading →

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Review: Hypnotic

Posted on October 25, 2023 by philipbrasor

Per its title, Robert Rodriguez’s uncharacteristically brainy sci-fi thriller has a disorienting effect on the viewer that may result in a condition that many of the characters in the story suffer from: They don’t remember anything of what they just … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2023: Interview with Nobuhiro Suwa

Posted on October 21, 2023 by philipbrasor

The dean of this year’s Chanel X BIFF Asian Film Academy (BAFA) was veteran Japanese director Nobuhiro Suwa (M/other, Paris je t’aime), who seemed particularly enthused by both the process and the goals of the Academy. For those who don’t … Continue reading →

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Review: The Point Men

Posted on October 20, 2023 by philipbrasor

One of three mainstream Korean blockbusters released recently that take place in a war-torn country—the other two being Escape from Mogadishu and Ransomed—and one of two based on a true incident, The Point Men, like Ransomed, deals with a hostage … Continue reading →

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Review: La syndicaliste

Posted on October 19, 2023 by philipbrasor

I normally use the chosen English title for non-English language films in this space, but the one the producers hit upon for this French thriller, The Sitting Duck, sounded too much like something Jerry Lewis would have directed, and though … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2023: Interview with Khozy Rizal

Posted on October 18, 2023 by philipbrasor

Khozy Rizal served double duty at the 28th Busan International Film Festival. On the one hand, his short film, Basri & Salma in a Never-ending Comedy, was part of the special program Renaissance of Indonesian Cinema. But he was also … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2023: Interview with Nam Dong-chul

Posted on October 17, 2023 by philipbrasor

As preparation for my coverage of the 28th Busan International Film Festival, which took place Oct. 4-13, I talked via Zoom to the interim festival director, Nam Dong-chul, who is also the chief programmer for the festival. Nam sort of … Continue reading →

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