Author Archives: philipbrasor

Review: Triangle of Sadness

Posted on February 23, 2023 by philipbrasor

The main problem with movies that try to be up-to-the-minute is that they invariably feel dated by the time they are actually released, even if “dated” is a problematic construct. The main two characters in Swedish director Ruben Ostlund’s second … Continue reading →

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Review: Empire of Light

Posted on February 22, 2023 by philipbrasor

Having worked in a movie theater shortly before those years in which Empire of Light is set, I can attest to the accuracy of its depiction of how films were presented to paying customers at the time, not to mention … Continue reading →

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Review: Three Thousand Years of Longing

Posted on February 21, 2023 by philipbrasor

George Miller may be our prime cinematic fantasist if only because his fantasies cover such a wide range of subject matter. Known mainly for the Mad Max series, he’s also responsible for the two Babe movies and the animated penguin … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Availability of abortion pill beset by obstacles

Posted on February 20, 2023 by philipbrasor

On Jan. 27, the health ministry approved public sale of the so-called abortion pill in Japan. As pointed out by Asashi Shimbun in its coverage of the news, Japan is one of the last developed countries to approve what is … Continue reading →

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Review: Benedetta

Posted on February 18, 2023 by philipbrasor

Though it may seem too obvious, I’m still surprised Paul Verhoeven has never made a women’s prison movie given the potential for steamy clinches under pressure of violence. With Benedetta he does what I would assume to be the next … Continue reading →

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Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Posted on February 17, 2023 by philipbrasor

One of the saving graces of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that neither the characters nor the filmmakers take it all that seriously. The Ant-Man series is probably the least serious of the various franchises, owing mainly to the casting … Continue reading →

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Review: Decision to Leave

Posted on February 16, 2023 by philipbrasor

Though it feels timeless, the narrative concept of the femme fatale seems peculiarly suited for the movies, and many film enthusiasts will probably locate its peak utilization during the heyday of Hollywood in the 40s and 50s in works like … Continue reading →

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A stretch of Pavement

Posted on February 15, 2023 by philipbrasor

Pavement are in Japan at the moment. I will not attend any of their shows, though I did the last several times there were in these parts and have dug out a concert review I wrote for the Japan Times … Continue reading →

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Review: Mass

Posted on February 11, 2023 by philipbrasor

One of the classic challenges for filmmakers is to take a story that was written for the stage and “open it up” for the screen. There are a variety of ways to do this, but it mostly involves creating a … Continue reading →

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Review: Compartment No. 6

Posted on February 10, 2023 by philipbrasor

I’m embarrassed to admit that it wasn’t until about 30 minutes into Juho Kuosmanen’s film about a Finnish student traveling by train from Moscow to the Arctic Circle—which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2021—that I realized it was … Continue reading →

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