Author Archives: philipbrasor

Review: Egoist

Posted on February 9, 2023 by philipbrasor

Serendipity can come in various forms. Daishi Matsunaga’s new movie about a homosexual relationship arrives in theaters a week after Japan’s ruling party embarrassed itself by saying the public (read: the ruling party) isn’t ready for same sex marriage, and … Continue reading →

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Review: Babylon

Posted on February 8, 2023 by philipbrasor

In a very short time Damien Chazelle has staked his claim as Hollywood’s primary exemplar of entertainment-themed entertainment. That Neil Armstrong bio-fantasy was the exception that proved the rule, since it didn’t make as much of an impression as his … Continue reading →

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Review: Fall

Posted on February 4, 2023 by philipbrasor

High concept cinema, meaning movies premised on a single, simple, vivid idea, is really all about the setup, since the concept itself isn’t going to work unless the viewer is given some reason to care about it. In Scott Mann’s … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Prominent pundit linked to husband’s shady business deal

Posted on February 3, 2023 by philipbrasor

On Jan. 20, some news outlets reported that Tokyo prosecutors had raided the offices of an investment company that promotes solar power generation. Though the raid by itself was no big deal—prosecutors carry out raids of companies suspected of business … Continue reading →

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Review: Everything Went Fine

Posted on February 2, 2023 by philipbrasor

If there’s one theme or idea that runs like a bright thread through Francois Ozon’s films is that it’s often tough to be a member of the educated upper classes in France. Occasionally, he has fun with this theme in … Continue reading →

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Number 1 Shimbun February

Posted on February 1, 2023 by philipbrasor

Here is our media column for the February issue of the Number 1 Shimbun, which is about the struggle to find an heir to the Shinzo Abe political dynasty.

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Review: The Pink Cloud

Posted on January 28, 2023 by philipbrasor

Having recently lived through a pandemic—though many of us may assume we are still living through one—I found that the details of this Brazilian debut feature, filmed in 2019 before COVID, make it more interesting than it really is: the … Continue reading →

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Review: Mr. Moonlight

Posted on January 27, 2023 by philipbrasor

If, like me, you come to this Japanese documentary about the Beatles’ historic 1966 concerts at Budokan in the hopes of seeing the rare footage of the shows taken by the police for security reasons but sanctioned for more than … Continue reading →

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Review: The Banshees of Inisherin

Posted on January 26, 2023 by philipbrasor

As with Parasite, the overwhelming critical success of Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s third feature film is remarkable for its unlikelihood of even being noticed by a general international viewership. In Parasite‘s case, this unlikelihood was a function of its provenance. … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Nobody wants to talk about the death penalty

Posted on January 25, 2023 by philipbrasor

In November, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yasuhiro Hanashi was compelled to quit his post as justice minister after he made a careless remark at a political gathering. Hanashi said that he felt the job of justice minister was “low-key” and … Continue reading →

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