Author Archives: philipbrasor

Review: Emergency Declaration

Posted on January 6, 2023 by philipbrasor

Given its star power and large cinematic canvas, this disaster film would qualify as a blockbuster had it been made by Hollywood in the 70s or 80s. Nowadays it would just seem anachronistic, but since it was made in South … Continue reading →

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Review: Dream Horse

Posted on January 5, 2023 by philipbrasor

The British working class underdog movie is a proven box office winner, and much more convincing, if not more sentimental, than its American cognate, which is usually centered on sports. This almost apologetically formulaic fictionalization of a true story that … Continue reading →

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Number 1 Shimbun column January

Posted on January 2, 2023 by philipbrasor

Here is our January column for the Number 1 Shimbun, which is about the process of choosing the current name of the imperial reign and why the attendant calendar system is so inconvenient.

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Best albums 2022

Posted on December 31, 2022 by philipbrasor

As so many music writers have already said, 2022 was a great year for pop, especially pop in album form. Though the theory is not publicly widespread, I would venture that the reason may have been a post-pandemic reaction on … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Even celebrities die alone

Posted on December 28, 2022 by philipbrasor

On July 25, the Japanese actor Yoko Shimada died in a Tokyo hospital. She was 69 years old. Some older people may remember Shimada as the female lead in the 1980 American TV miniseries Shogun, which was based on James … Continue reading →

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Best movies 2022

Posted on December 26, 2022 by philipbrasor

Though the pandemic has in no way subsided in Japan—Christmas Eve marked a new one-day record for deaths from COVID—this year I managed to regain the movie-watching pace I enjoyed before 2019, and therefore am resuming the compilation of a … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Kishida’s kid not cut out for Nagatacho

Posted on December 26, 2022 by philipbrasor

If you have access to Japanese Twitter you may have noticed some Tweets about a certain female reporter who works for Fuji TV. The posts invariably link to tabloid news articles that describe the woman as being involved in some … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Is Japan’s new defense posture vis-a-vis the U.S. a case of the tail wagging the dog?

Posted on December 24, 2022 by philipbrasor

Though the Japanese government’s intentions to double the defense budget over the next five years has caused some controversy here, in the U.S. it has mostly met with unequivocal support. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other … Continue reading →

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Review: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Posted on December 23, 2022 by philipbrasor

British actor Naomi Ackie plays the powerhouse pop singer in this latest bid to cash in on her legacy, and does a formidable job in creating a distinctive on screen character, lip-syncing to beat the band, a talent that may … Continue reading →

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Review: Flag Day

Posted on December 22, 2022 by philipbrasor

Knowing that Sean Penn directs and stars in this drama, based on a true story, and that he plays a truth-challenged, mostly absent father, the alert viewer will already be forewarned about the emotional drudgery in store. Taken from a … Continue reading →

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