Author Archives: philipbrasor

Review: The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Posted on February 10, 2022 by philipbrasor

As the title so starkly conveys, the theme of Lee Daniels’ biopic of the woman who many believe to be the greatest jazz singer of all time is the constant struggle Billie Holiday endured just to exist, but the story … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Government demonstrates selective memory when it comes to Japan’s mining history

Posted on February 6, 2022 by philipbrasor

Last week, the Cabinet decided it would ask UNESCO to list a gold and silver mine on the island of Sado as a World Heritage Site. The government says the mine, which opened about 400 years ago and closed in … Continue reading →

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Review: Lansky

Posted on February 5, 2022 by philipbrasor

It was inevitable that Meyer Lansky get the gangster biopic treatment, and considering Lansky’s special place in the annals of the American underworld, Eytan Rockaway’s version of that life is disappointingly generic. A Jew and proud of it (but devoutly … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Justice ministry ties itself into knots attempting to simplify paternity determination

Posted on February 4, 2022 by philipbrasor

One of the purposes of Japan’s koseki (family register) system, if not the main purpose, is to provide the authorities with some control over what constitutes a family, which naturally leads to grey areas and points of contention, since it’s … Continue reading →

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Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Posted on February 4, 2022 by philipbrasor

It’s difficult to believe that the producers of the latest Ghostbusters reboot didn’t receive some kind of studio pushback for the subtitle of the movie. Obviously, the word “afterlife” can have some clever connotations when it comes to ghost stories, … Continue reading →

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February No. 1 Shimbun column

Posted on February 1, 2022 by philipbrasor

We’re now contributing a monthly media column to the No. 1 Shimbun. It should be pretty much the same as Media Mix in terms of content and style, but probably longer since No. 1 Shimbun is only published online, which … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Bicycle accidents receive extra scrutiny from public, police and media

Posted on January 31, 2022 by philipbrasor

On Jan. 26, Tokyo District Court began hearing a case in which a bicycle delivery person is accused of riding recklessly and causing the death of a 78-year-old man in Itabashi Ward last April. Prosecutors are demanding a 2-year prison … Continue reading →

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Review: Crescendo

Posted on January 29, 2022 by philipbrasor

German-Israeli co-productions have emerged as an almost distinct subset of middlebrow art house cinema. Invariably, all the movies in this category deal either directly (Plan A) or indirectly (The Cakemaker) with the two countries’ fraught relationship owing to history, but … Continue reading →

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Review: Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm

Posted on January 28, 2022 by philipbrasor

If you assess music documentaries by how many interviews with rock stars it contains, Rockfield, which is about the titular Welsh recording studio built on the premises of a working farm, will probably be right up there at the top … Continue reading →

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Media watch: High court “forgives” trainee convicted of abandoning baby, but only up to a point

Posted on January 24, 2022 by philipbrasor

Technical trainees who come from overseas to work in Japan are subject to conditions that don’t necessarily apply to foreign workers who come to Japan with conventional work visas. There are many people who feel these conditions are unreasonable, especially … Continue reading →

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