Author Archives: philipbrasor

Review: IWeirDO

Posted on August 19, 2021 by philipbrasor

Taiwanese filmmaker Liao Ming-yi’s debut is said to be the first Asian movie shot on iPhones, a gimmick that no longer feels particularly fresh but one that is peculiarly suited to the themes he addresses. The portrait mode does a … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Aug. 14, 2021

Posted on August 15, 2021 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix about some sustainability issues related to the so-called legacy of the recent Tokyo Olympics. As mentioned at the beginning of the column, after the Paralympics the Olympic Village will be thoroughly remodeled in order to … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Aug. 7, 2021

Posted on August 8, 2021 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the new documentary feature, Pankeki o Dokumi Suru, about Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his peculiar brand of survival politics. As pointed out in the column, one of the overriding themes of … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, July 31, 2021

Posted on August 1, 2021 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about the Yokohama mayoral election set for August 22. The main issue in the election, at least as far as the media is concerned, is Yokohama’s bid for an integrated resort-with-casino. The main … Continue reading →

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Review: Song Without a Name

Posted on July 31, 2021 by philipbrasor

This Peruvian black-and-white film, directed by Melina Leon, who also wrote it with Michael J. White, feels schematically predictable on paper. It presents the all too common tragedy of an indigenous woman who is cheated by a nameless, criminal entity … Continue reading →

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Review: Inside (uncut)

Posted on July 30, 2021 by philipbrasor

Not particularly a fan of horror movies, I was nonetheless curious about this rerelease of an infamous 2007 slasher flick that has since become identified as a prime example of the so-called new wave of French horror, which tends to … Continue reading →

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Review: In the Heights

Posted on July 29, 2021 by philipbrasor

So much has happened in the world that could affect the basic premise of the musical In the Heights between its Broadway stage beginnings in 2008 and its cinematic manifestation last year that it’s impossible not to ponder them while … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, July 24, 2021

Posted on July 25, 2021 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is about some of the root causes of the killer mudslide that hit Atami on July 3. As Shukan Asahi pointed out, this sort of disaster is bound to happen again, and not just … Continue reading →

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Review: Plan A

Posted on July 24, 2021 by philipbrasor

Having been pleasantly surprised by the 2018 German-Israeli co-production The Cakemaker, I was looking forward to Plan A, another German-Israeli co-production. The Cakemaker had explored the still difficult relationship between the two countries but on an intimate scale and in … Continue reading →

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Review: Last and First Men

Posted on July 23, 2021 by philipbrasor

The late Icelandic film composer Johann Johannsson amassed an admirably ecelctic body of soundtrack work that ranged from Hollywood potboilers to pure art cinema, and the posthumously released Last and First Men is the only film he directed. The score … Continue reading →

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