Category Archives: Movies

Review: The Monk and the Gun

Posted on December 12, 2024 by philipbrasor

There’s a naive charm to this second feature by Bhutanese director Pawo Choyning Dorji that initially might be misconstrued as patronizing in nature, but Dorji obviously knows whereof he writes and the wit and warmth of the presentation are so … Continue reading →

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Review: Sidonie in Japan

Posted on December 11, 2024 by philipbrasor

Since Isabelle Huppert has done so many movies for Korea it seems only fair she’d do one for Japan, but I would hardly call Sidonie in Japan parity. The ones she did for Korea were directed by Hong Sangsoo, who … Continue reading →

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Review: Food, Inc. 2

Posted on December 6, 2024 by philipbrasor

Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo’s sequel to Kenner’s 2011 documentary Food, Inc. covers much the same territory, but the filmmakers obviously felt that in the wake of the pandemic some issues needed reiteration and clarification. Eric Schlosser, who wrote Fast … Continue reading →

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Review: White Bird

Posted on December 5, 2024 by philipbrasor

When the YA genre became more relevant in the 1980s, the idea of using fiction aimed directly at teens to teach about social issues was treated almost experimentally since many of those issues were considered adult in essence, but now … Continue reading →

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Review: A Big Home

Posted on December 4, 2024 by philipbrasor

According to Japanese government statistics cited at the beginning of this documentary, about 42,000 children in Japan require “protective care.” Half of these minors live in “children’s homes,” which are not foster homes or orphanages, but they are nevertheless “living … Continue reading →

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Tokyo Filmex 2024

Posted on December 3, 2024 by philipbrasor

I hadn’t been to Filmex since 2015, owing mainly to the fact that for a while after co-founder Shozo Ichiyama resumed his role of chief programmer at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the two events overlapped to a certain extent. … Continue reading →

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Review: Knit’s Island

Posted on November 30, 2024 by philipbrasor

If you’re not into virtual reality, you may need time to adjust to the visual environment of this documentary feature by French filmmakers Ekiem Barbier, Builhem Causse, and Quentin L’Helgouac’h, since it all takes place within the computer game DayZ, … Continue reading →

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Review: The Bikeriders

Posted on November 29, 2024 by philipbrasor

The 1960s was the decade that the Hollywood system died, thus giving birth to a new style of rambunctious narrative art that felt revolutionary at the time. Nowadays, conveying the social atmosphere of the 60s isn’t necessarily difficult, but doing … Continue reading →

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Review: Hail to Hell

Posted on November 23, 2024 by philipbrasor

I would rate this debut feature more highly if the English title had been Hooray for Hell, because it better fits the idiosyncratic tone of the film. The protagonists are a pair of high school girls whose friendship is initially … Continue reading →

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Review: It Ends With Us and Back to Black

Posted on November 22, 2024 by philipbrasor

As both a classic romantic melodrama and a cautionary tale about domestic violence, this adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestseller has to contend with finding an audience that will be receptive to both aspects and then settles on a look that … Continue reading →

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