Category Archives: Movies

Review: Nightmare Alley

Posted on March 26, 2022 by philipbrasor

The Hollywood melodramas of the late 40s and early 50s had a discomfiting story-telling quality that seems exclusive to that particular era, meaning right after a war that many deemed “good” but which nevertheless haunted those who had seen it … Continue reading →

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Review: Belfast

Posted on March 25, 2022 by philipbrasor

Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical feature isn’t the first movie to depict an historical tragedy through the filter of heartwarming nostalgia, but it definitely feels as if it sets out to be the standard for such depictions. Branagh’s avatar is Buddy (Jude … Continue reading →

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Review: Sing 2

Posted on March 19, 2022 by philipbrasor

Talking animals have always been a staple—if not the default subjects—of cartoons, their appeal reduced to a confluence of familiar species behaviors and anthropomorphic acting out. This particular credo became even more pronounced as CGI made those behaviors more lifelike, … Continue reading →

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Review: Stray

Posted on March 18, 2022 by philipbrasor

What is it about Istanbul and stray animals? In 2016 we had the documentary Kedi, which celebrated the famous stray cats of the city. Now, we have director Elizabeth Lo, who grew up in Hong Kong and studied film in … Continue reading →

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Review: Apples

Posted on March 12, 2022 by philipbrasor

Greek directors have in recent years coopted that species of European ennui that used to be associated with Scandinavia, but filtered through a more mordant sensibility. There’s a fatalism inherent in the work of the most celebrated of these filmmakers, … Continue reading →

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Review: Where Is Anne Frank

Posted on March 10, 2022 by philipbrasor

Moviegoers who approach this animated feature about the famous teenage memoirist because it was written and directed by Ari Folman should be warned that it is very different in tone and substance from his most famous movie, Waltz With Bashir … Continue reading →

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Review: Possessor

Posted on March 4, 2022 by philipbrasor

Brandon Cronenberg’s sci-fi thriller will be, as one critic whose name escapes me at the moment once said of another film, “strong meat” for a lot of people. Extremely violent and cynical about our present capitalist situation, the movie posits … Continue reading →

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Review: The Roads Not Taken

Posted on February 27, 2022 by philipbrasor

Getting the viewer to believe Javier Bardem is the father of Elle Fanning is only the first of many points that director Sally Potter tries and fails to put across in her movie about a day in the life of … Continue reading →

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Review: Cyrano

Posted on February 25, 2022 by philipbrasor

Though I wasn’t surprised that someone had finally decided to adapt Edmond Rostand’s play as a musical, I was surprised that the producers of the original stage production adapted for this movie chose twin brothers Bryce and Aaron Dessner of … Continue reading →

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Review: Gagarine

Posted on February 24, 2022 by philipbrasor

Sometimes, the circumstances surrounding the making of a film help make the experience of watching it richer. The most obvious example that comes to mind is Jafar Panahi’s Offside, a movie that was set and filmed during an actual 2006 … Continue reading →

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