Category Archives: Movies

Review: Two Seasons, Two Strangers

Posted on November 7, 2025 by philipbrasor

The fact that Sho Miyake’s latest movie (Tabi to Hibi in Japanese) is based on two manga may cause some misunderstanding. The manga author is Yoshiharu Tsuge, whose work is subtle and idiosyncratic, meaning it doesn’t adhere to the kind … Continue reading →

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Tokyo International Film Festival 2025

Posted on November 6, 2025 by philipbrasor

Here are links to the articles I wrote for the TIFF 2025 web site. Mother Bhumi Q&A In-I in Motion Q&A Journey into Sato Tadao Q&A Heads or Tails? Q&A Masterclass with Soi Cheang Mothertongue Q&A Echoes of Motherhood stage … Continue reading →

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Review: A Traveler’s Needs

Posted on November 1, 2025 by philipbrasor

There’s obviously something about Hong Sangsoo’s methodology that appeals to Isabelle Huppert, because this is the third movie of his that she’s starred in. It may be the free-form way Hong constructs his narrative. Like Mike Leigh, Hong doesn’t start … Continue reading →

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Review: So Long, See You Tomorrow and Spirit World

Posted on October 31, 2025 by philipbrasor

Baek Seung-bin’s third feature’s literary pretensions go beyond his borrowing the title of William Maxwell’s classic 1979 novel. There’s a gay bar that figures centrally in the plot called Giovanni’s Room, the title of an early James Baldwin novel and … Continue reading →

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Review: Something Is About to Happen

Posted on October 30, 2025 by philipbrasor

The title of this Spanish drama has less to do with the mechanics of the story than with the expectations of the viewer. Director Antonio Méndez Esparza, adapting a novel, concentrates on the everyday concerns of an average citizen named … Continue reading →

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Review: The Day Iceland Stood Still

Posted on October 25, 2025 by philipbrasor

October 24 marked the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Day of Peace in Iceland, when 90 percent of Icelandic women commemorated the United Nations International Women’s Year by going on strike. That means not only did working women not go … Continue reading →

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Review: Hard Truths and The Roses

Posted on October 24, 2025 by philipbrasor

One of the many refreshing things about Mike Leigh’s cinema is the way he disregards certain prejudices in terms of plotting and characterization. There are moments during his movies when viewers may ask themselves why a certain character acts a … Continue reading →

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Review: The Conjuring: Last Rites

Posted on October 17, 2025 by philipbrasor

I have not followed the Conjuring franchise so far and was taken aback by the conceit that it is based on the adventures of a real life married couple, Lorraine and Ed Warren, who performed exorcisms starting in the 1950s … Continue reading →

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Review: Eephus

Posted on October 16, 2025 by philipbrasor

Because of Hollywood, American movies are considered the default cinematic form, meaning any other kind needs to be qualified first; but there are enough American movies that fall outside the perceived Hollywood norm to constitute their own collective genre. This … Continue reading →

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Review: Holy Cow and Brand New Landscape

Posted on October 10, 2025 by philipbrasor

Work, as the Nazis used to say, will make you free, though it depends on which end of the whip you’re on. A lot of it has to do with milieu. Louise Courvoisier’s continually surprising coming-of-age tale, Holy Cow, is … Continue reading →

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