Category Archives: Movies

TIFF 2020

Posted on November 9, 2020 by philipbrasor

Here are the articles about the movies and events I covered for the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival home page. “Possessor“ “Ora, Ora Be Goin’ Alone“ “The Last Bath“ “TiTi“ “Come and Go“ Asia Lounge with Tsai Ming-liang “The Old … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2020: Oct. 30

Posted on October 30, 2020 by philipbrasor

The 25th Busan International Film Festival ended today and, as usual, the press office sent me a final report. Total attendance at offline screenings came to 20,135, or 92 percent of capacity, which is surprising given that there was only … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2020: Oct. 29

Posted on October 29, 2020 by philipbrasor

I didn’t intend to watch the Japanese contribution to Window On Asian Cinema, Ora, Ora Be Goin’ Alone, a World Premiere, because I was asked to write about it for the English web page of the Tokyo International Film Festival … Continue reading →

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Review: Destroyer

Posted on October 24, 2020 by philipbrasor

“High-concept” is a term used to describe Hollywood projects that are based on extremely easy-to-grasp ideas that have little to do with story or production values. They’re more like riffs on traditional genre tropes: zombies on Mars, say, or Shakespeare … Continue reading →

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Review: Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band

Posted on October 23, 2020 by philipbrasor

The title tells you right off the bat what you’re getting into with this supposedly definitive documentary about The Band: Robbie’s version, which has been contentious for years owing to how much drummer/singer/nominal frontman Levon Helm resented his post-breakup stewardship, … Continue reading →

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Review: The Wild Goose Lake

Posted on September 25, 2020 by philipbrasor

Mainland Chinese cinema was relatively late to film noir, especially in relation to Hong Kong and other Asian countries like South Korea, Japan, and the Philippines, all of which have reshaped the genre in distinctive ways. But once a younger … Continue reading →

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Review: Martin Eden

Posted on September 20, 2020 by philipbrasor

I haven’t read Jack London’s novel, which is supposedly an autobiographical affair outlining his genesis as a writer, but based on his other writings that I have read and the general tenor of autobiographical novels by writers, I can probably … Continue reading →

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Review: Vitalina Varela

Posted on September 19, 2020 by philipbrasor

There’s a subset of narrative film directors who work almost exclusively with non-professional actors, which may sound like an oxymoron since these performers are in all likelihood paid for their efforts, but in most cases they only appear in one … Continue reading →

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Review: Bring Me Home

Posted on September 18, 2020 by philipbrasor

Bring Me Home is, I think, the third missing child movie I’ve seen this year, which, given the attenuated nature of my moviegoing pastime in the COVID era (I tend to watch TV series at home), practically makes it a … Continue reading →

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Review: Hitsville: The Making of Motown

Posted on September 17, 2020 by philipbrasor

Right away, I should mention that this documentary about the pioneering Black-owned independent record label was authorized and to a certain extent supervised by Motown’s founder Berry Gordy. It’s essentially a PR gambit and looks like it. The narrative emphasis … Continue reading →

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