Category Archives: Movies

Review: Asako I & II

Posted on September 8, 2018 by philipbrasor

I have yet to see Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s previous film, the internationally lauded 5-hour domestic drama Happy Hour, which, probably due to its length, hasn’t been picked up by WOWOW. But having read about its charms for almost a year I … Continue reading →

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Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp

Posted on September 3, 2018 by philipbrasor

It’s a good thing the second Ant-Man movie is above average, because it’s becoming quite a chore to fit all these Marvel superhero movies into the Marvel universe, at least as it applies to the Avengers movies, which seem to … Continue reading →

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Review: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Posted on September 1, 2018 by philipbrasor

Thanks to Japan’s complicated publicity machine, the sequel to the successful movie version of the very successful ABBA-inspired jukebox musical Mamma Mia! arrives well after most of the rest of the world has decided it’s a better movie than the … Continue reading →

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Review: Pop Aye

Posted on August 25, 2018 by philipbrasor

The titular elephant in this Thai film is named after the iconic cartoon sailor, though I can’t really fathom the title’s unconventional spelling. In a way, the linguistic disconnect expands on the movie’s sometimes jarring juxtaposition of universal themes and … Continue reading →

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Review: The Girl Without Hands

Posted on August 22, 2018 by philipbrasor

The Brothers Grimm story from which this French animated film has been adapted is not one of their more famous ones, but it has all the non-Disney hallmarks that have made the fairy tale-meisters the darlings of comparative lit majors. … Continue reading →

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Review: Tully

Posted on August 18, 2018 by philipbrasor

Charlize Theron’s second feature with director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody is more sentimental than Young Adult but every bit as irreverent, which may sound like a contradiction in terms. Theron plays Marlo, the pregnant mother of an autistic … Continue reading →

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Review: Viceroy’s House

Posted on August 13, 2018 by philipbrasor

Given the casting of Hugh Bonneville in the role of Lord Louis “Dickie” Mountbatten, the last British viceroy of India before independence, it’s easy to guess that the producers wanted direct comparisons between this dramatic recreation of the summer of … Continue reading →

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Review: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Posted on August 10, 2018 by philipbrasor

Christopher McQuarrie returns to direct the sixth installment of Tom Cruise’s vanity project, which he has every right to be proud of, and not just because it continuously breaks box office records internationally. For what it’s worth, the Mission: Impossible … Continue reading →

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Review: Double Lover

Posted on August 9, 2018 by philipbrasor

Though Francois Ozon has made an enviable reputation for himself by being both prolific and consistently engaging, his best movies are throwbacks to enduring styles that have never really benefited from being updated. Double Lover falls into this category. It’s … Continue reading →

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Review: The Death of Stalin

Posted on August 4, 2018 by philipbrasor

As he proved with the 2009 political satire, In the Loop, director Armando Iannucci is not afraid to delve deep into the curdled souls of ambitious men and women for comedy that smarts more than it entertains. He is the … Continue reading →

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