Category Archives: Movies

June 2016 movies

Posted on June 2, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the June issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on May 25. Burnt Bradley Cooper is good at playing assholes, and Adam Jones, the borderline sociopathic chef he portrays in … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

May 2016 movies

Posted on May 3, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the May issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo on April 25. Captain America: Civil War No, Cap hasn’t been transported back in time to fight the Rebs. The internecine … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

March 2016 movies

Posted on March 2, 2016 by philipbrasor

Here are the movie reviews I wrote for the March-April issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo last week. The Big Short At the moment there is no more timely piece of entertainment than Adam McKay’s black comedy … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Review: Unbroken

Posted on February 4, 2016 by philipbrasor

As has been well documented, at least by the non-Japanese press, Angelina Jolie’s epic Hollywood retelling of the life of Olympic runner Louie Zamperini was not picked up by the usual Japanese distributor for Universal Studios product due to fears … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Review: The Case Against 8

Posted on January 30, 2016 by philipbrasor

Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s documentary, produced for HBO, immediately sets its priorities and its outlook. As the title forcefully suggests, the movie is a polemic against Proposition 8, the California state initiative to repeal legal same sex marriages, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Inerasable (Zan’e)

Posted on January 29, 2016 by philipbrasor

In Japan, real estate agents are by law required to inform potential renters or buyers of murders or suicides that occurred in properties under consideration, though if someone died there of natural causes no one has to say anything. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Review: 5 Flights Up

Posted on January 27, 2016 by philipbrasor

It must be contractually mandated that every movie in which Morgan Freeman appears he has to provide folksy voiceover narration. He does it in this bittersweet domestic drama, though there isn’t a whole lot of need for it. The situation … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Review: 99 Homes

Posted on January 26, 2016 by philipbrasor

As the Oscar nominations for The Big Short testify, the 2008 economic collapse continues to provide raw meat for heavy-duty dramas, as well as comedies of the blackest sort. 99 Homes gets down to the bone of the matter, since … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Review: Son of Saul

Posted on January 22, 2016 by philipbrasor

A winner at Cannes and favored contender for the best foreign language film Oscar this year, Laszlo Nemes’s debut feature is both formally audacious and thematically provocative, so much so on both counts that it’s difficult to absorb all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Best movies of 2015

Posted on December 30, 2015 by philipbrasor

I don’t know if I saw fewer movies this year than last or more, and I don’t feel like counting to find out. For sure, there were a few I wanted to see that I didn’t, like Phoenix, which made … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment