Tag Archives: Joaquin Phoenix

Review: Eddington

Posted on December 12, 2025 by philipbrasor

A lot of critics have labeled Ari Aster’s latest provocation a modern Western owing to certain superficial signifiers—cowboy hats, a desert-adjacent setting—but to me it’s closer in spirit to Breaking Bad, and not just because the titular town is in … Continue reading →

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Review: Joker: Folie à Deux

Posted on October 11, 2024 by philipbrasor

I’m not sure what to make of this genre of movies and TV shows that exists simultaneously within a superhero universe and without it. In the first Todd Phillips Joker movie the only real narrative connection, besides the setting, to … Continue reading →

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Review: Beau Is Afraid

Posted on February 16, 2024 by philipbrasor

Though one could categorize Ari Aster’s third feature as a horror film, it’s decidedly different in tone and effect than his first two, Hereditary and Midsommar. Those were more conventional horror films in that the viewer was meant to identify … Continue reading →

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Review: Napoleon

Posted on December 1, 2023 by philipbrasor

People tend to complain when movies that endeavor to explain an important historical event fudge the facts, though anyone who has seriously studied history understands that there are always multiple versions of specific narratives, and the really important thing is … Continue reading →

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Review: C’mon C’mon

Posted on April 21, 2022 by philipbrasor

Though I have mixed feelings about Mike Mills’ quasi-autobiographical family dramedies, I really liked 20th Century Women because it didn’t make a big deal of the central character’s iconoclasm. His latest film, which is not based on Mills’ own life … Continue reading →

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Review: Joker

Posted on October 2, 2019 by philipbrasor

Todd Phillips’ odd superhero gloss has a lot of distractions built into it, the most obvious one being its non-relationship to the Batman franchise (or franchises, depending on how doctrinnaire you are) as a feature that is only tangentially relevant … Continue reading →

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Review: The Sisters Brothers

Posted on July 6, 2019 by philipbrasor

The hitman movie hit a wall years ago, maybe as far back as Pulp Fiction, which billed itself as the last word on the sub-genre. Since then, it’s been variations on a theme, and the variations haven’t been varied enough … Continue reading →

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Review: Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot

Posted on May 2, 2019 by philipbrasor

Gus Van Sant manages to recover from recent poor choices (Sea of Trees, Promised Land) with the help of Joaquin Phoenix and an inspired cast of A-listers in supporting roles. The vehicle is perhaps less impressive than any of its … Continue reading →

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Review: You Were Never Really Here

Posted on June 2, 2018 by philipbrasor

It’s difficult to grasp what director Lynne Ramsay is trying to accomplish with her new movie. Ostensibly a genre exercise, You Were Never Really Here sketchily outlines the daily grind of a hit man, Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), who specializes in … Continue reading →

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July 2014 movies

Posted on June 30, 2014 by philipbrasor

Here are the reviews I wrote for the July issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo last week. Beyond the Edge Given his status as New Zealand’s greatest 20th century hero, it seems unfortunate that the late Sir … Continue reading →

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