Philip Brasor
@philipbrasor.bsky.social
📤 611
📥 420
📝 646
Japan media watcher, blogger of Japanese housing philipbrasor.com catforehead.com
"The Love That Remains" and "Good Valley Stories" open today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/44bWZTT
#きれっぱしの愛
@guerinmoviejp
#よき谷の物語
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Review: The Love That Remains and Good Valley Stories
The Icelandic filmmaker and visual artist Hlynur Pálmason requires his audience to put in some effort—not a lot, but enough to force you to pay close attention—in order to make sense of the domesti…
https://bit.ly/44bWZTT
about 15 hours ago
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"Count Basie: Through His Own Eyes" opens tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4oXgnh3
@du_cinema_
#カウント・ベイシー
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Review: Count Basie: Through His Own Eyes
This documentary purports to reveal a more intimate side of the legendary pianist and big band leader through “private correspondence and home movies” that, supposedly, have never been …
https://bit.ly/4oXgnh3
1 day ago
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"Gloaming in Luomo" and "Mothertongue" open Friday in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4ph12rT
@zhanglujapan
#ルオムの黄昏
#春樹
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Review: Gloaming in Luomo and Mothertongue
Korean-Chinese director Zhang Lu’s Gloaming in Luomu won the inaugural Busan Prize in the Competition section of last year’s Busan International Film Festival. Zhang, a mainstay at the …
https://bit.ly/4ph12rT
3 days ago
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Masako's Story 24: 1971-72, the end of junior high school, awakening to wartime Japan, failing to make the grade that counts.
bit.ly/4vwvSPk
#昭和
#ShowaJapan
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Three teachers
Not making the grade
https://bit.ly/4vwvSPk
4 days ago
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Some things absolutely never change.
bit.ly/4v21vz8
add a skeleton here at some point
5 days ago
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"The Outwaters" and "The Long Walk" open today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4gH9wWJ
@extreme_film
#アウトウォーターズ裂けた砂漠
@LongWalk_jp
#ロングウォーク
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Review: The Outwaters and The Long Walk
Horror movies have been ascendant for decades, but in the last few years, certainly since the end of the pandemic, they’ve become even more commercially viable since they seem to be the only …
https://bit.ly/4gH9wWJ
8 days ago
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reposted by
Philip Brasor
After 43 years a Japan-resident Korean man is cleared of spying charges by Korean prosecutor's office.
bit.ly/43U3g6r
#在日コリアン
#軍事政権下の韓国
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Media watch: Zainichi Koreans often had it harder in Korea than they had it in Japan
Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office We’ve often written about the discrimination that Japan-born-and-resident “zainichi” Koreans have to put up with in Japan, but as it turns …
https://bit.ly/43U3g6r
10 days ago
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After 43 years a Japan-resident Korean man is cleared of spying charges by Korean prosecutor's office.
bit.ly/43U3g6r
#在日コリアン
#軍事政権下の韓国
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Media watch: Zainichi Koreans often had it harder in Korea than they had it in Japan
Seoul Central Prosecutor’s Office We’ve often written about the discrimination that Japan-born-and-resident “zainichi” Koreans have to put up with in Japan, but as it turns …
https://bit.ly/43U3g6r
10 days ago
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Masako's Story 23: a pregnant woman and her teen daughter have to move again in 1971 Japan; making new friends and getting a job; welcoming a half-brother; and that bulky Arnold Palmer cardigan.
bit.ly/4uPFAeH
#昭和
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In a family way
Friends and mothers
https://bit.ly/4uPFAeH
15 days ago
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"The Last Viking" and "Pretty Crazy" open today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4eQIQBs
@sayonara_eiyu
#さよなら僕の英雄
@pretty_akuma_jp
#プリティ・クレイジー悪魔が引っ越してきた
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Review: The Last Viking and Pretty Crazy
A lot of comedies, especially those that favor a blacker hue, posit worlds that are in and of themselves insane. The Danish writer and director, Anders Thomas Jensen, creates characters who are ecc…
https://bit.ly/4eQIQBs
15 days ago
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"I Was a Stranger" and "Rich Flu" open tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4oxY5CR
#アイ・ワズ・ア・ストレンジャー
#億万長者の不都合な終末
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Review: I Was a Stranger and Rich Flu
It would be hard to name a recent movie that is more timely than Brandt Andersen’s feature debut, I Was a Stranger, which explores, in a granular manner, the circumstances that prompted many …
https://bit.ly/4oxY5CR
16 days ago
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"Immediate Family" opens Friday in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4uQz6w8
@ImmediateF26
#イミディエイトファミリー
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Review: Immediate Family
Unlike that sprawling collective of session musicians called the Wrecking Crew (a moniker many of them disliked) who played on practically every record that came out of Southern California in the 1…
https://bit.ly/4uQz6w8
17 days ago
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More background (from back in the day)
bit.ly/3S1ZzsQ
add a skeleton here at some point
21 days ago
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"Die My Love" opens today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4ejSBqm
@diemylovejp
#ダイ・マイ・ラブ
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Review: Die My Love
I agree with the critical consensus that John Cassavettes’ A Woman Under the Influence is the definitive cinematic treatment of female mental illness in a connubial setting. The movie stakes …
https://bit.ly/4ejSBqm
22 days ago
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reposted by
Philip Brasor
Masako's Story 22: A happy reunion is qualified by the ongoing struggle to get by; and some dispiriting news.
bit.ly/4dOk2K4
#昭和
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Chestnuts on the roof
Autumn in Oizumi
https://bit.ly/4dOk2K4
28 days ago
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Masako's Story 22: A happy reunion is qualified by the ongoing struggle to get by; and some dispiriting news.
bit.ly/4dOk2K4
#昭和
loading . . .
Chestnuts on the roof
Autumn in Oizumi
https://bit.ly/4dOk2K4
28 days ago
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Some more background
bit.ly/4g21Lua
add a skeleton here at some point
28 days ago
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Some more background
bit.ly/4g21Lua
add a skeleton here at some point
28 days ago
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"Masters of the Universe" opens today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4ocKGjk
#マスターズ・オブ・ユニバース
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Review: Masters of the Universe
Disclosure: I came to this reboot of the Mattel toy franchise with almost no knowledge of its history or that it had a dedicated fan base cultivated in the 1980s. The reason is that I was busy doin…
https://bit.ly/4ocKGjk
29 days ago
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"The Testament of Ann Lee" and "The Moment" open tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4xnGDF8
#アン・リーはじまりの物語
#ザ・モーメント
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Review: The Testament of Ann Lee and The Moment
At first, director Mona Fastvold’s decision to fashion a biopic of Ann Lee, one of the founders of the Evangelical Christian movement Shakerism, into a musical sounds willfully counterintuiti…
https://bit.ly/4xnGDF8
30 days ago
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"Sirât" and "Adam's Sake" open Friday in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4uRUVvW
@sirat_jp
#シラート
@Adamgenzai_film
#アダムの原罪
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Review: Sirât and Adam’s Sake
Much of the power of Oliver Laxe’s Sirât comes from its disorienting intentions. The viewer is dropped fully into an alien, forbidding environment that is nevertheless programmed, at least te…
https://bit.ly/4uRUVvW
about 1 month ago
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Where's grandpa: Japan's adult guardianship system leaves seniors no choice.
bit.ly/4wXzWJv
#成年後見制度
#認知症
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Cognitive dissonance | FCCJ
The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (FCCJ) is one of the world leading press clubs, providing a forum for journalists and public figures in Tokyo.
https://bit.ly/4wXzWJv
about 1 month ago
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Precious space: Tokyo thinks small again, by necessity.
bit.ly/4dWkaWQ
#狭小住宅
#猫の額
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Real cat foreheads
A kyosho jutaku in its typical urban setting The title of this blog refers to two old cliches about Japanese housing that address size. The first refers to a common rejoinder to casual inquiries ab…
https://bit.ly/4dWkaWQ
about 1 month ago
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"Materialists" opens today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4x3BvG3
@materialists_jp
#マテリアリスト結婚の条件
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Review: Materialists
As a filmmaker, Celine Song is nothing if not self-aware. Her first film, the lauded Past Lives, referenced her own story as a Korean immigrant to North America in order to plumb the depths of roma…
https://bit.ly/4x3BvG3
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Philip Brasor
Korean lawyer bashed for trying to prevent Kurdish refugees from being bashed bashes back.
bit.ly/3RxixHs
#在日コリアン弁護士
#クルド人差別
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Media watch: Lawyer bashed for trying to prevent refugees from being bashed bashes back
Demonstrator protesting anti-Kurd speech in Kawasaki in 2025 (Japan Assoc. for Refugees) On May 20 Saitama District Court began hearing a defamation lawsuit brought by a lawyer named Kim Yeong-gong…
https://bit.ly/3RxixHs
about 1 month ago
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"The Forbidden City" and "Keeper" open tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/3PQ8sop
@xiaomei_movie
#シャオ・メイローマ大決戦
#映画KEEPER
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Review: The Forbidden City and Keeper
A popular item at international fantastic film festivals for the last year, The Forbidden City presumes to mount an action-packed kung fu extravaganza set in Rome, and for most of the first half li…
https://bit.ly/3PQ8sop
about 1 month ago
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Korean lawyer bashed for trying to prevent Kurdish refugees from being bashed bashes back.
bit.ly/3RxixHs
#在日コリアン弁護士
#クルド人差別
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Media watch: Lawyer bashed for trying to prevent refugees from being bashed bashes back
Demonstrator protesting anti-Kurd speech in Kawasaki in 2025 (Japan Assoc. for Refugees) On May 20 Saitama District Court began hearing a defamation lawsuit brought by a lawyer named Kim Yeong-gong…
https://bit.ly/3RxixHs
about 1 month ago
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Masako's Story 21: Wherein Masako feeds her music jones in order to feel more comfortable in a world that isn't very comfortable in the first place.
bit.ly/4wOqWq6
#ShowaJapan
#昭和
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Extracurricular education 1
Into the music
https://bit.ly/4wOqWq6
about 1 month ago
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"Boys Go to Jupiter" opens today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/49KRz5i
@bgtj_movie
#ボーイズ・ゴー・トゥ・ジュピター
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Review: Boys Go to Jupiter
Since the mid-90s, American animated features have stuck to a seemingly successful pattern: stories aimed at children spiked with visual and verbal jokes that can still appeal to their parents. Nee…
https://bit.ly/49KRz5i
about 1 month ago
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"Oxana" opens tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4wHWUV0
@OXANA_movie
#裸の革命家・オクサナ
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Review: Oxana
A biopic with a built-in provocation, this French-Ukrainian-Hungarian co-production purports to tell the life story of Oxana Chatchko (Albina Korzh), one of the co-founders of the feminist organiza…
https://bit.ly/4wHWUV0
about 1 month ago
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"EPiC" and "The Choral" open today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/49RqOw3
#エルヴィス・プレスリーインコンサート
#映画エピック
#ザ・コラール
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Review: EPiC and The Choral
What made Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of Elvis Presley so monumental wasn’t what it revealed—if you really want to know about Elvis’s life read Peter Guralnick’s two-part biograph…
https://bit.ly/49RqOw3
about 2 months ago
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"The Botanist" opens tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4dImFgg
@botanistmovie
#ボタニスト植物を愛する少年
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Review: The Botanist
When most people hear of Xinjiang they probably think of the Uyghur people, who make up a sizable portion of the Chinese province’s population. In that case, they may also think about how the…
https://bit.ly/4dImFgg
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Philip Brasor
Masako's Story 20. Spring 1970: Masako has to work for her room and board while advancing from first to second year of jr. high school in Kiryu, Japan
bit.ly/4ddJ5Vm
#昭和
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Someone Else's Family
A period of change…and unwanted fluids
https://bit.ly/4ddJ5Vm
about 2 months ago
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"The Smashing Machine" opens Friday in Tokyo.
bit.ly/42Q2K9f
#スマッシング・マシーン
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Review: The Smashing Machine
Much has been made of Dwayne Johnson’s lead performance as real-life mixed martial arts fighter Mark Kerr. Critics have lauded his ability to move beyond his action movie appeal to portray a …
https://bit.ly/42Q2K9f
about 2 months ago
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Masako's Story 20. Spring 1970: Masako has to work for her room and board while advancing from first to second year of jr. high school in Kiryu, Japan
bit.ly/4ddJ5Vm
#昭和
loading . . .
Someone Else's Family
A period of change…and unwanted fluids
https://bit.ly/4ddJ5Vm
about 2 months ago
0
0
1
"The Sheep Detectives" and "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" open today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4nk5zIW
#ひつじ探偵団
@GI4HM
#グランド・イリュージョンダイヤモンド・ミッション
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Review: The Sheep Detectives and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
Until Aladdin, big movie stars weren’t normally used as voice actors for animated features, and, in fact, Robin Williams’ Genie set a very high bar that few big names have been able to …
https://bit.ly/4nk5zIW
about 2 months ago
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"It Was Just an Accident" opens tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/3OL97Hu
@IWJAA_JP
#シンプル・アクシデント偶然
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Review: It Was Just an Accident
After It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes, its director, Jafar Panahi, accompanied it to many other film festivals, including Busan, where I first saw it in…
https://bit.ly/3OL97Hu
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Philip Brasor
Masako's Story 19: A winter of discontent and loneliness after Masako's mother takes (and then leaves) a boyfriend.
bit.ly/4tTu3LC
#昭和
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Winter winds
Alone again, naturally
https://bit.ly/4tTu3LC
about 2 months ago
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"The Last Dance" and "They Will Kill You" open Friday in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4cUfJfW
#旅立ちのラストダンス
#ゼイウィルキルユー
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Review: The Last Dance and They Will Kill You
According to the South China Morning Post, Anselm Chan’s melodrama The Last Dance is the highest grossing Hong Kong film in history, at least domestically; which is amazing given the filmR…
https://bit.ly/4cUfJfW
about 2 months ago
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Masako's Story 19: A winter of discontent and loneliness after Masako's mother takes (and then leaves) a boyfriend.
bit.ly/4tTu3LC
#昭和
loading . . .
Winter winds
Alone again, naturally
https://bit.ly/4tTu3LC
about 2 months ago
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0
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Man's world: Japan's Maternal Health policy sounds like something a guy would come up with.
bit.ly/4cPEwS8
#プレコンセプションケア
#母体保護法
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Paternally maternal | FCCJ
May 2026 | Japan Media Review In its rush to raise the birth rate, Japan’s government is ignoring women’s sexual and reproductive rights Artwork by Julio Shiiki During her February policy speech in th...
https://bit.ly/4cPEwS8
2 months ago
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"The Life of Chuck" opens today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4ugoOoT
@39chuck_jp
#サンキューチャック
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Review: The Life of Chuck
What Stephen King’s horror stories share with his non-horror stories are carefully constructed narratives based on humanist impulses. His characters, even the ones who are nominally evil, pre…
https://bit.ly/4ugoOoT
2 months ago
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"Deaf" opens tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4cH7547
#幸せの忘れもの
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Review: Deaf
When it comes to movies about disabilities, people with hearing impairment comprised one of the first groups to receive dramatic treatments that were not only sympathetic but insightful into the pe…
https://bit.ly/4cH7547
2 months ago
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Cognitive dissonance: Tokyo's Minato Ward highjacks seniors who seem perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.
bit.ly/48Zdjdk
#成年後見制度
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Media watch: Local government disappears elderly man for reasons it can’t credibly explain
Minato Ward office Last month, the government adopted a bill in the Diet to overhaul the adult guardianship system, which allows family courts to appoint guardians for elderly people whose cognitiv…
https://bit.ly/48Zdjdk
2 months ago
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reposted by
Philip Brasor
Masako's Story 18: When you're growing up in an impoverished single parent household in 1960s Japan, you create new realities by hook or by crook.
bit.ly/4ttu0FT
#昭和
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A Liar and a Thief
Prison-bound in the head
https://bit.ly/4ttu0FT
2 months ago
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"Where to Land" opens today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4e4sOnP
@PossibleFilmsJP
#トゥ・ランド
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Review: Where to Land
Though Long Island indie filmmaker Hal Hartley has worked fairly steadily since his heyday in the 90s, the movies he made in the 00s and 10s didn’t seem to gain as much traction, even among t…
https://bit.ly/4e4sOnP
2 months ago
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Masako's Story 18: When you're growing up in an impoverished single parent household in 1960s Japan, you create new realities by hook or by crook.
bit.ly/4ttu0FT
#昭和
loading . . .
A Liar and a Thief
Prison-bound in the head
https://bit.ly/4ttu0FT
2 months ago
0
3
1
Arco" opens today in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4vI3MkB
@arco_movie_jp
#アルコ
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Review: Arco
This French animated film, which was nominated for an Oscar, is set in two time periods, 2075 and 900 years later. The world of 2075 is carefully extrapolated from the world we live in now, a place…
https://bit.ly/4vI3MkB
2 months ago
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"Twiggy" and "This Is Sparklehorse" open tomorrow in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4sU82uK
@twiggyfilm
#ツイッギー
@Sparklehorse_jp
#悲しくて美しい世界
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Review: Twiggy and This Is Sparklehorse
The moral of the story that comes through in Sadie Frost’s fawning documentary about 60s fashion icon Twiggy—born Lesley Hornby to working class parents in Cockney London in 1949—is that good…
https://bit.ly/4sU82uK
2 months ago
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"The Old Oak" and "Lost Land" open Friday in Tokyo.
bit.ly/4cY6knh
@oldoak0424
#オールド・オーク
@lostland_movie
#LOSTLANDロストランド
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Review: The Old Oak and Lost Land
The Old Oak, the title of what is reported to be Ken Loach’s last film, refers to a superannuated pub in Durham, a small town in northern England that was once sustained by a local coal mine,…
https://bit.ly/4cY6knh
2 months ago
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