We’re truly fortunate to be living at the same time as Mel Brooks – I have a sincere appreciation for comedy as an artform, and few people have made as much of an impression on the subject of humour than Brooks, who has single-handedly helped bring about some of the most revolutionary developments in the…
Separate Lies (2005)
To what extent do we protect those we love? Is it possible to support someone through particularly tricky circumstances while still being able to maintain not only a very particular public image, but also your inner peace? This is a question that we often find being asked in instances where someone discovers a family member…
Jimpa (2026)
Family can be a challenging topic to address artistically, since it is a near-universal subject that most of us can relate to in some way, but it often tends to be quite specific, and what is motivating for one viewer can be entirely dull for another. However, these stories must be told, since there is…
Matador (1986)
How do you define an artistic revolutionary? Is it by their longevity or the extent to which they were willing to take wild swings, regardless of any potential repercussions from a society that may not have always understood them at the time, but still facilitated their rise to acclaim, even if unintentionally? When it comes…
Beating Heart (1940)
Had Robert Bresson been more inclined to make Pickpocket in the mould of the classic Hollywood screwball comedies that held quite a prominent place in the culture, it would have most likely looked very similar to Beating Heart (French: Battement de coeur), a charming and eccentric romantic comedy written and directed by Henri Decoin, who…
The History of Sound (2025)
The great American poet and historian Sidney Lanier once famously said, “Music is love in search of a word”, and considering one of his most prominent areas of study was that of music, it is quite clear that he was an authority on the subject. Anyone who has ever been in love, even for just…
Over Your Dead Body (2026)
Every couple has its bad days, and it has often been said that it’s in these moments that many relationships grow the strongest, since if someone can overcome the everyday irritants that come with being in a relationship. Pretty much everything else (barring actual immoral actions) is extremely easy. However, some couples are not meant…
Beautiful Thing (1996)
There are few pieces of art more resonant to those who have struggled to fit in than “Make Your Own Kind of Music” by The Mamas and the Papas, where Cass Elliot croons about the importance of marching to the beat of your own drum, regardless of the people who stand in your way. This…
Lucky7 (2008)
Ambition is a quality that should be savoured when it is found in its purest form, since it has become increasingly rare to find people who are willing to challenge and provoke in equal measure while still showcasing their audacity. One of the more intriguing examples of this concept in practice that I encountered recently…
The Doom Generation (1995)
There are many ways to describe a film and its intentions, and we often find that it comes in the most unexpected forms on occasion. When it comes to describing a certain subset of films, we can look at some crude graffiti found on a wall in Marseille, France, which quite simply said “be gay,…
The Postmodern Pelican 