Friends are the family we choose – as hackneyed and cliched as this adage may be, there is a reason it has adorned many wooden kitchen signs and social media captions. There’s nothing quite like finding someone with whom you have a lot in common, and allowing a natural connection to form as a result,…
Lurker (2025)
As John Waters famously said, “life is nothing if you’re not obsessed” – and while we may assume he didn’t realise the extent to which obsession can genuinely become a problem when left unchecked, he, of all people, knows what it means to be fixated on a particular concept, or a person who best represents…
On Swift Horses (2025)
There is nothing quite as frustrating as the feeling of being forced into a life from which you cannot ever truly escape – not because of anything particularly negative or insidious, but rather that you have become a victim of the status quo, which isn’t always easy to overcome. In his novel On Swift Horses,…
Reflection in a Dead Diamond (2025)
Why are we drawn to spy films? The genre has proven to be exceptionally popular, going back to the 1930s, where stories of debonair agents (whether professional or amateur) facing sinister adversaries in pursuit of knowledge have remained cinematic classics, ageing exceptionally well and bringing genuine value to those who are simply seeking entertainment more…
The Man in My Basement (2025)
We’ve all experienced this feeling: we’re sitting at home, peacefully going about our day. Then there’s a knock on the door. The confusion immediately sets in when we realise that we were not expecting someone, and usually open the door to either a pleasant surprise or a major inconvenience, depending on who stands across the…
A Little Prayer (2025)
Family is everything, and those of us who are lucky will find that there are some people who may not be related to us by blood or through any direct legal connection, but who enter our lives and become an important part of it. The idea of the “chosen” family has been a source of…
Blue Heron (2025)
Despite being one of the most natural processes we will experience, growing up is not always easy. Even those who are fortunate enough to spend their childhoods in comfort and luxury will know that the road towards adolescence and then later adulthood is anything but smooth – it’s extremely challenging, since not only do we…
Hedda (2025)
There’s something about Hedda Gabler that you simply cannot resist – she knows it, and everyone around her knows it, which makes her such a fascinating and beguiling figure. Henrik Ibsen’s astonishing creation has been the subject of many adaptations over the years on stage and screen, coming to be seen as one of the…
The Toxic Avenger (2025)
When it comes to independent horror, you cannot ignore the enormous effect Troma had on the industry. Despite being populated by filmmakers and producers who were considered vulgarians on the best of days, and lacking any real support, leading to many artists being forced to make their films on nothing but spare change and their…
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (2025)
Some stories exist to teach a lesson, others to communicate a specific message. The kind that I find is often the most surprising, but yet oddly the one we see only sporadically, are those which set out to just capture emotions more than reaching a specific narrative point. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of striking…
The Postmodern Pelican 