There was a time when Ramin Bahrani was considered one of the most exciting young directors of his generation. He was given boundless praise by both critics and the industry, as well as audiences, all of which responded with nothing but the most sincere praise for his work, which signalled a flourishing directorial career that…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Empire of Light (2022)
We have all presumably felt that specific sensation at least once, the feeling of walking through those doors, handing the usher your ticket while trying to balance your overpriced treats from the concession stand, before walking into that dimly-lit theatre and taking your seat amongst a few dozen other strangers, all gathered together to undergo…
King of the Zombies (1941)
It only seems logical that, when exploring the comedies of the past, that we’d naturally be more inclined to start with the classics, the films that have been established as the masterpieces, especially since they tend to represent the absolute best the genre has to offer. However, there are some occasions when the best comedies…
The Twelve Chairs (1970)
Literature has the power to not only transport readers to entirely different periods and settings, but also to capture history in a way that few other kinds of art can. There is something about putting words on the page and telling a story that can be both incredibly entertaining and profoundly moving. As far as…
Lyle Lyle Crocodile (2022)
Who of us hasn’t had the pleasure of buying a vintage brownstone house in the heart of Manhattan, only to find that it is inhabited by a ten-foot-tall crocodile with a beautiful singing voice, as well as his eccentric owner, a magician who is trying his best to break into the mainstream? If you are…
The Best Films of 2022
It is that time of year again – the 95th Academy Awards are tonight, bringing somewhat of an official end to the cinematic year. As is tradition, I spend today reflecting on the past year, looking at the films that made the most profound difference, and those which represent the best that cinema had to…
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
It’s a scenario we’ve all imagined – in that ambigious space between life and death, we are led into a room, where we are presented with a montage of our life, giving us the chance to reflect on the past, and determine which of the two afterlives will be our home for eternity. Whether it…
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
There are few franchises that saw as radical a decline in quality as the Shrek series – the first two films are appropriately considered not only masterpieces in their own right, but incredibly influential to the entire medium of animation, the industry being pushed in new directions after what was soon to be seen as…
The Inspection (2022)
There are few subjects that are quite as incompatible as the queer community and the armed forces, which has been the source of a lot of tension in terms of political and cultural standards, with the general belief that homosexuality does not have any place within the military being rooted heavily in conservative values. However,…
Man on a Swing (1974)
One of the more unsettling true crime stories of the past 50 years is the murder of Barbara Ann Butler, a young woman who was found dead in her automobile in an Ohio parking lot in the early 1970s, a case that remains open. This story was the basis for The Girl on the Volkswagen…
The Postmodern Pelican 