While his name may not be exceptionally well-known outside of devotees to the world of independent cinema, but Alexandre Rockwell is an important figure in a movement that dedicated itself, as its name would suggest, to breaking free from the shackles of mainstream Hollywood, and taking on a new form of filmmaking as a means…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
On the Count of Three (2022)
It is often said that in order to create good art centred around the concept of death, one has to be either fond enough of living to be entirely objective to the realities of this great inevitability, or so far gone into a space of almost nihilistic despair that this serves as a way for…
All About Eve (1950)
What is there to say that hasn’t already been said countless times before when it comes to All About Eve? The film, which is almost unanimously considered not only the personal best work of the brilliant Joseph L. Mankiewicz, but one of the most well-regarded and iconic pieces of cinema to ever be produced, has…
So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
The first time I encountered So I Married an Axe Murderer was in my pre-teen years, when I stumbled upon it one late night on television. For someone who usually took films at face value, something to carry such a direct and evocative title was immediately going to be of interest, even if I had…
Junebug (2005)
As we’ve discussed numerous times, independent cinema has had quite a storied history, with the roots going back just about as far as film has been considered a legitimate medium – for every major production, there were a dozen smaller works that were obscured by the unimpeachable might of the mainstream industry, but which have…
That Sinking Feeling (1979)
Bill Forsyth is a cinematic treasure – one only needs to watch the iconic Local Hero to understand his precise brilliance, with his blend of humour and pathos being responsible for some truly tremendous films, despite a relatively small body of work. We can look at the work he produced as a result of that…
Anaïs in Love (2022)
Despite having departed over a decade ago, the spirit of the wonderful Éric Rohmer remains alive and well in many young filmmakers, especially those from his native France that have inherited his legacy of telling beautifully human stories centred on ordinary people as they navigate any number of themes, ranging from romance to the most…
FUBAR (2002)
The sub-genre of Canuxploitation isn’t particularly well-known, but for those who have some experience with these peculiar works of Canadian cinema, there resides a world of fascinating (and often quite obscure) works that have become quite popular in small but dedicated circles, many of the films acquiring cult status over the years. The majority are…
Path of Hope (1950)
As the adage goes, desperate times breed desperate measures – and a group of filmmakers that implicitly understood this concept were those that worked under the umbrella of Italian neo-realism, the movement that emerged during the Second World War, and sought to describe the challenges faced by ordinary people that fell victim to the social…
Operation Mincemeat (2022)
There is always comfort in tradition, and while we tend to find ourselves intrigued by works of art that promise to demonstrate audacious and subversive methods, its often those that adhere closely to conventions that sometimes offer us the most well-rounded entertainment, granted it is done in a way that is still artistically resonant and…
The Postmodern Pelican 