Something that we don’t often talk about when it comes to film is how art can be a form of therapy. Most of the time, we view cinema as either pure entertainment, or attempts to convey a particular message around some broader social or political message. However, there are instances when someone makes a film…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Malignant (2021)
I don’t normally start my reviews with a warning, but in this case, it feels entirely appropriate. When Malignant, the latest offering from supposed horror maestro James Wan was released, nearly every review and bit of publicity, as well as word-of-mouth responses, indicated the prospective viewers should not read anything about this film, since part…
The Flowers of St. Francis (1950)
Religious-based films tend to have quite a bad reputation, especially in the last few decades, where they have come to be associated with not only cheap production value and poor filmmaking, but also overly conservative values that go against the more progressive nature of the mainstream film industry (or rather, the kind of armchair liberalism…
Risks and Side Effects (2021)
One has to admire films that manage to find the humour in even the most serious of situations, since they tend to be amongst the most well-composed, meaningful projects, subversive where it matters and insightful where we may not expect it to be. This is very true for Risks and Side Effects (German: Risiken &…
The Invisible Man (1933)
There’s nothing quite like a Universal horror film, especially around this time of year, when we all tend to dip into the more unsettling side of cinema. It’s a pleasant and unforgettable experience to nestle into a chilly autumnal evening (or springtime, depending on where you are choosing to be terrorized), armed with the knowledge…
Oliver & Company (1988)
The 1980s were a tough time for the Walt Disney Company – the glory days of their first Golden Era was too distant for them to coast on the goodwill from their classic films, and it would be a few years before they entered into another prolific era of producing brilliant films. This was also…
The Sparks Brothers (2021)
“If you don’t like this…we don’t care” I remember the moment I became aware of Sparks – the faded, worn-out live recording where two peculiar individuals emerged onto a stage and performed a song I would soon come to learn was entitled “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us”. There’s a moment…
Marty (1955)
While it doesn’t necessarily have a bad reputation, Marty is often dismissed as being a minor work, a simple and ineffective romantic drama produced during an era where many notable teleplays were being quickly and cheaply turned into films, in order to profit off the charms of the wildly popular actors that often signed up…
Dune (2021)
Frank Herbert’s Dune has had a long and troubled journey to the screen – from the moment it was released in 1965, there have been various attempts to bring it to the screen. The well-documented efforts by revolutionary Chilean director and film iconoclast Alejandro Jodorowsky to adapt the novel after purchasing the rights failed (but…
Rhinoceros (1974)
No one did absurdity quite as well as Eugène Ionesco, one of the most fascinating playwrights to ever work in the theatre. While he isn’t massively popular outside of theatrical circles, as well as amongst literary communities, the author’s work has remained poignant and captivating, decades after his plays were first staged. His most significant…
The Postmodern Pelican 