In the middle of the deserts of Morocco stands a hill, upon which a shrine has been built to an unknown saint that was buried there. This structure overshadows the community below, serving as a towering entity that drives both their spiritual and social lives. However, what most don’t realize is that there is something…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Shock Treatment (1981)
When looking at the many films that have been labelled as “cult classics”, one of the easiest examples to dissect is The Rocky Horror Picture Show, since all the qualities that have led it to become one of the most cherished works of musical cinema are very clear. It’s a subversive look at sexuality, framed…
Voodoo Macbeth (2021)
Before he was known as arguably the greatest filmmaker of his generation, Orson Welles was a young, rambunctious stage actor and director who frequently pushed boundaries, even when working within the confines of something as intimidating as Shakespeare. One of his most fascinating projects was a 1936 production of Macbeth, whereby he moved the setting…
To Catch a Thief (1955)
Some of our more recent discussions on Alfred Hitchcock have been focused on a few of his more atypical productions, such as the dark and gritty The Wrong Man, or the hilariously irreverent romantic comedy The Trouble with Harry. However, as much as it is fascinating to look at the esteemed director’s attempts to be…
Saving Grace (2000)
Grace (Brenda Blethyn) has led a relatively sheltered life – the wife of a very rich man, she has been able to focus on her more simple interests, such as working with the Woman’s Institute in her local seaside English village, or pursuing her love of gardening, which has made her quite a formidable authority…
The Lodger (1944)
It is almost impossible to tell a story set in Victorian-era London without addressing the existence of the notorious Jack the Ripper, the serial killer who lurked the dimly-lit alleys and streets of 19th century England, preying on weak and helpless women who are unlucky enough to cross his path. Despite his complete anonymity, he…
A Kid for Two Farthings (1955)
Sir Carol Reed was a filmmaker who had a tendency towards never finding a distinct style, often directing films in a wide range of genres, each one of them giving a different glimpse to one of the subjects that seemed to most interest the director, the lives and times of the population of working-class London….
The Starling (2021)
There’s a scene where Lilly (as played by Melissa McCarthy) viciously throws a rock at a bird that has been terrorizing her, only to nearly have a breakdown when she manages to have good aim, knocking the bird out of the sky and nearly killing it – and the entire third act is focused on…
Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938)
Any lover of the Golden Era of Hollywood will doubtlessly be aware of the concept known as “the Lubitsch Touch”, in reference to the esteemed director Ernst Lubitsch, who remains one of the most important and accessible directors from this period. There aren’t any easy ways to describe this particular quality – those who worked…
The Trouble with Harry (1955)
The trouble with The Trouble with Harry is that it’s not nearly as celebrated as it should be. Despite carrying arguably the most prestigious name in cinema in the form of being helmed by the iconoclastic Alfred Hitchcock, it has nestled comfortably into the status of being one of his lesser efforts, with many not…
The Postmodern Pelican 