Russian cinema is severely underrated, especially when it comes to looking at how there are many filmmakers who traversed every conceivable genre, but often had their voice stifled by either the Soviet government, or by western audiences, who weren’t particularly enamoured with the idea of embracing films produced in a region that was essentially their…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Funny Face (1957)
As much as they’d like to think they continue breaking boundaries with their constant pursuit of innovation, Hollywood quite simply doesn’t make films like Funny Face anymore. We certainly do see occasional pastiches of the Golden Era of filmmaking in movies like The Artist and La La Land, but these are only pale imitations of…
The Station Agent (2003)
There are some days where I consider The Station Agent to be a perfect film, while there are others where it completely slips my mind that such a staggering work of art exists, only at an arm’s length from bringing joy to anyone who decides to venture into Tom McCarthy’s wonderful world. A small and…
A Chump at Oxford (1940)
Sometimes, we tend to want to put away the overly serious, ambitious and artistically-resonant productions and instead simply just watch something entertaining. Mercifully, the film industry has never experienced a shortage of wonderfully exuberant productions, many of them produced through the partnerships of various comedic duos or troupes, which served as the foundation for countless…
Daddy Nostalgia (1990)
Daddy Nostalgia is the kind of film that has value we don’t realize until we’re nearly done. Bertrand Tavernier was a profoundly gifted filmmaker, a multi-generational French storyteller that could weave together the most complex plots into some of the most profoundly moving testaments to the human condition. However, this film in particular is one…
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974)
When looking at any form of postcolonial literature written by an author that is part of a previously marginalized group, we can see some degree of “writing back”, whereby they are constructing works that not only describe their experiences or those of their ancestors, but also serve a discursive function, commenting on the issues that…
Wild Strawberries (1957)
“The day’s clear reality dissolved into the even clearer images of memory that appeared before my eyes with the strength of a true stream of events.” These profound words occur towards the middle of Wild Strawberries (Swedish: Smultronstället), one of the many unimpeachable masterpieces handcrafted by the incredible Ingmar Bergman, produced at a time in…
Alice (1990)
When it comes to living the good life, very few know better than Alice Tate (Mia Farrow), who has spent the last two decades as a spoiled New York City housewife and mother, spending her days gallivanting through the Upper West Side and shopping at any boutique that takes her fancy, and undergoing any range…
The Best Films of 2020
It should go without saying that 2020 was a year unlike any other – as a global population, we had to adapt to unprecedented changes that shook our very existence and presented us with a new set of challenges not many of us expected to have to endure. However, what came about as a result…
Gates of Paris (1957)
Somewhere on the other side of Paris sits the small neighbourhood of Porte des Lilas (“Port of Lilacs”), in which many of the city’s working-class citizens reside, making it their home after a long day’s work. Two of its residents in particular are the focus – L’Artiste (Georges Brassens) is a penniless musician who makes…
The Postmodern Pelican 