“I can’t tell the difference between our act and us anymore” The Sunshine Boys is one of those films that has always been omnipotent in my life – from the earliest days, I recall it being shown on television, and over the years, it captivated me in ways I could never quite describe. It’s a…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Picnic on the Grass (1959)
There’s no need to relitigate the career of Jean Renoir, since his reputation has always preceded him, right from the early days of his work as one of the most prominent French filmmakers in the post-silent era. He made many films, some of which have gone on to become unimpeachable classics, respected as if they…
Ms. White Light (2020)
Alexis ( Roberta Colindrez) is a young woman who has never quite fit in with anyone around her. She tends to keep her circle of friends extremely small – in fact, the only person she has a genuine long-lasting connection to his her father (John Ortiz). They run a small business, where they offer a…
Shadows (1959)
Over the years, I’ve shown my support for independent cinema, not only in its modern iterations (as well as its gradual increase in success as a viable form of filmmaking that gives many artists the chance to have their voices elevated to the mainstream), but also in its origins. One of the most frequent allusions…
The Castle (1997)
The Kerrigans are a mild-mannered middle-class Australian family living in a small suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne. They’re led by the mischievous but resourceful Daryl (Michael Caton), whose commitment to his family is truly admirable. He may work a low-paying job as a tow-truck driver, but he always makes sure to provide for his…
Imitation of Life (1959)
No one was ever able to perfect the art of melodrama quite as well as Douglas Sirk, a director whose career is almost entirely defined by the range of intimate, profoundly moving dramas that combined familial strife with socially-charged commentary, forming complex tapestries of the human condition that were rarely anything but thoroughly riveting and…
Niagara (1953)
Ray Cutler (Max Showalter) and Polly (Jean Peters) are on their way across the Canadian border to finally get around to a long-delayed honeymoon. He is a well-regarded marketing executive, and she is his willful wife who is happy to finally be spending some time with him. They have decided to have a few days…
Sapphire (1959)
“We didn’t solve anything – we just picked up the pieces” Perception is an important part of understanding a film, which has never been clearer than in those that blur the boundaries not only between genres, but between entire conceptual frameworks. Basil Dearden’s Sapphire is one that can be seen in two ways – the…
One Night in Miami (2020)
It’s not often that we find a film with as ambitious a premise as One Night in Miami succeeding in realizing its full potential. Inarguably, when it was first announced that Regina King (who is undeniably one of the finest actresses of her generation) would be making her feature directorial debut after years of working…
The Wayward Girl (1959)
There’s something so compelling about seeing someone’s debut, whether they’re behind the camera or appearing in front of it – and when that person is nothing short of an icon, there’s an added level of curiosity to the work that gave them the necessary leap into the industry. There are few performers more acclaimed or…
The Postmodern Pelican 