In the canon of great moments in cinema, it doesn’t get more iconic than the image of James Stewart and Kim Novak, atop an impossibly high building, caught in an embrace that functions as both an expression of passion and a cautionary prevention from falling to their death. This is taken from the incredible Vertigo,…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
I Care a Lot (2021)
Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) has certainly built quite an empire for herself, and amassed a level of comfortable wealth of which many would normally be nothing but envious. However, her procedure for reaching this point are far from conventional, since she is in a line of work that allows her the freedom to secretly assert…
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
On occasion, it happens that a few particular names are gathered and thrown together into the creation of a film, which ultimately becomes something worth seeing based solely on the involvement of certain individuals. Any devotee to cinema should be suitably curious about the possibility of seeing director Mike Nichols, writer Carrie Fisher and performers…
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Recently, I’ve been reviewing an array of films that occupy a range of genres, stating that while they may all be admirable efforts, they’re not the definitive texts on either their subject matter, or the genre they’re operating in. However, today the discussion will be on a film that very much a defining work, and…
Real Life (1979)
In his capacity as a beloved comedian and well-regarded actor in both lighter and more serious fare, Albert Brooks is quite an enduring presence that may represent a particular time in the culture, but still remains quite a significant figure. However, it seems as if his time as a film director has been essentially forgotten…
Summer of 85 (2020)
In a prolific career that has touched numerous genres and seen him tackle a wide array of stories, François Ozon has made a name for himself as a filmmaker that can do nearly anything, granted it is something that falls within his capacities as one of the finest portrayers of the human condition currently working…
The Horse’s Mouth (1958)
In a revelatory documentary from a few years ago, which served to be an intimate and insightful portrait into the personal and professional life of one of cinema’s greatest iconoclasts, David Lynch spoke about a concept known as “the art life”, which he defined (or rather, loosely commented on, and which I’m paraphrasing here, based…
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)
When it comes to comedy, you usually can divide those who dabble in humour into two groups. The first are those that stay true to the well-worn conventions of the genre, following the guidelines set down by decades of comedy filmmaking, essentially playing solely by the rules. The second group are those that take it…
Ishtar (1987)
There are two kinds of critically-reviled films – the first those that are panned upon their initial release almost universally, but over time acquire a more positive reevaluation, normally through being revisited by a new generation of critics, who find something special in it. The second are those that are torn apart when they’re released,…
Another Round (2020)
As one of the formative voices of the Dogme 95 movement that redefined how filmmakers produce art, Thomas Vinterberg is an established director who has dabbled in a variety of genres, from intimate comedies to the most sumptuous historical epic. However, where he tends to succeed the most is in his smaller films, the ones…
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