In an incredibly prolific career, Robert Altman proved himself to be quite a formidable filmmaker, being one of the few artists who successfully mastered both the art of producing quality and quantity, which is quite an elusive concept that not many people are able to stake a legitimate claim towards. It meant that, despite making…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Two of Us (2020)
Nina Dorn (Barbara Sukowa) and Madeleine Girard (Martine Chevallier) are neighbours, living across the hall from each other in an aged apartment building in the quiet suburbs of Paris – at least that’s what they tell everyone who encounters them. In reality, the two women have been in love with each other for decades, having…
Late Marriage (2001)
Romance tends to take many different forms, especially when it comes to portraying it on screen. Several directors have approached the idea of love from varying standpoints, but one of the most earnest cinematic representations of romance comes on behalf of Dover Kosashvili, whose masterful Late Marriage (Hebrew: חתונה מאוחרת) is a sensory bombardment, a…
Soul (2020)
For a film that dares to call itself Soul, Pixar’s latest offering is running worryingly low on it. It’s always a difficult situation when the famed animation studio releases something new, only to reveal itself to not be quite what was promised. We’ve seen them disappoint almost as many times as we’ve seen them succeed…
The Whales of August (1987)
It’s a familiar feeling that many of us get from time to time when watching a film – the opening credits begin, and we see some familiar names, particularly those who are known for being indicative of quality, and we know that we’re about to see something very special, particularly when there is an aura…
Ninotchka (1939)
Upon its original release, audiences were presented with posters for Ernst Lubitsch’s iconic Ninotchka, on which the words “Garbo laughs!” were plastered. This should be familiar to anyone with a passing interest in this era of Hollywood history, and will likely evoke some strong reactions, depending on how one feels about the concept being portrayed….
Black Bear (2020)
It’s a situation we all know too well – we’re in the presence of a couple who have been together for a considerable amount of time. Once the pleasantries and small-talk have concluded, the tensions start to rise, and the underlying animosity that exists begins to simmer into a potent combination of angst and awkwardness….
54 (1998)
54 is a wild fever-dream of a film – a lavish, surreal journey into one of New York City’s most notorious nightclubs that holds the viewer captive and shows us around a deranged disco where nothing quite makes sense, although this doesn’t really matter. Whether or not 54 is a particularly good film isn’t all…
DNA (2020)
From a mostly western perspective, this time of year is one in which we normally spend time with family, reflect on the memories of the past and simply just dive into our own experiences, all through a vaguely melancholic, nostalgic lens. This festive season, I chose to spend some time watching home movies with my…
North by Northwest (1959)
It almost becomes frustrating to consistently have to praise a filmmaker for their perpetual brilliance, to the point where one actually tends to yearn for a failure on occasion, just for the sake of changing the pace and having something new to talk about. In discussing the career of Alfred Hitchcock, you’d struggle to find…
The Postmodern Pelican 