There’s a peculiar quality of certain artists that comes with a combination of high-quality creativity being associated with them, and longer periods between producing new work. Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most beloved filmmakers of his generation, not only because his films are revolutionary and brilliant, but also because they’re produced so rarely, each…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Room at the Top (1959)
In the canon of great filmmakers that rarely received their due, there are few names that stand as tragically as that of Jack Clayton. Devotees and supporters of the director and his work will be very quick to mention how he had all the makings of a master, but didn’t really amass much of a…
The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)
Snow Hollow is a small, quiet town somewhere in Utah known only for functioning as a popular ski destination for amateurs and professionals alike. There isn’t much to see there otherwise – the people are friendly, the food is hearty and the atmosphere is one of warmth and welcome. This is until there is a…
Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
War is a subject that has certainly never been a stranger to film – since its inception, there have been works that have attempted to portray the horrors of war in some way, or at the very least show it as being a time of great challenges for those involved, which is especially poignant considering…
One Careful Owner (2020)
Sara (Juana Acosta) considers herself to be a modern woman – she holds a well-paying job at a successful insurance company, has a husband she adores, and traverses the Spanish night-life with an elegance only possessed by those who are fully-assured of their place in the world. However, this is all a façade, as deep…
Waiting for the Barbarians (2020)
The Magistrate (Sir Mark Rylance) is an unnamed bureaucrat perched at the top of a remote outpost in a distant region of an indeterminate colonial empire. He maintains a good relationship with the locals – he’s a kind-hearted and genial man who immerses himself in the culture, and longs for nothing other than a peaceful…
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
Very few artists were able to capture the wide-ranging milieu of the United States during the twentieth century more than August Wilson, whose Pittsburgh Cycle remains one of the most daring explorations of the last one-hundred years in American history. Gradually, these stories have made their way to film, mainly due to the efforts of…
Happiest Season (2020)
It’s the time of the year where Hollywood sets its sights on the world’s most lavish consumerist event, hoping to capture the spirit of the season and captivate audiences, who are undoubtedly clamouring to get into the Christmas mood. Every year, we receive new Christmas-themed films, many of them following a familiar formula, which we…
Narcissus and Goldmund (2020)
Hermann Hesse’s Narcissus and Goldmund (German: Narziss und Goldmund) is a classic of European literature, a moving story of two individuals who start out their lives in much the same way, before deviating onto wildly different paths, it has been the source of a lot of discussion since its original publication. Oddly enough, it has…
Floating Weeds (1959)
Even when he wasn’t directly focused on it, the central concept in the work of Yasujirō Ozu has always been family, with many of his films venturing towards discussions into the role of the individual amongst their closest connections, which has made for some thoroughly compelling viewing throughout his career. One of his crowning achievements…
The Postmodern Pelican 