After a misguided attempt at drag racing results in a fatal car accident, the only survivor is Mary (Candace Hilligoss), a young woman who manages to find her way out of the wreckage without so much as a scratch – although she isn’t quite sure herself how she managed to survive. She has grown disillusioned…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe (2016)
In terms of European literature, Stefan Zweig was undeniably a towering figure – his work has inspired readers and artists alike over the past century, many being thoroughly captivated by the author’s control of language and distinct style, whether working in the realm of fiction or exploring his journalistic curiosities. However, many might not be…
I Used to Go Here (2020)
Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs) doesn’t know what she’s doing with her life. Logically, she should be happy about where she is – a graduate of a prestigious English programme at a major university, she has just published her first novel, a romantic drama set to the backdrop of an island in New England, entitled Seasons…
The Music Room (1958)
Somewhere in the region of Bengal stands a grand manor. The occupant is Biswambhar Roy (Chhabi Biswas), an incredibly rich landowner who uses his wealth to satiate his addictions – however, unlike many others, Roy’s vice isn’t alcohol or opiates, but rather music, which has always been his passion. On any given day, he could…
Amulet (2020)
Tomaz (Alec Secăreanu) is a man of indeterminate origins who currently lives in a homeless shelter somewhere in London, and during the day works as a manual labourer, never staying under the employment for one person for too long, which suits him perfectly well. His exact roots are unknown, but he is haunted by memories…
Somewhere (2010)
Most film lovers with an interest in Hollywood ephemera are aware of the Chateau Marmont – the prestigious restaurant and hotel nestled into the heart of Sunset Boulevard, and which has seen countless figures from the world of entertainment pass through its hallowed halls over the years. However, one of its most recent occupants is…
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Robert Stroud (Burt Lancaster) has been sentenced to death for the murder of two men. A young and rebellious felon, he holds very little remorse for his actions and is willing to take the punishment long before he’s going to regret his actions. However, based on a successful petition run by his mother (Thelma Ritter),…
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962)
I’d like to get inside Karel Zeman’s head and look around for a while. There are few filmmakers whose relatively obscurity outside of more devoted artistic circles bewilder me quite as much as him – throughout his career, Zeman produced some of the most fascinating works of art ever committed to film, quite literally buildings…
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)
Playwrights tend to know more about the human condition than just about anyone. This has never been more evident than through the work of Eugene O’Neill, whose status as arguably the most important American playwright of his generation (a distinction he may only be able to share with the likes of Arthur Miller and Tennessee…
An Autumn Afternoon (1962)
Each individual filmmaker intends to do something throughout their career – some of them want to make us laugh, others want to terrify us, and there are even those that tend to try and evoke deep and meaningful thought in the viewer, to the point where we start to look at our own existence in…
The Postmodern Pelican 