Charles Dickens and Armando Iannucci are two names I never thought I’d read in the same sentence, which is only made more curious by the fact that they’re both fascinating writers who are voices of their generation, observers of the human condition that used their craft to create varied tapestries of the world they saw…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Zerograd (1988)
Absurdity can take many different forms, particularly when it comes to artistic expression, with many individuals over the past century making their living from subverting the central tenets of reality. One such artist was Karen Shakhnazarov, whose ambition film Zerograd (Russian: Gorod Zero) holds the distinction of being one of the most bizarre works of…
In the House (2012)
Fact and fiction blur together throughout In the House (French: Dans la maison), the ambitious dark comedy by François Ozon, who proves to be capable of not only telling compelling stories of humanity, but also of an incredible playfulness not often embraced in modern cinema. Many consider this to be amongst the prolific filmmaker’s greatest…
Light Sleeper (1992)
John (Willem Dafoe) doesn’t have much direction in life – he’s in the throes of middle-age, and all he’s known as been drugs. He used to be an addict, but has now gotten clean, but still does work as a dealer and delivery man for Ann (Susan Sarandon), his glamorous supplier, who services the elite…
She Dies Tomorrow (2020)
Amy (Kate Lynn Sheil) has a small problem – she is going to die tomorrow, or at least she thinks she is. A recovering alcoholic, her friends attribute these thoughts to a relapse, which she vehemently denies, being steadfast in her belief that she’s going to meet her demise the following day. Her best friend…
Plácido (1961)
“All these wretches are the same” For those familiar with the work of Luis García Berlanga, Plácido is exactly what you’d expect – a darkly comical fable that sees the esteemed director eviscerating society through carefully-curated satire that is often more haunting than it is hilarious. For those who are newer to his career, Plácido…
The End of Summer (1961)
The work of Yasujirō Ozu continues to stand as some of the most impressive in the history of cinema – who else can profess to having as prolific a career as him, and possibly never having produced a film that anyone can call poorly-made? Towards the end of his career, he made a series of…
A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
I’ve written quite a bit about theatre over the past few weeks – screen adaptation of the works of Tennessee Williams, William Gibson and Eugene O’Neill were all subjects of recent conversations, mostly since I’ve been covering years where these kinds of films were in vogue, with nearly every work of major American theatre getting…
One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
There are really only two reasons for anyone to actively seek out One-Eyed Jacks – this first is because it contains one of the rare truly villainous roles played by one of history’s finest character actors, Karl Malden. The second is to bear witness to the first and only film directed by Marlon Brando. Neither…
La Fille aux yeux d’or (1961)
It’s been noted that when making La Fille aux yeux d’or, Jean-Gabriel Albicocco was producing a film that existed more on the margins of late-period Italian neo-realism than the French New Wave, a movement he is often considered to be an early pioneer of, albeit one that isn’t particularly celebrated outside of a few films…
