L’Apollonide: Souvenirs de la maison close is an astounding work of unmitigated genius, hailing from the beautifully twisted mind of Bertrand Bonello, who once again returns to deviant narrative territory in the most astonishing way, delivering a gorgeously complex historical drama that extends much further than just being a lavish period piece, flourishing into one…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
The Old Dark House (1932)
Horror filmmaking, especially in the earlier days of Hollywood, was a fascinating time, especially when it comes to exploring the careers of specific individuals, whether directors or actors. The Old Dark House is one of the few horror films that can be considered a perfect symbiosis of multiple genres, conventions and styles, and the rare…
Crooklyn (1993)
Troy Carmichael (Zelda Harris) is a young girl growing up in Brooklyn, or as it is affectionately referred to by those around her, “Crooklyn, New York”, in the early 1970s. A feisty girl wise beyond her years, she has to contend with four brothers who are also experiencing the sensation of growing up in such…
She-Devil (1989)
Ruth Patchett (Roseanne Barr) is an ordinary American housewife – she’s married, has two wonderful children and leads a relatively happy suburban life. However, below the surface, there’s something bothering her – she feels like her marriage lacks spark, with Ruth trying her best to be a good wife to her husband, the effortlessly charming…
Greenberg (2010)
Florence (Greta Gerwig) is a young woman in Los Angeles working for the affluent Greenberg family, helping them with daily errands and being an invaluable presence in their lives. However, they’re going on an extended vacation to Vietnam, which means Florence’s responsibilities will be temporarily put on hold – that is until she meets Roger…
The Lighthouse (2019)
“There is enchantment in the light” Robert Eggers may have broken film criticism – not because he made a perfect film, but rather one that is singularly impossible to fully encapsulate in any amount of words. It’s difficult to figure out precisely where to start when talking about The Lighthouse – this is a brilliant…
Judy (2019)
Judy is an anomaly of a film. On one hand, it’s a run-of-the-mill entertainment biopic that doesn’t venture out of the taut thematic territory we’ve come to expect from these kinds of films. On the other hand, it’s a remarkably restrained portrayal of one of the most famous entertainers to ever live, executed with a…
Give Me Liberty (2019)
Vic (Chris Galust) is a young man working as a medical transport driver, who is in charge of retrieving various patients from their homes and taking them to various places, such as the hospital or their places of work. On one particular day, he isn’t able to do his job as intended, mainly because everything…
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is a young painter in the 1770s who is sent to a remote manor in Brittany at the request of a wealthy countess (Valeria Golino), who commissions her to paint a portrait of her daughter, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel). This presents itself as a bit of a challenge, as the young woman is…
The Two Popes (2019)
There are really only two ways you can watch The Two Popes – you can see it as either an innocuous attempt at humanizing two larger-than-life figures or as a well-meaning comedy about two men working through a very difficult relationship. In fact, both perspectives are entirely valid, and perfectly describe this film, one of…
