When all is said and done, it is going to be fascinating to see where Mike Flanagan’s career leads. He has already made quite a name for himself, both through his prolific body of work that has allowed him to find a home in both cinema and television, and his very peculiar approach to different…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Straight Up (2019)
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they suddenly realise who they are supposed to be – or at least that’s the myth that we have been sold for decades. The belief that within us lurks our true identity patiently waiting to emerge is nothing more than a fallacy, since we’ve often found that…
It Won’t Stay Dead: The Secrets of Frankenstein (Guest Column)
Andre Ferreira is a mechanical engineer by day and a film buff by night. He claims to be moderately competent in both. The following is his spectacular tribute to Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, a superb piece of writing that I am very proud to share. What is scary? Can a film approaching it’s 100th…
Magic Farm (2025)
Every artist finds themselves in pursuit of something elusive – whether a particular project or to attain a specific status within their field, there’s a sense of urgency that comes with any artistic endeavour. The desire for fame is one of the most destructive and can often lead to unintentional challenges, from which recovery can…
Bloody Mama (1970)
For nearly a century, we have been enraptured by the story of “Ma” Kate Barker – and whether we hear of her story through detailed accounts of her criminal career, or through the song by Boney M that immortalised her within the culture, she has become a figure of American folklore, a fascinating individual whose…
The Assessment (2025)
For a species that has often expressed our fear of the end of the world, we do tend to have a fondness for dystopian stories. There’s something about works of speculative fiction that take place in the future in which we are presented with alternative realities that often capture our attention, even when we may…
Wish You Were Here (1987)
One of the more universal experiences that we all seem to encounter during our journey towards maturity is that particularly ambiguous space between adolescence and adulthood, which can be a challenging period for many people, even those who are relatively well-adjusted and responsible. Its the time when we are old enough to be aware of…
The Phoenician Scheme (2025)
No matter how much some may tend to resist it, or the number of times the same trite “style over substance” argument is brought out to diminish his work, we simply cannot deny that Wes Anderson is not only a profoundly gifted filmmaker, but one of the most important filmmakers of his generation. After what…
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Hollywood’s return to making monster films has certainly been a wonderful surprise, since it has become increasingly clear that these films, while not always of the highest quality, usually contain an element of ingenuity and creativity that is often missing from a lot of other genres. Attempts to make the genre more formal and sophisticated…
Calamari Union (1985)
A gang (consisting of a group of men all named Frank, and then later an additional member named Pekka, all of which seem to lack last names) meets in an abandoned building and begin outlining a plan for their upcoming escape from working-class Helsinki, which they are intending to complete within a few hours, given…
The Postmodern Pelican 