Where could we possibly hope to start with Céline and Julie Go Boating? It wouldn’t be an uncommon occurrence to be left utterly bewildered by this film, and it doesn’t really matter if it is a loss for words out of sheer amazement, or through perplexed anger towards whatever this almost inconceivably strange film put…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
When it came to finding the intersections between intelligence and mindless action, Sam Peckinpah was one of the best to ever live. A director whose career consisted of some of the most brutal but fascinating portrayals of violence ever produced, his status as one of the most controversial filmmakers of his generation is not ill-earned….
Pastoral: To Die in the Country (1974)
“The whole past is just fiction” I don’t think we’ll ever understand exactly what was going on in the gloriously twisted mind of Shūji Terayama, whose groundbreaking work spans a few decades and looked at growing up in a way very few artists ever managed to. Perhaps his most beloved film is Pastoral: To Die…
The Souvenir (2019)
Memory is a powerful tool when telling a story. Joanna Hogg knew this, even though she has admitted that she didn’t trust her own memories, hence why her autobiographical feature film, The Souvenir, was gestating for over thirty years, and only came into palpable existence this year. What specific impetus lead her to portray her…
Missing Link (2019)
The late nineteenth century was a time of great scientific interest, with explorers and theorists from all around the world, specifically Europe, staking their claim to greatness by being the first person to make some enormous discovery that would doubtlessly see them enter the hallowed halls of history. One of the most significant theories of…
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
“Mabel’s not crazy. She’s just…unusual” These words come on behalf of Nick Longhetti (Peter Falk) after one of his co-workers provokes him on a very sensitive subject. Mabel, of course, refers to Nick’s wife (Gena Rowlands), a housewife who does her very best to provide for her hard-working husband and three children, despite the fact…
Lenny (1974)
Lenny Bruce was an influential individual. Without him, there would not have been the likes of George Carlin, Richard Pryor or Bill Hicks, which in turn would mean comedy would have been very different, and probably far less important a force than it is now. Don’t let the preoccupation with jokes mislead you – comedy,…
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
In 1974, Tobe Hooper made his directorial debut with the feel-good family comedy of the year, the film that embodied the mantra of “live, laugh, love” and brought a sense of warmth and comfort to audiences everywhere, who doubtlessly went straight to their local travel agency and booked their one-way tickets to the American South,…
Dark Habits (1983)
A nightclub singer named Yolanda witnesses her troubled boyfriend overdose on heroin that she has given to him, and knowing that she is going to be the prime suspect in his death, from both the nosy police officers set to investigate the case, and the violent underworld figures that he had shady dealings with, she…
World of Tomorrow Episode Two: The Burden of Other People’s Thoughts (2017)
Don Hertzfeldt is someone who has shifted the perception of animation throughout his career, and even though he is still relatively young by the standards of the industry, he has become extremely influential, and someone whose achievements are more indelible than most artists his age. Some of the most gorgeous animated films I have ever…
