I, like many others, remember a time when Ben Affleck was not Batman, or someone constantly in prestige projects. The first time I ever saw Ben Affleck in a movie was when I was much younger, in Jersey Girl (a film that has received a fair share of critical hatred – but I thought it…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Love is Strange (2014)
I was watching this film while someone else was nearby, casually watching. He remarked that this film was “not a good movie” because it lacked explosions and guns, and thus it was not exciting. I beg to differ – a great film doesn’t need anything other than a compelling story and the right people to…
Son of Saul (2015)
The Holocaust has been a continuous source of inspiration for many filmmakers, and it is probably one of the most filmed historical topics, and even now, over seventy years later, it is still a horrific and raw historical memory that still exists in our collective minds. Films about the Holocaust range from horrifying (Shoah) to…
Mississippi Grind (2015)
Addiction is a subject that has not been avoided by cinema. Films such as The Lost Weekend and Days of Wine and Roses show the horrors of alcoholism, and films like Requiem for a Dream and Clean and Sober expose the lives of drug addicts. However, one form of addiction has not been explored as…
Stardust Memories (1980)
Woody Allen is a conundrum. Not only is he one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he is also a prolific filmmaker that really does not fit with the standard his contemporaries such as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg set. Allen has made a film almost every year since 1969 (if my film knowledge…
A Mighty Wind (2003)
I am really in a very nostalgic mood these days, and because of this I have revisted a few of my favorite films that I feel have shaped me as a cinephile and as a person. If there is one filmmaker that I hold very dear to my heart, even if he isn’t as universally…
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Anthology films – what ever happened to them? They have seemed to have gone out of popularity, which is a shame because I think they were remarkable. Instead of having to sit through one long story, the audience instead experiences a few different stories, all centered around a specific theme. Perhaps the only bastion of anthology…
The Shining (1980)
Of all the films I’ve seen as a film-lover, The Shining is most certainly the one that I have the most complex and bizarre relationship with. It is very likely my favorite film, yet it is also a film that terrifies me and often repulses me beyond everything else. It is a film that I…
Land Ho! (2014)
Have you ever watched a film that took you completely off-guard? A film that you did not have high expectations for, but found yourself being blown away by how entertaining and brilliant it is? I certainly encounter a film like that from time to time, and it is honestly such an amazing feeling. What is…
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
This is not a good film. I needed to start by stating that because that’s all I feel needs to be stated about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I don’t really think this film deserves much more analysis and discussion, because it was honestly a very dull film, and one that I can safely…
The Postmodern Pelican 