The problem with being a cinephile who likes to make new discoveries is that sometimes you encounter a film that leaves you utterly confused as to what you just watched. I am not talking about the grandiose and philosophical masterpieces cinema has harboured in the past, such as The Tree of Life and Inception. I…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Mascots (2016)
I have said it before, I will say it again – Christopher Guest is a visionary. I adore his films, and I could quite possibly be his most ardent devotee. I absolutely love him. I think he had the single-best trio of films in comedy history – Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A…
Café Society (2016)
I want to start this review by saying something I have said so many times in the past, but I can’t avoid mentioning frequently – I adore Woody Allen. I actually love him a lot more than many other cinephiles. I cannot think of many directors who have crossed so many boundaries of genre, theme,…
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
There is a moment towards the end of The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta) where our two protagonists get on a boat and sail down a river. In front of them, on the island they just departed, stand dozens of lepers, all waving towards these two men. It is single-handedly the most heartbreakingly emotional moment…
The Sound of Music (1965)
I have a confession to make – until two days ago, I had never seen The Sound of Music. It wasn’t that I was opposed to seeing it – by all means, I did have every intention of seeing it. How can one not want to see one of the most iconic films in cinematic…
Wild at Heart (1990)
There aren’t any words in any language that can describe how much I love David Lynch. I quite simply adore him – I think he is perhaps the greatest living filmmaker, and one that I unflinchingly worship as a visionary. I cut my hair to look like his. I dress in the same way as…
Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
There is never a shortage of biopics made, with multiple films about various historical figures, either incredibly famous or utterly obscure, coming out every year. Many of these films seem to star Meryl Streep. This year, we were given Florence Foster Jenkins, a bizarre subject for a film biopic, but one that was destined to…
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
This is my 300th review. I usually reserve this kind of milestone for a film that has made a big impact on me and is responsible for me becoming the film lover that I am. I juggled several possibilities, some of which I saw almost a decade ago. However, I rather decided to take a…
Margaret (2011)
Many people seem to have so many differing opinions on what is the greatest film of the 21st century – and the BBC recently bestowed that honour upon Mulholland Drive, a high point (perhaps the highest point) in the career of David Lynch. One film that has been tossed around as being one of the…
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
I am not someone who thinks that any film adaptation of a book is superior to its source material, but I am also not someone who vilifies the practice. I do think there are some truly extraordinary cinematic adaptation of great books (such as Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, which border on being…
