What can I say about a film that has become so legendary, it is often considered the definitive Ozploitation film, and one of the bedrocks of the Australian New Wave movement. Not much, but trying is all the fun, isn’t it? At the outset, this film is shown to take place in a barren, dry…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
The Normal Heart (2014)
The journey to get Larry Kramer’s masterpiece The Normal Heart from stage to screen has been a decades-long battle, and finally it appears as a painfully honest and emotional film. When I heard Ryan Murphy would be directing this, I instantly thought “Oh yay, more overacting and hammy performances”, but I will admit that this…
Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
I don’t want to undermine their efforts or talents, but you won’t very easily get me to watch an independent Australian drama. It is not because they are untalented or unremarkable or just plain bad, it is just the sensibilities of a lot of independent Australian filmmakers call for a lack of limit or boundaries…
Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)
Very seldom does one find a film so absolutely obscure and strange that they feel a combination of shock, amazement and sheer damn excitement. Hobo With a Shotgun is just that. A brilliant film that is so shocking and odd, it would be wrong to call it anything other than an experience. First of all,…
An Appreciation of…Bill Murray (1950 – present)
Bill Murray is one of the funniest human beings ever to live, and along with Martin Short and Steve Martin is a part of my Holy Trinity of Comedy. The man owns the internet and every film he is in, and if the stories I read about Bill Murray are true, that means he is…
Out of the Furnace (2013)
Christian Bale may not be my favourite actor, but I do highly respect his work ethic and how he’s balanced blockbusters with more indie fare. Last year, he had two films – the brilliant American Hustle, where he transformed himself and got a well-deserved Best Actor nomination, and the disappointingly bland Out of the Furnace,…
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
When it comes to imagination and brilliant style, Wes Anderson is well-regarded as the best. His films have always been quirky, idiosyncratic and wonderful. He has topped himself this time with the magnificent Grand Budapest Hotel, which is a combination of Anderson’s unique cinematic style, and combined the wonderful European films of the 1930s…
Philomena (2013)
If you are expecting to have your mind-blown by a groundbreaking film, Philomena is not for you. This is a very basic film that it typical British drama. However, it is a great film that has a touching story and wonderful performances by a pair of leads that are absolutely eclectic. True stories or, as…
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)
I am often weary of rebooted versions of classic cartoons. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. In the case of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and it worked quite well. My mind wasn’t blown after seeing this film, but it was solidly entertaining and quite funny. Rob Minkoff, the director, had a lot to prove with…
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Oh boy, this was a fun film. This wasn’t necessarily grand opera, but it was really enjoyable. I think I liked this film a bit more than I should have – a bunch of teenagers smoking and drinking and not much happening? Normally that would fall between “Yeah, so?” and “Not interested” on the scale…
The Postmodern Pelican 