The Postmodern Pelican

This Is the Night (1932)

Infidelity has rarely been funnier than in This Is the Night, the Pre-Code comedy directed by Frank Tuttle, which tells the story of a pair of lovers whose romantic journey to Venice is disrupted by the major inconvenience that comes in the form of a spouse returning from an overseas trip long before he was…

We Are from Jazz (1983)

While he may have been known for being the foundational pioneer of nihilism, one of Friedrich Nietzsche’s most astute and meaningful observations was found when he stated that “without music, life would be a mistake”, which is not only a beautiful idea, but one that resonates with every one of us. There is something very…

Three Floors (2021)

There is an idea we’ve discussed from time to time, which is the philosophical concept of “sonder”, which is defined as the realization that every person we encounter in our daily lives, whether in a brief interaction or passing, has their own rich, complex life and we remain only a brief part of it, rarely…

Citizen Ruth (1996)

The boundary between earnestness and controversy is so narrow, and crossing it is far easier than many may anticipate. This has prevented many filmmakers from covering subjects that would otherwise be considered fertile ground for engaging and thrilling projects, since the idea of unsettling the status quo is not entirely appealing, especially for those starting…

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (2023)

For just about as long as stories have been told, there has been an effort to preserve our history, whether in the spoken or written traditions of different cultures. Storytelling is nothing more than the act of simply taking words and assembling them to have some meaning, with the emphasis being on conveying something integral…

The Grass Harp (1995)

It may be hopelessly cliched, by the adage “growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional” has proven to be far more relevant than we may have initially imagined, which is something that a lot of us have learned as we mature and realize the various trials and tribulations that come with adult life. There…

Beetlejuice (1988)

The problem with cherished classics is that they don’t always stand the test of time, at least in terms of maintaining a reasonable level of expectations regarding how audiences perceive them. The more a film is considered a canonical classic, the likelier it is that there will be those who find it overrated or consider…

Fading Gigolo (2014)

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this has never been more true than the protagonists in John Turturro’s delightfully irreverent and oddly sentimental Fading Gigolo, a charming comedy in which the esteemed actor makes his fourth directorial endeavour, teaming up with Woody Allen to tell the story of a pair of down-on-their-luck New Yorkers…

Ghostlight (2024)

There are some subjects that are simply too painful to discuss, and making artworks centred around them can be a challenging endeavour, especially when it comes to exploring the emotions situated around particular circumstances. Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson are driven by the desire to explore a few of these subjects in Ghostlight, in which…

Funeral in Berlin (1966)

The 1960s in terms of cinema were defined by a few elements, but one of the more prominent when it comes to the stories that gripped audiences was the collective obsession with spy films. We can probably attribute this to Ian Fleming, who created arguably the greatest spy in the history of literature – but…