Over the course of a three-decade career, François Ozon has gone to many distinct places, both geographically and psychologically, and his films span a wide berth when it comes to genre and specific details of the narratives. We may normally associate him with more lavish, detailed productions, but there is a side to the director…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Asphalt City (2024)
Anyone who has spent any amount of time with a paramedic will know that it is a career path made for those who are not only physically at their peak, but also willing to handle the mental strain that comes with this profession. It’s quite obvious that saving lives can take a psychological toll on…
Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
For about as long as we have been sentient, there have been questions about what happens to us after we die, and whether or not there is an afterlife – and if so, what are the conditions to enter into it? The answer is almost always leading a principled, morally strong life with minimal diversions…
Monkey Man (2024)
In a world that is stricken with poverty, there are seemingly only two ways to escape: through hard work, or sheer force. In the case of the protagonist in Monkey Man, a blend of the two seems to be the best option. In his directorial debut, Dev Patel crafts a film that has a lot…
The Omen (1976)
Some horror films make you question whether it is a good idea to remain seated or retreat from the very first moments. They’re rare but they certainly exist, and from the first haunting note of Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Omen, we are immediately plunged into a state of terror and despair, with the carefully-constructed…
Scoop (2024)
It’s always a peculiar experience to sit through a film that dramatizes events that you saw unfolding in real life since it almost feels redundant (and we often forget that films aren’t solely made for the present generation, but also for those that are still to come, with the contemporary dramas of today being the…
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
When a director has been working for more than half a century, and has made over fifty films and television shows, there are bound to be a few duds scattered throughout their career. If you asked one of them what their worst film is, they would usually find one particular film that they feel is…
Ripley (2024)
“His stories were good because he imagined them intensely, so intensely that he came to believe them” Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr Ripley Patricia Highsmith occupies quite a peculiar place in the history of English literature – her works are embraced as wildly entertaining and genuinely daring pieces of writing, with stories that strike a…
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Fear is a fascinating topic, and one that has intrigued everyone from existential philosophers to eccentric artists for centuries, with the idea of something intangible or unlikely being able to have such a firm grasp on one’s psychological state. It is one of the only emotions that can be produced entirely organically by our psyche…
Lousy Carter (2024)
If there was ever a character who defined the belief that life is filled with suffering and sadness, and it is also far too short, it would be the hapless, down-on-his-luck protagonist of Bob Byington’s brilliant and subversive Lousy Carter, in which we are introduced to the titular character, a failed (although he may prefer…
The Postmodern Pelican 