From a distance, we observe a group of people talking and drinking on what appears to be a relatively pleasant evening in one of Vietnam’s central urban hubs. Off-screen, a crash is heard, followed by a cacophony of screens, and the characters begin to retreat out of frame. The camera follows them, but it’s slightly…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Few novels have had quite a bizarre journey to the screen as Dune, with the first entry into the iconic series by Frank Herbert having quite a troubled history, including failed projects from over half a century ago, an ill-fated adaptation that has resisted becoming a cult classic despite efforts from all sides, and a…
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
Crime doesn’t pay, but it does help with the bills – a sentiment that is often the foundation of many works of art that endeavour to look at the trials and tribulations of ordinary citizens who find themselves in a situation where they have to resort to criminal activity, whether it is to make a…
Índia (2023)
“Lisbon is a city of countless revolutions” Anyone who has ever visited the capital of Portugal is struck by several different features – it’s narrow, winding alleyways that weave steep downhills that eventually meet the ocean, with centuries of architecture scattered liberally throughout what was initially only supposed to be a small seaside town, but…
Spaceman (2024)
“Just like you, I fled my planet. Through galaxies, through black holes, through time. And then I found you.” How do you define loneliness? Is it the complete absence of any sense of companionship, or the crippling feeling of being weighed down by the limitations that push those around you away, leaving you in a…
Far from Heaven (2002)
For decades, we have seen filmmakers chasing the spectre of Douglas Sirk, whose melodramas like All That Heaven Allows and Imitation of Life defined their era and have stood the test of time, being as appreciated today as they were when they first emerged nearly seventy years ago. One director that has successfully managed to…
Club Zero (2023)
It’s quite rare to find contemporary filmmakers who seem to be reinventing themselves, as well as their medium, with every new film they make. Jessica Hausner has been working for nearly a quarter of a century, the majority of that time spent in the proverbial shadows, making solid films that are not widely seen. It…
The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother (1975)
Throughout the history of literature, there are few characters quite as iconic as Sherlock Holmes, who has been the source of many productions in every conceivable medium for well over a decade, with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic creation becoming a part of the cultural vernacular in a way that very few other characters could…
Enys Men (2023)
Every few years, there is an artist that emerges that produces work that is simultaneously terrifying and exciting in equal measure. In terms of cinema, the arrival of any fascinating new voice is going to be notable, even if their work is not designed to be appreciated by that wide of an audience. A few…
Boeing Boeing (1965)
If you are looking for pure entertainment, you can easily find it by choosing any of the several comedies produced by major studios in the 1960s – the Swinging Sixties was not only influential when it came to music and fashion, with the humour that was brought along with it being quite remarkable, even if…
The Postmodern Pelican 