Modern queer cinema has undergone quite a shift in the kinds of stories being told, with the darker and more unsettling conversations around identity and sexuality becoming a common theme in contemporary depictions of LGBTQIA+ life. Marco Berger has made some impressive films that centre on some more complex themes within the community, and while…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Poor Things (2023)
Just when we genuinely think we’ve seen everything that can be done in cinema, Yorgos Lanthimos announces a new film and throws it all into disarray, for which we are profoundly grateful. Over the past decade, he has steadily risen from one of the formative members of the Greek Weird Wave to being amongst our…
The Teacher’s Lounge (2023)
A few years ago, we saw one of the most extraordinary examinations of the art of education in Maria Speth’s incredible Mr Bachmann and His Class, in which the titular subject – a hardworking German schoolteacher – is given the chance to showcase his various joys and challenges that come with choosing this vocation. Now,…
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
When looking at older films, they usually fall into one of two broad categories: the films that stand the test of time and become beloved classics, and those that may not be particularly bad but lack some quality that keeps them in the conversation, usually having them fall into slight obscurity. This is only a…
Maestro (2023)
Few adages have been more persistent than “behind every successful man there’s a great woman” (along with its multitude of variants), which has essentially become the foundation of entire narratives on the importance of domestic partners in the development of highly successful individuals. In the case of Leonard Bernstein, the woman who stood behind him…
Ball of Fire (1941)
They certainly don’t make romances like they used to – there’s something so compelling about how love was perceived during the Golden Age of Hollywood that has allowed so many terrific works to become cherished classics of the genre. Ball of Fire is a film that has remained admired and beloved for over half a…
Journey to Bethlehem (2023)
Whether it be Cecil B. DeMille or the straight-to-DVD shelf at your local supermarket, the film industry has always found a place for religious films, which is surprisingly a market that is quite profitable. Even those who avoid these stories as much as they can will inevitably find themselves being coerced into experiencing them firsthand,…
All Through the Night (1942)
Many of us enjoy comedies, while others are partial to a good crime story. Then some adore a decently-made gangster picture, and those of us who love the experience of a strongly-constructed thriller. Somehow, there is a film that combines all four of these genres, and even adds in a bit of social satire and…
The Boy and the Heron (2023)
Where does one even begin when it comes to the subject of the cinema of Hayao Miyazaki? To call him a groundbreaking filmmaker is a wild understatement since what he has achieved throughout his career is beyond revolutionary. He and his colleague Isao Takahata (as co-founders of Studio Ghibli, which has become synonymous with quality…
Victor/Victoria (1982)
The sign of a truly great film is if its entire premise can be condensed into a single sentence, albeit one that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the story, while still piquing our curiosity to want to explore further than this brief synopsis. In the case of Victor/Victoria, the concept of “a woman pretends to…
The Postmodern Pelican 