The thud of Robbie Robertson’s score underpins the striking landscapes captured by Rodrigo Prieto, whose cinematography presents us with some of the most unforgettable images of the past few years – and helming this entire process is Martin Scorsese, who once again proves that he is arguably the greatest living director currently working in the…
Author: The Postmodern Pelican
Io Capitano (2023)
The concept of the odyssey has existed longer than just about any form of literature, with the stories of brave heroes setting off on journeys across mystical lands being the foundation for a lot of the themes usually associated with fiction, starting as tales of bravery used to entertain and enrich the lives of ancient…
Young Frankenstein (1974)
You can accuse Mel Brooks of many different artistic misdemeanours – an actor who has a tendency towards ham, someone who is always focused on getting a laugh even when it isn’t quite fitting, or simply that he always tends to go slightly too far on nearly every occasion. Yet, we adore him for these…
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Defining any cinematic era is a challenging task since while we tend to categorize them depending on movements or periods, choosing a precise start and end to a particular era is not always possible. In terms of the New Hollywood movement, the general tendency is to look at it as having started in the late…
Please Baby Please (2022)
When one sets out to become an artist (regardless of medium), they are confronted with a choice – they can either pursue the mainstream or march to the beat of their drum. Each brings with it a range of advantages and challenges, and it is difficult to fault anyone who chooses to pursue one over…
Tiny Furniture (2010)
Before she filtered all of her creativity into the wonderfully quirky and oddly engaging television show Girls, as well as becoming someone who courted controversy just as much as she garnered acclaim, Lena Dunham was a young writer and director intent on making her mark in an industry that was decidedly hostile to female filmmakers,…
White Zombie (1932)
The majority of contemporary horror filmmakers may be consistently trying to overtake one another to create the most terrifying, unhinged works imaginable and earn the title of being the modern master of the genre, but there is very little doubt that the best horror films are those that were produced much earlier, when intrepid directors…
The Gathering Storm (2002)
By the time The Gathering Storm went into production, it seemed like we had seen every possible story of Winston Churchill told in some way or another, whether in biographical dramas centred on the great British leader who led his country through the challenges of the Second World War, or where he is a supporting…
Passages (2023)
Despite having made several well-received films over a few decades (with only Frankie being a complete misfire), Ira Sachs remains relatively underpraised as a filmmaker. He’s developed enough of a reputation to be seen as someone who makes films of a certain quality but has yet to receive much due outside of those who are…
A Haunting in Venice (2023)
Much like quite a sizeable portion of the filmgoing audience, I was also somewhat cynical of the idea of Kenneth Branagh venturing into the world of Agatha Christie a few years ago, since he is not a director who inspires too much confidence based on his tendency to resort to conventions far too regularly, which…
The Postmodern Pelican 