Branded to Kill is the kind of film that makes me want to realize my dream of becoming a filmmaker so I can make films just like this. Perhaps not a film I could absolutely understand, it is one that exhibits an impressive amount of sheer audacity, and if there is something I admire in…
Category: Crime
Game Night (2018)
Here’s something I’ve learned: never have exceedingly high expectations for a film, but also don’t underestimate the effectiveness of a well-made film either. This lesson has been learned through countless disappointments and pleasant surprises, and I can say that recently, I have added another film to one of these categories. I was not expecting too…
Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Allow me to be frank – there are few films that I enjoyed watching this year more than Ocean’s 8, and that could be for a number of reasons. The film is a continuation of Steven Soderbergh’s highly-popular heist comedy film series, constituted of Oceans Eleven through Thirteen, films that also adhered to the manifesto…
Inside Man (2006)
There are many reasons why I admire Spike Lee so relentlessly, but the most important one is that he is one of the few filmmakers who gives me exactly what I desire in a film – memorable stories, interesting characters, notable filmmaking style, and a great song over the opening credits (the most important aspect…
You Were Never Really Here (2018)
Lynne Ramsay has made four feature-length films, each of which have been tense, gritty and relentlessly realistic views of society, with Ramsay being particularly adept at showing the most explicit and shocking version of humanity through her films. Her latest film is You Were Never Really Here, a brutal crime thriller that manages to be…
25th Hour (2002)
If you knew your life was going to come to an end tomorrow, how would you spend today? This is a central issue in Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, albeit not quite as extreme. Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) is being sent to prison for dealing drugs in 24 hours, and he decides to spend the last…
Twin Peaks (1990)
Recently, visionary filmmaker and general artistic genius David Lynch made the bold claim to his belief that cable television is the new arthouse. This statement rings particularly notable when one considers that Lynch himself played a pivotal role in the development of television from merely being the realm of mindless comedies and predictable procedurals, and…
The Honeymoon Killers (1970)
In the late 1960s, Martin Scorsese – at that point working as a director for hire, only having directed Who’s That Knocking at My Door, a deeply personal film, two years before – was relieved of his responsibilities from helming The Honeymoon Killers, based on the true story of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez, and…
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
I really love Dog Day Afternoon. Every year or so, I make a ritual of it to revisit this film, and on each viewing, without fail, I find it more and more wonderful, and its complexities as a subversive crime drama are only made more clear, as well as this film’s position as the darkest…
Good Time (2017)
Ever seen a film so great, that it makes you wonder whether or not you’ll ever see a better film? There are quite a few cinematic experiences whereby I have been absolutely in awe of the mastery and brilliance behind the filmmaking, where my adoration for cinema is confirmed so completely and fully, and every…
The Postmodern Pelican 