Over the past two decades, there have been certain filmmakers who have adhered quite strictly to the concept of being independent, embodying the spirit of remaining true to their original vision and not daring to pander to the mainstream. With the exception of a couple of quick deviations as a screenwriter on studio films, Alex…
Category: dark comedy
We’re No Angels (1989)
The boundary between right and wrong can sometimes be so narrow that even the most principled and straight-laced of individuals can find themselves on the wrong side of the law. None of us is entirely immune to making mistakes, and we have come to realise that society is not necessarily designed to protect the rights…
The Piano Accident (2025)
When it comes to satire, you can never tell whether something is going to be an enormous success or a dismal failure – and any director who respects the art of lampooning a particular aspect of culture knows that any satire worth our time is not going to be preoccupied with its prospects, but rather…
Sister Midnight (2025)
Marriage is not for everyone, and some of us are not entirely cut out to lead a conventional domestic life for various reasons. However, we still live in a world where entire societies are built on the concept of heteronormative, traditional pairings – and in many cases, someone’s future is predetermined for them from childhood….
Repo Man (1984)
Some filmmakers are destined to produce work over a longer period of time, their presence being evergreen and consistent year after year, and then some find themselves having a much shorter tenure at the top, but where they burn brighter and with more energy than many of their peers. There was a time when Alex…
Die My Love (2025)
“When routine bites hard and ambitions are low And resentment rides high, but emotions won’t grow And we’re changing our ways, taking different roads” These haunting words are undoubtedly familiar to many of us, as they’re the first lines of Joy Division’s generation-defining masterpiece “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, which is quite possibly the greatest…
Coup! (2024)
They say you should be wary of the people you allow into your home – there is a reason why many cultures have it embedded in their customs the standard practice to wait to be invited into someone’s dwelling before actually being able to step in, which some say has its roots in older folklore,…
Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948)
While he was more known for his experimental work in horror and science fiction, where he intended to push the medium to its literal breaking point (including employing the use of practical effects in the cinemas themselves to make the experience all the more immersive for the unsuspecting audience), William Castle did do his fair…
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)
It takes a lot of courage – and even more skill – to unsettle beloved myths, presenting them as unique and daring works. We tend to gravitate towards what we find familiar, and it can therefore be tricky to embrace those which attempt to redefine what particular concepts mean. This is the foundation on which…
Babysitter (2022)
While it may seem counterintuitive, social and cultural outrage is one of the most important aspects of human development, since without the ability to recognise when something is amiss and respond to it accordingly based on the combination of social conditions and visceral instincts, we’d be running amok as a species, unable to control ourselves…
The Postmodern Pelican 