There are few artists who excite me more than Boots Riley, who has proven to be one of the most essential voices in contemporary media, whether it is through the incredible work he did as the lead singer of The Coup, or his recent pivot to filmmaking, where he has been able to express himself…
Category: dark comedy
Savage House (2026)
There’s a quote by the wonderful W.C. Fields that I absolutely adore, where he famously stated his belief that “a rich man is nothing but a poor man with money”, which is both a hilarious quip and a shockingly relevant observation. Wealth is a concept that seems easy to define at first, since it is…
Your Monster (2024)
Everyone has a proverbial monster in their closet, a creature that represents our innermost quandaries and most closely guarded secrets, which we keep hidden away from prying eyes as much as possible. In the case of Your Monster, this concept becomes quite literal, with director Caroline Lindy (adapting her own short film of the same…
Clifford (1994)
There’s a special joy that comes in discovering a film that was seemingly been dismissed, if not outright despised, by the industry, audiences and critical establishment, to the point where it carries the burden of being considered a failure, which becomes an indelible stain on its reputation – and realising that it is actually a…
The Idiots (1998)
We’ve lost the art of provocation. Whether this is a result of audiences becoming more desensitised to controversial subjects, or the reduction in the number of filmmakers willing to push boundaries to the point where they risk their careers, we don’t see nearly enough feathers being ruffled anymore, which is close to a travesty, considering…
Matador (1986)
How do you define an artistic revolutionary? Is it by their longevity or the extent to which they were willing to take wild swings, regardless of any potential repercussions from a society that may not have always understood them at the time, but still facilitated their rise to acclaim, even if unintentionally? When it comes…
Forbidden Fruits (2026)
Life would be so much easier for everyone if we weren’t conditioned to believe that we have to fit in with the general population or run the risk of being viewed as a pariah. It is one of the many reasons it becomes increasingly difficult to function if you are someone who has a tendency…
The Christophers (2026)
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” These words by Pablo Picasso have lingered in my mind ever since I first encountered them years ago. It’s a simple statement, but one that I feel best reflects how we perceive art, which is not merely as pieces of creativity hailing from very…
Being There (1979)
Everyone has experienced a few films that they believe represent something akin to a spiritual awakening in their formative years as a lover of the medium. Some of them age spectacularly well, becoming evergreen presences as time goes on; others tend to lose their magic as we explore more of what the medium has to…
Storytelling (2001)
Some filmmakers set out to entertain, others to inform. The group I am often most fascinated by are those who somewhere adhere to both principles, as well as to neither at the same time, with their general impetus being primarily to shock and provoke, which can make for thrilling and genuinely daring viewing that is…
The Postmodern Pelican 