While his work is divisive to the point where calling them an acquired taste would be enormously generous, it’s impossible to deny that Quentin Dupieux (otherwise known as Mr Oizo in some circles) is a filmmaker who has grown into one of the unique artistic visionaries of his generation and has continuously worked to redefine…
Category: dark comedy
Four Lions (2010)
Satire has existed for as long as stories have been told – whether Jonathan Swift playfully advocated for the consumption of alternative forms of meat, or the nightly talk shows in which writers work around the clock to give their hosts the most up-to-date jokes possible, we have been culturally predisposed to laughing at ourselves…
The New Year That Never Came (2024)
Every revolution begins with just one dissenting voice – in some cases, it’s delivered as a scream, in others it is a mere whisper, but regardless of how it is announced, it signals the beginning of a journey towards change from which any return seems to be impossible, at least as far as those dedicated…
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Nothing inspires creativity and audacity more than rejection and failure – and few artists knew this more than Shane Black, whose career as a relatively successful screenwriter was brought to a grinding halt when one of his films did not perform as expected, leading to him becoming one of the countless casualties of Hollywood’s notoriously…
Law of Desire (1987)
The further one leaps into the careers of artists they admire, the more likely they are to find works that are not only great representations of their creativity, but also serve as clear building blocks that assist in creating their distinctive style. In the case of Pedro Almodóvar, he started as an agent provocateur at…
The Murderer Lives at Number 21 (1942)
There are a few themes that are the foundation for literature – love, family and death being the most prominent of them. The latter in particular is not notable, since it has spawned into many different kinds of stories, most significantly the idea of the murder mystery, which has been popular for about as long…
A Different Man (2024)
Beauty is only skin-deep, and it is what’s inside that matters most of all – throughout our lives, we all tend to be introduced to the concept of never judging someone based on their appearance, and instead getting to know them before coming to a conclusion about their character. Unfortunately, life has also taught us…
Kinds of Kindness (2024)
Over the past fifteen years (slightly more if you were one of the forward-thinking viewers who leapt onto his wavelength earlier in his career), Yorgos Lanthimos has steadily risen from the depths of the Greek Weird Wave to the status as one of the most genuinely exciting, talented filmmakers of his generation, and someone who…
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
When an artist has been in the industry for long enough, it’s a challenge to not divide their career into different chapters, especially when their style and approach to filmmaking shifts over time. Not necessarily aligned with quality, but more in how they develop their ideas and the kinds of subjects that they pursue at…
Rumours (2024)
There has never been a more appropriate time to be sceptical of our global leaders than now – the world is in tatters. It seems like every nation is working to ensure its survival, even if it comes at the expense of its allies, which is not a new concept but one that goes against…
The Postmodern Pelican 