Orson Welles was an odd fellow – one of the most ambitious filmmakers and genius performers ever to live. However, his life has been shrouded in reports of him being difficult or a diva, it doesn’t surprise me. I often wondered why a film didn’t actually explore this side of him. Then I discovered a…
Category: Drama
Shoot the Piano Player (1960)
The French New Wave is quite an odd period of filmmaking – for once, filmmakers could depart the silly mainstream and actually use this newly-found genre to make minimilistic passion projects and express their love of nihilism (can one love nihilism though). To me, two films represent the apex of the French New Wave –…
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)
Sidney Lumet was a master of cinema. His contributions to cinema are forever cemented in the films he directed – from Network, one of the greatest films of all time, to Dog Day Afternoon, a star-making turn for Al Pacino (which really says something considering he starred in two Godfather movies before this) and everything from play…
12 Years a Slave (2013)
The measure of a great film is one that not only entertains but also allows a degree of discussion to happen between audiences about the messages of those films. One film that has caused a lot of discussion in the masterpiece 12 Years a Slave. While not in any way a perfect film, 12 Years…
The Great Gatsby (2013)
I’ve been dreading writing this review as much as you all dreaded reading this review. I adored F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby and when I heard Leonardo DiCaprio was playing the lead role, I was suitably impressed. Then I heard Baz Luhrmann was directing it, and my expectations went way down, yet…
Behind the Candelabra (2013)
I will admit it – I really admire Steven Soderbergh, but I was never his biggest fan (I just didn’t like him above any other director, although he had talent). However, I approached Behind the Candelabra with a wide-open mind. After all, seeing Michael Douglas playing the flamboyant Liberace would definitely be interesting. Not only…
The Postmodern Pelican 