As John Waters famously said, “life is nothing if you’re not obsessed” – and while we may assume he didn’t realise the extent to which obsession can genuinely become a problem when left unchecked, he, of all people, knows what it means to be fixated on a particular concept, or a person who best represents…
Category: thriller
The Man in My Basement (2025)
We’ve all experienced this feeling: we’re sitting at home, peacefully going about our day. Then there’s a knock on the door. The confusion immediately sets in when we realise that we were not expecting someone, and usually open the door to either a pleasant surprise or a major inconvenience, depending on who stands across the…
The Outfit (2022)
Tailors, cutters and seamsters are professions that very few seem to notice until their services are required, despite them being the foundation of society in many ways; their clients usually run the gamut from politicians to everyday workers who employ them in an effort to look as good as they possibly can, whether it be…
The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
As far as influential figures in the history of cinema go, there are few individuals more interesting and impressive than Ida Lupino, one of the few people whose reputation as a pioneer is not hyperbolic praise, but an objective fact drawn from her groundbreaking work on both sides of the camera. During a time when…
The Secret Agent (2025)
Is it ever truly possible to run away from the past? The idea of escaping from your own life and seeking a fresh start is often viewed as a result of needing to cover up some controversial and potentially immoral activities that are better left behind – but in some cases, it is necessary for…
Highest 2 Lowest (2025)
There are only a small handful of filmmakers who are revered enough that every new film feels like a genuine cinematic event. Whether this is a result of their tendency to only work periodically, taking long breaks in between films, or simply because the quality of their work is impeccable enough to radicalise audiences to…
One Battle After Another (2025)
We live in uncertain – and frankly quite terrifying – times, where nothing seems to make sense, politicians are the least trustworthy of all public figures, and we constantly seem to be on the edge of societal collapse, the decline of the culture seemingly being only a single word away. Yet, we continue to press…
A House of Dynamite (2025)
When I was younger and far more anxious, I had a history teacher who was intent on educating his students on the nature of the world and how it functions – and when it came time to discuss nuclear war, he told us “don’t panic until they panic”, with the “they” in this instance referring…
It Was Just an Accident (2025)
How far would you go to get revenge on someone who you consider to have ruined your life? We often find ourselves in conversations about whether retribution is something that should be punished when it becomes violent, or if authorities should look the other way in situations where it can be justified. This is a…
Red Eye (2005)
While he is primarily known for his contributions to the horror genre (and perhaps deserves the status as the person who pioneered a new kind of cinematic terror), Wes Craven was not afraid to experiment from time to time, working with different material to create vibrant and interesting films that traverse genre and convention in…
The Postmodern Pelican 