We often tend to think of the Golden Age of Hollywood as being quite a rigid era for filmmaking, where risks were not taken and films were made along very narrow guidelines, based on what could be shown on screen, as decided by the censors whose only reason for existence was to impinge on the…
No Man’s Land (2001)
One of the most common tropes we find in much of contemporary media is the odd couple scenario, in which two individuals who are diametrically opposed find themselves in a situation where they have to find some way to get along, and in the process forge an unlikely friendship that neither of them imagined was…
O Pátio das Cantigas (1942)
1942 is considered one of the most undeniably notable years for Portuguese cinema, specifically due to the release of two films in particular, which stand as being historically relevant in looking at how the film developed in the country. The first was Aniki-Bóbó, which was the directorial debut of the legendary Manoel de Oliveira, whose…
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
“They gave me a new man to share my bed/Sometimes I wish that I was dead” Throughout its history, folk music has been the topic of a lot of discussion, with its influence being undeniable and incredibly distinct, even amongst those who did not work in the genre themselves. Perhaps the most succinct definition is…
Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
Hollywood has always had a very difficult relationship with the concept of representation, which is a point that certainly doesn’t need to be emphasized, having become an objective fact. For as long as films have been made, there have been individuals, whether within the industry or outside of it, that have made it their life’s…
Double Lover (2017)
One of the great gifts bestowed on us as filmgoers is to live at the same time as François Ozon, who has been one of our best-working directors for over a quarter of a century. A filmmaker with an impeccable career that contains very few failures (and even his supposedly lesser works are quite remarkable…
Barbie (2023)
By this point in its existence, cinema has seen just about every potential property turned into a film at some point, with Hollywood essentially being built on a foundation of scouting for the most popular ideas and transferring them to the screen in some way or another. When it comes to Barbie, arguably the world’s…
Oppenheimer (2023)
They say that history is written by the victors and that those who lose usually fade into obscurity. J. Robert Oppenheimer is one of the rare historical figures that can be considered both a hero and a villain, a victor and loser in equal measure, and as evidenced by his famous statement “I am become…
Christmas in July (1940)
Don’t let the title fool you – there is not a single mention of the namesake Yuletide festivities anywhere in Christmas in July, and the decision to name it as such is quite bewildering since audiences will likely enter into this film under the belief that they are going to be receiving a charming and…
Living Out Loud (1998)
Despite what the movies may want us to think, heartbreak is neither neat nor easy to endure – it’s a harrowing process that causes us to feel as if we have had our entire existence shaken, forced to confront the fact that life is not always particularly happy and that there are many unexpected surprises…
The Postmodern Pelican 