Few styles of filmmaking have undergone quite as interesting a shift over the past few decades as animation – the nostalgia of classical, two-dimensional animation combined with efforts to increase what is possible with technology and other different styles has made it a formidable industry all on its own, with every year yielding magnificent works,…
The Lost Weekend (1945)
The transition from journeyman screenwriter who worked primarily under the guidance of your artistic hero to one of the greatest filmmakers of all time is certainly not easy, but yet Billy Wilder managed to make it seem like the most enjoyable experience imaginable. It would be a challenge to find anyone who enjoyed his craft…
Modesty Blaise (1966)
When the decision was made to adapt Modesty Blaise, the critically acclaimed and extremely popular comic series by Peter O’Donnell, which focuses on a career criminal employed by the government to help bring other criminals to justice, Joseph Losey was neither the obvious pick to direct, nor was he the first choice. However, through a…
Return to Seoul (2022)
There have been few better examples of a filmmaker immediately announcing themselves as a major talent than this year, when Davy Chou introduced the world to the absolutely astonishing and deeply profound Return to Seoul (French: Retour à Séoul), a film that immediately and without any hesitation becomes of the year’s greatest artistic achievements in…
Living in Oblivion (1995)
If you take any random assortment of around a dozen films, it’s more than likely that at least of them will look at the process of filmmaking itself, whether taking a positive or critical stance on Hollywood and its theoretical surroundings. By this point, it’s almost impossible to keep track of such projects, since it…
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
You would not be blamed for initially believing the recent live-action adaptation of the highly popular Dungeons & Dragons game series was destined to fail – we have rarely seen much crossover success between the world of games and cinema, with only a few notable exceptions, and nearly every effort to turn this property into…
Up in Smoke (1978)
The stoner comedy has always been seen as a controversial genre – not only does it centre on protagonists that are known to partake in a forbidden substance, their behaviour supposedly condones laziness, disrespect and utter incompetence. Yet, they’ve remained so beloved for one simple reason: they’re relentlessly funny, and offer more valuable laughter than…
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Few names are more regularly associated with an impeccable standard of quality during the classical era of cinema more than Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the directorial duo that worked together under the name of The Archers. They were dominant creative forces throughout their career (both individually and as a pair), but were most known…
Pacifiction (2022)
There are a few filmmakers who actively work to hone their craft, but even after producing several works, we can’t quite figure out how history is going to remember them. Albert Serra is the current embodiment of this principle – watching his films, we are never sure whether we are witnessing the continued development of…
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944)
Absolutely no one did for American comedy what Preston Sturges did throughout his relatively short but brilliant career that brought forward many astonishing and unforgettable works. He is on the same level of wit and complexity as the likes of Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde, who are often seen as among the greatest comedic minds…
The Postmodern Pelican 