Has there ever been a writer more capable of evoking the feeling of genuine mystery quite as well as Dame Agatha Christie? It seems unlikely, even if the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe seem to be stiff competition. Whether it’s the macabre sense of humour, or the fact that the…
Bleak Moments (1971)
For over half a century, Mike Leigh has defined the concept of radical cinema in both political and artistic terms. One of the most important stalwarts of the “angry young men” movement that was borne out of the rise of kitchen-sink realism, he has produced works that simmer with complexity and fury for the state…
The Fabelmans (2022)
There are few names as synonymous with the very definition of cinema like that of Steven Spielberg, who has become an institution unto himself, having spent over half a century crafting many wonderful films over a wide range of genres, often being at the forefront of pioneering new ways of filmmaking. He is also well-regarded…
Unhook the Stars (1996)
There was a point in the 1990s when we saw an emerging trend in which an acting legend was paired with a young but also very strong performer, in a charming and insightful character-based drama, which often traded narrative complexity for warmth and comfort. Nick Cassavetes became quite good at these films, which is not…
White Noise (2022)
“There is just no end to surprise. I feel sad for us and the queer part we play in our own disasters. But out of some persistent sense of large-scale ruin, we keep inventing hope. And this is where we wait…together” Through the hallowed halls of 20th-century literature, there are few writers more influential or…
Bones and All (2022)
“The world of love wants no monsters in it, so let me help you out of it.” What defines a monster? Is it physical deformity that separates one from the rest of society based on traits that terrify rather than attract? Could it be behaviour that goes against common social and cultural standards and places…
The Gold Rush (1925)
When you are dealing with someone who is widely considered not only one of the most widely celebrated actors and directors in the history of the film industry, but a cultural institution onto himself, an icon that is perhaps the most globally recognized icon in terms of cinema (outside of perhaps Marilyn Monroe), then it’s…
Oh, God! (1977)
One of the more callous but unintentionally popular jokes that circulate when it comes to the subject of religion is something along the lines of “faith is when you speak to God, whereas schizophrenia is when God speaks back to you” – and in an era which is becoming increasingly more secular as the church…
The Big Sleep (1946)
The sight of two shadowy figures in a room lit only by the dim glow of a desk lamp and the tips of their cigarettes – there are few images more memorable than this one, to the point where the entire film noir genre has been centred around such ideas (amongst others). The reason we’re…
Matilda the Musical (2022)
A source of a lot of curiosity for me comes when I ponder about whether an artist, when first committing pen to paper or brush to canvas, realizes how their work with take on an entirely different life, remaining resonant and compelling half a century after it is first introduced to the public. In most…
The Postmodern Pelican 