If there was ever a filmmaker that warranted a much better reputation than the one he has, it would be Frank Perry. Despite being someone with a keen directorial vision, a strong eye for detail and a forthright dedication to telling memorable stories, he has remained relatively obscure in comparison to some of his contemporaries….
The Menu (2022)
There are few terms in cinema that are more prominent but indescribable than “Hitchcockian”, which we know as referring to films that evoke the spirit of the brilliant Alfred Hitchcock, whose career as the master of suspense is nothing short of revolutionary. There are many signs that a film meets the thresholds to be labelled…
An Ideal Husband (1947)
Oscar Wilde’s legacy has never been more secure than it has been since the advent of cinema. The great Irish wordsmith was very quickly committed to film when a range of artists decided that they would mount small but captivating productions and preserve them on film for both audiences that weren’t witness to the incredible…
TÁR (2022)
On nearly all occasions, I try my best to avoid hyperbole when writing about films. Rarely is anything said that isn’t entirely meant, and the act of speaking in absolutes is not a technique that I tend to use regularly unless it is necessary, which is increasingly sporadic considering the wealth of very good but…
Cluny Brown (1946)
When it comes to directors that set the foundation for the film industry, few have been more influential than Ernst Lubitsch, a filmmaker that established the gold standard for many genres, most notably that of the romantic comedy. Not too many artists have entire motifs named after them, and when the likes of Billy Wilder…
See How They Run (2022)
We all love a decent murder mystery – whether it is the thrill of trying to solve a case alongside the detectives using the carefully-placed clues, the often eccentric characters or bizarre scenarios that usually reflect deeper ideas surrounding social and cultural conventions, there’s something so endearing about these stories, which is the reason they’re…
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
There are two categories of war films – there are those that take place during the conflict, focusing either on the political machinations that lead two or more groups into battle or the soldiers themselves, while the second category involves films that are set in the direct aftermath of war, here usually focusing on both…
Wooly Boys (2001)
Whatever the reason for making Wooly Boys was, it seems to be entirely tenuous and impossible to discern. It isn’t very clear why anyone thought this would be a good idea for the story, not because it is controversial or looks at questionable subject matter – it just simply doesn’t have any real narrative, and…
RRR (2022)
At some point in the past few decades, Hollywood has seemingly lost the ability to make purely entertaining epics, and where every film of enormous scope feels like a major event that comes around very rarely, audiences often going years without witnessing a true spectacle that isn’t somehow tied to the recent influx of superhero…
Antoine and Antoinette (1947)
In comparison to some of his contemporaries, Jacques Becker was a far less prolific director, despite having made just over a dozen films – but each one a cherished part of French film history, a work of immense importance and genre-defining brilliance in the vast majority of cases. Becker is well-regarded amongst those with a…
The Postmodern Pelican 