Something that never fails to surprise me as a film lover is how, despite seemingly having told every kind of story, certain filmmakers still manage to find new ideas, even if it means working with more conventional material, and in the process finding unique ways to deliver them. Riley Stearns isn’t very well-known to those…
Stage Fright (1950)
One of the reasons I revere Alfred Hitchcock as much as I do is because, despite being arguably the finest filmmaker to ever work in the English language, he wasn’t afraid to take a few risks on occasion. Some of these turned out splendidly, many of his films being subversive and influential entries that would…
OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)
When it comes to being entirely absurd, seemingly no one does it better than Michel Hazanavicius, whose career has been all about carefully-constructed parodies and homages to a range of different genres. Most outside of his native France will probably know his work on the critically acclaimed silent film pastiche The Artist, but his first…
The Damned (1969)
In the decades following the end of the Second World War, we saw countless examples of films that tackled the period, looking at different subjects that ultimately all lead back to the central issues that provoked the conflict. Whether it be the harrowing conditions for soldiers, or the more disconcerting situations that came about behind…
Mass (2021)
We live in a world that is very often mired in tragedy, one in which there is often a concerted effort from certain people to hurt each other, whether it be through war or individual attacks. Since the dawn of time, artists have been using their craft to tell stories of the human condition, which…
Brother Rat (1938)
While it may not be widely known to those outside of the target audience, the play Brother Rat is considered a seminal text on the subject of pre-war patriotism. Written by John Monks, Jr. and Fred Finklehoffe, who were graduates of the Virginia Military Institute (which their story constantly emphasizes as being one of the…
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Welcome to Everything Everywhere All at Once, the film that boldly states that life is essentially best described as being “where everything’s made up and the nothing really matters” – and knowing the perverse sense of humour the directors have demonstrated in the past, I’d be surprised if the bastardization of this iconic catchphrase Daniel…
In the Soup (1992)
While his name may not be exceptionally well-known outside of devotees to the world of independent cinema, but Alexandre Rockwell is an important figure in a movement that dedicated itself, as its name would suggest, to breaking free from the shackles of mainstream Hollywood, and taking on a new form of filmmaking as a means…
On the Count of Three (2022)
It is often said that in order to create good art centred around the concept of death, one has to be either fond enough of living to be entirely objective to the realities of this great inevitability, or so far gone into a space of almost nihilistic despair that this serves as a way for…
All About Eve (1950)
What is there to say that hasn’t already been said countless times before when it comes to All About Eve? The film, which is almost unanimously considered not only the personal best work of the brilliant Joseph L. Mankiewicz, but one of the most well-regarded and iconic pieces of cinema to ever be produced, has…
The Postmodern Pelican 