Whenever someone needs some kind of justification for the importance of independent cinema, I normally point them towards Blow the Man Down. A small, intimate production made with a small budget and not featuring any major stars, and telling a truly insidious story about murder and deception in a small New England town, the film…
The Invisible Man Appears (1949)
H.G. Wells is inarguably one of the most influential voices in the history of science fiction, essentially aiding in pioneering the genre and establishing a clear set of conventions that are still the inspiration behind much of modern speculative fiction. His work has received its fair share of cinematic adaptations, going back to the earliest…
I Was a Male War Bride (1949)
War and comedy are not the most common bedfellows, and it often takes a very special kind of artist to craft something that looks at both of them with an equal amount of attention and manages to still put together something interesting. As one of the most versatile filmmakers of his generation, Howard Hawks seemed…
Daddy or Mommy (2015)
When it comes to Daddy or Mommy (French: Papa ou maman), there are many ways to describe it – mean-spirited, misanthropic and morally bankrupt. It’s also one of the funniest films of the past decade, a comedy that doesn’t pay too much attention to how it is perceived, and instead tries to entertain the viewer…
Bitter Rice (1949)
As one of the more fascinating cinematic movements of the 20th century, Italian neo-realism underwent quite a transformation over time, with some of the most effective works being produced in the years following the end of the Second World War, when the focus of many filmmakers shifted from passive views of the Italian way of…
Nope (2022)
Sadly, many of us film lovers tend to be cynical from time to time, especially when it comes to someone established in one field crossing over out of their comfort zone and trying to make a mark in an entirely different field, since it can sometimes have mixed results. Half a decade ago, Jordan Peele…
The Duke (2022)
We’ve seen dozens of films like The Duke many times before – lightweight comedies often based on real events, featuring an actor or two that are considered veterans of the industry (and are normally British, but sometimes venture into other corners of the globe), and use the blend of humour and pathos to create something…
I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987)
While it may not be particularly well-known outside of a core group of fanatics, I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing is inadvertently one of the most important Canadian films ever made, both for what it says, and specifically what it represents as a whole. Written and directed by Patricia Rozema in her feature-length directorial debut, weaving…
The Door in the Floor (2004)
There is something about John Irving’s books that are so profoundly cinematic, despite them being works that are often quite intimate and internal. He’s become quite a cherished writer in terms of putting together stories that are deeply sentimental, but still have a jagged edge to them, which hints at much deeper meaning lurking just…
Both Sides of the Blade (2022)
Claire Denis is one of our greatest living filmmakers, which is partially the result of her versatility and ability to tell a range of stories that transcend genre and convention, but keep the same fascinating spirit that makes her one of contemporary cinema’s greatest revolutionaries, even several decades into her filmmaking career. However, one subject…
The Postmodern Pelican 