Crime doesn’t pay, but it certainly doesn’t seem to help pay the rent on occasion. This is the fundamental conversation being conducted throughout King of New York, the ambitious crime drama by Abel Ferrara, who has made something of a career out of telling stories of individuals that may engage in activities that are somewhat…
The Longest Yard (1974)
The Longest Yard is a strange film for a number of reasons, many of them having to do with how imbalanced it feels. Helmed by the ever-reliable Robert Aldrich (a chameleon of filmmaking, having worked in every conceivable genre, particularly in studio fare that were based on the supposed interests of the general public), and…
Rashomon (1950)
You liked Rashomon “That’s not how I remember it” The Simpsons, “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo” (1999) Not only is Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (Japanese: 羅生門) the basis for arguably the most elegant and unexpectedly funny joke in sitcom history, it is quite simply one of the most important films ever made. It wasn’t Kurosawa’s first film…
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
Nicolas Cage will be the first person who will point out the fact that he has been working for a long time. He will quickly remark on having been a working actor since the age of 15, which means that his career has lasted over four decades – and in that span of time, he…
Nights of Cabiria (1957)
The very mention of the name Federico Fellini is bound to stir a strong reaction – for some, he embodies the very essence of Italian cinema, being one of the foremost auteurs that brought his nation to global relevance through his prolific and varied career that stretches across nearly half a century. For others, he…
The Silent Partner (1978)
Where does one start with The Silent Partner? There have been quite a few trusted voices that have drawn my attention to this film, an independent Canadian psychological thriller from the late 1970s, which (despite boasting some major actors in the central roles) seemed like a relatively minor work, and never found its way into…
Mr. Turner (2014)
Regardless of the story he’s telling, or the characters that occupy it, Mike Leigh’s films are always captivating, grabbing the audience’s attention through his engaging approach to looking at a range of subjects. Interestingly, we can divide the esteemed director’s work into two broad categories – there are the contemporary films, set in modern-day England,…
Champagne for Caesar (1950)
Beauregard Bottomley (Ronald Colman) is something of a genius – it’s unlikely that one will find him without his nose nestled deeply within a book on nearly any subject, a multitude of facts residing in his middle-class brain. However, his preoccupation with educating himself on every matter has left him at a disadvantage when it…
Trees Lounge (1996)
As arguably one of the most distinctive faces in the history of independent cinema, to the point where his name is synonymous with a particular era and style of filmmaking as a result of his prolific career and role in the movement, Steve Buscemi certainly is someone we could expect to have learned a great…
Ace in the Hole (1951)
In An Ideal Husband, Oscar Wilde quipped that “in the old days men had the rack. Now they have the press”. This piece of sardonic humour is oddly resonant, especially since the media has shown very little sign of not being the source of torture for many individuals. Over the years, we’ve seen how the…
The Postmodern Pelican 