Everything that makes animated cinema so important can be found in Old Czech Legends (Czech: Staré pověsti české), the ambitious stop-motion epic by esteemed animator Jiří Trnka, who adapted the classic collection of short stories published in the late 19th century, Ancient Bohemian Legends by Alois Jirásek, which weaves together a combination of historical tales…
Nowhere Special (2021)
Death is a subject that has fascinated artists for centuries, with various works focusing on life’s most intimidating inevitability. The vast majority don’t question that it is going to happen to each one of us eventually, but rather the circumstances that surround it. Whether it be the actual process of coming to terms with one’s…
Re-Animator (1985)
I believe if there is something that we can all agree on to a certain extent, it would be that the prospect of death isn’t the most exciting or comforting concept for many of us. This is a subject that Herbert West has been actively pursuing, suffering the obstacle of being expelled from medical school…
The Hand of God (2021)
Paolo Sorrentino loves roads. In nearly every one of his films, characters undergo a variety of journeys, whether it be physical, mental or spiritual. There is something about the idea of undergoing a shift, either in location or mentality, that drives several of his films. As the ancient adage goes, “all roads lead to Rome”,…
Welcome Mr. Marshall! (1953)
As a filmgoing culture, we were so fortunate to have someone like Luis García Berlanga, who dedicated so much of his life to making wonderful, insightful comedies that tell us as much about the culture in which he grew up as they did the most intricate details of the world at large. You can always…
Spencer (2021)
There have been so many attempts at bringing the life and times of Diana, Princess of Wales to the screen – the ill-fated biographical drama starring Naomi Watts, the celebrated interpretation by Emma Corrin on the television serial The Crown, and even a stage musical that has become something of a minor sensation amongst those…
Housekeeping (1987)
We need to talk about Bill Forsyth more, at least in terms of giving him the attention that he has been deserving of for the last four decades. The creative mind between some of the most lovable comedies of the 1980s, the director made a profound impact without many even knowing his name. This is…
My Father Is an Airplane (2021)
Throughout her fascinating drama that she adapted from her own semi-autobiographical novel, My Father Is an Airplane (Dutch: Mijn vader is een vliegtuig), director Antoinette Beumer tells quite a captivating story about the relationship between a daughter and her father, especially in the days after the death of another family member (specifically their mother and…
Tokyo Story (1953)
The trouble with notoriously prolific directors is that it’s often difficult to discern what their best film may be, since they usually direct at such a rapid pace, and end up producing many great films. However, when it comes to Yasujirō Ozu, it couldn’t be easier to answer this question. Tokyo Story (Japanese: 東京物語) is…
Stop-Zemlia (2021)
Growing old isn’t a challenge, but growing up certainly is, which is perhaps the most succinct way to describe Stop-Zemlia (Ukrainian: Стоп-Земля), a powerful social drama written and directed by Kateryna Gornostai (in her feature-length directorial debut), who tells the story of a close-knit group of high school students in working-class Ukraine, following them as…
The Postmodern Pelican 