Age has always been a fascinating theme when it comes to art, with the dynamic between those of different generations being the source of many interesting stories, several of them being quite touching. The problem with these stories is that not only do they sometimes veer towards controversy (especially when some of them dare to…
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)
When we look at them critically, there’s nothing quite like an artist’s mind. In order to be creative, one needs to possess some kind of madness, even if it is one that is borne from obsession with a particular subject. We all create art for different reasons, some having more motivation to do so than…
High Noon (1952)
When it comes to classics of the western genre, you can’t really go wrong with High Noon, the fascinating film by Fred Zinnemann, who directs the story of a semi-retired US marshal who is forced to defend his town (and his honour) from the encroaching danger of a gang who are in pursuit of revenge…
Bad Influence (1990)
There’s a pivotal scene in Bad Influence where the main characters are engaging in a violent crime spree, while the song “Downtown” by Lloyd Cole plays over their antics, which grow increasingly more dangerous the more they become inebriated by both substances and the sheer power afforded to them in that moment. The song contains…
The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952)
Many critics and viewers consider the peak of Yasujirō Ozu’s career to be Tokyo Story, an opinion that is difficult to go against, with the general consensus being that not only is this one of the prolific Japanese master’s finest works, but it is also one of the greatest films ever made. However, Ozu was…
South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)
Whether you like it or not, South Park has left a lasting cultural impression on the world of entertainment, with the quirky animated comedy about four foul-mouthed pre-teens in the fictional titular Colorado town having been a constant presence for nearly a quarter of a century now. I am in no way a firm adherent…
The Long Take: The Career of…John Cassavetes (1929 – 1989)
It’s been nearly five years since the most recent entry into this series, which aims to take a filmmaker who I personally admire or feel a strong affinity to, exploring their career and discussing the films that they made over the course of their lives, ranking and critically analysing each one of them. The past…
Save Sandra (2021)
One of the facts that we all have to accept at some point is that life just sometimes isn’t fair – and few stories portray this more vividly than that of Sandra Massart, the 7-year-old Belgian girl who was diagnosed with an extremely rare condition called metachromatic leukodystrophy (also known as MLD), a brain condition…
Office Killer (1997)
For about as long as our species has been labouring, the workplace has bred a range of unlikable colleagues, whether it be incompetent co-workers or despotic managers. Art has never been afraid to point this out, normally in the form of more upbeat content that shows the day-to-day struggles of the ordinary working-class individual and…
The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)
Gene Kelly didn’t direct too many films, but he did make a fair share of great ones. The majority of the ones that he is most remembered for are musicals (often co-directed by close friend and collaborator Stanley Donen, who worked with Kelly to make some of the greatest entries into the genre in history),…
The Postmodern Pelican 