Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is not a film that is going to break any boundaries. The adaptation of the successful but relatively simple musical of the same name (in turn inspired by the real-life Jamie Campbell, whose life was covered in a well-received documentary several years ago) is a charming but minor affair, the kind…
True Grit (2010)
When a work of literature has already received a film adaptation that is as close to perfect as one can get (or at least cherished as such), it can be difficult for future filmmakers to work with the same material. True Grit, the novel by Charles Portis, was previously turned into a starring vehicle for…
Bottle Rocket (1996)
While he remains quite a popular figure, Wes Anderson has had his fair share of polarizing reactions, with his recent work indicating that he is a director with a penchant for the quirky and overly-stylised, which has amounted in him receiving an equal share of devotees and detractors. I fall between the two – I…
CODA (2021)
Every year, you come across films that may not be entirely original or unique, whether in their storylines or the approach they take to the process of narrative or visual construction, but yet still remain rather endearing, even if they’re not entirely brilliant. CODA is one such film, with the story of a young woman…
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)
The 1950s were filled to the brim with bizarre science fiction films, cheaply-produced works that could be easily accompanied with a more major production as part of the practice of double features and matinees – audiences just adored these kinds of films, despite their often jagged exterior. There were many that were highly influential and…
That Good Night (2017)
That Good Night is a film that came and went without much fanfare, remaining a relatively obscure piece of cinema that many people don’t realize exists, even though it’s a true gem of a film. Eric Styles created one of the most heartfelt odes to life in the form of his adaptation of the little-known…
Ordet (1955)
For just about as long as we have, as a collective culture, been observing the broad tenets of proper decorum, the principle of decent society being where one doesn’t dare speak on the subjects of either politics or religion has been in effect, since there are few topics that can divide a population more than…
Summertime (1955)
When one thinks of Sir David Lean, we don’t normally associate him with breezy, lovable romantic comedies, despite the fact that he directed arguably the greatest screen romance ever committed to film in the form of Brief Encounter. Most of his career was defined by epic historical dramas and literary adaptations that were as lavish…
Multiple Maniacs (1970)
When Tod Browning set out to make Freaks in 1932, he inadvertently started a grassroots movement that would rapidly grow amongst the underground filmmakers that dominated throughout most of the previous century since that revolutionary film started – finally, one didn’t need to fit into the confines of the studio system to be considered an…
The World to Come (2021)
Somewhere deep in The World to Come, there is a great film, the problem is that it never manages to get to that point. Mona Fastvold, in her directorial debut, made a film that is visually astonishing, but narratively paltry, every emotion feeling empty and the structure seeming like an afterthought. Not a necessarily bad…
The Postmodern Pelican 