Sir Carol Reed was a filmmaker who had a tendency towards never finding a distinct style, often directing films in a wide range of genres, each one of them giving a different glimpse to one of the subjects that seemed to most interest the director, the lives and times of the population of working-class London….
The Starling (2021)
There’s a scene where Lilly (as played by Melissa McCarthy) viciously throws a rock at a bird that has been terrorizing her, only to nearly have a breakdown when she manages to have good aim, knocking the bird out of the sky and nearly killing it – and the entire third act is focused on…
Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938)
Any lover of the Golden Era of Hollywood will doubtlessly be aware of the concept known as “the Lubitsch Touch”, in reference to the esteemed director Ernst Lubitsch, who remains one of the most important and accessible directors from this period. There aren’t any easy ways to describe this particular quality – those who worked…
The Trouble with Harry (1955)
The trouble with The Trouble with Harry is that it’s not nearly as celebrated as it should be. Despite carrying arguably the most prestigious name in cinema in the form of being helmed by the iconoclastic Alfred Hitchcock, it has nestled comfortably into the status of being one of his lesser efforts, with many not…
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
When it comes to film noir, there are a few titles that are unimpeachable classics – whether looking at the classic era where films like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon were confusing audiences, or the more progressive melancholy of Farewell My Lovely and The Long Goodbye, we’ve been enticed and enthralled by stories…
Parents (1989)
Most of us have encountered Bob Balaban at some point, whether it be through film, television or another medium. An extraordinary character actor known for playing highly intelligent but reserved nebbishes with a slight air of pretension, he has become quite a memorable performer, known for his exceptional work across a range of different projects….
She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum (1955)
“The sad and lonely days of my youth come back to me as the autumn winds blow” The concept of autumn lingers very heavily throughout She Was Like a Wild Chrysanthemum (Japanese: 野菊の如き君なりき), the fascinating account of a lost love, as curated by Keisuke Kinoshita, one of the most unheralded masters of early Japanese cinema….
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (2021)
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…
The Postmodern Pelican 