Alexis ( Roberta Colindrez) is a young woman who has never quite fit in with anyone around her. She tends to keep her circle of friends extremely small – in fact, the only person she has a genuine long-lasting connection to his her father (John Ortiz). They run a small business, where they offer a…
Shadows (1959)
Over the years, I’ve shown my support for independent cinema, not only in its modern iterations (as well as its gradual increase in success as a viable form of filmmaking that gives many artists the chance to have their voices elevated to the mainstream), but also in its origins. One of the most frequent allusions…
The Castle (1997)
The Kerrigans are a mild-mannered middle-class Australian family living in a small suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne. They’re led by the mischievous but resourceful Daryl (Michael Caton), whose commitment to his family is truly admirable. He may work a low-paying job as a tow-truck driver, but he always makes sure to provide for his…
Imitation of Life (1959)
No one was ever able to perfect the art of melodrama quite as well as Douglas Sirk, a director whose career is almost entirely defined by the range of intimate, profoundly moving dramas that combined familial strife with socially-charged commentary, forming complex tapestries of the human condition that were rarely anything but thoroughly riveting and…
Niagara (1953)
Ray Cutler (Max Showalter) and Polly (Jean Peters) are on their way across the Canadian border to finally get around to a long-delayed honeymoon. He is a well-regarded marketing executive, and she is his willful wife who is happy to finally be spending some time with him. They have decided to have a few days…
Sapphire (1959)
“We didn’t solve anything – we just picked up the pieces” Perception is an important part of understanding a film, which has never been clearer than in those that blur the boundaries not only between genres, but between entire conceptual frameworks. Basil Dearden’s Sapphire is one that can be seen in two ways – the…
One Night in Miami (2020)
It’s not often that we find a film with as ambitious a premise as One Night in Miami succeeding in realizing its full potential. Inarguably, when it was first announced that Regina King (who is undeniably one of the finest actresses of her generation) would be making her feature directorial debut after years of working…
The Wayward Girl (1959)
There’s something so compelling about seeing someone’s debut, whether they’re behind the camera or appearing in front of it – and when that person is nothing short of an icon, there’s an added level of curiosity to the work that gave them the necessary leap into the industry. There are few performers more acclaimed or…
Pillow Talk (1959)
In the pantheon of great romantic comedies, very few films have defined the genre more than Michael Gordon’s Pillow Talk. Whether through filmmakers that were heavily inspired by it, or those that outright copied the film, it has held a cultural cache that has made it one of the most iconic entries into a genre…
Atlantic City (1980)
“It used to be beautiful – what with the rackets, whoring, guns” The mere mention of the name Atlantic City should evoke some kind of reaction in the listener – a town (or rather, gambling resort) known for its gambling, free-spirited activities and lack of morality, it has been the origin of many dreams being…
The Postmodern Pelican 