There is a lot of value in a film that recognizes its limitations, and very few directors knew this better than Budd Boetticher, whose name is almost synonymous with low-budget, but highly-popular, westerns that grew to amass quite a fanbase in the 1950s. Known mostly for a series of films lovingly-dubbed the “Ranown Cycle” (taken…
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (2020)
Juha (Pekka Strang) is a very successful heart surgeon who used to have the perfect life – a happy family, a few houses that they could escape to for the weekend and a generally pleasant position in the world – it is essentially what many dream to accomplish. This is until his wife accidentally drowns…
Be Careful, Grandma! (1960)
Like with anything, the more contact you have with a particular kind of work, the more you come to notice similarities between them. When it becomes to Soviet-era Russian comedies, the pattern is almost always the same – upbeat storylines that place emphasis on the working class (who are truly thrilled to have menial, laborious…
The Apartment (1960)
There are various elements that go into making a great film – an interesting story, a well-cast group of actors playing compelling roles, visual splendour and execution of some meaningful ideas that resound with audiences, regardless of genre. However, what does it take to make a canonical masterpiece? Someone who seemed to be able to…
Late Autumn (1960)
When it comes to taking deep-dives into the careers of artists you admire, one tends to come across some of their weaker moments, but also on occasion discover new sides of their work that we didn’t realize were there. I’ve so often expressed such immense admiration for Yasujirō Ozu, and working through his filmography has…
Say Your Prayers (2020)
Professor John Huxley (Roger Allam) is a world-renowned philosopher and critical thinker who has taken the world by storm for his many attacks upon religion, with his attempts to evoke rational thought making him a global sensation, but also a very controversial figure that has as many enemies as he does devoted followers. Two such…
Lovely & Amazing (2001)
The Marks woman are an idiosyncratic family living in modern-day California. They’re led by matriarch Jane (Brenda Blethyn), who has found a new lease on life as she progresses into old age, choosing to try and regain her youth through cosmetic surgery and flirting with any man who shows her even the slightest bit of…
Always Shine (2016)
What’s better than going on a weekend getaway to a remote forest in the middle of nowhere with your best friend? Probably the fact that neither of you is particularly fond of the other, and will spend most of the time engaging in games of psychological warfare, deconstructing the hopes and insecurities of the person…
Eyes Without a Face (1960)
It’s been well-documented that, prior to the late 1950s, horror cinema wasn’t really a prominent area being explored in French filmmaking, especially those that were more focused on more contemporary or alternative stories. One director who contributed his own voice to this disparity with Georges Franju, who I’ve grown to have enormous respect for, even…
The Grass Is Greener (1960)
Victor (Cary Grant) and Hilary (Deborah Kerr) seem like the quintessential English couple – they have been happily married for over a decade, have a couple of children and a lovely property in the countryside. In actuality, they are the Earl and Lady Rhyall, descended from a long line of aristocrats that have allowed them…
The Postmodern Pelican 