I’ve always had a very strong relationship with The Shining. My adolescent years were spent obsessing over the novel and the iconic (if not highly contentious) film adaptation, looking for every crucial detail, trying to discern what it meant in the grander scheme of what Stephen King was trying to convey with this masterful story…
Shoplifters (2018)
“What makes a family?” – this was apparently the question that served as the impetus for Hirokazu Kore-eda’s masterful Shoplifters (Japanese: 万引き家族), a beautiful character-driven drama that once again sees the maestro venturing into the realm of social realism, delivering one of the most profoundly moving films of the past few years, and an utter…
Born Yesterday (1950)
It’s unfortunate that Born Yesterday doesn’t get enough of the love it deserves. It is decently acclaimed and has many ardent admirers, but it has often struggled to be seen as anything other than just an effective comedy hailing from the mind of George Cukor, who was never really able to reach the same heights…
Pink Narcissus (1971)
In a small but luxurious apartment in an unnamed American city resides an unnamed call-boy (played by Bobby Kendall), who spends his time daydreaming when he isn’t seeing to one of his clients. He imagines himself in a variety of situations – a matador to a cheering audience, a slave to a Roman court, a…
Taking Off (1971)
Jeannie Tyne (Linnea Heacock) is a young woman slowly growing tired of her overprotective parents, Lynn (Lynn Carlin) and Larry (Buck Henry), who do everything they can to control the life of their daughter. Jeannie, wanting to explore the world and learn about life, runs away from home and sets off on her own adventure….
Malpertuis (1971)
“It’s pretty, but its a bit difficult to understand. Somehow it makes me think of all kinds of things, but I’m not sure exactly what” These are the first words the viewer is presented with the beginning of Malpertuis, the audacious fantasy film crafted by Belgian horror auteur Harry Kümel, and one of the most…
Being 17 (2016)
Damien (Kacey Mottet Klein) is a young man trying to find his way in a world he doesn’t quite understand. His mother, Marianne (Sandrine Kiberlain) is a well-regarded doctor who helps out many of the residents of their small town, while still trying to raise her son almost entirely on her own, as her husband…
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Eddie Murphy is back, and he’s better than ever, if Dolemite Is My Name is anything to go by. His return to form has been something so many of us have so eagerly anticipated, and he made sure not to disappoint us, giving us one of his very best performances to date, and one that…
A Rainy Day in New York (2019)
Gatsby Welles (Timothée Chalamet) is a young man studying at a small but prestigious university in Upstate New York – he doesn’t have much passion for academic life, thriving on his unexpected talents when it comes to gambling. His girlfriend is the film-obsessed journalist Ashleigh (Elle Fanning), who manages to wrangle an interview with someone…
Louder Than Bombs (2015)
At the risk of sounding insensitive or flippant, there aren’t many themes art loves more than grief. Over the course of the centuries, artists in various fields have taken on the subject of losing someone, and the effects that come with realizing someone important is gone. This is most likely because most of us will…
The Postmodern Pelican 