“There are no such things as bad plants or bad men. There are only bad cultivators” This powerful quote was written by Victor Hugo and appears in his seminal masterwork, Les Misérables. They’re also the final words of another piece that appropriates the title of Hugo’s novel, as well as some of its underlying themes…
The Irishman (2019)
The Irishman is not just a gangster film. It’s an intricate cultural epic that functions as a darkly comical meditation on crime, ageing, the role of masculinity throughout the twentieth century and ultimately, death, both that of inflicting and experiencing it. Martin Scorsese presents us with perhaps his finest film in decades, a work of…
Greener Grass (2019)
Imagine an ordinary suburb somewhere in the American Midwest, sometime in the past, present or future. It’s an idyllic place that could be absolutely anywhere – yet, there’s something strange about this community. The adults all wear braces on their teeth for undisclosed reasons, residents drive golf carts through the streets lined with identical houses,…
Varda by Agnès (2019)
I’m not going to eulogize Agnès Varda in this review. Despite the fact that she’s an artist who means a considerable amount to me, and considering this is her final (and perhaps most personal) film, it seems inappropriate to use this space as one to lament her dying – not only because I’ve already written…
Enough Said (2013)
Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a divorced masseuse who makes her living through liaising with many of the suburban stereotypes she often wishes she could escape in her small community. When she’s not mingling with her two married friends (Toni Collette and Ben Falcone), she’s the mother of a daughter who is about to embark on…
The Farewell (2019)
Saying goodbye is never easy. This is something I think all of us know a bit too well – whether it’s temporary or long-term, a farewell is an experience that often tests our resilience and proves that sometimes the most difficult moments are the most necessary. This seems to be the theme underlying Lulu Wang’s…
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Bobby Dupea (Jack Nicholson) is an aimless young man without any clear sense of direction in his life. On the surface, he is the archetypal blue-collar working man. He spends his days grafting as an oil-rig worker, and his evenings with his girlfriend, the well-meaning but slightly simple Rayette (Karen Black), who adores Bobby, to…
The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2019)
Xavier Dolan seems to occupy quite a unique place in the contemporary cinematic landscape. He’s a director who has had some enormous accusations levelled against him, especially in recent years – his penchant for melodrama, often overwrought storylines and his tendency towards excess are all qualities that seem to be used to deride him by…
A Quiet Passion (2016)
“Poems are my solace for the eternity which surrounds us all.” Terence Davies’ A Quiet Passion is a masterful achievement in a number of ways. The story of Emily Dickinson is one that is both profoundly fascinating, but also deeply complex, and any filmmaker who endeavoured to venture into her life was bound to encounter…
Volver (2006)
When it comes to finding the truth of the human condition and all its earnest complexities, few directors are more adept than Pedro Almodóvar – his influence not only in his native Spain but in the entire film industry as a whole, is something that can never be overstated, to the point where his work…
The Postmodern Pelican 