There exist two versions of the play Proof by David Auburn – one of them is the critically-acclaimed stage production that brought out themes of identity and grief, both for the loss of a loved one, and the impending loss of your own abilities. The other is the film adaptation, directed by John Madden, who sought…
Sword of Trust (2019)
Cinema doesn’t always need to say something – there doesn’t need to be some underlying message that occurs in every frame of a scene. Sometimes, a film is just allowed to exist. No one understands this more than Lynn Shelton, whose work has been the very definition of independent cinema. Not only does she make…
Ciao! Manhattan (1972)
You’d be forgiven for thinking Ciao! Manhattan is nothing other than the pretentious avant-garde malarkey produced during the heyday of Andy Warhol’s Factory, where art films were produced on a seemingly endless conveyor belt of post-war ennui, in which the artist and his creative partners could take the opportunity to express themselves by showing off…
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)
One of my biggest regrets when it comes to cinema is not having explored John Huston sooner – I only made my proper introduction to his work a couple of years ago, and with every new film I see from him, I am amazed to see what he was capable of doing – whether one…
Frenzy (1972)
Dick Blaney (Jon Finch) is a former member of the Royal Air Force who fought for his country during the war. His life afterwards has hardly been fitting for a war hero, as he has struggled to earn a living through low-paying jobs that he reluctantly accepts, solely for the sake of surviving in a…
Red Psalm (1972)
From the outset, there are two aspects of Red Psalm (Hungarian: Még kér a nép) that you immediately notice: its glorious surrealism and its striking beauty. This seemed to be the pivotal element behind Miklós Jancsó’s daring social drama, a tale of class struggle in the Hungarian countryside in the late 1800s. What starts as…
The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
The first scene of The Heartbreak Kid starts where most movies end – with a wedding. We’re introduced to Lenny Cantrow (Charles Grodin), a young man who is about to be wed to his sweetheart, the loud but kind-hearted Lila (Jeannie Berlin). The pair head to Florida for their honeymoon, hoping for some quality time…
Between Two Ferns: The Movie (2019)
Between Two Ferns: The Movie could not be more accurate than its title promises – anyone who has ever watched Zach Galifiankis’ beautifully awkward quasi-talk show and wanted a feature-length version of his trademark hostility towards celebrities will most certainly be thrilled with this film. Taking their cue from the many mockumentary films produced over…
Ad Astra (2019)
Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is an astronaut working for the US Space Force (now a public institution known as SpaceCom, which has commercialized space travel). His entire life has been spent living in the shadow of his father (Tommy Lee Jones), a world-renowned space explorer who went missing nearly two decades before, after embarking…
The Dead Don’t Die (2019)
“Centreville, USA: A real nice place” – visitors to the quaint little town are greeted with these words as they enter, and it’s difficult to argue with the sentiment. Harbouring less than 800 residents, it is the quintessential small Midwestern town that doesn’t make much of an impression, other than being a genuinely lovely place…
The Postmodern Pelican 