Turns out I didn’t learn my lesson after Hereditary. Ari Aster is clearly a director in need of some form of therapy (or perhaps a form of exorcism) if Midsommar has anything to say about it. I am not entirely sure if Midsommer is a film that I absolutely adored or vehemently despise, and I…
Primer (2004)
Budget constraints and a lack of experience should not stop anyone from making an audacious or innovative film, no matter how hard Hollywood campaigns for the idea that a bigger budget is somewhat indicative of quality. No one knows this better than Shane Carruth, whose career may only consist of two films, but remains one…
The Day of the Locust (1975)
Hollywood in the late 1930s. We are introduced to the various residents of the San Bernadino Arms, a complex that serves as the home of a variety of people related to showbusiness, or at least those who claim to be. Tod Hackett (William Atherton) is a talented visual artist who has been relegated to drawing…
Grey Gardens (1975)
“It’s very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present” I have a very strange relationship with Grey Gardens. Documentary filmmaking has always been a passion of mine, and some of the most profound moments in my life as a film-lover have come from non-fiction filmmaking in various ways. Grey Gardens was…
Manila in the Claws of Light (1975)
Júlio Madiaga (Bembol Roco) has just arrived in the Filipino metropolis of Manila after living most of his life in a rural area. His appearance is presumably that of finding a job, just like the countless other young men driven to the big city, looking to make a living and provide for their families, most…
Seven Beauties (1975)
In the history of cinema, there has never been someone like Lina Wertmüller. Not only did she make history numerous times, but she has also left an indelible impression on the industry, not only paving a path for several female filmmakers to have their voices heard but also becoming one of the greatest directors of…
Night Moves (1975)
Harry Moseby (Gene Hackman) is a private detective operating out of Los Angeles. He is a fiercely independent investigator, choosing to work by himself rather than choosing to get a job at an agency, even though he is frequently pursued to lend his services to the “information factories” as he calls them. His latest case…
The Lion King (2019)
Over the past few months, since the influx of promotion has started to arrive, it has become quite chic to deride the live-action remake of The Lion King – and for good reason. The original film is perhaps the greatest work to come from Walt Disney Studios, and it is undoubtedly their most beloved film,…
Dirty God (2019)
Jade (Vicky Knight) is a young woman who has just been released from hospital after a vicious attack, whereby a disgruntled ex-lover thought it would be perfectly acceptable to throw acid in her face, leaving her permanently scarred. Now reentering society, Jade finds it even more difficult to assimilate back into her normal life, because…
Mirror (1975)
The great filmmaker and amateur stand-up comedian Ingmar Bergman once said of a particular director “[Andrei] Tarkovsky is the greatest of them all” – and while these are certainly enormous words coming from a director who is one of the very few that can legitimately make claim to being amongst the greatest cinematic artists of…
The Postmodern Pelican 