I remember once discussing with a friend the fact that there is virtually no way to make an original adaptation of Hamlet that hasn’t been done before, as it seems the core of the story has pervaded the artistic landscape in a way that is almost indelible, inspiring countless works that derive something from the…
Drowning by Numbers (1988)
That was…something. I cannot recall ever having seen a film quite like Drowning by Numbers, a subversive, sometimes perverse comedy from only the most unconventionally brilliant of auteurs, Peter Greenaway, one of the true cinematic anarchists, who possesses almost chaotically towering talents, as evident by this very odd film that is wholly unapologetic in its…
Loves of a Blonde (1965)
Before he made two of the greatest English-language films of all time – Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Miloš Forman was a defiant, rebellious filmmaker in his home country who helped define the period we now affectionately refer to as the Czech New Wave, representing the political tension and social strife…
The Witch (2015)
There was no reason why I would not enjoy The Witch, as it had all the signs of being a great film. It is an independent horror film that is also the debut of an audacious young talent, it is set in a period of American history that I find profoundly fascinating and it has…
Paddington 2 (2017)
Let me say this in absolutely no uncertain terms and with complete, unshakable confidence: Paddington Bear is probably the best thing to ever happen to the world of fiction. Is this sentiment hyperbolic? It certainly is. Is it also profoundly true? Absolutely, and I will stand by this idea with all my might. Paul King,…
Have a Nice Day (2018)
I’m someone who enjoys surreal, twisted cinema, but even I have my limits, and I think I may have just found the one film that has managed to completely bewilder me, the animated dark comedy Have a Nice Day (Chinese: 大世界), perhaps the most polarizing film I have seen this year. In all honesty, I…
Personal Shopper (2017)
“There must be ghosts all over the world. They must be as countless as the grains of the sands, it seems to me. And we are so miserably afraid of the light, all of us” These words appear in Henrik Ibsen’s 1881 play Ghosts, and while this play doesn’t have anything directly related to the…
Love, Simon (2018)
We all want to be ourselves. We can express who we are, show everyone our hidden talents and exhibit our unique traits and characteristics that make us nuanced, complex individuals. However, for some, there are aspects of their personal life that they cannot reveal to the rest of the world, due to intolerance and close-minded…
Gridlock’d (1997)
Addiction is never an easy subject to represent in fiction because in order to convey the life of an addict, the artist behind the work needs to somehow capture the blissful euphoria as well as the fear and terror that come with being an addict. Danny Boyle, in 1996, made one of the seminal representations…
The Two of Us (1967)
It is always an amazing experience when you encounter a film that changes the way you look at cinema, especially one that is almost entirely new to you, not being considered one of the seminal cinematic masterpieces of all time. The last time I had this experience was about five years ago, when I watched…
The Postmodern Pelican 