It goes without saying that it takes a masterful artist to reflect the dark nuances of humanity in a way that is endearing, hilarious and entertaining, but not dismissive of the subject at hand. Martin McDonagh, through both his extraordinary theatre work as well as his wonderful films, is one such artist, and with his…
3 Women (1977)
In his career that lasted nearly fifty years, Robert Altman directed over three dozen films, and while many of them have gone on to become iconic works of New Hollywood filmmaking, such a prolific career often leads to some films that are less than perfect, and sometimes even far too polarizing to stand alongside some…
Golden Exits (2018)
Independent cinema, as I have noted on multiple occasions, only grows exponentially as a movement every year, with budgets getting lower as concepts get higher. One name has always stood out in the modern independent cinema landscape for a number of reasons, Alex Ross Perry. A filmmaker who appears, on the surface, to be just…
The Florida Project (2017)
Visionary filmmaker and cinematic legend Pedro Almodóvar clearly has flawless taste, and when commenting on The Florida Project, he boldly stated that “Sean Baker is my bet for the future” – and this compliment from one of cinema’s most iconoclastic artists is not undeserved, as Sean Baker has proven himself to be a supremely talented…
Black Panther (2018)
Marvel gets its fair share of criticism, mainly from devotees of DC and those who feel that superhero films are not worthwhile entertainment. I understand, mainly because I used to be like that, growing tired and weary of the endlessly dull landscape of superhero films that contribute very little, if anything at yet. Yet, the…
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
They just don’t make films like The Philadelphia Story anymore, do they? A comedy that does not rely on gross-out humour, an enormously ambitious concept or visual flair, just an extremely strong story, featuring well-developed, interesting characters portrayed by magnificent actors at the very top of their game. There are very few films that fully…
The Disaster Artist (2017)
I consider myself to have good taste in cinema, but there is one film that I adore more than even the most prestigious cinematic achievement: The Room, a film I never fail to praise relentlessly whenever I am given the opportunity. I wear my adoration for The Room proudly, considering it one of the most…
The Square (2017)
There is quite a bit that can be said about The Square. Ruben Östlund’s endearing 150-minute odyssey into the pretentious world of contemporary art is one of the most singularly unique and original films of the year, a film with a certain atmosphere that critiques both the cultural elite and the mainstream populace in a…
Another Year (2010)
Allow me to be completely frank: Mike Leigh is a cinematic genius and has made some of the greatest films of all time. He is the filmmaker responsible for making the film that I consider quite possibly my personal favourite of all time (the astonishing Naked), and I have yet to encounter a film by…
The Shape of Water (2017)
I will break from convention, and begin this review with a quote that struck me as extremely powerful: “[The Shape of Water] is a healing movie for me…For nine movies I rephrased the fears of my childhood, the dreams of my childhood, and this is the first time I speak as an adult, about something…
The Postmodern Pelican 