I am not quite sure what to think of this film. On one hand, Lars and the Real Girl is a highly original film with a gentle soul and a positive message. On the other hand, it is often frustratingly absurd and illogical. It is a film that is both pleasant and uncomfortable, and it…
Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
Could Monty Python’s Life of Brian be the funniest film ever made? I absolutely think so. I have mentioned it previously, but the Monty Python troupe have always been personal heroes of mine, ranging from my early days when my father showed me sketches from Monty Python’s Flying Circus. I was captivated by the absurdity,…
There Will Be Blood (2007)
What is there to say about There Will Be Blood? It has been a decade since it was released, and it is still, by far, the greatest film of the twenty-first century. I am not simply saying this because I am a huge fan of Paul Thomas Anderson – in fact, There Will Be Blood…
Free Fire (2017)
One complaint always thrust upon action films is that they are too reliant on action sequences, with explosions and gun-fights, which often take the place of character development and plot progression. This very idea seemed to be the reasoning behind Free Fire, the latest from the wonderfully talented Ben Wheatley. The approach is that this…
Raw (2017)
Well…that was most certainly something. Raw (Grave) is a gory, disgusting and demented film, and also an utterly brilliant piece of cinema. This is a film that had me gagging in disgust and applauding in celebration of its pure audacity. If that doesn’t mean this is certainly an experience, then I am not entirely sure…
Mrs Dalloway (1997)
I think Mrs Dalloway is one of the greatest books ever written – extraordinary in its approach to looking at humanity, with a keen sense of humour and a unique structure. It seems to be a book that is pretty much unfilmable, because most of what I liked about Mrs Dalloway can only be garnered…
Wilson (2017)
There are just some films that speak to the individual on a personal level. Many films are made to be relatable to a vast majority of people, but there are also films that are made to appeal to a specific kind of people – and Wilson is one such film. Now I won’t pretend like…
The Hours (2002)
I recently read Virginia Woolf’s beautiful, poignant and highly influential novel, Mrs. Dalloway, and needless to say I adored it. I am firmly in the school of fans of Postmodern literature, so to read an undeniably Modernist novel such as Mrs. Dalloway allows for one to see where the likes of David Foster Wallace, Don…
Ida (2013)
Ida is a film that has a lot going for it – it is a picturesque piece of filmmaking, with some amazing cinematography. It has two very impressive lead performances. It makes great use of black-and-white photography, and it is quite a unique film. However, Ida is a film that suffers from the same symptom…
The Gleaners and I (2000)
The documentary is undeniably one of the most popular forms of filmmaking, because there is something about the truthful conveyance of real events that attract audiences, as evident by the popularity in true-crime documentaries, and stories of amazing human feats of strength or endurance. We are drawn to these stories because it feels like we…
The Postmodern Pelican 