It is a common complaint from many that Hollywood needs to be original – every year we see a glut of remakes, reboots, sequels and re-imaginings of previously existing movies – and it is a complaint I fully agree with. Hollywood doesn’t seem to be very capable of making many completely original films, and those…
Irrational Man (2015)
In its analysis of Irrational Man, Rotten Tomatoes mentions “Woody Allen apologists” – this is an unfortunate term that actually perfectly describes people like me – I recognize Allen as one of the greatest cinematic minds of all time, and his streak of making a film every year is almost completely unprecedented – but with that…
Winnebago Man (2009)
I consider myself someone who is relatively well-versed in the layers of the internet, specifically that of viral superstars – basically people that rise to meteoric fame because of a video they appear in that gets a bunch of attention. Perhaps my favorite video on the internet is Winnebago Man – the endlessly entertaining odyssey…
Mallrats (1995)
I am way too fond of Kevin Smith for my own good. I just think he’s an absolutely tremendous director, and his films are just so endlessly entertaining. Clerks is the very pinnacle of independent comedy that I love, and every film he did since that has been varying shades of brilliance. Clerks was risky…
Coriolanus (2011)
I love William Shakespeare – more specifically, I love his plays. I think that they were as relevant as social and political criticisms in the 16th century as they are now, in the 21st century. It is not a contentious point that they are timeless and filled with a quality that keeps them from ever…
The Fisher King (1991)
Another trip down the long and deeply emotional lane of nostalgia. The Fisher King was one of the first films I ever saw as a young cinephile, roughly about ten years ago. What struck me on the rewatch of the film was that it was exactly the same film that I remember – the deeply…
Withnail & I (1987)
I remember a few months ago going absolutely mad for a film called How to Get Ahead in Advertising. It was a film that completely blew my mind – it was such a zany, insane and bizarre film, and it featured Richard E. Grant in one of the most committed and most entertaining performances I…
Chasing Amy (1997)
I, like many others, remember a time when Ben Affleck was not Batman, or someone constantly in prestige projects. The first time I ever saw Ben Affleck in a movie was when I was much younger, in Jersey Girl (a film that has received a fair share of critical hatred – but I thought it…
Love is Strange (2014)
I was watching this film while someone else was nearby, casually watching. He remarked that this film was “not a good movie” because it lacked explosions and guns, and thus it was not exciting. I beg to differ – a great film doesn’t need anything other than a compelling story and the right people to…
Son of Saul (2015)
The Holocaust has been a continuous source of inspiration for many filmmakers, and it is probably one of the most filmed historical topics, and even now, over seventy years later, it is still a horrific and raw historical memory that still exists in our collective minds. Films about the Holocaust range from horrifying (Shoah) to…
The Postmodern Pelican 