There is not a shortage of times where I have expressed my absolutely admiration and adoration for Paul Thomas Anderson. I believe him to be possibly the greatest living filmmaker, and someone that matches the talents of all the greatest filmmakers in history. A cinematic chameleon, Anderson is able to twist and manipulate any genre…
The Danish Girl (2015)
There exist very few genres that can be either wonderfully fascinating or dreadfully boring like the historical drama. A great many historical dramas have become masterpieces and staples of cinema, while many others have become overwrought, dreadfully laborious films that are made just for the sake of making the film, and audiences are falsely lured…
Adam’s Apples (2005)
There is nothing quite like a dark comedy made well. Very often, filmmakers attempting a dark comedy will often try to make otherwise serious fare outrageous and inappropriately funny, and very often are unable to find the balance between the serious and the comedic. However, and I don’t mean to discredit American filmmakers, but it…
45 Years (2015)
Excuse me while I just have a moment of complete adoration and awe of this film. I was honestly not expecting much from this film – it just seemed so small and unassuming, and something that would be good and well-made, but not necessarily notable or significant. However, 45 Years is a film that approaches…
The Science of Sleep (2006)
“Randomness is very difficult to achieve”, or so says Stéphanie, the love interest to our main character, Stephane, in the gloriously weird and absolutely wonderful surreal comedy The Science of Sleep (La Science des rêves). Michel Gondry has proven himself to be a remarkable director of surreal and mind-bending comedies that both serve as entertaining…
Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
I was one of many people around the world absolutely dumbfounded to discover that beloved thespian and character actor Alan Rickman had died. He was the ultimate actor – he managed to become a fan-favorite of the biggest film franchise of all time, all the while balancing a healthy amount of comedic and dramatic fare,…
Creed (2015)
I’m not the biggest fan of sports movies, or sports in general. However, I do often enjoy sports movies that are well-made and interesting, and which tell a fascinating story. Sports movies also happen to either be inspiring, energetic films, or saccharine, clichéd messes. I am very reluctant to write this review, because quite honestly,…
Rosewater (2014)
I won’t pretend that political drama films are an unexplored genre – as long as there has been politics, there have been representations of politics in entertainment and the media. That doesn’t mean that it is a trite, overwrought genre in any way – instead, political films can be thrilling, captivating and very well-made, depending…
The Big Short (2015)
In 2013, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio teamed up for a film that would show the seedy underbelly of the world of stockbrokers in their masterpiece dark comedy, The Wolf of Wall Street. It was a roaring success, and it was both an outrageously entertaining but also very informative and fascinating film – and it…
88th Academy Awards…Final Nomination Predictions
The Academy Award nominations are only just over a day away, so it is time for my final predictions. I am confident in most of these predictions, and there have been some radical changes, and I do hope that we see some big shocks and surprises tomorrow, because this awards season has been unlike anything…
The Postmodern Pelican 