Something I love about foreign-language cinema (meaning films from countries other than the USA or United Kingdom) is the fact that it can be so brilliantly strange, bizarre and wonderful, and that it doesn’t need to stick to any conventions to be seen, which is something that keeps many original ideas from being made in…
Mistress America (2015)
In 2013, Noah Baumbach, quite arguably the greatest director of independent comedies working today, teamed up with his girlfriend and fellow independent film veteran Greta Gerwig for Frances Ha, a film that reminded us that independent cinema is a truly unique art form, and one of the most tricky but rewards sub-genres of cinema to…
A Very Murray Christmas (2015)
It’s a tradition at this time of year to watch a different Christmas special. I considered The Star Wars Holiday Season, but I made a grand total of seven minutes into it before considering jumping off a tall building. Instead, I chose to watch the Christmas special that puts one of my favorite performers front…
Best of Enemies (2015)
This year saw a documentary appear in cinemas that told the story of one of the greatest television events of the twentieth century, and the performers who made it such a historical television event. The documentary I am talking about is not Live from New York, the flawed documentary that tried to chronicle the history…
The Dance of Reality (2013)
I adore surrealism. I think it is the most unique and brilliant sub-genre of art that has ever existed. How can complete absurdity, and otherworldly imagery, come together to form something so human and realistic? At the forefront of the surrealist film movement is Alejandro Jodorowsky, a man I have admired for many years, both…
Brooklyn (2015)
Period dramas can either be dreadfully boring or wonderfully entertaining, depending on the approach taken. There are some period dramas that tell a true story, and others that tell fictional stories set in the past. Brooklyn falls into the latter group, and while it certainly was not dreadfully boring by any stretch of the imagination,…
Room (2015)
It is a strange occurrence when a film brings you to tears. I won’t pretend to be a tough person by claiming to have the ability to not be brought to tears. There are a few films that made me a complete emotional wreck, and while I may not be overly sensitive to the tricks…
88th Academy Award Predictions: December Update
Now over halfway through December, it is time to revisit the predictions I made in November. Almost all major contenders have now been seen, and a flurry of critics awards have determined some strong contenders, and done away with some weaker ones. As per normal, I will just be covering the above-the-line categories, because right…
The Lobster (2016)
There are a great many words one can use to describe The Lobster. Bizarre, absolutely bizarre, is probably the best one. I am not exactly sure what to think of this film, and it could either be pretentious nonsense, or it could be a work of absolute art. I am leaning towards the latter, mostly…
Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
There are very few words in any language that can describe how happy I am to finally be able to say I’ve seen this film, and have the ability to write it. Today was one of the most anticipated days of my life, and even though I was only officially a member of the Star…
The Postmodern Pelican 