Film fans are bunch who absolutely adore comparison and allusion. If a film bears a resemblance to an an older, more notable film, we say its a homage. If it is unfavorably similar to another film, its a rip-off. However, most of all, we love to find our versions of classic films. Perhaps the one most…
Detachment (2011)
Damn, I wish more people liked this film. I am a sucker for ensemble casts of diverse, interesting characters, and there are very few groups of people that fit this description more than those of teachers. Each a very distinct, different person, all forming one bigger group of people who work day in and day…
We Own the Night (2007)
Joaquin Phoenix may very well be the greatest actor of his generation. For years, he has played fascinating and compelling characters in a variety of brilliant films from some of the best filmmakers in the business. Two of his regular contributors always bring out the best in him. Paul Thomas Anderson, who brought out Joaquin’s…
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
There are a few genres of film that are very formulaic – action films, romantic films – and unfortunately, teen-oriented films. They all have the exact same protaganist – an old soul teenager thrust into a world of popular people, to which he or she vehemently fails to be a part of before finding fellow…
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
As I previously mentioned in my review of White Dog, racism and bigotry is not taboo for filmmakers, and while some films made these days addressing the issue can be suitably heavy and almost controversial, they are nothing compared to older films that tackled the subject decades ago. Perhaps one of the most influential films…
We Have a Pope (2011)
Religion is never an easy topic to center a film around, especially not when it comes to the Catholic Church, which can sometimes be considered a punching bag for religious-themed media (but not undeservedly at times, considering how the actions of some in the denomination do taint the reputation of the church) – but sometimes,…
A Birder’s Guide to Everything (2014)
Being a film fan is an interesting hobby, because you sometimes need to go through some really dreadful stuff before finding something amazing, and sometimes what surprises you the most is a film that comes out of absolutely nowhere. For me, getting pleasant little surprises like this is what motivates me to keep on doing…
The Humbling (2014)
Al Pacino was once considered the greatest living actor. Some people still dispute that he still is the greatest living actor. I’m not so sure of that – I adore and admire Pacino, but he has become quite the critical punching bag, and to be perfectly honest, looking at some of his film choices lately,…
The Merry Gentleman (2009)
I’ve made it no secret that I am a massive fan of Michael Keaton. I find him to be one of the more underrated actors of all time, and mostly because he went from a massive star in the 1980s and 1990s to more of a character actor. That is the beauty in his career…
21st Screen Actors Guild Award Predictions
Every year, one of the most important precursor awards is the Screen Actors Guild Awards – the massive membership allows for a more accurate picture of the current Oscar race, and thus has correlated very closely with the eventual Academy Awards the following month. However, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, as accurate as they are,…
The Postmodern Pelican 