Robert De Niro might just be the greatest living actor, and part of that is attributed to the fact that he is able to do comedy and drama equally well. In comedies, he usually plays a grumpy, emotionless intellectual dealing with other people who get on his nerves. It has become a character De Niro…
The Great Escape (1963)
Gosh, they just don’t make movies like this anymore. Filled with bravado and adrenaline, but constantly stays away from becoming overly masculine. It is a gruff, entertaining adventure film that defines a by-gone era of filmmaking. Assembling a cast that is the very definition of true action star – Steve McQueen, James Garner, Charles…
Bad Words (2014)
Actors trying out directing is something I find fascinating. In his directorial debut, Jason Bateman gives directing a try, and while this may not be the most notable debut for a actor-turned-director, it was a very unique and fun film. Bateman has been cast usually as well-meaning and soft-spoken intellectuals. Therefore it came as no…
Bernie (2011)
Richard Linklater is an oddity – he is capable of making so many different kinds of movies and twisting genres and stories, each one being a complete stranger to the one before. Those of you who follow my reviews know that I proclaimed Before Midnight the best film of 2013, and unless something impresses me…
An Appreciation of…Kevin Spacey (1959 – present)
In the 1950s and 1960s, Hollywood was just getting out of the studio contract system, and there emerged a new type of movie star – freewheeling, classy and sophisticated film titans who could sing, act, dance and segue between all genres. Sadly, with independent cinema and blockbusters arriving not long after, we lost many of…
Amadeus (1984)
Period dramas are very often not my favourite type of film – as good as they may be, they are sometimes overly melodramatic and dour at times. After deciding to watch the three-hour epic, Amadeus, I have to admit that this does not fit into the typical period drama mould – it is incredible and…
The Fault In Our Stars (2014)
I will admit when it comes to movies I don’t want to watch, I can be quite a big mouth. There is no film in recent memory that I was so vehemently against quite like The Fault in Our Stars. It wasn’t without reason – young adult films are generally not very good (nor are…
Zodiac (2007)
True crime – one of the most terrifying genres of filmmaking. Maybe not because of the content, but because of the fact that we sit there, tensely remembering how these events actually happened. Most of the time, the films are wrapped up in a neat little bow, giving closure to the audience. Not Zodiac. Zodiac…
Animal House (1978)
The 1970s – an era that helped redefine comedy, and some of the greatest comedy films made today owe it to those made in the 1970s for allowing them to exist. A combination of the end of Vietnam, hippie subculture becoming even more popular, and an increased political landscape allowed for more edgy comedy. The…
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
In my review of The Big Lebowski, I mentioned how the term “cult film” is thrown around very loosely. Very few films that are dubbed “cult films” actually are. Cult films are oddities and are so unique and far-removed from the mainstream canon, they can never truly be considered crowd-pleasers, and therefore a big slice…
The Postmodern Pelican 