What is the purpose of cinema? I’d say above anything else, it is to entertain us. It does that by stirring up emotions in us – joy, laughter, sadness, anger, terror – and I’d argue the stronger the emotions elicited from a film are, the better the film is. Think about it – films we…
Only Lovers Left Alive (2014)
From the very beginning of Jim Jarmusch’s masterpiece, Only Lovers Left Alive, you are drawn into this bleak world and it is impossible for one not to be captivated by the intense brilliance that Jarmusch brings to this story, and you instantly realize you are watching something very special. Vampires have become such a part…
Man on the Moon (1999)
There are some actors, and I won’t mention names, that do what they do for the paycheck, and particularly those in comedy who have a substantial fanbase who don’t need to do anything brilliant or inventive to make money, other than just appear on screen once a year. Jim Carrey is one actor who constantly…
Ed Wood (1994)
The amount I love this film isn’t fair. To call Ed Wood a masterpiece that will rival the likes of Citizen Kane and The Godfather seems awfully wrong – after all, it never shows up on these lists as greatest films of all time, and it isn’t really given much attention by the general public,…
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Tom Cruise – has there ever been a more divisive actor? While he has had some memorable performances, his entire public perception is that of a man who has fallen into a pit of self-parody and plain weirdness. Its a shame, because if you take his personal life out of the equation, you will see…
Boyhood (2014)
At the beginning of this year, I proclaimed Richard Linklater’s masterpiece Before Midnight as the best film of 2013. I then favourably reviewed the entire Before Trilogy and his slacker masterpiece Dazed and Confused. I came to the agreement that Richard Linklater is a supremely talented filmmaker, but only until today did I realize he…
Lucy (2014)
Luc Besson is a director who makes some very risky choices, and this has been both a gift and curse for him, as it can either give him a remarkable film, or a complete failure. Luckily, his latest film is the former, and while it is possibly one of the most divisive films of the…
Misery (1990)
There are some films that just gain a reputation, and become legendary based on that reputation. All too often, these films very rarely live up to their reputation. However, Misery’s reputation for being the ultimate film about obsession and insanity lives up to the legend it has received. It is as terrifying and brilliant as…
The Heat (2013)
What do you get when you combine the lovely Sandra Bullock and the hilarious Melissa McCarthy? You get The Heat, and while it does not compare to Paul Feig’s masterpiece Bridesmaids, it is pure comedic gold and one of the funniest films I’ve seen in a while. Buddy cop movies are so popular these days…
Chef (2014)
In this day and age of social media and designer cookery, a film combining the two was inevitable. Luckily, the man to do it was Jon Favreau, who put the big-budget aside and set off to making one of the most charming films of the year. Centred around Carl Casper (Favreau), a neglectful husband, an…
The Postmodern Pelican 