Over a decade ago, when it was announced that Paul King (a mostly unknown director who had previously only made one barely-seen independent comedy) would be adapting Michael Bond’s timeless stories of Paddington Bear, the reaction was intrigued but not entirely enthused. There had been countless efforts to bring cherished childhood stories to life on…
Fancy Dance (2024)
For many of us, family and culture are amongst the most vital aspects of our identity, since without them we would likely be adrift in a confusing world without any clear direction. However, life tends to be quite unpredictable, and challenges are bound to emerge at the most inopportune moments, when fate begins to encroach…
The People’s Joker (2024)
What is life other than the continuous process of trying to figure out your identity, and maintaining the image of being in control when in reality we are all as hopelessly clueless about existence as everyone else? It’s often been said that anyone who doesn’t have even a minor existential crisis at some point is…
Rainbow Over Texas (1946)
There are a few genres where a filmmaker can either have access to the biggest budget or nearly no budget at all, and the experience won’t be hampered depending on the financial constraints or liberties, but rather on the spirit of the story being told. One such genre is Westerns, which have existed from the…
The Beast (2024)
Most artists lend themselves to discussions that have a clear beginning, middle and end – it’s only logical to provoke audiences into linearly viewing their work. Yet, there are some to which this principle cannot be applied, because their work is too abstract and offbeat to be subjected to the same trite approach. Bertrand Bonello…
One of Them Days (2025)
They say friends are the family we choose – and just like family, they have a tendency to get on our nerves from time to time, as is the case with any kind of relationship, with the most meaningful usually being those that are built from a combination of love and frustration. This idea is…
Flowers in the Attic (1987)
As has often been said, blood is thicker than water – but it’s certainly equally true that it’s usually your family that can do the most harrowing damage to one’s psyche. Hopefully, very few of us felt the betrayal and abandonment of an unloving domestic situation, but unfortunately, they do exist and can heavily influence…
Timestalker (2024)
Originality is such a valuable commodity in contemporary cinema, particularly because it seems so elusive – it has always seemed slightly unnerving the degree to which the industry relies on existing properties rather than embracing the potential of discovering some new, untrodden artistic concept or style. Yet, there are still some filmmakers who are firm…
Presence (2025)
There was some discourse recently about the best filmmakers who don’t have a single masterpiece to their name, a sign of someone being technically gifted and a solid authorial voice but who has struggled to establish themselves as having at least one work that carries their legacy. One of the names that came up in…
Harper (1966)
Detective fiction has been one of the most popular sub-genres of literature and cinema for over a century – going from the days of the penny dreadful to the era of pulp fiction and television procedurals, audiences have always responded with incredible vigour to stories of resourceful investigators set out to solve cases that seem…
The Postmodern Pelican 