As we are constantly reminded by the hackneyed adage, behind every successful man is a woman helping him on his journey. Those with knowledge of European or global politics throughout the 20th century will undoubtedly be familiar with the sometimes divisive and always controversial career of French president Jacques Chirac, something of a polarizing figure…
Will & Harper (2024)
Behind every massively successful comedic actor, there is usually a brilliant writer who works closely with them to help develop material. Very rarely do we find comedians being entirely independent when it comes to producing work – even if they craft their own material, there is usually someone who assists in shepherding those ideas or…
The Fly (1958)
There comes a moment in every film lover’s life when they put away the prestige work and stop pretending that the only true cinematic giants were those consolidated into the mainstream through high-quality filmmaking, and instead start to realise that the industry is as much built on these works of artistic integrity as it is…
Lee (2024)
When it comes to stories of war, it’s often not the soldiers or those in charge that yield the most fascinating tales, but rather the people who existed on the periphery. Unfortunately, they’re rarely given the attention they deserve, since we tend to prioritize those who showcased clear depictions of bravery, even though so many…
The Wild Robot (2024)
A lesson that we all tend to learn quite late in life is that friends are not always meant to be with us forever – those childhood companions were our closest confidantes and with whom we shared some of our most personal moments during our formative years tend to disappear as we grow older, usually…
Bad Education (2004)
“I wanted to see how far you would go…and how much I could take.” Pedro Almodóvar is a filmmaker who is very much aware of the power he has over his audience. He is a skilful artist who has mastered both the art of writing and visual composition, creating works that are as beautiful as…
Trouble in Paradise (1932)
Few filmmakers can lay claim to having a career even marginally as successful as Ernst Lubitsch, whose work as a writer and director quite literally changed the way the film industry viewed comedy. Choosing his masterpiece is a challenging endeavour since there are a number of terrific films that he helmed during his peak, which…
Used People (1992)
Loss is something that everyone processes differently, and much has been written about the fact that no two people mourn in the same way, which is precisely why no one has been able to craft the definitive text on grief, despite it being one of the most common philosophical and artistic motifs across all of…
Blink Twice (2024)
When an actor makes the decision to take the leap into directing, there are usually two broad categories of films that they tend to make – the first are extremely personal, simple endeavours that may not be particularly challenging but do feel like they come from a very meaningful place, whereas the second are high-concept…
The Kiss of Death (1977)
While he is viewed as arguably one of the most important filmmakers to have emerged out of the United Kingdom (perhaps only second to Sir David Lean in terms of cultural impact), there was a time when Mike Leigh wasn’t the massively acclaimed cinematic stalwart he is considered today, but rather a dedicated writer and…
The Postmodern Pelican 