“Blood is thicker than water” – it’s an adage that we’ve all encountered from time to time, and it is decidedly quite relevant to many of us since there is something about familial bonds, whether referring to biological or chosen connections, that make for quite profound commentary. However, when those bonds begin to sour, new…
Rango (2011)
For just about as long as films have been made, westerns have existed – there are some that argue this is the most important artistic important America has ever produced, with the impact of the genre on the history of filmmaking being impossible to overstate. Despite this, it’s still a genre that tends to be…
Stress Positions (2024)
There are many differences that divide us as a global population, but it is actually likely going to be the elements that unite us that will be most widely studied in the future since the concepts that bind us together under a singular sense of homogeneity tend to be the most interesting when looking at…
The 39 Steps (1935)
While it may be hyperbolic (and inaccurate) to say that cinema truly only started once Alfred Hitchcock stepped behind the camera, there is a vocal group that praises him for being one of the first directors to truly establish a solid foundation in terms of what makes cinema so entertaining. Even the likes of Robert…
All Together (2011)
“Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional” – this adage has been plastered over many a mug and retirement home common area over the years, and it’s one of those motivational quotes that encourages us to remain young at heart, even when we progress in years. It seems like Stéphane Robelin followed this concept…
Inside Out 2 (2024)
Sequels tend to be quite peculiar – Hollywood is driven by the idea that the only logical response to a major success is to follow it up with something that attempts to recapture the magic of the original, and while there are some examples of sequels being equal to those that came before it (as…
The Reivers (1969)
The search for the proverbial “great American novel” has been ongoing for decades, with so many different contenders being suggested as the best representation of the nation’s values and history, collectively accumulated into one sprawling, cultural odyssey that best encapsulates the experience of being American. The search often looks more at specific authors than their…
Aferim! (2015)
When glancing at the history of cinema, it’s tough to see an assemblage of three or more filmmakers from the same region making films at more or less the same point in time and not seeing such an occurrence being described in terms of some homogenous entity – after all, it simply takes a few…
Creator (1985)
It is a set-up that is all too familiar to us – an eccentric professional in one of the many sciences that attempt to answer all of life’s most difficult questions decides that he is going to pursue something nearly impossible, against the wishes of his superiors and other trusted voices that express their dissent…
The Watchers (2024)
Few directors have undergone a more drastic shift in perception than M. Night Shyamalan, who went from being seen as a wunderkind with his breakthrough directorial effort, the remarkable The Sixth Sense, as well as supremely ambitious films like Unbreakable and Signs, both of which have a lot of merit in spite of some clear…
The Postmodern Pelican 