There’s nothing quite like summertime when you’re young – the combination of cool air, warm temperatures and the refreshing iciness of whatever body of water we find ourselves in on a hot afternoon has always been something that one tends to remember quite fondly – and it only helps if we’re surrounded by friends and…
Monkey Business (1952)
There is an argument to be made that, when all is said and done, that Howard Hawks could quite possibly be the greatest film director in the history of American cinema. Perhaps it’s an idea more strongly argued by those who adore Hawks and his unique approach to filmmaking, but it’s difficult to look at…
Holidays in the Sun (2014)
Who of us doesn’t enjoy a pleasant holiday? The idea of escaping our day-to-day life and spending a certain amount of time basking in the sun or exploring some new location is always appealing, at least in terms of how most of us see these situations. However, for Srdjan Dragojevic, a holiday is a far…
Kika (1993)
For nearly half a century, we have witnessed the excruciatingly brilliant work of Pedro Almodóvar, whose efforts to find the perfect balance between highbrow artistry and intentional bad taste have resulted in several remarkable works of cinema that have challenged and unsettled in equal measure. The very definition of a provocateur whose artistic curiosities have…
The Last Stop in Yuma County (2024)
In the sun-baked plains of Arizona at some point in the 1970s, a diner stands attached to a gas station and motel. It’s a nondescript place that could exist in any part of the United States, and it’s very likely anyone travelling this region would have come across such an establishment, but perhaps not have…
Everything Went Fine (2021)
“Dying is easy, comedy is hard”, an adage that many of us are familiar with, and which tends to be used to describe any work of art that tackles life’s greatest inevitability with even the most vaguely comedic approach. We often find that humour tends to be a very effective way of exploring death and…
Mandabi (1968)
While it has been unfortunately under-represented on the global stage, African cinema has produced several truly incredible artists who left a legacy that many younger generations continue to chase, not only in terms of films produced on the continent but also their artistic ingenuity and bespoke approach to the narrative process. There is a valid…
Am I OK? (2024)
At some point in our childhood, we are all asked a straightforward question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, an innocent and pleasant question that usually results in answers that are charming often quite funny, and mostly unrealistic. The reality is that, except for a few people who are traditionally outliers…
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945)
It was Leo Tolstoy who famously wrote “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its way”, and if you looked at the Quincy family, an affluent clan that has lived in the idyllic New England hamlet of Corinth for centuries, you’ll find very few families quite as miserable. Having lost all…
Love Lies Bleeding (2024)
Cinema is more than just a medium of entertainment, but rather a living, dynamic form of artistic expression that changes as time progresses. Certain genres and styles of filmmaking remain evergreen, with only marginal changes in terms of the stories and presentation. In contrast, others have seemingly either gone extinct or evolved into something quite…
The Postmodern Pelican 