While he has had a career that has lasted more than half a century, you can easily divide Woody Allen’s work into clearly defined periods, each one distinct and clear in how they showcase the specific artistic curiosities and concepts that fascinated the director at any given moment. At some point in the late 1970s,…
That Touch of Mink (1962)
By the time cameras started rolling on That Touch of Mink, Hollywood had figured out the perfect formula for the romantic comedy genre – take a relatively simple story (the more modern the better, but caution should be taken when it comes to references, since nothing ages more poorly than being overly tied to a…
Cat Person (2023)
Many themes have become widespread subjects of examination in the arts, some of them less positive than others. The concept of obsession has a unique place within the culture since it is certainly universal in the sense that we all understand what it means and how it feels, but very few of us hopefully have…
The Holy Man (1965)
Some filmmakers are so historically resonant, that the very mention of their name seems to be an assurance of the quality of what we are about to see. When it comes to Satyajit Ray, few filmmakers have been more worthy of being cited as the most important to ever come from their country as him,…
Alma’s Rainbow (1994)
One of the great joys of exploring cinema is the feeling of excitement you get when you discover someone for the first time. We all recall our first encounters with the great masters of their craft, the people who are seen as overarching definitions of what a great writer, director or actor should be, becoming…
Young Hunter (2020)
Modern queer cinema has undergone quite a shift in the kinds of stories being told, with the darker and more unsettling conversations around identity and sexuality becoming a common theme in contemporary depictions of LGBTQIA+ life. Marco Berger has made some impressive films that centre on some more complex themes within the community, and while…
Poor Things (2023)
Just when we genuinely think we’ve seen everything that can be done in cinema, Yorgos Lanthimos announces a new film and throws it all into disarray, for which we are profoundly grateful. Over the past decade, he has steadily risen from one of the formative members of the Greek Weird Wave to being amongst our…
The Teacher’s Lounge (2023)
A few years ago, we saw one of the most extraordinary examinations of the art of education in Maria Speth’s incredible Mr Bachmann and His Class, in which the titular subject – a hardworking German schoolteacher – is given the chance to showcase his various joys and challenges that come with choosing this vocation. Now,…
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
When looking at older films, they usually fall into one of two broad categories: the films that stand the test of time and become beloved classics, and those that may not be particularly bad but lack some quality that keeps them in the conversation, usually having them fall into slight obscurity. This is only a…
Maestro (2023)
Few adages have been more persistent than “behind every successful man there’s a great woman” (along with its multitude of variants), which has essentially become the foundation of entire narratives on the importance of domestic partners in the development of highly successful individuals. In the case of Leonard Bernstein, the woman who stood behind him…
The Postmodern Pelican 