Every year when putting together my list of the best films of the past twelve months, I attempt to find one cohesive theme that connects them all – a quote, a song or even an abstract concept, anything that can bind together what always ends up being a very dynamic and often wickedly offbeat year…
Tag: cinema
I Only Rest in the Storm (2025)
In the early 1970s, Tom Zé released an album that featured a particular song, “O Riso e a Faca” – it’s not widely considered one of his most famous compositions, nor one that is regularly discussed beyond the occasional mention. Despite this, the message at the heart of the song (the title translating as “the…
The Seashell and the Clergyman (1928)
There is a reason why the 1920s are considered one of the best decades for French art – it was a renaissance of sorts in all areas, including literature, visual arts and music. Cinema was not lagging far behind, and while Hollywood was making the most substantial leap towards it becoming one of the primary…
His and Hers (1961)
For some, the concept of domestic bliss is an ideal to which they are willing to work, while for others, it is nothing more than a myth perpetuated by decades of cultural lecturing and blatant marketing, which the nuclear family was seen as the ultimate aspiration, and anything less was seen as a sign of…
Resurrection (2025)
How do you describe a work of art that was created for the specific purpose of avoiding any kind of categorisation or broad interpretation? Bi Gan is a genius and a menace, and has seemingly committed his entire artistic career to exploring the human condition in ways that are both incredibly invigorating and profoundly frustrating,…
The Secret Agent (2025)
Is it ever truly possible to run away from the past? The idea of escaping from your own life and seeking a fresh start is often viewed as a result of needing to cover up some controversial and potentially immoral activities that are better left behind – but in some cases, it is necessary for…
A Magnificent Life (2025)
Every artist has their particular niche in which they excel, and there are a few exceptional cases of those who are also able to do well in other media, which is a testament to their skills. However, very rarely do we find those who are able to thrive in every conceivable medium in which they…
Never Eat Alone (2016)
On occasion, we all come across those sensationalistic articles that proclaim that loneliness is one of the leading causes of death amongst the global population. Obviously, this is all just a ploy to get further readership, since it is really the adverse health effects normally linked to loneliness that has the impact, rather than the…
Bravo Bene! (2025)
I’ve always been fascinated by public figures who are extremely famous in certain parts of the world (particularly in their home countries), but remain entirely obscure to outsiders. Not only does this allow us to make some fascinating observations on the nature of fame and celebrity (indicating that geographical and temporal borders are often much…
Pin de fartie (2025)
Pinpointing an artistic movement to a particular work or moment in time is difficult, since we’ve come to learn there’s nothing that can be considered truly original – as Roland Barthes said, “a text is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centres of culture”, which is the very foundation of postmodernism as a…
The Postmodern Pelican 