The statement “they don’t make them like they used to” has been worn out to the point of exhaustion, but there are some occasions when even the most forward-thinking of viewers see a film and are struck by the realization that we may never see something quite like that ever again, which is both a…
Tag: film
Meanwhile on Earth (2024)
At some point, we have all looked into the night sky and been awestruck by the realization that we are only one small part of a much bigger, impossibly infinite universe – and while we carry ourselves with a sense of importance, there is so much we simply cannot understand, existing as small and inconsequential…
The Last Showgirl (2024)
We all love a comeback, especially when it comes from someone who has never been taken seriously as an actor, but who proves that all it takes to earn praise is the right role. This is essentially the impetus for The Last Showgirl, in which Gia Coppola crafts a role specifically designed to give Pamela…
Bird (2024)
There comes a point in everyone’s life where they reach a particular age, which is the point where they become aware that everyone is dealt a different hand in life. They have to decide if they are going to follow their pre-ordained path or fight against the system to forge their way forward, making sure…
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024)
If you can’t trust your friends and family, who can you trust? This is a question posed by Mohammad Rasoulof in The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Persian: دانهی انجیر معابد), an astonishing work that follows a few days in the life of a seemingly ordinary family in Tehran. Their patriarch has just been given…
Day of the Fight (2024)
We may get only one chance at a first impression, but there is rarely a bad opportunity to seek redemption, even if it can be a daunting process. Jack Huston seems to be enthralled by the idea of following someone as they set out to right the wrongs of their past, as it forms the…
The United Screams of America: A Terror-Fueled Voyage Through Fifty-One Films
A couple of years ago, I chose a slightly ambitious project – I would take a cinematic road trip through the United States, choosing a single film from each of the fifty states (as well as Washington D.C.) that was either entirely or prominently set within that particular part of the country, to get a…
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
“Most of what follows is true” When these words appeared towards the end of the title sequence of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, film entered into a new era, albeit signalling a change that was so subtle, most didn’t even notice it until some distance had been made between this film and the ones…
Theodora Goes Wild (1936)
While the debate around the exact film that kickstarted the screwball comedy genre continues to be a subject of considerable contention (with the general perception being that it can be reduced to the fascinating tug-of-war between Howard Hawks’ The Twentieth Century and Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night as the singular pioneering work), there are…
Here (2024)
“Right here is where we want to be” Home is a fascinating concept – for some, their home is nothing more than an ever-changing shelter from the outside world, for others it is a sanctuary in which they can truly be themselves, while for others it is a firm representation of their past that can…
The Postmodern Pelican 