The holiday season is a challenging time for everyone, albeit for very different reasons – some find it overly commercial, whereas others feel burdened by the stress of planning festivities that are very rarely worth the time and effort, and which just prove to reiterate the fact that this period is reserved for capitalistic gain…
Tag: film
The Merry World of Léopold Z (1965)
In my continued efforts to explore important works of Québécois cinema, there were a few titles that emerged as being particularly noteworthy, whether for their artistic merit or the situation surrounding their creation. In the case of The Merry World of Léopold Z (French: La vie heureuse de Léopold Z), there were elements of both…
Babygirl (2024)
We all crave power in some way or another – it is hardwired into our nature to desire some kind of dominance, even if it is only to a very small degree. The philosophical reasons for having such impulses are inconclusive. Still, it is certain to be the result of shifting dynamics of power, and…
Vermiglio (2024)
Nestled deep within the Italian Alps sits a small village – its occupants spend their days quietly going about their routine, focusing on their day-to-day schedule. At the same time, war rages around the world, a conflict that they are not directly involved in, at least not until the arrival of a soldier in their…
Merlusse (1935)
For the most part, there are two kinds of teachers that we tend to remember long into our adult years – there are those who were exceptionally strong at their craft and treated their profession with nothing but pride, and then there are those who fall victim to the laziness and apathy that sometimes comes…
The Brutalist (2024)
It is certainly not difficult to recognise great art, and countless works across every conceivable medium have been labelled as being masterpieces for a number of reasons, usually based on how they define either an artist’s career or influence an entire movement in some substantial way. Yet, there is a lot more hesitance when it…
Rap World (2024)
Most of the time, it is viewed as good practice to not make effusive, declarative statements about an artist or their work that give it any sense of finality, since such proclamations rarely tend to age all that well, and can be viewed as hyperbole formed in the spur of the moment, something everyone one…
There’s Still Tomorrow (2024)
How long can someone be a prisoner to their social circumstances before they reach the point where they can no longer remain silent? This is a question that many have asked for as long as society has found ways to marginalise certain communities by silencing their voices, and it has been the foundation for some…
Little Miss Marker (1980)
There were many artists who were unduly ostracised because of their supposed association with communism in the earlier parts of the previous century – the number of incredible individuals who had their careers essentially ended because of the paranoia surrounding the spread of this malicious system is staggering. We lost the opportunity to see some…
Anora (2024)
“I chose this life, and nobody can take that choice away from me” Life is nothing but a series of decisions we make, some of them for our own growth, others for the benefit of others. However, regardless of what we choose to do, it’s up to us to determine the extent to which we…
The Postmodern Pelican 