There comes a moment in everyone’s life when they suddenly realise that they are an independent person, perhaps not in terms of financially standing on their own, but rather that they are no longer entirely tethered to their parents and guardians when it comes to the decisions they make or how they choose to live…
Tag: movie-reviews
Everybody’s Fine (1990)
The great polymath and intellectual Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once famously remarked “there are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.”, a statement that has lingered in the minds of many parents as they endure the emotional challenges that come when they realise…
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…
Infinitely Polar Bear (2014)
Art is often known to be very personal, especially when it comes to stories about family. Countless writers and directors have drawn influence from their own lives, whether taking cues from their childhood or their journey to become the artists we appreciate and revere, which is not always the easiest way for someone to develop….
Bye Bye Tiberias (2023)
“Images of the past overlap those of the present “ These words are spoken by Lina Soualem, whose voice is heard primarily as the narrator of her film Bye Bye Tiberias (Arabic: باي باي طبريا), in which she travels from her home in France to a small village in Palestine, in an effort to unearth…
Last Orders (2001)
“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” These words form perhaps the simplest but effective summary of what friendship represents – and surprisingly, it is not a contemporary quote, but rather found in the musings of the great philosopher Aristotle, who spoke about the concept of friendship with such beautiful and…
Top Gun (1986)
When it comes to films that are ordained as classics of cinema, you get two general groups – there are those that earn their reputation (either exceeding expectations or simply meeting them), and then there are the ones that are unfortunately overpraised to the point where eventually watching them is disappointing to say the least….
The Long(er) Take: The Career of…Paul Thomas Anderson (1970 – present)
At least once a year, I have been doing these features under a series I’ve called The Long Take, in which the premise is simple: choose a filmmaker I admire and gradually explore their work from beginning to end and then ultimately come forward with a definitive ranking of their films. This has mostly been…
Wind, Talk to Me (2025)
Nothing bonds a family like trauma, since the experience of losing a loved one tends to bring even the most conflicted people together as they attempt to navigate the grief and despair that comes with a great loss. In the case of Wind, Talk to Me, director Stefan Djordjevic makes his feature-length debut, crafting a…
Zenobia (1939)
Few situations have defined the concept of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” more than the brief moment when Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were forcibly separated as a result of a studio contract dispute, with each of them momentarily going their own direction, while producers attempted to prove that the magic that occurred…
The Postmodern Pelican 