They say blood is thicker than water – but very few of us should find ourselves in a situation where we discover this to be quite literally true. It is also the foundation of Riff Raff, in which Dito Montiel, working from a screenplay by John Pollono, goes in search of answers relating to this…
Tag: reviews
The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942)
Nestled deep in the countryside of pastoral New England sits a beautiful historical building, which has been the home of many fascinating people over the years. However, it is currently occupied by Professor Billings, a gentle but eccentric scientist, who has decided to sell the house, under the condition that he can maintain his laboratory…
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg (2024)
As far as counterculture icons go, Anita Pallenberg is certainly one of the most fascinating, despite not being as widely known or revered as some of her peers. Someone whose career path was as layered and complicated as her ancestry, she was Italian-born of German parents, and who spent almost her entire life oscillating between…
The Well-Digger’s Daughter (1940)
When it comes to sharp but meaningful satire, few writers were more adept at capturing the social and cultural milieu more than Marcel Pagnol. As both a playwright and filmmaker, he is responsible for several of the most important texts in the history of French literature, being an influential artistic force in both theatre and…
Love Hurts (2025)
We all carry remnants of our past, which we tend to prefer to keep hidden, at least to a certain extent – but the bigger the secret, the more challenging it is to conceal it, which can often lead to complications when the truth is unearthed, especially when they relate to more morally questionable aspects…
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
There is a clear distinction between comedy films meant to be appreciated at the time of their release and those which tend to achieve their greatest success in the years that follow, usually when discovered by new generations of viewers. Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion is an obvious example of the latter – it…
September 5 (2024)
On the 5th of September in 1972, the world was glued to their television screens, since it was the first live broadcast of the Olympic Games, which were taking place in Munich, and which was perhaps the most publicized games up until that point (there is an argument to be made for the previous time…
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2022)
Over a decade ago, a curious little film was released – the title was Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and (as the title suggests) centres on an anthropomorphic shell on his daily adventures. In subsequent years, a couple of sequels were released, each one beautifully made and just as endearing. The shorts were the…
Road to Perdition (2002)
Forgiveness is something we all seek at different points in our lives, but which we know is not always guaranteed, and even when it is received, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the past is immediately erased. The actions that led to that particular act of contrition can follow someone like a spectre, lingering in their…
The Heroics (2021)
There’s something quite peculiar about The Heroics (French: Les héroïques), a particularly off-kilter quality that persists throughout the film. Perhaps it’s the tone, which oscillates between hilarious and tragic with very little difficulty, often in the same scene. It could possibly be the narrative, which is about as meandering as the main character’s life. The…
The Postmodern Pelican 