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…
Tag: reviews
The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (1968)
For about as long as we have been telling stories, there has been some fascination with the concept of love and romance, two concepts that are usually seen as synonymous, but are often reconfigured to have two very different meanings in certain circumstances. We find this to be the case in The Bliss of Mrs….
Coup! (2024)
They say you should be wary of the people you allow into your home – there is a reason why many cultures have it embedded in their customs the standard practice to wait to be invited into someone’s dwelling before actually being able to step in, which some say has its roots in older folklore,…
The Out-of-Towners (1999)
For most parents, the moment when your child moves out of home is one that is both joyful and melancholy, and many have discussed the concept of empty-nest syndrome, where parents have to acclimate themselves to the knowledge that their offspring is out, living their own lives and that the family has entered a period…
Hamnet (2025)
There are many ways to describe grief – it’s the mask behind which we try to hide our pain, the feeling of immeasurable loss and hopelessness, the lingering sense of dread and despair that follows you daily, or even “the thing with feathers”, a simple but evocative term coined by Max Porter as the title…
Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948)
While he was more known for his experimental work in horror and science fiction, where he intended to push the medium to its literal breaking point (including employing the use of practical effects in the cinemas themselves to make the experience all the more immersive for the unsuspecting audience), William Castle did do his fair…
Single, Married, Divorced (2014)
Navigating life as a singleton can be quite a challenge – for some, the fierce independence that comes with fully being in control of your narrative can be celebrated, while others will view it as a shortcoming, with the failure to attract a potential partner being considered a flaw, and something that should be immediately…
The Dead (1987)
“Falling in that lonely churchyard where Michael Furey lies buried. Falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living, and the dead.” Despite being one of the most acclaimed and admired authors in the history of the English language, James Joyce has proven to be…
The Summer Book (2025)
Something that no one tells you before experiencing the death of a loved one is that there aren’t any definitive guidelines on how to mourn. The act of processing a loss takes many different forms, and it’s impossible to pin it down to a single approach. This includes both the immediate aftermath and the lengthy…
Boys Go to Jupiter (2025)
Growing up is never easy – this seems to be a sentiment that we frequently discuss, which is likely a result of the coming-of-age story being one of the most common narrative structures, primarily because it is somewhat universal. Anyone who has reached adulthood will likely recognise the experience of navigating those wonder-fueled childhood years,…
The Postmodern Pelican 