If there is a theme with which Hollywood has had its longest and most passionate love affair, it would be that of its ingenuity. The industry loves the sound of its voice, and the more celebratory a work based around the concept of filmmaking is, the more admired it tends to be. We can see…

The specific moment that signalled the transition between the sound and silent era has been a subject of debate for decades, especially amongst those who are eager to promote possible alternatives to those canonically referred to as pioneering works. Officially, it was Al Jolson and his distinctive voice that first captivated the audience’s attention in…

We have all at some point encountered Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ theory of the Five Stages of Grief, the self-explanatory belief that every individual will undergo a few different psychological experiences after an immense loss. It’s formed the foundation for a lot of therapy towards those during the mourning period – but like all of psychology, it…

Seeing any great actor or director fall from grace in such a way that questions their entire artistic integrity is never a particularly entertaining experience, especially when they are making something that seems to have good intentions. In the case of Blame It on Rio, we have an example of both an actor (Michael Caine)…

At some point, we have all likely heard the adage that “people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime”, which relates to the idea that some friendships are meant to be temporary, while others become a much more important part of one’s life. We can apply this premise to just…

There is a very narrow membrane between being tough and being mean, and as the protagonist in the play The Meanest Man in the World (a starring vehicle for writer-performer George M. Cohan in the 1920s) will attest, it is extremely easy to cross between the two without realising it – and sometimes, it can…

There are some films that become so consolidated in the global culture, regardless of how much time passes, they remain fresh and invigorating, with seemingly very little being possible when it becomes to tarnishing their legacy. Despite having been released over thirty years ago, Sister Act has sustained its reputation as one of the most…

While he arguably reached his comedic peak in 1959 with the release of Some Like It Hot (where he turned in the funniest performance of all time in his dual role of Jerry and Daphne), Jack Lemmon continued to push the boundaries of his craft well into the 1960s, which was one of his most…

Nostalgia is a powerful tool that not a lot of filmmakers have been able to harness particularly well, at least not in the sense of creating films that can be revisited later on and remain as resonant as they were when they were released, which is a tricky process that very few have managed to…

When it comes to comedy, a film can go one of three ways – the first option is that it becomes hopelessly dated as time goes on, especially if it is a very topic subject. The second is that it maintains its level of humour and is viewed as a funny but otherwise inconsequential product…