“I’m sorry you had to meet me at this point in my life – although I’m pretty sure you would have hated me anyway” These words appear at the start of the climactic moments of Shortcomings, the ambitious directorial debut of Randall Park, who adapts the graphic novel of the same title by Adrian Tomine,…

We’ve spoken extensively about the Pre-Code era, the period in which Hollywood was allowed to be slightly more libertine, with some more controversial or provocative themes slipping through the cracks that had yet to be domineered by the Hayes Code and its draconian principles. It was a period of only a few years, but some…

Faith is a tricky subject to approach when it comes to the liberal arts – for most, the concept of separating church and state seems to extend to the entertainment industry, with stories that focus on uplifting and celebrating certain religions not being rejected, but instead given their own niche platform, separate from the mainstream,…

When it comes to the subject of representation, inclusion doesn’t only mean a place at the table in terms of the more serious, sobering stories, but also those that tend to be a lot more vibrant, with comedy being one of the final frontiers when it comes to mainstream inclusivity, primarily because it is a…

It is safe to assume that anyone who grew up attending Anglophone schools would have likely encountered the work of Judy Blume, who has remained the gold standard for children’s fiction for decades and continues to maintain a level of respect that is matched by very few of her peers. Perhaps her most well-known work…

There has certainly not been any shortage of adoration for Hal Ashby coming from this writer, since Harold and Maude is quite possibly my choice for the greatest comedy ever made, and a personal favourite that I revisit on countless occasions, whether it is for its deep compassion, outrageous comedy or unmistakable warmth. For my…

Satire loves politics (although the feeling may not be mutual), and one could even argue that the very purpose of satire from the start was to lampoon politicians, whether it be their exorbitant lifestyles, varying skills when it comes to governing, or simply the fact that it is a world filled with excess and debauchery,…

It seems to be impossible to discuss contemporary American independent cinema without mentioning Nicole Holofcener, who has been at the helm of some of the most captivating and well-constructed comedies of the past quarter-century, having directed a number of terrific films that all carry the many exceptional traits that make her such an interesting filmmaker….

It would be blatantly untrue to say that this conversation coming on this particular day was not intentional, or that it was merely a coincidence that we chose to revisit this film at this specific moment. Now more than ever we see discourse surrounding identity and the importance of showing humanity in the face of…

One of the great misconceptions about older cinema is that it was puritanical and void of any sensuality, rarely pushing the boundaries that we see in contemporary film. While it is true that we have grown a lot more comfortable with edgier content, this isn’t a recent development, and we can go back to the…