Education is the profession that makes all other professions possible – it’s a common saying, but one that has never wavered in its importance or relevance. Some even consider teaching to be the oldest profession (there’s another that often bears that title, but that’s an entirely different conversation), since for as long as we’ve been…
Category: comedy
Queen Bees (2021)
One of the reasons many films tend to get dismissed as minor efforts is that they possess strong premises, but fail in the execution of their interesting ideas. One of the most unfortunate examples of this in the past year is Queen Bees, which is a film that certainly deserved to be better than what…
The Milky Way (1936)
It takes a very special person to keep audiences engaged while still redefining the art of cinema – and has anyone been more committed to this than Leo McCarey, a revolutionary filmmaker who rose beyond simply being a director-for-hire, crafting his own unique vision all the while challenging the confines of the medium that was…
Casper (1995)
Some characters are so extremely simple in design and purpose that they become timeless and live on long after their creators have departed, leaving behind a legacy that only becomes stronger with age. It was just under eighty years ago when audiences were first introduced to Casper the Friendly Ghost, whose reputation as the most…
Woman of the Year (1942)
We have seen countless examples of films that take a bold, universally applicable concept and reconfigure it to be the foundation for a hilarious and irreverent comedy. When George Stevens opted to direct the film based on the screenplay by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin (whose brother was Garson Kanin, who in turn worked…
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 Naked Gun (2025)
We’ve become so accustomed to the influx of reboots, remakes and revivals that we don’t realise how wonderful it can be when a truly great one emerges, since the majority are nothing more than cheap attempts to bank on nostalgia to maximise profits. There have been a few attempts to revive The Naked Gun, especially…
Go West (1925)
The more you watch of Buster Keaton, the faster the novelty begins to wear off – and while this sounds like a criticism that aligns with the opinions of detractors, this is merely an indication that we are able to develop a sense of sincere comfort and familiarity the more we grow accustomed to his…
Critical Condition (1987)
There are many principles that medical doctors are required to follow, some more practical while others veer towards the philosophical. Yet, perhaps the most important is the pledge to “first do no harm”, which forms part of the Hippocratic Oath that all medical professionals are told to use as the guiding factor into their professional…
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Every family tends to have the designated dunce, the person who is always getting into scrapes and precarious situations, but who we still love regardless – and if you think your family doesn’t have one, I have some bad news for you. We are taught to love our families regardless of their imperfections, but sometimes…
The Postmodern Pelican 