James L. Brooks may not make films that necessarily stand out as the most innovative or experimental works, but are instead the epitome of consistency, which is likely drawn from a long career working as one of the more powerful executives in Hollywood, being responsible for the creation of many cherished works, many of which…

When it comes to being entirely absurd, seemingly no one does it better than Michel Hazanavicius, whose career has been all about carefully-constructed parodies and homages to a range of different genres. Most outside of his native France will probably know his work on the critically acclaimed silent film pastiche The Artist, but his first…

While it may not be widely known to those outside of the target audience, the play Brother Rat is considered a seminal text on the subject of pre-war patriotism. Written by  John Monks, Jr. and Fred Finklehoffe, who were graduates of the Virginia Military Institute (which their story constantly emphasizes as being one of the…

While his name may not be exceptionally well-known outside of devotees to the world of independent cinema, but Alexandre Rockwell is an important figure in a movement that dedicated itself, as its name would suggest, to breaking free from the shackles of mainstream Hollywood, and taking on a new form of filmmaking as a means…

As we’ve discussed numerous times, independent cinema has had quite a storied history, with the roots going back just about as far as film has been considered a legitimate medium – for every major production, there were a dozen smaller works that were obscured by the unimpeachable might of the mainstream industry, but which have…

Bill Forsyth is a cinematic treasure – one only needs to watch the iconic Local Hero to understand his precise brilliance, with his blend of humour and pathos being responsible for some truly tremendous films, despite a relatively small body of work. We can look at the work he produced as a result of that…

The sub-genre of Canuxploitation isn’t particularly well-known, but for those who have some experience with these peculiar works of Canadian cinema, there resides a world of fascinating (and often quite obscure) works that have become quite popular in small but dedicated circles, many of the films acquiring cult status over the years. The majority are…

There are some films that may not have the strongest story or most original ideas, but instead inspire nothing but joy through their exuberance and love for the world that surrounds them. One of the most exceptional examples of this is in A Summer Tale (Swedish: Den bästa sommaren), the lovely comedy written and directed…

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder – but when this absence is broken by tragedy, it can unleash conversations that many would consider better having been left unspoken. This is where we first meet the characters at the heart of The Big Chill, a ragtag group of young people who previously went to…

Somewhere in the English countryside sits an idyllic hamlet, on which Nutbourne College stands. A prestigious boys’ school that has been operating for decades, it has been known to produce a high calibre of students, which can easily be attributed to the strong, willful headmasters who occupy the intimidating post at the helm of the…