There are two categories of films that feature comedians in the central role – the first are vehicles made to showcase their talents, essentially working as a means to further monetize their popularity. The second are films that see the comedian playing against type, either taking on a more dramatic role, or one that isn’t…

There came a moment in the 1990s when several young and burgeoning filmmakers believed that they were on the precipice of making the next teen classic. John Hughes had inspired many artists with his masterful and precise glimpses into the teenage experience, focusing on the angst and joys of being young – but it was…

That’s Life! is the perfect title for the film written and directed by the legendary Blake Edwards, since nearly every character in the film seems only inches away from throwing their arms up and letting out an exasperated sigh in response to their steadily confusing lives. Taking place over a single weekend, and focusing on…

If there is a complaint that one can find when it comes to the subject of Hairspray, it would be how inconceivably enormous it has become. Whether it be the elaborate stage musical (which has been produced both professionally and by amateur theatre groups) or the film adaptation that remains one of the most profitable…

Lester (Eric Stoltz) doesn’t know who he wants to be, or the direction he intends to take his life. All he does know is that he’s unhappy where he is at the moment – having just turned thirty, he wanders aimlessly through his Brooklyn neighbourhood, cavorting with his fellow artistically-minded (read: thoroughly pretentious) friends and…

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…