Family is a subject that cinema loves, and there is absolutely no shortage of films that tackle the difficult but relatable topic of family dynamics. It is a subject that independent cinema is particularly enamored with, whereby several films take a critical (and often extremely hilarious) gander at the complex relationship between family members. One…

It is always a challenge for any filmmaker to attempt to make a film that tackles a real-life tragedy, particularly a recent one. It is even more challenging (and impressive when it is done successfully) on the odd occasion where a filmmaker attempts to approach a particularly bleak and hopelessly despairing real-world issue through representing…

I honestly don’t think it is possible to ever hate a Christmas movie. Perhaps it is just the yuletide setting that fills me with jolly merriment and good cheer or the fact that Christmas films are usually defined by their well-intentioned spirit that fails to be anything less than pleasant holiday viewing. While many classics…

I have to say, there is something about the traditional romantic comedy formula that can work on occasion, but more often than not, it does not. There are very few genres of films as utterly and boringly predictable as the romantic comedy because it seems like they are all operating from a set of the…

Bad Moms is the kind of comedy film that is made far too often, and despite their radical popularity and mainstream appeal, they are usually not particularly good cinema. A domestic or suburban comedy that sees a subversion of archetypal gender or societal roles where expectations are subverted in favor of bawdy and sometimes excessively…

Here are a few things that I love: 1950s suburban nostalgia, scathingly dark social satire and murder mysteries. Here is something I don’t love: Suburbicon. It is a film that should have been a lot better, and considering the plethora of talent in front of and behind the camera. Suburbicon is a film that had…

Allow me to be perfectly honest for just a second: the reason I loved Ingrid Goes West so much is not that it is a great independent dark comedy with great performances and a fascinating execution of its twisted story, nor because it is a subversive twist on the classic stalker-thriller trope. The reason I…

In all honesty, there hasn’t been a filmmaker that sky-rocketed into my pantheon of personal icons quite as fast as Martin McDonagh. I fell in love with his films based only on In Bruges, one of the most deliciously twisted dark comedies ever made, and I followed that film up (albeit not in chronological order…

There is something so delightful and satisfying of seeing a film go through its stages of development, and then finally watching the film after having followed its production so closely, albeit from a distance. I have been a fan of Noah Baumbach since I saw his incredible The Squid and the Whale over a decade…

There is sometimes nothing I love more than a good crime thriller, and normally heist or con films seem to take the position as some of the most entertaining films, as they rely on some very cheap but exciting thrills that doesn’t require too much from the audience except a little attention. It also helps…