The first time I heard of The Skeleton Twins was right at the beginning of the year, when I discovered Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig made an indie comedy together. I thought it was too good to be true – after all, when people have such undeniable chemistry and brilliance together like Hader and Wiig…

I always enjoy it when filmmakers find new, exciting ways to make biographical films about interesting people. Let’s face it, the same dreary drama is not for everyone, and some extraordinary subjects deserve extraordinary biopics. That is why when I watched American Splendor, the absolutely excellent film based on the life and works of comic…

I am a huge fan of Alexander Payne. I think there are very few directors who concentrate so meticulously on characters and performances quite like him. He is truly an actor’s director, and every single one of his films have been masterclasses in performances. People like Jack Nicholson, Laura Dern and Reese Witherspoon have career-highlight performances…

Melissa McCarthy has become one of the most bankable leading ladies in movies today, and she is no longer a supporting funny lady, but instead a full-on, intense comedic force. Her film, Tammy, was a passion project for McCarthy – she and her husband, Ben Falcone, came up with the idea for the film and…

There are few people that epitomize the 1980s cinema world quite like John Hughes and Michael Keaton. In what was only their sophomore film efforts – Hughes writing and Keaton starring, they create one of the most endearing family comedies of the tumultuous eighties. Keaton plays Jack Butler, the ultimate 1980s family man – loving…

Smart satire and broad comedy are both very popular forms of humour, but they very rarely overlap. A great example is seen when we look at the smart, neurotic humour of Woody Allen, and the more lowbrow, but equally excellent, work of Mel Brooks. Both were excellent filmmakers that carved out their niches in Hollywood….

Robert De Niro might just be the greatest living actor, and part of that is attributed to the fact that he is able to do comedy and drama equally well. In comedies, he usually plays a grumpy, emotionless intellectual dealing with other people who get on his nerves. It has become a character De Niro…

The 1970s – an era that helped redefine comedy, and some of the greatest comedy films made today owe it to those made in the 1970s for allowing them to exist. A combination of the end of Vietnam, hippie subculture becoming even more popular, and an increased political landscape allowed for more edgy comedy. The…