As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold – but what happens when this concept is placed in the careful hands of a filmmaker known for his warmth and candour? This is only one of the many fascinating elements of La Poison, the hilarious and exuberant dark comedy by French master Sacha Guitry,…

No one did absurdity quite as well as Eugène Ionesco, one of the most fascinating playwrights to ever work in the theatre. While he isn’t massively popular outside of theatrical circles, as well as amongst literary communities, the author’s work has remained poignant and captivating, decades after his plays were first staged. His most significant…

The Thompsons are a well-meaning, ordinary British family living in the countryside. They’re headed by the cheerful Tom (Chris Langham), his dedicated wife Sophie (Amanda Hadingue), and their two daughters (Anna O’Grady and Helen Cripps), who have recently left their pastoral home in pursuit of a life in London, where they stay with their roommate,…

In the middle of the deserts of Morocco stands a hill, upon which a shrine has been built to an unknown saint that was buried there. This structure overshadows the community below, serving as a towering entity that drives both their spiritual and social lives. However, what most don’t realize is that there is something…

The trouble with The Trouble with Harry is that it’s not nearly as celebrated as it should be. Despite carrying arguably the most prestigious name in cinema in the form of being helmed by the iconoclastic Alfred Hitchcock, it has nestled comfortably into the status of being one of his lesser efforts, with many not…

If anyone was going to make a film that deftly combined social satire with broadly slapstick comedy, it would be Jean Renoir. The esteemed French director was a cinematic pioneer that made some of the greatest films of their era, in a career that stretched across multiple decades. The 1930s were undeniably his most distinct…

When it comes to classic comedy, there are a few names that evoke a particular level of esteem and respect, either through their dominance in the industry, or the pedigree that has come to be associated with them. Ealing Studios had a reputation for producing some of the finest comedies to ever come out of…

There are a few films that find their most significant strength also being their biggest weakness, as is the case with Bye Bye Morons (French: Adieu les cons), a fascinating but flawed film by Albert Dupontel, who puts together a really compelling story, but seems to falter in one particular area: he doesn’t seem to…

The title The Green Man might not be familiar to many viewers, who might (on hearing of it), expect it to be some strange, provocative science fiction thriller, since it evokes such images, as well as being made during an era where these films were at their peak. However, in reality, the film is a…

We all need to break from tradition from time to time, especially when the occasion calls for one to do something different. While I normally focus on reviewing film, sometimes another project comes around that is so special, it impels me to put pen to paper and write about it, especially if there is something…