Do we eat to live, or live to eat? For once, this adage isn’t be used to scorn those of us who enjoy an extra helping at the tail-end of our meals, but rather as an entry-point into a discussion on The Taste of Things (French: La Passion de Dodin Bouffant), in which director Trần…

By the time cameras started rolling on That Touch of Mink, Hollywood had figured out the perfect formula for the romantic comedy genre – take a relatively simple story (the more modern the better, but caution should be taken when it comes to references, since nothing ages more poorly than being overly tied to a…

We have always been preoccupied with the concept of time – whether it is in the form of reflecting on the past and wishing we could go back in time, or pondering the future by trying to predict what the next stage of our lives will bring. It almost seems as if we are never…

Billy Wilder’s approach to cinema was nothing short of exhilarating, with the stories he told and their vibrant execution being highlights of the period in which he was active, which mercifully stretches nearly half a century. Even when doing something decisively minor in terms of tone or storyline, he always found ways to make his…

I’d assume that we all tend to have the fantastical idea of being given the chance to start a new life, one filled with luxury and excess that our ordinary minds could never truly comprehend as being possible. In the case of Mrs. Winterbourne, Richard Benjamin’s strange but oddly compelling adaptation of the novel I…

If you were to list the directors whose work best reflects the intricacies of the human condition, you’d likely find Aki Kaurismäki appearing quite prominently. He is a director who has successfully turned his incredible empathy into a formidable career, crafting many charming, compelling films that are all distinct and cover different subjects but are…

Starting over is never easy, but it’s often something that needs to be done if someone wants to truly find happiness. There’s nothing quite as simultaneously exciting and terrifying as a fresh start, especially when it sees you venturing far beyond your comfort zone, willing to play yourself in a precarious position in which life…

The concept of soulmates has been around for about as long as the concept of being in love has existed, going back to the very origin of the antiquity. One of these beliefs that has always struck me as profoundly beautiful is that of the Ancient Greeks, who believed that every human was one-half of…

No one made films like Ernst Lubitsch, and there is a reason why he is considered the person who inspired many of our greatest directors, with the likes of Billy Wilder and Preston Sturges swearing allegiance to the legacy of this master of cinema. Choosing his signature work is extremely challenging, and almost impossible, since…

There is always something encouraging about an artist being plucked from obscurity and having their career reassessed. Sometimes, this only occurs decades after their passing, but it is better late than never when it comes to giving certain creative individuals the credit they deserve. Tay Garnett is not a name known to many of us,…