There are many reasons to appreciate Mel Brooks, but his sense of humour is perhaps the most important, and he built an entire career out of his quick wit and ability to make any subject funny. The story of how he came up with History of the World, Part I is one of the most…
Wish (2023)
Perhaps it is presumptuous, but it’s entirely possible that anyone reading this grew up at least aware of Disney. We have gotten to a point where the studio is now older than the vast majority of the global population, which is both a thrilling fact, and an opportunity to reflect on what this company has…
The Front Page (1974)
If you have been reading here for a while, you will undoubtedly know about my fondness for The Front Page, the magnificent play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur which is perhaps the finest piece of comedic theatre to come out of the first half of the 20th century, and like any well-received production, it…
Napoleon (2023)
Despite having passed away nearly a quarter of a century ago, the spectre of Stanley Kubrick lingers heavily over the contemporary film industry – either it is a case of his iconic work being references or influencing the visual and narrative style of those who are inspired by his films, or we see projects that…
Rhubarb (1951)
One has to wonder whether when he made his notorious quip about his preference for screen partners (“never work with children or animals”), W.C. Fields truly understood how some of the most interesting performances in film history have come from these unexpected sources. Of course, his cynicism was not unfounded, and for the most part,…
The Holdovers (2023)
There is a difference between being alone and being isolated, which is something that many of us encounter at some point in our lives. For the characters in The Holdovers, this takes on a new meaning over their Christmas break, when the majority of staff and students depart the hallowed halls of a prestigious New…
Ratcatcher (1999)
Lynne Ramsay may have not made many films (less than half a dozen in the past twenty years), but yet it has never been a question that she is one of our greatest living filmmakers, which is proof that some directors are the embodiment of choosing quality over quantity. It seems appropriate that she is…
Way Out West (1937)
By this point, it is abundantly clear that, despite casting a vast net over all forms of cinema, the one subject I am most passionate about (or at least one of them) is comedy. From the start, I have always been attracted to works of art designed to evoke laughter, since it is possible to…
The Fire Within A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft (2022)
One principle that I try and employ daily is to live a life so unpredictable, adventurous and interesting that Werner Herzog will one day be compelled to make one of his overly dramatic but achingly beautiful (and occasionally very funny) documentaries about it. We’d all be far more interesting if we lived by such a…
School Daze (1988)
When we think about the early career of Spike Lee, the focus is usually on two of the films he made in the 1980s – She’s Gotta Have It, widely considered one of the greatest directorial debuts of all time, and the brilliant Do the Right Thing, which is one of a small handful of…
The Postmodern Pelican 