I love stories that take place over a single period of time, whether an individual night or a slightly longer stretch, where everything is contained into something slightly more manageable. I once recall driving through a city at night with a friend, and remarking to him how I am still waiting to have my own…
Tag: comedy
Holy Days (2026)
There’s an old adage I’ve heard bandied about in the film industry from time to time – when all else fails, put a nun in the movie. Has there ever been a group of people more affectionately relegated to the status of human props more than the brides of Christ, whose distinctive manner of dressing…
Clifford (1994)
There’s a special joy that comes in discovering a film that was seemingly been dismissed, if not outright despised, by the industry, audiences and critical establishment, to the point where it carries the burden of being considered a failure, which becomes an indelible stain on its reputation – and realising that it is actually a…
The Long Take: The Career of…Mel Brooks (1926 – present)
We’re truly fortunate to be living at the same time as Mel Brooks – I have a sincere appreciation for comedy as an artform, and few people have made as much of an impression on the subject of humour than Brooks, who has single-handedly helped bring about some of the most revolutionary developments in the…
Beating Heart (1940)
Had Robert Bresson been more inclined to make Pickpocket in the mould of the classic Hollywood screwball comedies that held quite a prominent place in the culture, it would have most likely looked very similar to Beating Heart (French: Battement de coeur), a charming and eccentric romantic comedy written and directed by Henri Decoin, who…
Over Your Dead Body (2026)
Every couple has its bad days, and it has often been said that it’s in these moments that many relationships grow the strongest, since if someone can overcome the everyday irritants that come with being in a relationship. Pretty much everything else (barring actual immoral actions) is extremely easy. However, some couples are not meant…
A Nice Indian Boy (2025)
Falling in love can be a beautiful experience, but it comes with a few challenging moments – and many will say that one of the most nerve-racking is the process of meeting the parents. While it is usually a pleasant and relatively painless affair in hindsight, the anxiety and fear of trying to impress your…
Once Upon a Time (1944)
We have seemingly lost the art of whimsy when it comes to much of contemporary cinema. We tend to prioritise realism over eccentricity, which may lend modern films a more authentic feeling, but at the expense of the joy of seeing radically strange films that do often tend to be slightly more offbeat, but in…
I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2006)
As the general principle of filmmaking goes, sometimes the projects you deserve are the ones you make yourself. There are certain artists – particularly actors – who find themselves typecast in parts that feel very limiting and one-dimensional, and it’s only through setting out to write their own material and get it produced that they…
Don Jon (2013)
As easy (and perhaps even fun) as it may be to pick apart Don Jon, we really have to hand it to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who went out on a limb in his directorial debut and made a comedy that may be filled with imperfections, but compensates for it through some very interesting decisions made as…
The Postmodern Pelican 