The more you watch of Buster Keaton, the faster the novelty begins to wear off – and while this sounds like a criticism that aligns with the opinions of detractors, this is merely an indication that we are able to develop a sense of sincere comfort and familiarity the more we grow accustomed to his…
Tag: comedy
Critical Condition (1987)
There are many principles that medical doctors are required to follow, some more practical while others veer towards the philosophical. Yet, perhaps the most important is the pledge to “first do no harm”, which forms part of the Hippocratic Oath that all medical professionals are told to use as the guiding factor into their professional…
Lulu on the Bridge (1998)
In addition to being one of the most revolutionary authors of his generation, Paul Auster showed incredible prowess in his scarce but brilliant endeavours into filmmaking. Somehow both a guiding force and disciple of independent cinema, Auster was behind some of the most intriguing works of low-budget filmmaking of the 1990s, particularly in his collaborations…
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Every family tends to have the designated dunce, the person who is always getting into scrapes and precarious situations, but who we still love regardless – and if you think your family doesn’t have one, I have some bad news for you. We are taught to love our families regardless of their imperfections, but sometimes…
Friendship (2025)
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art. It has no survival value. Rather, it is one of those things which give value to survival” These words by C.S. Lewis can be found in his book Four Loves, his meditation on faith, friendship and life in general. It has always stood out to me as a…
All My Friends Hate Me (2022)
We all know that familiar feeling of walking into a room, and suddenly being struck by a truly intrusive thought – “everyone here hates me”. Perhaps some have been lucky enough to have avoided such irrational and nonsensical delusions. Still, the vast majority of us have felt insecure from time to time, especially in arbitrary…
First Time Female Director (2024)
There is a general rule of thumb that drives the film industry – if an actor is around for long enough and dedicated to the craft of filmmaking, there will come a point where they endeavour to step behind the camera. This is oddly most prominent amongst comedians, since there is some kind of pipeline…
A Touch of Larceny (1959)
It seems to be a universal experience to fantasize about a situation where we simply disappear, which normally entails sailing off to some remote island where we can live our days in paradise – and the concept of imagining what those who remain behind may think in such a scenario is also quite fascinating, since…
Earthworm Tractors (1936)
Capitalism can easily be reduced to a straightforward question: Do we live to make money, or do we make money to live? For the protagonist in Earthworm Tractors, based on the syndicated stories and later bestselling novels by William Hazlett Upson, both the stories and the novels somehow manage to be true. Alexander Botts, whose…
The Navigator (1924)
There has never been an artist quite like Buster Keaton, and I doubt that we will see anyone like him ever again – and with each passing film of his that I watch, I become more assured of this, which has essentially become a sacrosanct fact by this point, and one that very few have…
The Postmodern Pelican 