Comedy

“It wasn’t easy, but it’s worth it”. These words from co-writer and star of Bros, Billy Eichner, in his Q&A after its Melbourne premiere screening resonated with a thundering echo. Not just in terms of…

“It’s a whodunnit. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” is a line heard more than once in Tom George’s directorial debut, See How They Run. Perhaps there is some truth to that, but that doesn’t…

I will always have a soft spot for Kevin Smith. Even if you aren’t fond of his dick jokes, any cineaste will admire his ascent as a filmmaker. He’s one of the great examples of…

It seems that a fair portion of Film Twitter has turned on A24. I make this observation because I pretty consistently see people mocking it as a brand, or more specifically, the specific type of fan associated…

There is something quintessential American about the story of Jerry and Marge Selbee, two retirees who exploited a loophole in the lottery system and made themselves rich. A story like this can only become truly…

It brings me no joy to report that an indie comedy film evidently made in earnest did not resonate or connect with me, but Parker Seaman and Devin Das’s debut feature, Wes Schlagenhauf Is Dying, is…

There’s a certain type of fascination in watching a film where you can immediately tell that other people’s enjoyment of it will be almost entirely predicated on how much they’re able to live with its…

If you’ve watched an indie film or two in your day, odds are you’ve stumbled upon a movie about a white guy who just can’t figure things out. They have no idea what to do…

Every once and a while, a filmmaker comes along to flip the script and tackle themes and ideas that most are afraid to touch. Sean Baker has done this his entire career, but especially with…

Adding Bruce Campbell to your cast will automatically attract any genre enthusiast. The man is a legend, possibly one of the most charismatic men on the planet. A man so charismatic, I’m seriously considering watching…

There was a time when Jason Reitman was one of the most exciting, up-and-coming voices in the film industry. The son of Ivan Reitman began to see his rise to prominence in the film industry…

Two and a Half Men is an abominable sitcom and I’m ashamed to admit that in my younger, and far more vulnerable years, I did watch an episode or two. If there was one good…

Can the literary art form still survive in this hyperactive, Twitter-operating, modern age? Bookworms venturing through desolated libraries and soon-to-be bankrupt bookstores may find themselves out of time, yearning for a time where a 400-page…

Under the bright glistening haze of blue and pink lights, Ritwek Pareek’s vibrant debut feature opens on 40-something drunkard Thakur Lal. His internal monologue spouts vague philosophical musings before mounting his motorcycle and going for…

A common complaint regarding movies based on plays is that they feel like exactly that: a play made into a movie. Detractors often cite the transition from stage to screen as being too noticeable, remarking…

Matthew Gray Gubler is a modern-day icon in the eyes of many. King Knight has been long-awaited by both fans of his and director Richard Bates Jr. It’s slightly dark, yet reassuringly humorous. It’s everything…

A mysterious social experiment brings a group of eccentric strangers together to compete for a prize. It’s the synopsis for many low-budget thrillers and dark comedies. And somehow, Stanleyville feels almost entirely divorced from the subgenre. You’ve…

We practically demand that our entertainment speak to us in a meaningful way. We require it to be some sort of solution or commentary to the injustices in the world, expecting our creatives to help…

When it comes to the Hollywood satire, the gold standard will forever be Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard, followed by Robert Altman’s The Player. Other underappreciated jewels to this genre are The Coen Brothers’ Barton Fink,…

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who asked for a 134-minute origin story of a character who originated in a 79-minute cartoon, but alas, Cruella is here. Since the film premiered, much of the conversation has…

If You Go Down to the Woods Today Vlogger Brian is losing his mojo. Reporting for Vice Compound, a website with an extremely familiar-looking logo and modus operandi, he´s tired of covering the stupidest of modern…

Generally, we all try and avoid uncomfortable situations. Whether it is trying to avoid someone, a confrontation, or any of the other myriad of possibilities, we don’t want any part of it. We will quickly…

What a treat it must be to be Lucas Hedges. By twenty-four, he’s already established himself as one of the finer actors of his generation and has had the chance to work for the best…

At this point, the age of Apatow and the Farrelly brothers ruling the comedy landscape by mixing gross-out comedy with sentimentality is long gone. Nothing has exactly filled the void, either — unless you count…

Emma Seligman’s feature directorial debut Shiva Baby, based on her short of the same name, is an awkward comedy with one of the best, most outlandish premises I’ve seen in a long time. Danielle attends…

1988’s Coming to America is possibly the last ‘classic’ Eddie Murphy film. After that, most of his films either missed the mark critically or commercially, oftentimes both. Personally, I do think some of his later…

Many former SNL titans have taken the leap to movies. MacGruber, Tommy Boy, Billy Madison, Master of Disguise, Caddyshack, National Lampoon, Talladega Nights, Baby Mama, are just the titles I can think of at the…

A man sits on a bench, wrapped in a coat he’s owned for years. He rests his feet at the head of Jaffa Street in Jerusalem. A tour guide comes along, decked to the nines…

James Vaughan’s feature film debut, Friends and Strangers is an oddity, to say the least. Both the story structure and character writing take strange roles in Vaughan’s first feature film. The story is split up…

Jerrod Carmichael is brilliant. I don’t mean that in the hyperbolic, reductive way that many use way too often. The way he tells a story is unique and profound. How he crafts his humor, by…