Tag: comedy
‘They Came Together’ and the Death of the Indie
There was a time when teenage boys wore jackets and ties to go to birthday parties. There was a time when what we now call a Happy Meal cost under a dollar. And there was a time when the term “Indie Film” meant something. Of course, all those things are ancient history by now. You’ll…
Chef and Conflict: The Dramatic Imperative
There are people on this planet who believe the Apollo 11 moon landing was faked. There are people who believe Howard the Duck is underrated. There are people who believe bacon is not good. But you know what no one believes? That conflict isn’t the root of drama. That’s the first thing they teach you…
Bad Words and Good Writing: A lesson in screenwriting
Bad Words is the kind of movie that gives critics trouble. It’s easy to write about the dregs – I could pound out 1,000 words on Need for Speed without breaking a sweat – and it’s easy to write about the good stuff. It’s the middle-of-the-road movie that is hardest to capture. But let’s give…
Only in the 80s: Five great genre comedies to come out of the decade of fun
The line between comedy and drama was very fine in 1980s cinema. Iconic 1980s chick-flick comedies like Desperately Seeking Susan and Pretty in Pink are perfect examples – both their stories take quite serious turns and we often forget that we’re even watching a comedy. On the other end of the scale, films like The…
On the sixth day of Christmas: Joe Dante’s “Gremlins”, the greatest Christmas story ever told
It is natural to associate certain holidays with a specific set of zesty colours and particular attitudes. Here in the United States, our pop culture offers many quick and easy examples of this. Consider the plastic spiders and that strange, psuedo-faux-white-hair-cobweb stuff we slather our homes with to spook potential trick-or-treaters. All this before we…