comedy
David Fontana discusses four films directed by women that show transitional periods of life, from an adolescent teen to an immigrant mother attempting to make it in America.
An Oversimplification of Her Beauty is a solid stroke of inventive creativity and artistic integrity, all buttressed by a profound love and understanding of film.
This belated sequel to Gnomeo and Juliet poorly attempts to expand the cinematic universe – and merely exposes the poor storytelling within.
Thanks to the funny and occasionally moving performances of Gould and Clement and a confident feature film debut from Hoffman, Humor Me qualifies as a passable entry into the midlife crisis sub-genre.
From the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, Kristy Strouse reviews Alia Shawkat’s new film Duck Butter, the film starring Taika Waititi as a cult leader, Seven Stages To Achieve Eternal Bliss By Passing Through The Gateway Chosen By The Holy Storsh and the Martin Freeman zombie vehicle, Cargo.
Redoutable is an irreverent take on the biopic that gleefully flips the bird at its subject, and takes delight in making him conform to a conventional narrative of the type he grew to detest leading to some of the finest moments of cringe comedy in recent memory.
The Party’s Just Beginning isn’t always fun, but it’s definitely a powerful vehicle for the very talented Karen Gillan.
Funny Cow is one of the most harmful depictions of the British working class in popular culture since Sacha Baron Cohen’s Grimsby, in addition to being one of the most mindbogglingly racist and homophobic films in recent memory.
Imitation Girl is an interesting character study focusing on women asking the questions: Who am I? and What do I have to show for my life? Lauren Ashley Carter gives strong performances as both Julianna and her imitation in this unique and captivating film about identity.
Samuel Maoz’s Foxtrot toys with our emotions, but that doesn’t mean it lacks any of its own. This is an energetic and structurally audacious jukebox of sensations, prioritising impulse over precision and thought over action.
Casting, director Nicholas Wackerbarth’s meta tribute to Fassbinder’s 70’s masterpiece The Bitter Tears of Petra Van Kant, is a fantastically cringeworthy comedy in the same vein as Toni Erdmann.
Sorry To Bother You is an intelligent, batshit crazy satire that offers plenty of the theater of the absurd, a standout performance from Lakeith Stanfield, the most original script of the past two years, and plenty of laughs and food for thought.
Tully is a return to form for both director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody, with this “hipster Mary Poppins” tale feeling like a thematic sequel to their beloved Juno.
Appropriately and beautifully shot on 35mm celluloid by Raso, Kodachrome is a touching, hilarious, and contemplative gem of a film with three wildly meritorious performances by Harris, Sudeikis, and Olsen, and timely themes.
Birthmarked is a comedy struggling with an identity crisis. Maybe that’s the point, or was more nurturing required?