When is a trilogy a trilogy, and when is it just three different movies? The Lord of the Rings is clearly a trilogy. John Ford's cavalry is just three westerns set amongst horse soldiers. The Criterion Channel is currently offering what they're calling Lindsay Anderson's Mick Travis Trilogy. The films: If…. (1968) O Lucky Man! … Continue reading The alleged Mick Travis trilogy…but mostly about O Lucky Man
Category: Comedy
The humor comes from real life in Come As You Are
A- Comedy road movie Written by Erik Linthorst Directed by Richard Wong Three youngish, disabled men take a road trip to lose their virginity. Why a road trip? They discovered the existence of a brothel in Montreal that caters to men with disabilities. They also need to get away from their over-protective parents. This is … Continue reading The humor comes from real life in Come As You Are
Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, & George Cukor give us a Holiday – thanks to Criterion’s new Blu-ray
The 1938 romantic comedy Holiday doesn't seem quite crazy enough to be called a screwball. The laughs don't pile up the way other such comedies of the period do. But it has something else - a believable romance between intelligent people discussing their lives and their loves, and how they became the people they are. … Continue reading Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, & George Cukor give us a Holiday – thanks to Criterion’s new Blu-ray
Marriage Story is all about the divorce
A- Comedic drama Written & directed by Noah Baumbach This sad, heartwarming, and yet deeply funny film should be called Divorce Story. You know from the start that the marriage is over. If you've ever gone through a divorce, especially if there are children involved, you'll recognize the events and the emotions. In fact, you'll … Continue reading Marriage Story is all about the divorce
Keaton’s Our Hospitality on a new Blu-ray
Three years before he made The General, Buster Keaton mined the antebellum South for comic gold in this almost gentle comedy inspired by the Hatfield/McCoy feud. Our Hospitality places Buster in the home of a family sworn to kill him. What keeps him alive? The cordial Southern manners that forbid murdering a guest in your own home. … Continue reading Keaton’s Our Hospitality on a new Blu-ray
A space-age orphanage, cinematic sound, & trying to get pregnant: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Here's what I saw on my first day at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival. Filmmaker Q&As followed all three films. Journeys Beyond the Cosmodrome The festival is presenting this program as a feature preceded by a short. But these are really two very short documentary features. So, I'll give each one a quick review. … Continue reading A space-age orphanage, cinematic sound, & trying to get pregnant: Saturday at the Mill Valley Film Festival
Support Your Local Sheriff: Little-known gem now on Blu-ray
I wrote an article a couple of years ago about Forgotten Laughs - comedies that are worth watching, but never attained classic status. I overlooked Support Your Local Sheriff from 1969, which is now available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Laurel and Hardy, the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Mel Brooks, and … Continue reading Support Your Local Sheriff: Little-known gem now on Blu-ray
Soap opera in the holy land with Tel Aviv On Fire
B+ Comedy Written by Dan Kleinman & Sameh Zoabi Directed by Sameh Zoabi The plot of this Israeli/Palestinian comedy is entirely farcical, but the actors play it straight. Therefore, you can believe in the main character and root for him, despite the absurd situation. None of this sacrifices the laughs. That main character, the young … Continue reading Soap opera in the holy land with Tel Aviv On Fire
Say hello to The Farewell
B+ Dramatic comedy Written and directed by Lulu Wang Chinese and Chinese Americans don't always see eye-to-eye. These generational clashes provide a lot of the laughs in The Farewell. But writer/director Lulu Wang keeps the existential pain of mortality always in the foreground, reminding us that something very serious is happening along with the humor. … Continue reading Say hello to The Farewell
Comedies at the end of the century
Good comedies come rarely these days. But 20 years ago, as the 20th century came to a close, the American film industry made and released a lot of very funny movies. Some of them were overlooked. Others did well, but bad sequels tarnished their reputations. Many are still loved. One is among the most beloved … Continue reading Comedies at the end of the century
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