Tag Archives: Black Comedy
Review: Slow West (2015)
SLOW WEST is a bit of a stunner. It’s been an interesting few years for the Western, with few traditional examples but plenty of sideways looks and genre hybrids making noise and proving there’s still life in this (very) old … Continue reading
Review: Deadpool (2016)
DEADPOOL is exactly what it should be. It’s not big (by superhero standards) and it’s not clever but it’s lewd, violent and supremely self-aware, just like its titular scarlet-clad antihero. Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) makes a dishonest living as a … Continue reading
Review: Cop Car (2015)
Marvel Studios are unrivaled at spotting raw talent early and snapping it up before the rest of the world notices. From Tom Hiddleston to the Russo Brothers, the latest to be enlisted by the world’s most powerful film studio is … Continue reading
Halloween Series Retrospective: Evil Dead
This is the segment where I pick apart a well-worn film series and see how well it’s aged, and how well it hasn’t. In the leadup to Halloween I’ve revisited Sam Raimi’s beloved horror-comedy series EVIL DEAD. Groovy. THE EVIL … Continue reading
Review: Inherent Vice (2014)
Usually, a film’s plot or lack thereof is something I can rant on for hours about. Usually, if the plot doesn’t work, the film doesn’t work. That said, this is not a usual film, and I can say with absolute … Continue reading
Review: Nightcrawler (2014)
NIGHTCRAWLER skewers the news industry mercilessly, perhaps the most brutal deconstruction of the business since Sidney Lumet’s superlative NETWORK. It’s hard-hitting and often shocking, but it also works as an example of the very murkiest of black comedies. Louis Bloom … Continue reading
Review: Gone Girl (2014)
GONE GIRL is a solid mystery, a satisfying examination on the ins and outs (mostly outs) of relationships, but it’s a truly great film about the power of the media image and its complete and utter dominance in contemporary society. … Continue reading
Review: The Double (2013)
Surely it goes without saying by now that Richard Ayoade is one talented gent. I loved his feature directing debut SUBMARINE, and THE DOUBLE takes everything that worked in that film and amps it up, refines it, and takes it … Continue reading
Review: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Sometimes a clever little tweak to formula is enough to make a film memorable. EDGE OF TOMORROW is a solid and entertaining sci-fi action film, with good performances, but it wouldn’t be particularly notable if you threw out the unconventional … Continue reading