Anything But Love: Volume 1
February 24, 2007
The problem inherent in any television show that revolves around the sexual tension between its two romantic leads is how do you keep the audience interested after the thrill of the chase is gone? Once the anticipation of the potential couple hooking...
Trust the Man
February 7, 2007
Trust the Man (2006) is a romantic comedy set in New York City so we’re on familiar ground. We knew what to expect because we’ve seen so many of these kinds of movies: white, affluent New Yorkers with relationship problems. Which means that this film...
The Illusionist
January 9, 2007
The Illusionist and The Prestige were released in theatres in 2006 and featured 19th century magicians as their protagonists. However, the latter was backed and promoted by a major Hollywood studio while the former was a modestly budgeted independent...
The Devil Wears Prada
December 12, 2006
The fashion world has rarely been depicted accurately on film. Case in point: Robert Altman’s well-intentioned mess Pret-a-Porter (1994). The problem most adaptations have is accurately depicting such a specific world with its own lingo and rules. Reality...
Love Actually
December 7, 2006
Richard Curtis is a terrific writer of comedy – no question. He has had unmitigated success ranging from TV’s Blackadder through to global blockbuster hits like Four Weddings, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones’s Diary. It’s not surprising...
The Double Life of Veronique
November 30, 2006
When The Double Life of Veronique (1991) was screened at the Cannes Film Festival it not only brought international acclaim and attention to its director Krzysztof Kieslowski but also to the film’s star, Irene Jacob. At the time, the 24-year-old Swiss...
Solo con tu pareja
November 8, 2006
Alfonso Cuaron’s Solo con tu pareja (1991) was actually made in 1990 with state funding but was shelved by the government before finally being released in Mexico in 1991, becoming a minor commercial and critical success. Its North American debut was...
The Lake House
November 2, 2006
In an interesting bit of counter-programming and offering some relief from the glut of big, dumb summer action movies, The Lake House (2006) is a romantic movie for adults and is a reunion for Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock who, ironically, starred in...
Kinky Boots
September 20, 2006
Kinky Boots (2005) is very much in the tradition of Brassed Off (1996) and The Full Monty (1997): plucky, working class underdogs from a depressed English factory town that learn to think outside the box in order to survive economically – all under...
Lonesome Jim
September 11, 2006
With the underrated Gerry (2002) and now Lonesome Jim (2005), Casey Affleck makes another bid to get out from under his brother’s famous shadow and acquire some leading man credibility. And what better film than one directed by consummate character...
