Category Archives: Comedy

#FIN2020 Closing Night Gala review — Another Round (Druk)

September 25, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Thomas Vinterberg | Written by Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm | 115 min After he set the world alight with The Celebration (Festen) and as a shining light of the Dogme95 movement, Danish auteur Vinterberg spent a few years in the cinematic hinterlands with films that people didn't like (It's All About Love, Dear…Read More

#FIN2020 PREVIEW — Bone Cage, Bread In The Bones, Citizen of Moria, The Forbidden Reel, Little Orphans, Queen Of The Andes

September 16, 2020 flawintheiris

The event of the year for the Atlantic Canadian cinephile — the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival — brings the world to Halifax every September. This year, of course, is a little different. The entire festival is online, which is a double-edged sword for the film lover. We get access to the full program on…Read More

The Personal History of David Copperfield review — A joyful adaptation of a classic novel

September 7, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Armando Iannucci | Written by Iannucci and Simon Blackwell, adapting the book by Charles Dickens | 119 min | In Cinemas Words I've used to describe Iannucci's work on films like In The Loop, and The Death of Stalin include "biting" and "hilarious," and I'd carry forward that kind of language for his…Read More

Bill and Ted Face The Music review — It’s a non, non, non, non, non heinous sequel

August 31, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Dean Parisot | Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon | 91 min | On Demand and In Cinemas Back in 2012 I found myself in Los Angeles for work. I visited the Universal Studios Theme Park, and amongst the Simpsons and Jaws rides was a Bill & Ted ride, which in 2012 seemed if…Read More

Stage Mother review — Drag dramedy turns Halifax into San Francisco

August 26, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Thom Fitzgerald | Written by Brad Hennig | 93 min | On Demand and In Cinemas In 2020 it's fair to call Thom Fitzgerald a Nova Scotia filmmaking legend. It was 23 years ago his debut, The Hanging Garden, was an international sensation. In the years since he's carved out a career as…Read More

An American Pickle review — Gentle satire manages a few chuckles

August 24, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Brandon Trost | Written by Simon Rich | 88 min | Crave Plus/HBO Max Who doesn't like Seth Rogen? I like Seth Rogen. He's genuinely charming with his Canadian schlubbiness, honking laugh, and easy-going, pot-smoking demeanour. But, I mostly don't find his movies have a whole lot of laughs. He's got a great…Read More

Spinster review — Comedy (and awareness) trumps romance in local film

August 10, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Andrea Dorfman | Written by Jennifer Deyell |90 min | On Demand I've been so looking forward to Andrea Dorfman's new feature — she made a terrific NFB documentary in 2018, The Girls of Meru, but her last dramatic movie from 2014, Heartbeat, was a favourite. Beside telling a tale of love and…Read More

The Rest Of Us review — Surprising depth in breezy comedy-drama

August 4, 2020 flawintheiris

Directed by Aisling Chin-Yee | Written by Alanna Francis, and Mark Van de Ven | 80 min | On Demand OK, so here's the slightly bonkers premise of this brief, but genuinely affecting Canadian feature: Cami (Heather Graham) is a children's book writer-illustrator living in a lovely, modernist home in a small town somewhere north…Read More

War On Everyone (2017) review — Foul-mouthed gem of a crime comedy

August 3, 2020 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by John Michael McDonagh | 98 min | Kanopy Director McDonagh out-blacks Shane Black with a shockingly funny buddy cop movie starring Michael Pena and Alexander Skarsgaard. For all those of you who liked The Nice Guys, this is literally the next best thing. First off, it’s set in Albuquerque, New Mexico,…Read More

Boy (2010) review — Waititi template was set early on

July 28, 2020 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Taika Waititi | 87 min | Kanopy The past decade has been good for New Zealand actor, writer, and filmmaker Taika Waititi. He's had success after success, from his vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows, now spun off as a series, Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit,…Read More