Category Archives: Romcom

Reviews: Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, Kill Your Darlings, Short Term 12, Top Of The Lake, The Look of Love, I Give It A Year, The Iceman

April 5, 2014 flawintheiris

I'm still writing semi-regular reviews of features and series for Halifax Alternative Weekly The Coast. Check out my thoughts on some recent gems (and semi-precious stones): Ain't Them Bodies Saints Kill Your Darlings Short Term 12 Top Of The Lake The Look of Love I Give It A Year The IcemanRead More

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty review

January 14, 2014 flawintheiris

Directed by Ben StillerWritten by Steven Conrad, adapting the book by James ThurberI was a little late to this Christmas season-release, so I'd read a few mixed reviews in advance. My expectations had been adjusted, accordingly, which I think was a good thing. I recognized the many places where it doesn't work, while appreciating the…Read More

My thoughts on Love Actually

December 25, 2013 flawintheiris

Directed and Written by Richard Curtis | 135 min | Crave and Amazon Prime Earlier this month, one of my favourite film writers, Christopher Orr of The Atlantic, wrote a piece excoriating the Richard Curtis film Love Actually. It generated quite a bit of discussion, which Orr kindly gave a nod to in his follow-up…Read More

About Time review

November 17, 2013 flawintheiris

Written and directed by Richard Curtis Dear Richard, I've very much enjoyed your work. Especially your writing, going back to Blackadder, The Tall Guy, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and The Girl In The Cafe. Your style is so identifiable—foul-mouthed and hilarious middle-class-to-posh Brits, bumbling, awkward leading men, bland American women, and a…Read More

Enough Said review

October 21, 2013 flawintheiris

Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener | On Demand Holofcener is the writer-director of a number of awkwardly funny American indie films. To call them comedies, or romantic comedies, is too reductive. They're independent films, and tend to avoid easy catagorization, but centre on urban relationships, about women and men and their friendships and love…Read More

Much Ado About Nothing review

July 17, 2013 flawintheiris

Directed by Joss Whedon Adapted for the screen by Whedon from the William Shakespeare play For those who have been suffering from heat exhaustion or the pummelling that accompanies seeing large-budget action movies every week through the summer, this is for you. Delivered by one of those self-same blockbuster directors—though it's pretty hard to imagine…Read More

Reviews: Your Sister’s Sister, People Like Us, The Woman in the Fifth, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Safety Not Guaranteed

December 19, 2012 flawintheiris

I've spent some time recently catching up with movies I missed in cinemas, either because they opened and closed too quickly or didn't open at all in my town. Here are a few notables now out on DVD. Your Sister's Sister Written and directed by Lynn Shelton This film is some kind of perfect, tiny…Read More

Silver Linings Playbook review

November 23, 2012 flawintheiris

Written and directed by David O RussellSelfishly, I think it's great to see talented writer/director Russell pick up his pace. The first movie of his I saw was the brilliant, anxious comedy Flirting With Disaster (his earlier, first feature film, Spanking the Monkey, remains unseen by me). FWD was in 1996. In '99 came Three…Read More

The Atlantic Film Festival 2012: Love Is All You Need, Antiviral and Tuesday

September 18, 2012 flawintheiris

Love Is All You Need is exactly the kind of romantic comedy Hollywood has almost entirely forgotten how to make. It gave me a rush, for both it's delicate balance of realism and sentiment and from sheer recognition of a beloved genre that I've missed: oh, yeah, this is how it's done when it's done…Read More

Celeste and Jesse Forever review

September 10, 2012 flawintheiris

Directed by Lee Toland Krieger Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack There's that saying that if you can't find a good job you should make one. If you're an actor, it means writing yourself a role. That's what Rashida Jones has done here in Celeste and Jesse Forever, a well-made indie romcom that cleaves…Read More