Ever since the first genre films established rules, filmmakers have used them as a safety net. For better or worse, this ensured audience familiarity, while also simplifying the production process. Of the genres, horror films are probably the most reliant on these standardized tropes (1996’s “Scream” lampoons this), so much so that there is stagnation…
2021 has been an incredible year for absurdist comedies that push the boundaries of socially acceptable humor to the extremes. Josh Greenbaum’s “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” is still the funniest (and best) film of the year (so far), but there’s a new competitor in town that dares to go back to…
Animated films aimed at children are sometimes made to the detriment of the trapped grown-ups that have to accompany their restless tykes and endure the relentlessly silly-minded, junior-sized high jinks. However, there are a few animated films that can equally draw in the impish impulses of both the giddy child and sensible adult alike —…
