Dr. Vincent M. Gaine is a film and television researcher. His first book, Existentialism and Social Engagement in the Films of Michael Mann was published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2011. His work on film and media has been published in Cinema Journal and The Journal of Technology, Theology and Religion, as well as edited collections including The 21st Century Superhero and The Directory of World Cinema.
Me Before You belongs to a much-maligned genre. It features young adults and is based on a novel aimed at that demographic (like “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Twilight”); its focus is a young woman’s experience of a complicated relationship with her fellow generic archetype (like “The Notebook” and “Dear John”); the relationship features…
Meet Oliver Thompson. Relatively new to the business, he is the writer, director and producer of the independent film, “Welcome to Happiness.” Having been nominated and winning several Best Feature awards at various film festivals, the fantasy dramedy starring Kyle Gallner, Olivia Thirlby, Nick Offerman, and Keegan-Michael Key is a complex fable of sorts that…
Choice. Consequence. Color. Cats. These and more make up the palate of Welcome to Happiness, a quirky and charming fable from debut writer-director Oliver Thompson. Blending Wes Anderson-esque quirkiness with a light spiritual touch, Welcome to Happiness uses bright visuals, a likable cast and delightful music to weave its tale about the choices we make,…
Just as conflict breaks out in Captain America: Civil War, so is the film itself somewhat conflicted. On a narrative level, it must balance its own story with that of the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), continuing established plot lines and characters while also setting up future elements. Stylistically, it has the challenge of presenting…
There is something satisfying about five thirty-something men going into an afternoon screening of an animated “children’s” film that features talking animals, and noting other audience members of a similar age. That was my experience of Zootopia (re-named “Zootropolis” in the UK), as myself and four friends of a similar age found ourselves in a…
Darren Darnborough has had a varied career. Actor, writer, producer and now director of his second short film, “Stefano Formaggio” (his debut, “The Hind Side,” was released in 2010), which stars Alice Greczyn, Pasquale Cassalia and Mandy Amano, is a smart, sexy and sinister dark fairy tale that premiered at the Catalina Film Festival in…
Jean-Paul Sartre famously wrote that hell is other people. Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump’s adaptation of J. G. Ballard’s 1975 novel takes this premise to its (il)logical conclusion, as, in an ironic twist on the title, High-Rise depicts a steady descent into class war-induced delirium, as social and financial divisions steadily turn the eponymous building…
