Dark Comedy

Reviews

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World

Let’s start with the title: Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World. Writer/director Radu Jude sets the stage with that seemingly pessimistic branding. However, as the film works down from that title, the audience experiences a different interpretation. While that phrase may be a downbeat premonition, it’s a reminder of how being satisfied with your wellbeing is crucial in a disappointing time that never seems to stop “going”. Basically, it’s an…

Reviews

Humane

The filmmaking ventures from the Cronenberg family continue, as Caitlin Cronenberg follows in the footsteps of her father David and brother Brandon.  Fortunately, her directorial debut Humane is much more of a reassuring spotlight on her potential as a storyteller.

Reviews

Unfriending

You’ve heard of an intervention.  But, have you heard of a “life intervention”?  I hope you haven’t.  If you have, I sure hope it wasn’t under the guidance of a similar core clique as seen in Unfriending.

Reviews

Retrograde

The intentions of Retrograde are tough to pin down and, if the viewer likes the movie, the Canadian indie is even more difficult to recommend because of how persistently obnoxious it is.  I should know because I belong in this camp, and I’m going to do my damndest to explain why I think Adrian Murray’s movie is a brilliant comedy.

Reviews

Triangle of Sadness

Triangle of Sadness pitches itself as a sophisticated comedy with “biting” satire about elitist attitudes during class wars.  However, the jabs made by writer/director Ruben Östlund are nothing more than the filmmaker taking swings at low-hanging fruit for a ridiculously long runtime;  intercut occasionally by tired attempts to be outrageous to offset an arthouse reputation.

Festival Coverage

TIFF 2022: ‘Triangle of Sadness’

Triangle of Sadness pitches itself as a sophisticated comedy with “biting” satire about elitist attitudes during class wars.  However, the jabs made by writer/director Ruben Östlund are nothing more than the filmmaker taking hackneyed swings at low-hanging fruit for a really, really long time.

Reviews

Funny Pages

As rude and unappealing Funny Pages can be, it’s a brutally honest and funny character study of a young artist who channels trauma and grief into his aspirations to be a successful cartoonist.  A true tale of an unlikely opportunist.

Reviews

I Love My Dad

At the root of a dark comedy is sadness.  Some examples may take more effort to trace back to that forlorn emotion, but the premise usually begins with an unfortunate circumstance and then carried beyond the point of comfort or absurdism;  ideally to create humour.  It’s all about finding amusing, and sometimes inappropriate, ways of interpreting that sadness.  And, I Love My Dad is successful most of the time.