Has there been any movie genre more maligned recently than the studio comedy? Back in the day, movies with Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and others were guaranteed to open to enormous business. They would stick around for quite a while and, if you didn’t like the looks of a particular one, no big […]

Work parties are awful. We all know that. But holiday work parties occupy a very specific place within one of the nine circles of Hell. What level would you find mandatory office mixers on, I wonder? Gluttony? Lust? Heresy? All of the above? I know a little something about this. Since I work from home, […]

Imagine you’re at a mid-level chain restaurant. You’re with your significant other, it’s a Friday night, and all day, you’ve had to deal with nonsense and babbling idiots. All you want is to relax and have a decent meal with no nasty surprises, or surprises of any kind. That’s why the Olive Gardens, T.G.I. Fridays and […]

Joel Edgerton’s directorial debut, The Gift, isn’t just a Yuppies In Peril movie.* Not precisely. It’s got a number of the genre hallmarks. Conspicuous consumerism. A seemingly happy couple with secrets. A ridiculously cute pet that has caught the eye of a lunatic. But The Gift is something special. Not only is it a tightly plotted and well directed […]