Nothing Lasts Forever

Saturday Night Live, for all of the hours of comedy it has given Americans since the 1970's, has very little to show for itself beyond overdone sketches with one-note jokes belabored to death by rotating casts of "up and coming" comics who may or may not go on to have big careers. But one thing …

I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing

Patricia Rozema is not a household name, and she's made an odd smattering of films, including one for the American Girl series... and yet she's been a fiercely independent filmmaker in every sense of the word since the 1980's, the decade she first wrote, directed, edited, and produced her debut, I've Heard the Mermaids Singing. …

The Gods Must Be Crazy

The most successful South African film in history, Jamie Uys' The Gods Must Be Crazy is a lot of things- clever, ridiculous, offensive, insightful, funny- but most of all, its like no other film out there, which is the best reason to watch it. An idiosyncratic combination of anthropological documentary and old-fashioned slapstick comedy, Gods …

Comfort and Joy

Bill Forsyth is one of those quiet, under-the-radar filmmakers who somehow managed to carve out a career making quirky, underplayed, heartfelt comedies that don't really stand out in any obvious way, yet somehow manage to assert themselves as unique pieces of art all the same. Comfort and Joy is his follow-up to critical fave Local …

Zelig

Love him or hate him, Woody Allen is an undeniable part of American Cinema’s tapestry, having steadily cranked out one fascinating exploration into his neurotic psyche after another. Zelig is one of his best- a beautiful formalist experiment in the service of comedy, blending archival footage with Allen’s own footage to create a fictional account …

Panische Zeiten

Here's an exclusive by request from a German Movie Club fan- the crazy, zany 80's rock n' roll comedy adventure, Panische Zeiten! English speakers beware- this film has no subtitles, but don't let that deter you from enjoying this silly, but oddly satisfying flick. German rock star  Udo Lindenberg wrote, directed and starred in this …

Hoshikuzu Kyôdai No Densetsu (The Legend of the Stardust Brothers)

So, Osamu Tezuka is basically the godfather of modern manga, and arguably the greatest manga artists in history. I mean, his comics- from Astroboy to Buddha- are brilliant and influential. His storytelling techniques have been copied a million times over by pretty much everyone else, and he could pretty much do anything he wanted and …

Better off Dead

Savage Steve Holland's now-classic 80's comedy is certainly not a masterpiece of cinema, nor a forgotten, obscure movie in need of revival. And yet, thanks to the magic of our convoluted copyright laws and corporate greed, it's almost impossible for you to watch this movie right now, unless you happen to own an old VHS …

Local Hero

Local Hero It's almost impossible for me to picture the pitch session that got Bill Forsyth's underplayed gem made. An American goes to Scotland to negotiate a land deal for the oil company he works for... and that's pretty much it. But the film is so sweet, in such a simple, genuine, natural way, you …