“How to Succeed,” released 55 years ago, set a template for a comic sub-genre that Mike Judge revisited decades later.
Read more
Jack Hill’s iconic Pam Grier vehicle (now streaming on Amazon Prime) remains one of the most shamelessly entertaining movies of the “blaxpoitation” era.
Read more
As we close in on the Academy Awards, a look at how Miramax’s relentless campaigning turned a light romantic comedy into an Oscar spoiler.
Read more
With a heart-wrenching Olympics behind us, it’s a fine time to look back at Michael Ritchie’s story of the pitfalls of winter sports.
Read more
In 1967, star John Wayne, director Howard Hawks, and screenwriter Leigh Brackett reteamed for a follow-up (and none-too-subtle remake) of their hit “Rio Bravo.” Here’s what happened next.
Read more
The 2011 spy drama isn’t exactly romantic, but it makes a potent post-Valentines Day elixir.
Read more
It may not be a conventional Valentine’s Day pick, but it’s the most romantic movie Clint Eastwood made until his journey to Madison County.
Read more
Sally Potter’s follow-up to “Orlando” was a self-aware meta-romance, with much to say about art, life, love and dance.
Read more
There’s an element of fantasy to countless rom-coms, but Joan Micklin Silver’s marvelous 1988 sleeper is grounded in genuine interpersonal and cultural conflict.
Read more
When RKO created their first solo vehicle for Fred Astaire, they brought out the big guns: songs by the Gershwins, script by P.G. Wodehouse, direction by George Stevens, and (best of all) comedy by George Burns and Gracie Allen.
Read more
With Valentine’s Day approaching, we look at a very particular subset of the romantic comedy: the stories of robots and the women they love.
Read more
With Kenneth Branagh’s new adaptation out this week, we look back at the star-studded 1978 take on Agatha Christie’s classic – and the landmines of adapting her work overall.
Read more