With light-hearted seriousness, Away We Go romps us through a young couple’s search for life. Or, actually, their search is for a place to live, but of course there’s always a …more »»
Film Talks Tagged ‘Comedy’
Away We Go (2009)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — April 29, 2011
The love at the center of Away We Go is a beautiful thing to see, particularly because of how Burt & Verona tolerate each other, and it’s their relationship that reaches out and grabs me from the film. It makes me want all the more to be the kind of person who …more »»
Django Unchained (2012)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 29, 2012
Slavery was (and is) a horrible thing, and Django Unchained explores 1800s USA slavery with unblinking intensity, insightful juxtapositions, and indulgent relish. It’s this last bit that …more »»
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — September 9, 2012
With Moonrise Kingdom’s quirky, crazy story and demeanor, director Wes Anderson delivers an emotionally rich and wry exploration of relationships. Even better, …more »»
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — February 10, 2013
Seeing Moonrise Kingdom, I long for the simple, true, mature love that gets lost amidst the dysfunction in our own lives and in the world around us. But even before we get to that, the film is simply fun from open to close, and just …more »»
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 15, 2012
Off-beat, witty, and creatively dysfunctional, Silver Linings Playbook explores the craziness that underlies our lives. Whether it’s obsessive attachments or odd superstitions or poor social skills or …more »»
Smoke Signals (1998)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 7, 2009
Made by Indians about Indians (we can say “Indians” rather than “Native Americans” because they themselves say it that way in the film), Smoke Signals creatively mixes humor from multiple angles (about Indians, about reservations, about how others see Indians, about the history of Indian relations with the USA, etc.) with …more »»
Smoke Signals (1998)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 16, 2009
Watching Smoke Signals affected me in two distinct ways. The first comes from seeing Victor struggle with his father’s failings and offenses. Victor starts quite naturally with an external, …more »»
Smoke Signals (1998)
(Backstory)
by Randy Heffner — August 4, 2009
The most important part of the backstory for Smoke Signals is that it was written, produced, directed, and acted by Native Americans. This gives it a degree of credibility available to few other feature films concerning Indians. The basis for the screenplay …more »»
Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — October 19, 2010
Zany, crazy, tongue-in-cheek, just a bit over-the-top and, in its irony, light-heartedly insightful. Thoroughly Modern Millie is, all-in-all, fun — and a good example of …more »»
The Trip (2011)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 23, 2011
The Trip comes off like two guys taking a trip. Not an odyssey, a trip. A week long trip, different place each night, lots of talk — often laugh-out-loud talk — on the road and at dinner. Yet the film sets a context and contrast for much more to be subtly, …more »»
