Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Dear Old Dad – Fathers on Film

Fathers’ Day calls for recognition of fatherhood as it is portrayed in the cinema, and that is as varied as the number of film writers…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: A Murder, a Mystery & the “Who-Done-It” Game

What is it about murder mysteries that captures our imaginations, not just in cinema, but books, television – even the evening news? Is it the…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Adventure – "We’re Going to Need a Bigger Boat!"

It will probably happen one of two ways at some point in your life: you will search out adventure on your own, or, in some…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: The Complications of Friendship – the Buddy Film

Let’s start this installment with a question: who is more forgiving than a spouse, knows you more intimately than a sibling, is more protective than…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Man, Nature & Wonder in the Wild

Most of us take our survival – even our mere presence on the planet we share – for granted, rarely considering it. We have programmed…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Oh, Mother! Or, the Mommy Genre

Since it’s Mother’s Day I thought I would search out some memorable film mothers. You know, the sort of characters that warm our hearts and…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Genre of the Philosophical; aka: Mindf**k Cinema

I’m not prefacing this batch with “not my preferred genre”, that’s for certain. It is my “go-to” genre when I have an appetite for pure,…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Bursting into Song – The Musical

Yes, they can be cloying, unrealistic and just plain tacky, but if they are handled with some inventiveness and originality, musicals can be transporting. No…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Satire, or: Sticking It to the Man

This genre is comedy with a poisonous bite. Delivered with a lethal wink or a prominent middle finger, it’s the genre of storytelling that says, “I’m…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: All For Love – Romance on Film

 We all love to be in love. It can make the world go ’round or bring life’s routines to a screeching halt. We hunger during the chase,…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast : Coming-of-Age Films

It’s that bridge you cross when you leave innocence behind and learn to face the harsh and confusing realities of adulthood. It can be a…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Make 'em Laugh

Genre Blast: Make ‘em Laugh Comedy comes in all colours, but what I’m considering here is not dry humor, tongue-in-cheek, or satire. I’m talking gut-busting,…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: War is Hell

Sometimes the genre is used as patriotic propaganda, sometimes to the opposite effect. Conflict drives all drama and nothing compares to the giant canvas provided…

Continue Reading
Posted in Genre

Genre Blast: Dystopian & Post-Apocalyptic Movies

(This series is a challenge for all film nerds. I call out the film genre and five favorites, and then you tell me what I…

Continue Reading