The Comedian

Apr 10, 2020 — This week we’re reading Peter Wollen on Performance, Thomas Elsaesser on puzzle movies, David Bordwell on how movies work, and more.

Feb 7, 2018 — Last week, the SXSW Film Festival presented 132 features lined up for its 2018 edition running from March 9 through 18. Today, the festival announces that Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs will be this year’s Closing Night Film—and it’s added...

Jan 26, 2018 — “I’m glad that I wasn’t familiar with the work of comedian and YouTube star Bo Burnham before seeing his directorial debut Eighth Grade,” begins the Village Voice’s Bilge Ebiri, “because otherwise I’m not sure how I would have initially received...

Jan 22, 2018 — Casting director Kahleen Crawford and screenwriter Paul Laverty, both regular collaborators of Ken Loach’s, outline the unique casting process they’ve developed in lockstep with the director.

Aug 7, 2014 — Performances Today, the idea that comedian-actor-writer Lily Tomlin possesses dramatic versatility is so received that one might not realize how unexpected it was for audiences to see her in a serious role in Robert Altman’s Nashville in 1975. At that...

Jun 17, 2013 — The silent legend practices slapstick with clockwork precision in his most iconic, astonishing comedy.

Mar 26, 2013 — Charlie Chaplin manages to make a ruthless murderer likable in his brilliant satire of middle-class morality.

The actor, screenwriter, and comedian reminiscences about showing Shaun of the Dead to George A. Romero, shares the many reasons why he loves Quadrophenia, and praises the way David Lynch’s films lend themselves to interpretation.

The writer, actor, and comedian talks about Harlan County USA and how it captures the power of collective action, praises the incomparable beauty of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and shares how he was inspired by the complex portrayal of a...

The veteran New York comedian selects some of his favorite films, including a handful that capture his hometown through the decades.