Items20The creator’s order
  1. 1The Palm Beach Story (1942)The Palm Beach Story (1942) 7.5/10 on IMDbReleased 28 Aug 1942Preston Sturges makes a separation scheme produce a gloriously unstable argument about money, marriage and opportunity. Claudette Colbert's practical wit keeps the enormous coincidences buoyant. A classic-film discovery for viewers who know the more frequently revived screwballs, with social logic…0
  2. 2A New Leaf (1971)A New Leaf (1971) 7.3/10 on IMDbReleased 11 Mar 1971Elaine May makes a fortune-hunting marriage plan depend on a man discovering how little he understands about his intended victim. Walter Matthau's fastidious disgust and May's distracted curiosity create a beautifully awkward pairing. A sharply distinctive black romantic comedy, with a murderous…0
  3. 3The Heartbreak Kid (1972)The Heartbreak Kid (1972) 7.0/10 on IMDbReleased 17 Dec 1972Charles Grodin lets a newly married man's selfish reinvention unfold with horrifying confidence. Elaine May holds embarrassing exchanges long enough for the audience to see what he refuses to acknowledge. Choose this 1972 original, not the later remake, for an exceptionally uncomfortable comedy…0
  4. 4Local Hero (1983)Local Hero (1983) 7.3/10 on IMDbReleased 17 Feb 1983A business trip to a Scottish coastal village slowly changes the visiting negotiator's sense of what counts as a successful life. Bill Forsyth lets eccentric details and pauses do the comic work. A warm, unhurried discovery with a melancholy aftertaste, ideal when abrasive satire or a loud gag…0
  5. 5After Hours (1985)After Hours (1985) 7.6/10 on IMDbReleased 13 Sept 1985A man's attempt to have an interesting night becomes an increasingly impossible effort to get home. Martin Scorsese gives every encounter a precise rhythm of hope and humiliation. A cult favourite worth discovering beyond his crime canon, with mounting anxiety, sexual unease and occasional cruelty…0
  6. 6Top Secret! (1984)Top Secret! (1984) 7.2/10 on IMDbReleased 22 Jun 1984An espionage-and-music framework gives the makers of Airplane! room for surreal visual jokes that often reward a second look. The performances stay straight while the screen's logic goes delightfully wrong. A useful discovery for viewers who enjoy prop jokes and background business, with broad…0
  7. 7Waiting for Guffman (1997)Waiting for Guffman (1997) 7.4/10 on IMDbReleased 31 Jan 1997A small-town theatrical production becomes a study in the gap between private ambition and available talent. Christopher Guest's ensemble lets each person preserve a little dignity even while the documentary form exposes the delusion. A rewarding mockumentary discovery if Spinal Tap appeals, with…0
  8. 8Best in Show (2000)Best in Show (2000) 7.5/10 on IMDbReleased 29 Sept 2000A dog competition gives incompatible owners a reason to explain themselves with disastrous confidence. Guest's ensemble makes tiny choices of voice and posture reveal whole social worlds. A well-loved specialist favourite rather than an unknown film, recommended for viewers who missed its patient,…0
  9. 9Four Lions (2010)Four Lions (2010) 7.3/10 on IMDbReleased 7 May 2010Chris Morris finds farce in a group of British would-be terrorists whose certainty far exceeds their competence. The jokes are precise enough to expose both ideology and ordinary peer pressure. A powerful discovery for viewers ready for very dark satire, with suicide bombing and sudden deaths…0
  10. 10The Guard (2011)The Guard (2011) 7.3/10 on IMDbReleased 7 Jul 2011Brendan Gleeson's provocative local policeman keeps making an apparently routine partnership uncomfortable for Don Cheadle's visiting FBI agent. John Michael McDonagh gives the verbal sparring a strong comic rhythm. A compact Irish crime comedy with real affection under the abrasion, although…0