Some directors have such a distinctive style that we should name a subgenre after them. As with the subgenres known as ‘Wes Anderson films’ or ‘Woody Allen pictures,’ I can (almost) always tell when I’m watching a Lasse Hallström film. Hallström is the director of over 30 films, whose name may not be familiar, but whose films are: Chocolat, Safe Haven, The Cider House Rules, Salmon Fishing in Yemen, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, and my favorite of the lot, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Most viewers probably would be surprised to know a Swedish man made them, all of them feeling quite American and nothing at all like, say, a Bergman film Read more