Review by John Dugan When first watching the trailer for this film, I was worried that as an Irish film certain colloquialisms and phrases would be lost on me, an American viewer. I also think it’s important to acknowledge this, so that any readers can take that context into consideration. However, despite my unfamiliarity withContinue reading “Deadly Cuts”
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Rose Plays Julie
Review by Róisín Ní Riain Rose Plays Julie, the latest outing from writer-director duo Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, aims to disconcert. It goes about this mission from every angle. We glide from plot point to plot point with almost torturous slowness. Individual faces, figures lost in sterile space, and, in one scene, animal visceraContinue reading “Rose Plays Julie”
The Green Knight
Review by Katie McKenna I once heard a rule for watching films called ‘Shut Up It’s a Tuesday’, which tells you to ignore plot inconsistencies. A lot of the best films have them. If the story is engaging it doesn’t matter. No one ever hears Charles Foster Kane say “Rosebud”, but that’s ok. The filmContinue reading “The Green Knight”
The Many Saints of Newark
Review by James Mahon Fourteen years after the end of The Sopranos – arguably one of the best television shows of our time – comes a cinematic prequel, The Many Saints of Newark (Alan Taylor, 2021). The Sopranos as a series was defined by its piercing psychological examinations of its characters, its vivid mob lifeContinue reading “The Many Saints of Newark”
Annette
Review by Luke Bradley From minute one, thanks to an electrically-meta opening musical number (‘So May We Start?’) Annette (Leos Carax, 2021) has you hooked. Whether or not you’re along for the ride becomes clear quickly, but it’s nonetheless a testament to the film. Every sequence, every song is charged with a wildly unique blendContinue reading “Annette”
The Nest
Review by Mia Sherry “You’re just a poor kid pretending to be rich.” So spits Carrie Coon’s icy matriarch Allison to her husband Rory (Jude Law). Sean Durkin’s The Nest is summed up in so many words, but don’t let that put you off– the deliciously lavish story of dizzying wealth to bare-knuckled poverty isContinue reading “The Nest”
Censor
Review by James Mahon Embodying the chilling effects of Dario Argento’s horror subgenre ‘giallo’ thrillers and the voyeuristic sensibility of Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom (Michael Powell, 1960), Censor (Prano Bailey-Bond, 2021) is the feature length directorial debut of Prano Bailey-Bond. The film is a welcome addition to the cannon of inventive horror movies that not only depict gory violence but examineContinue reading “Censor”
The Boys from County Hell
By James Mahon Mixing horror with comedy has never been particularly well executed in the modern film industry. Although an appealing combination, most directors and writers don’t seem quite able to create the correct blend of fear and laughter, often resulting in a total absence of both. The trio of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost andContinue reading “The Boys from County Hell”
The Suicide Squad
By Cat Early Seemingly striving to distance itself as much as possible from its commercially and critically failed predecessor, The Suicide Squad (James Gunn, 2021) is a sequel that offers a more engaging storyline, greater attention to its characters, and tons of CGI gore. The film begins by reintroducing Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), a ruthlessContinue reading “The Suicide Squad”
Jungle Cruise
By James Mahon Action and adventure movies set in far-flung jungles and with Dwyane ‘The Rock’ Johnson as a cornerstone character seem to be increasingly popular with multi-generations of film audiences. Disney has certainly taken notice and is trying to replicate the success of Sony’s Jumanji franchise with Jungle Cruise (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2021), with allContinue reading “Jungle Cruise”
