Film Review: One Million Dubliners

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art, Daniel O'Connell, de Velera, Director Aoife Kelleher, Dubliners, Film Review, film reviews, Films, Galway Film Fleadh, Glasnevin Cemetery, Michael Collins, Parnell

Named the “Best Irish Feature Documentary” at Galway Film Fleadh back in July One Million Dubliners finally hits cinemas this month.
The documentary tells the story of Glasnevin Cemetery (officially Prospect Cemetery) and the 1.5 million people that are buried there. And since there are more bodies in the ground at Glasnevin Cemetery than people living in the whole of Dublin almost everyone has a friend or relative buried next to some of Irelands most historic figures.
Director Aoife Kelleher intertwines personnel stories with historic facts and creates a unique insight into a world only few of us truly know. And instead of being morbid or depressing the film is funny, interesting, sometimes a little sad but always entertaining.
“To bury people of all religions and none” was Daniel O’Connell’s mission when he established Glasnevin cemetery in 1828 and this is still very much at the heart of the trust today. This means that loyalists and revolutionaries lie side by side, WWI and WWII soldiers lie next to de Velera, Parnell and Collins.
But One Million Dubliners doesn’t just look at the past and Kelleher lets staff and visitors alike share their thoughts on life and death and why Glasnevin plays such an important role in their lives.  Florists, gardeners, historians, tour guides, mourners, and grave diggers all get their say, and even a mysterious French woman, who lays roses on Michael Collins grave, talks about her ongoing love affair with a dead man.
Kelleher uses these different narrative strands to link the past with the present and the future. One of the main narrators is tour guide and resident historian Shane MacThomáis and the camera follows him as he brings groups around the cemetery, enthrals them with tales and historic facts. But MacThomáis  also speaks directly  to  the camera and talks about his father, who was also a tour guide, and about his own connection with the cemetery.  He explains how his father used to tell him that a great tour needs four things to capture it’s audience: tell them something they know, something they didn’t know, something to make them laugh and something to make them cry.
This is the formula that Kelleher also seems to be following as she not only enchants her audience with beautifully shoot images of Glasnevin Cemetery but lets them rediscover what they have seen before, learn what they have never known, laugh at the oddities and cry at the unexpected.

Film Review – The Giver

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Alexander Skarsgård, Brenton Thwaites, director Philip Noyce, Divergent, dystopia, film reviews, Jeff Bridges, Katie Holmes, Logan’s Run, Lois Lowry’s, Meryl Streep, movies, Odeya Rush, reviews, screenwriters Michael Mitnick and Robert B. Weid, Taylor Swift, The Giver, The Hunger Games, young adult fiction

Based on Lois Lowry’s 1993 novel The Giver shows the darker side to young adult fiction and a dysfunctional dystopia.

The idea is similar to Logan’s Run, Divergent or even distantly to The Hunger Games, however less action packed.

Set in a colourless world that has eliminated all emotions, Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) is selected to be the new ‘Receiver of Memory”. Since no one can remember the past and no one is able to feel pain, anger, desire, joy and love one citizen in this bland utopia is chosen to feel and remember.

The Chief Elder (Meryl Streep in a wig) hints at a tragedy that accord to the last receiver, but one talks about it, even remembers properly. So when Jonas meets is mentor, The Giver (a craggy Jeff Bridges) he tries to find out what the secret is.

But unable to share what he is experiencing when the Giver shares his knowledge and allows emotions to erupt, Jonas soon finds life hard in the community, especially when he is at home, which they call dwellings. His dutiful but distant parents (Katie Holmes and Alexander Skarsgard) notice the changes and are concerned.

Luckily his best friend and love-interest Fiona (Odeya Rush) is more open to the idea of something new, but she is afraid of the strictly monitoring Chief Elder.

As the plot moves on and colour is infused into the scenes it becomes obvious that The Giver never quite grips it’s audience and just muddles along, a little like the community it is criticizing.

And while director Philip Noyce and screenwriters Michael Mitnick and Robert B. Weide have stayed close to the original story, it doesn’t translate to screen well, especially the bombardment of images at the seems like trying to hard.

Overall the strong cast just isn’t enough to turn The Giver from a bland tale of an unhappy future into a vivid story you can emotionally attach to. And even though newcomers Thwaites and Rush do try their very best, and receive good support from Taylor Swift, in a thankless walk-on role, they are just not convincing as 16year olds.

So if you want an action packed dystopia with a strong story and convincing actors maybe wit for The Hunger Games later this year.

Film review – A Walk Among the Tombstones

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A Walk Among the Tombstones, Adam David Thompson, Boyd Holbrook, Brain “Astro” Bradley, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, film reviews, Films, Liam Neeson, Matthew Scudder, movies, reviews, Scott Frank, Sebastian Roche, Writer/director Scott Frank

Since the late seventies private eye Matthew Scudder has been a big star of the crime novel scene, now, finally, Lawrence Block’s creation has been brought to life by writer/director Scott Frank.

Based on the Block’s tenth novel A Walk Among the Tombstones has a classic film noir feel to it, a distinct touch of retro and good old-fashioned story telling.

The opening scene, set in the early nineties, gives us the back-story: Matthew Scudder (Liam Neeson) is an alcoholic NYC cop who drunkenly stumbles into a shootout that goes terribly awry. Cut to 1999 and Scudder is now an unlicensed private eye who goes to AA meetings and does ‘favours’ in exchange for ‘gifts’.

When drug addict Peter (Boyd Holbrook) convinces Scudder to meet his drug-dealer brother Kenny (Dan Stevens), the private eye is reluctantly caught up in a serial killer case.

While investigating Kenny’s wife’s kidnapping Scudder discovers a trail that eventually leads to a pair of murdering sociopaths (David Harbour, Adam David Thompson). But he also finds an unlikely helper and friend in the homeless black teenager TJ (Brain “Astro” Bradley).

Things cone to a head when the killers kidnap a new victim, the young daughter of Russian drug dealer Yuri (Sebastian Roche) and Scudder takes over the negotiations ending in a very bloody scene in a basement.

A Walk Among the Tombstones is another notch in Liam Neeson’s ever growing action movie collection and in more than one scene you can’t help but feel you’ve seen it all before in Taken. But his performance is strong and is sure to pull in the fans.

Writer/director Scott Frank obviously knows what he is doing and creates a dark atmosphere, holds the suspense and even there are a few long “bit” in the middle he succeeds in tying it all together in the end.

Setting the film in 1999 gives it a nice touch but unnecessary subplots like TJ’s sickle-cell anaemia distract from the main story and slow the tempo down to much.

Overall A Walk Among the Tombstones is a beautifully shot film noir with a strong story, a solid leading man and creepy bad guys. And since there are sixteen other novels this could be a launch of a series for Neeson to apply his special set of skill in.

Film Review: Sex Tape

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Cameron Diaz, director Jake Kasdan, film reviews, Films, Jason Segel, movies, Rob Lowe, Sex Tape, slapstick comedy

For his latest slapstick comedy, Sex Tape, multi-talented Jason Segel has not only teamed up with director Jake Kasdan again, but with co-star Cameron Diaz, too. However this time around the story is more about the “what happens next” phase of romance.

Settled as a married couple with two kids, living and working in the suburbs , Annie (Cameron Diaz) and Jay (Jason Segel) seem to have the perfect life. But ten years of marriage have diminished the passion and they just can’t seem to find the time or energy to have sex.

When Annie’s blog lands a fantastic sponsoring deal she takes matters into her own hand, gets her mum to babysit and tries to seduce Jay on roller-skates. But things don’t go as planned and after several failed attempts to awaken their libido Annie comes up with the glorious idea, much to her husbands delight, of making a sex tape.

However since Jay has the curious (and very generous) habit of gifting his used iPads to friends, family, the mail man and even Annie’s boss Hank (Rob Lowe) , the home made sex tape gets uploaded to the cloud, available for all to view. And after an anonymous text alerts Jay to his faux pas a whirlwind adventure ensues.

Sex Tape is your typical slapstick comedy, very much in the vein of Segel’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall, just with a lot more naked bums. The adolescent humor and thinly veiled double entendres do make for some entertaining viewing but overall are just too predictable. Sex Tape is a mix of everything that has come before, a little bit of Meet the Fookers, a splash of “Father of the Bride, a hint of Bad Teacher and some Marshall from How I met your Mother.

Segel does what he always does, dopey looks, silly quips, and he obviously relishes showing of his behind. And the chemistry between him and Diaz, like in Bad Teacher, just isn’t there. Both leads seem to be too occupied with themselves to actually act with each other. And Diaz , as always, tries to hard at playing the hottie hat she forgets her age. However her body does looks great and she shows off a lot of it.

Over all Sex Tape is a lighthearted comedy peppered with a lot of nudity. Nothing to taxing and some scenes are quite funny, if over the top. But maybe, to paraphrase Annie and Ray, you’ll f***ing love it.

 

Film Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

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Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, director Matt Reeves, Film Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, film reviews, Gary Oldman, Jason Clark, Keri Russel, Kirk Acevedo, Matt Reeves, movie reviews, Planets of the Apes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the Planet of the Apes, Toby Kebbell

This latest film in the Planets of the Apes franchise picks up about a decade after the 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The world’s population has been decimated by the “simian flu”, a virus that spread from a laboratory all over the world. Now only a few survivors, conveniently genetically immune to the virus, are trying to beat extinction by banding together in once thriving metropolis.

In one of these hubs, former San Francisco, Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) is trying to keep the moral up by planning to get electricity back. An old nearby dam is just what they need, so a scouting team, led by good guy Malcolm (Jason Clark) is sent out into the nearby woodlands to check it out.

As they hike up an old trail they stumble upon an ape colony, not unlike what you’d expect from early human settlers, led by Caesar (Andy Serkis). Caesar, whose IQ was chemically increased in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is now a husband, father and the leader of his fellow enhanced primates.

However the simple dream that humans and apes can live peacefully side-by-side is soon destroyed when the trigger-happy Carver (Kirk Acevedo) messes up and Caesers right-hand ape Koba (Toby Kebbell) comes up with his own plan in a bid for power.

Soon a fight for survival ensues, with good and bad battling it out. And since we all know about the Charlton Heston movies ape-topia isn’t that far away.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes doesn’t have much story to tell but does depict an interesting inside view into what a fictional, intelligent ape community might look like. In particularly the opening group hunting scene is very well done.

However the need for 3D is questionable, as director Matt Reeves never really makes use of it and the film is perfectly fine without. This isn’t really surprising considering Cloverfield is the only action movie he has directed so far.

What does strike as a little odd is that this summer blockbuster doesn’t really have many big name actors to support the marketing. Clark is know for his supporting roles, and is more often than not forgettable. His love interest Elli is played by Keri Russell, also more of a B-list celebrity. Only Oldman and Serkis are big names but with all the CGI you can’t help but think it’s more the computer acting than Serkis and Oldman only has limited screen time.

Over all Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a big spectacle with very little substance. But it is a prequel to a well-known story and that does limit how far and in what direction the story can go. However if you enjoy ape on man combat an, some clever visuals and lots of apes screaming buy some popcorn and enjoy watching the end of humanity as we know it.

 

 

Film Review: Captain Phillips

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Captain Phillips, director Paul Greengrass, entertainment, Film Review: Captain Phillips, film reviews, movies, oscars, Paul Greengrass, Phillips, Somali pirates, Tom Hanks

Director Paul Greengrass is back and at his very best with his latest film Captain Phillips. Like in Green Zone his focuses on the emotional turmoil his main characters go through, creating a very personal insight into an action driven story.  Based on the book A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea, written by Captain Richard Philips himself, Greengrass’ s film is exciting to watch, a little claustrophobic but always spellbinding.

When Captain Richard ‘Rich’ Phillips  (Tom Hanks) packs his bag to leave his Vermont home to catch a flight to the Middle East, there already is a sense of foreboding.  Once he boards his ship, the massive container ship Maersk Alabama, and leaves Oman bound for Mombasa the unsettling feeling only increases.

It is obvious to all that Captain Phillips wants to get the trip over with as quickly as possible and as soon as they enter the notoriously dangerous waters off the coast of Somalia all his fears are confirmed when two small fishing-boats take up pursuit of the Alabama.

It seems impossible that four armed pirates on a tiny metal boat could ever board and hijack such a massive giant as the Alabama but the do, forcing most off the crew into hiding. As the pirates prowl the ship, Captain Phillips, as the pirates hostage-guide, trying to find the crew-members an intense game of cat-and-mouse ensues.

Of course things go horribly wrong and Captain Phillips finds himself trapped inside a tiny lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with his brutal kidnappers growing more and more unpredictable and restless by the minute.

Captain Phillips lives from both Greengrass’s ever-present camera and Tom Hank’s brilliant performance.  This is Hank’s strongest performance in years and reminds the viewer of his skill. In Captain Phillips Hank plays to his strengths, the everyman who gets caught up in a situation beyond his control. But it is his raw emotions and obvious vulnerability that pulls you in, and his sheer physical reactions in the final scene of the film is reason enough for an Oscar nomination.

And while it is obvious that Hanks is the star of the film the four Somali pirates aren’t just flat characters but each has a story of their own to tell.  All four of them are fishermen, living on the poverty line, for them piracy is a business not a political act.

Captain Phillips keeps all the promises the previews and media fanfare make and is worth every penny for a ticket. And with a lot of rainy days ahead of us  a perfect film to watch.

Film Review: The Irish Pub

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Alex Fegan, documentary, Dublin, entertainment, film review: The Irish Pub, film reviews, Films, Ireland, Irish heritage, Irish Pub, pubs, The Irish Pub

All around the world Ireland is famous for it’s pubs and for many the reason to visit the Emerald Isle.  They want to sit around a turf fire and listen to traditional music, have a pint of the black stuff and remember a time gone by.

Sadly these kinds of pubs are slowly disappearing and that was the reason why filmmaker Alex Fegan thought it was time to document them before they become another part of lost Irish heritage.

Travelling all around Ireland Fegan met third generation pub owners and lets them tell their stories, no script and no need for one. The Irish Pub is a joyful and melancholic love letter to publican houses all over Ireland.

What may surprise is that no matter where in Ireland a pub may be, they all have a lot in common. They seem to favour an eclectic collection of bits and bobs as decoration, never letting anything go, documenting time in the shape of a wellington-boot hanging from the ceiling, old portrait photos nailed to the walls and pots, pans, mole traps and other contraptions lining the selves.  The owners see their pubs as an extension of their living-room, their paying costumers as part of the family, their jobs as a service to the community.

Fegan has found some interestingly wonderful and quirky characters who talk about their points of view, creating a very Irish and authentic charm to this unique documentary.

And while everything is filmed within the pubs the storytelling is never really about drink. It is about chatting to friends, community life, the importance of having a place to go to and life in general.

The Irish Pub may at times be little bit twee, but as the publicans and local are constantly telling a new story, singing a song or serving a pint, the moment never last long and it never becomes boring.

So if you enjoy a few jars, a little bit of craic and a great story The Irish Pub truly does deliver, a beautiful film that celebrates Irish life at its very best.

Film review: R.I.P.D

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director Robert Schwentke, entertainment, film, Film review: R.I.P.D, film reviews, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker, movies, Ryan Reynolds

It’s hard to know where to start on the mess of a film that is R.I.P.D. It should be could fun as it is a buddy-cop movie mixed in with zombies and lots of CGI but it really isn’t.

Nick (Ryan Reynolds) is a cop in Philadelphia, one who likes to keep some of the loot for himself. But since he is a good guy at heart he decides to change his way and hand in the gold the stashed away. However his partner Bobby Hayes (Kevin Bacon) isn’t too happy about this development and kills him.

Finding himself in some sort or heavenly police department, the R. I P.D (Rest in Peace Department) sitting opposite agent Proctor (Mary-Louise Parker), Nick soon discovers a whole new reality.

Partnered up with old time wild-west Marshall Roysephus Pulsipher , big Roy(Jeff Bridges) Nick is sent back to Philly to track down and bring back ‘deados’, dead people who somehow stayed on earth and turned into evil demons packaged in human shells.

This leads to CGI chases around Philadelphia, massive cartoon like undead running riot and a show down with a massive portal threatening to end the world.

R.I.P.D is tries to be a bit like Men in Black or Ghostbusters, but it really isn’t. There is nothing new; the plot is weak and very predictable, the CGI is a little rough and the there is no real excitement.

Reynolds is the same character he always is, no matter if it’s his take on the Green Lantern or Wade Wilson in X-Men Origins : Wolverine he just furrows his brow and spouts a few one-liners.

Bridges on the other hand seems to have cornered the “old coot” market and his version of Big Roy is no different from his characters in Men who stare at Goats, Crazy Heart and True Grit.  The only difference is this time he is dead but his mumbling tobacco chewing intonations are no less annoying.

Bacon has perfected his sleazy bad-guy routine and offers really no surprises as Bobby Hayes. Parker is kind of cute as Proctor but can’t really offer any real support.

Whatever director Robert Schwentke was thinking when he made R.I.P.D, a big budget film, is anyone’s guess. So if you are looking to have some fun there are lots of better ways to spend 96min of your life

Film Review: The Call

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Abigail Breslin, director Brad Anderson, entertainment, Film Review: The Call, film reviews, Films, Halle Berry, Michael Eklund, movies, The Call

Phone operator Jordan (Halle Berry) works in the busy 911 emergency call center in Los Angeles. Everyday she sits, listens and helps those in distress, always cool and methodical as she was trained to be.

However when she answers the call from a young girl whose home is being invaded everything changes. Always the professional Jordan tries to calm the girl down but suddenly the perpetrator is on the other end telling her: “It’s already done.”

This sentence haunts Jordan and when a few days later the body of the young girl is found she swaps her headset for a clipboard and teaches new applicants how to do her old job. While on the floor of ‘the hive’ as the bustling call-center is dubbed a call comes in from Casey (Abigail Breslin) and a breathtaking journey begins.

Casey is calling from the boot of a moving car, confused, crying and very scared. With the help of Jordan she manages to create a trail and the search is on. Her abductor Michael (Michael Eklund) is at first quite unaware of what is happening behind his back but as soon as he finds out his rage takes over.

The Call is a fast-paced movie filled with suspense. And even though a lot of it is filmed inside the boot of a car it doesn’t feel overly claustrophobic. Both Breslin and Berry manage to be believable, Breslin obviously filled with terror and Berry desperate to help. However it does seem odd when Jordan leaves her desk and turns into the hero who saves the day.  Eklund is brilliant in his sweaty lunacy, menacing, furious and utterly deluded.

However The Call does have its weaknesses. The prologue to the story is a little long, which is odd as the film is only 94 minutes long. But director Brad Anderson seems to want to set the scene and create too much of an unnecessary back-story. And although the ending may be surprising and somewhat satisfying for some it makes little sense to find Jordan as the one who takes action.

Overall The Call is much better than it may first appear, even if the plot does have a few weaknesses.  It is a film that is carried by strong actors, a lot of suspense and great filming, a thriller in every sense of the words.

Film review: White House Down

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2012 and Independence Day, Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Die Hard, director Roland Emmerich, entertainment, film reviews, Films, Jamie Foxx, Joey King, John McClane, Maggie Gyllenhall, movies, reviews, Roland Emmerich, The Day after Tomorrow, White House Down

After The Day after Tomorrow, 2012 and Independence Day director Roland Emmerich has now decided it’s time to blow up the White House from within. No natural disasters or aliens needed, this time a handful of terrorists and a few corrupt politicians is all it takes. But of course there is a hero to hand to save the day.

John Cale (Channing Tatum) calls in a few favours and interviews for a job as secret service agent. Unlucky for him agent Finnerty (Maggie Gyllenhall) is not only sceptical of his abilities but knows him from his not so dashing past. Trying to not disappoint more women in his life Cale takes his angry teenage daughter Emily (Joey King) on a tour of the White House and of course politics obsessed Emily bumps into the Presidant (Jamie Foxx).

As luck would have it terrorist decided it’s the perfect day for a White House takeover and bring it down. But working class hero John won’t let this stop him from finding his daughter, who got lost in the ensuing chaos, and makes his way through gun-fire and falling debris only to find the Commander in Chief in need of a rescue. From then onwards John has a two-fold mission, find his daughter and save the President.

Like most “here-to save-the-day-movies” the character of John Cale is a close copy of Bruce Willis John McClane in Die Hard, only missing a few letters to his name and wearing the obligatory sweat stained tank top. But Tatum does a good job, not only does the shirt fit his physique beautifully, his charm and good delivery of one liners give White House Down a certain amount of flair and fun, not unlike the Die Hard series.

And it seems that America is in need of a new hero, making Tatums timing perfect, after all the ususual suspects are all getting a little too old : Bruce Willis is 55, Brad Pitt 49 and Will Smith 44.  But while Tatum is the obvious star of White House Down, Foxx is a little too predictable and bland but does have some good lines. King on the other hand often steals the limelight and is one to watch in the future. And Gyhllenhall does what she always does, is pretty, a little quirky but really just the female on the sidelines.

So while White House Down doesn’t really do anything new and tells a story already told it is well written with maybe a few too many outrageous twists. The special effects are believable, but it is Tatum who upstages everything with his good looks, on screen charm and athletic bravado.

So if you like Die Hard and a bit of a on screen demolition White House Down is definitely one to watch.