Darren

348. Halloween (1978) – All-o’-Ween (#—)

Posted on October 7, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney and Joey Keogh, this week with special guest Doctor Bernice Murphy, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This year, we are running a season looking at the films in the Halloween franchise. So this week, John Carpenter’s Halloween.

In October 1963, the small town of Haddenfield is shocked by the brutal murder of young Judith Myers. The culprit? Her younger brother Michael. Committed to a psychiatric institution under the care of Doctor Samuel Loomis, Michael escapes fifteen years later to continue his reign of terror. This time, he has got young babysitter Laurie Strode in his sights.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: american cinema, bernice murphy, debra hill, doctor bernice murphy, donald pleasance, halloween, horro, iconic, importance, influence, irwin yablans, Jamie Lee Curtis, joey keogh, John Carpenter, laurie strode, loomis, michael myers, moustapha akkad, podcast, slasher, The 250 | Leave a comment »

347. On the Waterfront – Leaving Cert 2023 (#187)

Posted on September 30, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney and Conor Murphy, this week with special guest Donald Clarke, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This September, we are running a season looking at the films on the Irish Leaving Cert English Curriculum. So this week, Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront.

A down-on-his-luck former prizefighter, Terry Malloy finds himself doing oddjobs for the local union boss Johnny Friendly. When one of these jobs ends with dock worker Joey Doyle thrown to his death before he was due to testify to corruption within the union, Terry begins to question and doubt his involvement. A burgeoning romance with Joey’s sister Edie gradually awakens Terry’s conscience, throwing him into conflict with everything that he has ever known.

At time of recording, it was ranked 187th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: america, blacklist, Cold War, communism, conor murphy, donald clarke, education, elia kazan, english, history, huac, leaving cert, leaving certificate, leonard bernstein, marlon brando, on the waterfront, Russia | Leave a comment »

346. Mustang – Leaving Cert 2023 (#—)

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney and Conor Murphy, this week with special guest Natasha Waugh, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This September, we are running a season looking at the films on the Irish Leaving Cert English Curriculum. So this week, Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s Mustang.

In a remote Turkish village along the Black Sea, five young sisters find themselves locked inside the family house. Destined to be married off one-at-a-time, the five girls struggle to hold on to their humanity and their spirit in the face of soul-crushing oppression. Can they escape this captivity and can they emerge with their selves truly intact?

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: authenticity, awards, conor murphy, conservatism, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, feminism, foreign film, islam, Misogyny, mustang, natasha waugh, Oscars, religion, trigger warnings, Turkey | Leave a comment »

345. Diego Maradona – Leaving Cert 2023 (#—)

Posted on September 16, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney and Conor Murphy, this week with special guest Ross Whitaker, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This September, we are running a season looking at the films on the Irish Leaving Cert English Curriculum. So this week, Asif Kapadia’s Diego Maradona.

In 1984, Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona transfers from F.C. Barcelona to S.S.C. Napoli. Less than a decade later, he will leave the club and the city under a cloud of controversy. In those intervening years, Maradona is everything: hero, villain, saviour, devil, man, legend. Is it possible to make sense of all the contradictions that bind the legendary footballer together?

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: conor murphy, Diego Maradona, documentary, documentary filmmaking, education, english curriculum, football, leaving cert, leaving cert english, leaving certificate, ross whitaker, Sports | Leave a comment »

344. Lady Bird – Leaving Cert 2023 (#—)

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney and Conor Murphy, this week with special guest Aoife Barry, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This September, we are running a season looking at the films on the Irish Leaving Cert English Curriculum. So this week, Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird.

Going by the name “Lady Bird”, Christine McPherson begins her final year of high school in Sacramento, California. Caught in a tense love-hate relationship with her mother, Marion, Christine dreams of escaping her surroundings to go to college. However, over the course of that turbulent year, Christine becomes more aware of life outside herself.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: barbie, California, coming of age, education, Greta Gerwig, history, irish, lady bird, leaving cert, leaving cert english, leaving certificate, memory, nostalgia, sacramento, saoirse ronan, secondary school, The 250 | Leave a comment »

343. Rosie – Leaving Cert 2023 (#—)

Posted on September 3, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney and Conor Murphy, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This September, we are kicking off a season looking at the films on the Irish Leaving Cert English Curriculum. So this week, Paddy Breathnach’s Rosie.

Over the course of two days, an Irish family struggles to survive amid the nation’s ongoing homeless crisis. With the help of her husband John Paul, Rosie desperately tries to hold her family together as the situation grows increasingly dire.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: curriculum, education, exam, film, homelessness, Ireland, irish cinema, leaving cert, leaving cert english, leaving certificate, moe dunford, paddy breathnach, podcast, Roddy Doyle, rosie, Sarah Greene, School, teaching, The 250 | Leave a comment »

329. Seed of Chucky (#—)

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney and Charlene Lydon, this week with special guest Jason Coyle, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.

This week, Don Mancini’s Seed of Chucky.

Glen, the child of demonic dolls Chucky and Tiffani, has a crisis of identity. Seeking to discover their own past, the doll longs to connect with their long lost parents. Discovering that there is a feature film adaptation of the classic doll story in the works, Glen sets out to Hollywood. What follows is a surreal family drama and a journey of self-discovery, in which a trio of killer dolls cross paths with Oscar-nominee Jennifer Tilly as they set out to paint Tinseltown red.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: Brad Dourif, charlene lydon, chucky, comedy, don mancini, gay, glen, glen or glenda, glenda, horror, jason coyle, jennifer tilly, john waters, queer, Redman, seed of chucky, transgender | Leave a comment »

342. 12 Years a Slave (#182)

Posted on August 19, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guest Lee Murkey, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

So this week, Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave.

In 1841 New York, Solomon Northup is a free man. While his wife and family are away, Solomon earns his way as a travelling musician. However, two conmen take advantage of his trust, drugging him and selling him into slavery. Transported to Louisiana, Solomon finds himself stripped of all the rights and comforts afforded a human being. Through twelve years of brutality, horror and violence, Solomon struggles not only to survive, but to live – and to hold on to some vestige of his humanity in the process.

At time of recording, it was ranked 182nd on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: 12 Years a Slave, academy awards, america, Barack Obama, chiwetel ejiofor, donald trump, history, John Ridley, lee murkey, lupita nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, podcast, racism, Slavery | Leave a comment »

328. Bride of Chucky (#—)

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Darren Mooney and Charlene Lydon, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every second Saturday at 6pm GMT, with the occasional bonus episode between them.

This week, Ronny Yu’s Bride of Chucky.

Liberating the remains of the nefarious killer doll known as “Chucky” from a police evidence locker, Tiffany Valentine longs to be reunited with her former lover: the infamous serial killer Charles Lee Ray. However, the reunited couple quickly discover that their relationship was never perfect. In spite, Chucky traps Tiffany inside her own doll body, and the embark on a road trip across the United States in the hopes of reuniting the killer doll with his corporeal body.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: Brad Dourif, bride of chucky, child's play, chucky, don mancini, film, horror, jennifer tilly, joey keogh, katherine heigl, Movie, podcast, postmodern, puppets, ronny yu, self-aware, slasher, The 250 | Leave a comment »

340. Oppenheimer (#59)

Posted on July 22, 2023 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every Saturday at 6pm GMT.

This time, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer brought quantum physics to the United States. However, as the Second World War rages, the scientist finds himself drafted on to the Manhattan Project, and set a single all-consuming task: the creation of an atomic bomb. Oppenheimer throws himself into his work, but can even the best scientific mind of his generation be fully prepared for the consequences of this revelation.

At time of release, it was ranked 59th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.