donald clarke | the m0vie blog

254. All About Eve (#134)

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, with special guests Donald Clarke and John Maguire, 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, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve.

Late one evening, after a performance of Aged in Wood, Karen Richards find young Eve Harrington waiting outside the stage door. Taking pity on the young girl, Karen invites Eve backstage to meet her idol, the actor Margo Channing. Even very quickly insinuates herself into Margo’s life and it becomes clear that the young woman has ambitions that extend beyond mere fandom.

At time of recording, it was ranked 134th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: acting, all about eve, betty davies, celebrity, cinema, Citizen Kane, Cold War, donald clarke, fame, fandom, feminism, hollywood, homophobia, john maguire, mank, mankiewicz, marilyn monroe, paranoia, replacement, Theatre | Leave a comment »

190. 12 Angry Men (#5)

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Donald Clarke and John Maguire, 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.

This time, Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men.

In New York, in the height of summer, twelve jurors assemble for what should be a simple open and shut case. Most of the jury assumes that they’ll be done within the hour. However, against all of that evidence and in spite of all of that expectation, one member of the group isn’t entirely convinced that the accused is guilty.

At time of recording, it was ranked 5th 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 angry men, america, courts, donald clarke, fantasy, henry fonda, john maguire, justice, Movie, podcast, Sidney Lumet, The 250 | Leave a comment »

167. Marriage Story – This Just In (#225)

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with guests Tara Brady and Donald Clarke, The 250 is a fortnightly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users.

This time, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.

Charlie and Nicole had an ideal marriage, until they didn’t. Unsatisfied with her marriage, Nicole decides to separate from her husband Charlie. The couple agree to keep things amicable, but the situation quickly escalates as Charlie finds him completely unprepared for the process that will follow.

At time of recording, it was ranked the 225th best movie of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: This Just In | Tagged: adam driver, divorce, donald clarke, imdb, indie, Marriage, marriage story, netflix, Noah Baumbach, Oscars, podcast, tara brady, This Just In | Leave a comment »

124. Twin Peaks: The Return – This Just In/Daffodil Day/April Fool’s Day 2019 (#∞)

Posted on April 1, 2019 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, with the occasional bonus episode thrown in.

This time, a special treat: David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return.

Twenty-five years after Special Agent Dale Cooper disappeared from the small town of Twin Peaks in Washington, a series of strange occurrences suggest that mysterious forces are still playing a dangerous game on the mortal plane. What connects a secret FBI task force, a sinister crime lord, an isolated rural community, a set of Las Vegas gangsters, a strange glass cube in New York, and a strange murder in South Dakota? It’s happening again.

At time of recording, it was ranked the ∞th best movie of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250, This Just In | Tagged: amy shiels, brian lloyd, charlene lydon, cian, donald clarke, jay coyle, jenn gannon, niall glynn, owain rhys davies, phil bagnall, richard drumm, selected, twin peaks | Leave a comment »

Top of the Pops: The IMDb Top 250 Movies All Time and Movie Lists in General…

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Darren

Sometimes talking about talking about movies can be as fascinating as actually discussing movies. That’s why I’ve followed with interest the crisis of identity that has gripped film criticism of late. What’s interesting, however is to hear Donald Clarke of The Irish Times complaining about the Internet Movie Database Top 250 Films of All Time:

The performance of Inception highlights the most serious problem with this list. Like most such sites, IMDb receives contributions from a disproportionately high number of teenage boys. If you doubt this, look at the ratings for the Twilight films. I know that most critics are less keen on the teen vampire pictures than I am, but the appalling ratings for the pictures on IMDb speak of a spotty allergy to “gurl’s fillums”. Such boys idolise Nolan and — crucially — know how to put together internet campaigns.

I’m kinda wondering though, what exactly is Mister Clarke arguing against? When did any film ranking become an objective exercise that needs to be treated like “serious business”?

Looks like Inception made quite the splash... (Inception, #3)

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 100 years 100 films, afi, bfi, classic films, classics, donald clarke, films, imdb, Inception, irish times, Movies, polls, the internet movie database, top 250 films of all time, toy story 3, voting | 20 Comments »

Claws Out for Sex and the City? The Irish Times Has Just the Ticket…

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Darren

Sex and the City 2 came out last week. Not that it really affects or bothers me one way or the other. I just find it fascinating that The Ticket, the normally rather wonderful entertainment supplement which comes with The Irish Times, chose to offer its front page to the girls, while containing nothing but vitriol within. It seems a little contrary to have your reviewer and your features writer going at the film with the critical equivalent of baseball bats and then give them prime of place in your lineup and publicity, no? Especially given that the front page didn’t read “Sex and the City 2: It’s Quite Crap, Actually”.

Just the ticket?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: ana carey, complaining, cynicism, donald clarke, film, irish times, Movies, sex and the city, sex and the city 2, sex in the city, Television, the irish times, the ticket, ticket, twilight | 11 Comments »

The Irish Times Top Twenty Films of the Decade

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Darren

Stumbled across this the other day and thought it was worth a post. Basically it’s Irish Times film critic Donald Clarke’s top twenty films of the last ten years. I have to say – as someone who rarely agrees with him at all – his list is populated with good choices. Still, I’m not sure that the majority of those would make it into my top fifty, let alone my top twenty. Which reminds me, I probably should put some sort of list together to commemorate the end of the decade – but it’s not over yet. I’m not even sure I could put together a list for this year, seen as I haven’t seen nearly anything, let alone nearly everything. Anyway, Donald Clarke’s list (and some comments) are below.