dublin | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: The Good Man

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013.

Films about social justice can occasionally seem a bit clunky. Part of this is down to the way that most seem to have been conceived as simplistic morals rather than engaging stories, but there’s also a tendency to earnestly moralise in a manner that condescends to the audience. The Good Man manages to avoid the worst of these problems with a smartly-constructed third act that dovetails its two central narratives into one another, and because it accepts that the problem with our attitudes towards disadvantage and poverty in the rest of the world isn’t down to a simply lack of awareness. It is, the film suggests, easy to know about a problem, and easy to try to help. Understanding, on the other hand, is a far more challenging proposition.

We’re all connected…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: 2010 FIFA World Cup, Africa, Aidan Gillen, Belfast, dublin, Embassies and Consulates, film, Government, Jacob Zuma, jameson dublin international film festival, Michael, Movie, non-review review, Northern Ireland, Phil Harrison, review, south africa | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Hardy Bucks Movie

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a massive fan of The Hardy Bucks. Still, it’s hard not to smile at an Irish success story that seen a bunch of lads fooling around on YouTube, brought them to national television and launched a feature film. The Hardy Bucks Movie isn’t revolutionary. It’s not a work of comedy genius for the ages. Quite a lot of it feels overly familiar, an Irish spin on the “young men go wild abroad” subgenre that has proven popular in the past number of years. And yet, despite that, there’s a quaint charm to The Hardy Bucks Movie that makes it reasonably entertaining. The lads from Castletown has survived the transition to the big screen with their dignity – such that it is – intact.

The naked truth…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Amsterdam, art, dublin, Feature film, film, Film festival, Hardy Bucks, Hardy Bucks Movie, Ireland, jameson dublin international film festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013, Movie, Poland, Ryan Gosling, United States, Viper, youtube | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Place Beyond the Pines

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013.

The Place Beyond the Pines is a movie best seen without the weight of expectations. The safest thing I can probably say about The Place beyond the Pines is that it’s a compelling study of the multiple relationships between fathers and sons. Writer and director Derek Cianfrance has crafted a beautiful piece of cinema here. Running almost two-and-a-half hours, it makes the most of its extended runtime to draw the audience into the film, and to craft a rich and multi-faceted world the remains so intimate that actions ripple and consequences can’t be completely avoided, even if they can be temporarily evaded.

There’s a lot riding on this…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, Avery, bradley cooper, Derek Cianfrance, dublin, Eva Mendes, Film festival, jameson dublin international film festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013, Luke, Mike Patton, Movie, Pines, Place Beyond the Pines, robin, Rose Byrne, Ryan Gosling, United States | 5 Comments »

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013: Highlights!

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Darren

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival launched the programme for its eleventh year today. There’s some great stuff in here. There’s a variety of films, from European to American to Asian, from big budget blockbusters to intimate documentaries to more personal films. It’s a great selection of films, and festival director Grainne Humphreys should be proud. After all, if your biggest complaint is having to choose between L.A. Confidential and Bernie, then you must be doing something right.

I’ve picked out some of my own most anticipated events of the schedule below, in rough chronological order, so if you are looking for something to do on a particular day, feel free to see if there’s anything of interest. Unfortunately, some of the events overlap, so you can’t attend everything – something that’s a massive shame given some of the films on display here. With that in mind, the list is below.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, California, Canada, cineworld, dublin, Film festival, Hardy Bucks, jameson dublin international film festival, Matthew McConaughey, Movie, Paul Raymond, richard gere, Ryan Gosling, side effects, Steven Soderbergh, Stoker, the hardy bucks, United States | Leave a comment »

My 12 for ’12: The Muppets & Everything You Need, Right In Front Of You

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Darren

I’m counting down my top twelve films of the year between now and January, starting at #12 and heading to #1. I expect the list to be a little bit predictable, a little bit surprising, a little bit of everything. All films released in the UK and Ireland in 2012 qualify. Sound off below, and let me know if I’m on the money, or if I’m completely off the radar. And let me know your own picks or recommendations.

This is #3…

I can’t help but feel that The Muppets probably aren’t quite as popular over here as they really should be. After all, we had to wait about three months for the eventual release of the film in Irish cinemas. Even later this year, following all the publicity around the recent revival, I was only able to find one cinema in Dublin doing three screening of The Muppets’ Christmas Carol, despite the highly-publicised re-release. However, perhaps I shouldn’t take their international publicity for granted either. After all, Jason Segal spent six or seven years trying to guide everybody’s favourite felt performers to the big screen again.

Still, The Muppets demonstrated that the gang had lost absolutely nothing in transitioning out of retirement and back to the screen, demonstrating that all these sorts of characters need is a bit of sincere love and affection.

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Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: art, British Isles, christmas, Christmas Carol, disney, dublin, george lucas, Ireland, irish, Irish people, January, jason segel, joel schumacher, LucasArts, Lykke Li, Marvel Studios, Matrix, Muppet, Muppet Show, Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Phantom Menace, quentin tarantino, The Walt Disney Company, youtube | 1 Comment »

Win! Tickets to the Jameson Cult Film Club Screening of Jaws (27th November)

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Darren

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water… JAWS swims into town.

Jameson Cult Film Club is coming to Dublin’s ‘Amity Island’ for a spectacular screening of Spielberg’s iconic shark thriller, JAWS on Tuesday 27th November 2013.

Attendees lucky enough to hook tickets to this event will be treated to much more than a typical screening, as actors, live theatre and special effects timed perfectly with on-screen action help to create an electric atmosphere throughout the screening.

Re-live the suspense, fear and drama of this cult classic from the moment you arrive on ‘Amity Island.’

If you would like to join Chief Brody at this exclusive Jameson Cult Film Club screening of JAWS and win some tickets for you and three of your mates, then simply complete the below quote from the movie:

This competition is now closed. The winner will be notified shortly.

Check out www.jamesoncultfilmclub.ie for details and register for the chance to win free tickets to the screening on 27th November. If you are not lucky enough to bag tickets to the screenings, you can buy the newly released JAWS on Blu-ray now.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Amity Island, Blu-ray Disc, Brody, Cult following, dublin, jaws, Record label, Screening (medicine), Special effect, steven spielberg, Universal Studio | Leave a comment »

Win! Tickets to a Jameson Cult Film Club Screening of The Silence of the Lambs!

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Darren

“Well, Clarice – have the lambs stopped screaming?”

The Jameson Cult Film Club is back in Dublin for its biggest and most electrifying double screening to date!

We’ve teamed up with the Jameson Cult Film Club to offer two lucky readers a pair of tickets each to the exclusive screening of the horror thriller, The Silence of the Lambs at a secret Dublin location Wednesday August 15^th.

For the uninitiated, Jameson Cult Film Club is all about watching your favourite cult films at spectacular screenings, staged to transport the audience right into the world of the film. These free events are not just your typical screening, as characters from the movie, live theatre and special effects timed perfectly with on-screen action help to create an electric atmosphere throughout the screening.

To give you a bit of a feel, here’s a video sampling some previous highlights:

If you would like to join Clarice Starling, Dr Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill at this exclusive Jameson Cult Film Club screening in the “Baltimore State Forensic Hospital” on August 15^th all you have to do is answer the question and fill out the form below.

Note: Entrants must be over 18 years of age and able to attend the screening on August 15th 2012.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Clarice, Clarice Starling, cult film, dublin, hannibal, hannibal lecter, jameson cult film club, silence of the lambs | Leave a comment »

The House at the Abbey Theatre (Review)

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Darren

Tom Murphy’s The House is big play with some clever ideas, but not quite enough to fill its somewhat extended run time. In fact, the first half of the play, as Murphy tries to settle into his groove, seems to run nearly forever – to the point where, sitting in my seat, I was starting to wonder if the actors had simply forgotten there was supposed to be an intermission. The second half, however, is much stronger and much more tightly focused. While the production itself is nothing less than impressive, one wonders if an editor might have been well-suited to take a hacksaw to Murphy’s script, or perhaps director Annabelle Comyn might have cut down on the staring into middle-distance.

House that now?

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Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: abbey theatre, Alison Croggon, arts, Australia, Bunty, Canberra, Downton Abbey, dublin, england, house, Ireland, Irish American, Irish diaspora, London, Murphy, Performing Arts, Public Broadcasting Service, Theatre, United States | 2 Comments »

Silent at the Peacock Theatre (Review)

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Darren

Fishamble’s Silent has already completely sold out its run at the Peacock Theatre. Of course, that shouldn’t be a massive surprise. Winning both the Fringe First and the Herald Angel awards at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year, the one-man show has been touring to great acclaim nationally and internationally. It’s a powerful, well-produced piece of theatre, with writer Pat Kinevane turning in a superb lead performance as the show’s narrator, a charming and engaging (and deeply troubled) homeless man named Tino McGoldrig. His mother was a fan of Rudolph Valentino, he explains, and “Rudolph” just wouldn’t cut it down in Cork. Touching, moving and excellently constructed, it’s an occasionally harrowing piece of theatre.

Yes. It is. Quite. (Photo by mariafalconer.co.uk)

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Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: dublin, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Fringe, Glasgow, Kinevane, peacock theatre, Performing Arts, Rudolph Valentino, Samaritan, Theatre, Tino | 2 Comments »

Photos from the Jameson Cult Film Snatch (Cork) Screening…

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Darren

Hi,

Just a quick one to start the week. The guys over at the Jameson Cult Film Club sent on some photos from their Cork screening of Snatch last week. I wasn’t able to attend, but I hear it was a good night for all involved. Anyway, I thought I’d share the pictures, and remind any film fans reading that the tickets are given away free to members who join via their website, here. Anyway, I hope everybody who went along enjoyed it, and congratulations to the team on taking the show on the road.