metal heart | the m0vie blog

New Podcast! Scannain Podcast (2019) #25!

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Darren

It’s time for the Scannain podcast!

This week, I join Graham Day and Jay Coyle to discuss what we watched, the week in film news, the top ten and the new releases. Graham has rewatched The Shining. Jay has watched Cléo from 5 to 7: Remembrances and Anecdotes, Cabaret and Victor/Victoria. I have watched What We Left Behind. There is also a lively discussion of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

In terms of film news, the Galway Film Fleadh has announced its full line-up. The makers of the documentary Gaza have donated their prize money to the Gaza Red Carpet Festival Appeal. The Gaze LGBT film festival also unveiled its line-up. The SXSW hit Extra Ordinary was purchased by Cranked Up Films. Donal Foreman’s The Image You Missed is now available on Vimeo on Demand. Also, Hollywood is having (another) existential crisis this summer.

The top ten:

Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Child’s Play
Diego Maradona
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Brightburn
Rocketman
The Secret Lives of Pets II
Men in Black International
Aladdin
Toy Story 4

New releases:

Yesterday
Drive
Support the Girls
Apollo 11
Metal Heart

You can listen to the podcast directly here.

Filed under: Movies, Podcasts! | Tagged: aladdin, Apollo 11, batman vs. superman, brightburn, child's play, Diego Maradona, Drive, godzilla: king of the monsters, men in black international, metal heart, rocketman, Support the Girls, the shining, toy story 4, what we left behind, x-men: dark phoenix, Yesterday | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Metal Heart

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Darren

Metal Heart is a charming and zesty coming age tale.

Written by Paul Murray and directed by Hugh O’Conor, Metal Heart owes a lot to the subgenre of female-focused teen dramedies like Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. It’s the story of Emma, a teenager awaiting her Leaving Cert results and trying to navigate the path to young adulthood, unaware of the various obstacles that stand in her path – including her own preconceptions. The (metal) heart of the film lies in the dynamic between Emma and her fraternal twin Chantal, but there are a host of other complicated dynamics for the young woman to navigate along the way.

A large part of the charm of Metal Heart comes down to the strong central cast. O’Conor has drawn together an impressive ensemble for his debut theatrical feature. The adult players include Irish film veterans Moe Dunford, Dylan Moran and Jason O’Mara. However, the best performances in Metal Heart often come from its teen performers. Jordanne Jones is remarkable in the central role of Emma. Leah McNamara does good work as Chantal. Aaron Heffernan is surprisingly affecting in the role of obligatory comic relief as Chantal’s sweet-but-dumb-as-a-bag-of-rocks boyfriend Alan.

Metal Heart has a genuine sweetness to it, which infuses and informs the film. It’s a lovely piece of Irish cinema.