Posted on March 6, 2021 by Darren
Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Phil Bagnall and Ronan Doyle, 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, Ingmar Bergman’s Höstsonaten.
Eva invites her mother Charlotte to visit. It has been seven years since the mother and daughter last spoke. What initially seems like a welcome reunion quickly boils over as simmering resentments rise to the surface and the pair are forced to reassess their relationship to one another – and themselves.
At time of recording, it was ranked the 192nd best movie of all time on the Internet Movie Database.
Continue reading →
Filed under: This Just In | Tagged: daughters, family, ingmar bergman, ingrid bergman, liv ullmann, mothers, phil bagnall, play, ronan doyle, Stage, Sweden, The 250, theatrical | Leave a comment »
Posted on January 2, 2012 by Darren
Jimmy Fay’s version of The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui was one of the highlights of the past few years at the Abbey, so seeing the director handle Nokolai Gogol’s The Government Inspector is an interesting premise. While Fay handles the play wonderfully well, with a (mostly) solid cast and superb staging choices, I can’t help but feel that Roddy Doyle’s translation of the play is just a bit “on the nose”, striving for a bit of forced relevance with countless references to “brown paper envelopes.” Perhaps the best indication of the show comes from the wonderful inset in the programme, illustrated in a pleasant enough style by Irish Times cartoonist M. Turner – a mock-up cut-out selection that includes mock-up heads of Bertie Ahern and Charlie Haughey. One senses that the production might have had a bit more bite a few years back.
Family values...
Continue reading →
Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: abbey theate, bertie ahern, corruption, Fianna Fáil, Government Inspector, graft, Ireland, irish, irish times, play, Roddy Doyle, the abbey theatre, The Government Inspector, Theatre | 2 Comments »
Posted on May 18, 2011 by Darren
The Offence was reportedly one of the pictures that MGM agreed to fund for Sean Connery in order to get the veteran actor to sign on to reprise the role of James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. While the film is too slow, methodical and restrained to really qualify as an undisputed classic, I do sleep just a little bit better for knowing that something good came from Connery signing on to play Bond once more. (Although, to be fair, he also donated his salary to charity, so that speaks to his character as well.)
Gripping drama...
Continue reading →
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: al pacino, arts, drama, film, films, james bond, Movies, non-review review, play, review, sean connery, Sidney Lumet, The Offence, Trevor Howard | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 23, 2011 by Darren
This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.
I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Julie Taymor’s Titus. It was a punk rock adaptation of perhaps Shakespeare’s trashiest play, and it was a fusion which just worked. The Tempest, on the other hand, is a very different beast. Far from being one of the Bard’s more easily forgotten plays, it has been one of his most highly regarded since its revival in the nineteenth century. It is, despite some outward cynicism, a far more optimistic and (dare I say it?) lighter piece than the orgy of death and destruction in Titus Andronicus. So Taymor’s skills aren’t quite as perfectly in step as they might be. That said, she’s still a remarkable director with a keen visual sense, and the movie manages to be engaging and entertaining, despite a few missteps.
It's a kinda magic...
Continue reading →
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: adaptation, alan cumming, classic, dreams, helen mirren, jameson dublin international film festival, Julie Taymor, metafiction, non-review review, play, prospera, Prospero, review, russell brand, shakespeare, Tempest, the tempest, Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare | 6 Comments »
Posted on June 17, 2010 by Darren
Arcadia is great. It’s a wonderfully dense, witty work from writer Tom Stoppard. The Gate production is, as one would expect, top notch, and the play seems to suit the surroundings of the theatre, with its lavish set design and production values. Whether you’re looking to wrap your head around something stimulating, or simply looking for an entertaining night at the theatre, you could do a lot worse than Arcadia.
Don't worry, he doesn't lay the maths on too hard...
Continue reading →
Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: arcadia, dublin, gate the gate theatre, gate theatre, play, review, stoppard, the gate, Theatre, tom stoppard | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 24, 2010 by Darren
Myself and the better half had the pleasure of taking in a show in the national theatre last night. Director Jimmy Fay has brought Shakespeare’s MacBeth, the play known in the industry as “the Scottish play”, to the stage. I studied MacBeth in secondary school, as one of the big four tragedies. I would have rather studied Othello or Hamlet, but at least it wasn’t King Lear. We had high hopes in settling into our seats for the full performance – Fay had brought The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui to the stage only last year in a show that remains perhaps my favourite of all the plays I have seen at the Abbey. Did MacBeth live up to those expectations?
"Something wicked this way comes..."
Continue reading →
Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: abbey, aidan kelly, dublin, eileen walsh, jimmy fay, macbeth, macbeth at the abbey, play, review, shakespeare, the abbey, the abbey theatre, Theatre | 3 Comments »
Posted on November 30, 2009 by Darren
You have to admit that the premise, at least, is intriguing. Maybe the execution is less so, but the basic premise (a martial arts movie directed by maestro wordsmith David Mamet) deserves at least a little consideration. In fairness, the movie plays its cards pretty well. It’s populated with kind of deceit and self-deceit which we have come to expect from the characters which Mamet presents to us on a regular basis. It’s a grim and dark and seedy world, even underneath those bright lights. The problem is that the movie’s core appeal (articulated in its title, premise and marketing) of a martial arts movie simply cannot deliver in that environment. These two facets of the movie lock themselves in mortal combat like two prize fighters in the ring: Mamet’s cynicism and human drama facing off against the requisite showiness and razzle-dazzle of martial arts. At one point a character suggests that the money is in a draw (since a rematch is a huge moneyspinner), and maybe that’s why we get no winner here. We don’t even get an entertaining struggle.
The blows come as quick as the dialogue and are almost as sharp...
Continue reading →
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: david mamet, film, martial arts film, Movie, non-review review, play, red belt, redbelt, review, tim allen | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 17, 2009 by Darren
It has been a while since I’ve worn my ‘theatre reviewer’ hat, but I’m blowing the cobwebs off on this one. My girlfriend is a huge fan of the Corn Exchange theatre group and we decided to give their new work, playing as part of the Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival, a go. I’ve had very mixed luck when it comes to seeing performances in the project theatre, and while I was quite impressed with the technical aspects of the play – I couldn’t help feeling that something was missing.
Not quite a stroke of genius...
Continue reading →
Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: corn exchange, dublin, dublin theatre festival, freefall, play, project arts centre, stroke, templebar, the corn exchange, Theatre, theatre festival, Ulster Bank Dublin Theatre Festival | Leave a comment »
Posted on July 23, 2009 by Darren
We caught The Rivals playing at the Abbey last night. I’m not sure quite what to make of it. Featuring characters with wits as sharp as their swords, a fantastically ‘theatrical’ set design and a solid cast, I couldn’t help agreeing with the author’s opinion as I’d read it in the Prologue earlier that day: the play is just too long. Apparently when it first appeared, the play was less than a success with audiences – being considered too long. Apparently Sheridan went back and significantly re-edited the play, and that is the version we are left with today. I would suggest that it is still just a tad too long, but only a little bit. Still, it was an entertaining evening sparkling with humour, flair and vitality, and there have been far worse productions this year. So, what did I make of George Washington’s favourite play?
We know who wins on style...
Continue reading →
Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: abbey theatre, dublin, Ireland, play, play review, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the rivals, Theatre, theatre review | Leave a comment »
Posted on July 20, 2009 by Darren
Doubt is quite possibly the best movie I’ve seen this year. It’s a fantastic adaptation of a hit play with a cast to die for. It’s also a stunning portrayal of a religious institution at a time of great upheaval, both internally and externally.
Asked about her doubts, Meryl said she had nun...
Continue reading →
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: amy adams, catholic church, doubt, film, john patrick shanley, meryl streep, Movies, non-review review, philip seymour hoffman, play, review, sisters of charity, viola davis | 5 Comments »
the m0vie blog 