Theatre | 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.

Continue reading →

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 »

192. Hamilton: An American Musical – This Just In (#20)

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guest Deirdre Mulomby, 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, Thomas Kail’s Hamilton: An American Musical.

Reconstructed from a pair of live theatrical recordings and additional material compiled in June 2016, Hamilton features one of the last performances from the original Broadway cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s record-breaking smash hit cultural sensation, available on streaming for the first time.

At time of recording, it was ranked 20th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

Continue reading →

Filed under: This Just In | Tagged: accessibility, alexander hamilton, american history, black lives matter, Broadway, cinema, confederate monuments, deirdre molumby, film, hamilton, Hip hop, lin-manuel miranda, money, royalty, streaming, Theatre | Leave a comment »

Win! Tickets to the Jameson Cult Film Club screening of Intermission!

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Darren

Brown sauce in your tea? Delish! The Jameson Cult Film Club returns to its home setting of Dublin for an electrifying screening of the gritty Irish crime flick interMission, on Tuesday June 18^th.

This event promises to transport the audience right into the world of this cult classic for an unforgettable viewing experience. Attendees lucky enough to nab 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, comedy and drama of this crime caper from the moment you arrive at Dublin’s ‘Mega Mart’ – the secret location revealed only to ticket holders.

Check out www.jamesoncultfilmclub.ie for more details and register to win FREE tickets to the screening on June 18^th.

For your chance to nab one of two pairs of tickets to the screening, then simply complete the below quote from the movie and fill out your name and contact details.

Entrants must be over 18 years of age. Contact details will not be used for any purpose other than to contact the winners. Good luck!

The Competition is now closed. Winenrs will be notified shortly. Thanks for entering!

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: cult film, dublin, entertainment, Movie, Shopping, Theatre, tickets, Tommy Wiseau | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Much Ado About Nothing

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Darren

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

Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing has delightfully intimate roots. Apparently, the movie stems from occasions in various Whedon households where he would host “Shakespeare Sundays”, with friends and family reading through classic plays in a very cosy environment. Much Ado About Nothing represents an extension of that intimacy. It’s literally filmed in Whedon’s own home, using money saved for his and his wife’s twentieth anniversary. Whedon even wrote the music, and his extended family are heavily involved. Jed Whedon supervised the music and his sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen can be seen singing at points.

That’s the wonderful charm of Much Ado About Nothing, a movie that seems to have grown and developed out of a genuinely personal creative space, a project deeply personal and intimate to Whedon, filmed while he was editing one of the biggest movies of all time. In a way, Much Ado About Nothing feels like the most talented and highest quality student film ever produced.

Continue reading →

Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: alexis denisof, Amy Acker, Dogberry, film, Hero, Jed Whedon, Jonathan Cake, joss whedon, los angeles, Maggie Siff, Maurissa Tancharoen, Movie, Much Ado About Nothing, non-review review, review, shakespeare, Sunday, Theatre, Whedon, William Shakespeare | 2 Comments »

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 11 (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Darren

I have to admit that I feel a bit guilty for glossing over the World War II era of The Spirit. The era tends to get ignored because Will Eisner effectively handed over control of the strip to a variety of writers and artists while serving in the Armed Forces. The talent involved professionals like Jack Cole and Lou Fine, so it’s hardly as if it was neglected. Still, without Eisner’s passion driving the strip, it seemed to lose its way slightly. The aesthetic shifted even further the longer Eisner was away. Fans skipping from the first collection of post-Eisner work (The Spirit Archives, Vol. 5) to the work included here will see a radical change in style. While there was still a strong influence from Eisner, the comic simply didn’t look right. However, the differences extended deeper as well. On some primal level, The Spirit of the World War II era didn’t really feel right either.

Hounded by the Spirit of Will Eisner…

Continue reading →

Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Art forgery, arts, books, business, Comet, Crime fiction, Dinner Theatre, Eisner, games, Jack Cole, literature, Lou Fine, Michael T. Gilbert, Murder Mystery, Performing Arts, Spirit, The Best of the Spirit, Theatre, Tom Spurgeon, United States, Will Eisner, world war ii | 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?

Continue reading →

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)

Continue reading →

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

Avenue Q at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre (Review)

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Darren

I had the pleasure of catching the superb Avenue Q at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre this evening. The play is a rather brilliantly subversive exploration of what Sesame Street might look like reworked for an adult audience. Filled with the somewhat depressing notion that not everybody is special and not everybody has a special destiny mapped out for them in life, the musical manages to offer a more realistic pragmatic outlook on life without ever becoming overwhelmingly depressing. Brought to life by a talented cast and crew, it’s hard to resist the charms of Avenue Q.

You'd be a muppet to miss it...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: arts, Avenue Q, Bert, Bert and Ernie, Broadway, Broadway theatre, Cookie Monster, Gary Coleman, Jim Henson, Nicky, NYC Off Broadway, Performing Arts, Sesame Street, Theatre, Trekkie Monster | Leave a comment »

Equus at the Mill, Dundrum (Review)

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Darren

London Classic Theatre have brought Sir Peter Shaffer’s classic 1973 play to the Mill Theatre in Dundrum, and I had the pleasure of attending on Friday night. I must admit that it was my first time to see Equus, although I couldn’t help but be aware of the headline-grabbing aspects of the play. I wonder exactly how much work Daniel Radcliffe has done to popularise the play, using a West End run as an attempt to divorce himself from his most iconic role, and the media revelling at the details of the show. While I was impressed with what London Classic Theatrebrought to the stage, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the play itself.

Easy rider...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: arts, Cruelty to animals, daniel radcliffe, dundrum, england, Equus, horse, Hyundai Equus, London, london theatre company, malcolm james, Performing Arts, Peter Schaffer, Peter Shaffer, plays, the mill (theatre), Theatre | Leave a comment »

The Magic Flute at the Samuel Beckett Theatre (Review)

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Darren

The Opera Theatre Company is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary by touring the country with a production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Perhaps one of the most well-known and accessible operas, I do have to praise the cast and crew for bringing it to life. The production design is lavish and the vocal talent is impressive, even if there were one or two logistical problems to do with the staging in the Sam Beckett Theatre in Trinity College Dublin.