The Rehearsal follows an exclusive, kind of pretentious, acting school for young adults in New Zealand. This runs parallel to the story of a teenage tennis star who sleeps with her Coach, causing a scandal that ripples through the local community. I Blodet (In the Blood) follows a group of four Danish students, trying to navigate through adult life. Both of these films slot into Male Melodrama, and in both the main protagonists start off as Toxic Men. Do they manage to redeem themselves?
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Considering all that’s going on in the media with identity politics and fragile male egos, I decided it was high time to revisit the Male Melodrama. In Burnt, Adam Jones (played by Bradley Cooper) is built up as a culinary God. His reputation is the only thing sustaining him and those around him. That’s a hell of a lot of pressure! But if you can’t take the heat…
- February 6, 2017
- Bradley Cooper, Burnt, Daniel Brühl, Gordon Ramsay, Identity politics, Male Melodrama, Michelin Star, Patriarchy Hurts, Sienna Miller
2016 was a weird year for cinema goers. With action-packed blockbusters crashing at the box office and long-awaited sequels falling seriously flat with both critics and fans alike, it seemed as if the smaller, more indie and low-key pieces of cinema would finally get the public acknowledgement they deserved. This did, for the most part, come true with critical darlings such as Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Witch, Manchester by the Sea and Hell or High Water becoming commercial hits as well as serious award contenders. Although positive steps have been made, there seemed to be an uncontrollable level of noise in 2016 (whether it be as a result of buzz or critical backlash!), which resulted in other genuinely brilliant movies going unheard. As such, we here at Film In Dublin have decided to fly the flag and lend a voice to those brilliant films that you may have missed in 2016.
- January 20, 2017
- 2016, Don't Think Twice, Everybody Wants Some!!, High Rise, Midnight Special, Tale of Tales, The Invitation, Tickled, Weiner
Dublin-based director Natasha Waugh has been steadily creating a collection of short films over the last few years that tackle important topics. Her latest, a self-funded short titled Terminal, is about two women of different ages holding a conversation at the airport, both awaiting their plane to the UK for abortions. Last year, We Face This Land showed how shorts about this topic can capture the attention of the public, and Waugh’s film received validation of its own effectiveness in being nominated for an award at the London Film Critic’s Circle Awards, a notable stop in the awards season that takes place on January 22nd. Waugh spoke to Film In Dublin about the making of her shorts and the lessons she’s picked up in her early years in the directors chair.
- January 17, 2017
- Interviews, Ireland, Irish Film, London Film Critic's Circle Awards, Natasha Waugh, Short Film, Terminal
It’s not easy narrowing the best films of the year down to 10, particularly when you’re looking for a consensus between 6 writers with different tastes, who have all seen a different number of films this year. We think we did a pretty good job all things considered, we hope you’d agree. But there’s always going to be a great movie or two missing out. In our personal best of 2016 lists that we used to find common ground, we each had a personal favourite that missed out, so we decided to give those films their due here. We open up the floor to you too Film In Dublin readers, were you scrolling frantically in search of Doctor Strange or writing an angry letter about the omission of 10 Cloverfield Lane? What was missing from our top 10 of 2016 list?
- December 30, 2016
- Creed, Love & Friendship, Star Trek Beyond, Train To Busan, Victoria, Zootropolis
The urge is understandable to avoid a retrospective of the year 2016. Not since Lot’s wife decided to take a cheeky glance back at Sodom has looking back at something been more likely to produce misery and misfortune the way this year has, but that only makes it all the more important to go back over the few bright spots, particularly for movie lovers. 2016 was undoubtedly a great year for Irish cinema, with 9 Oscar nominations and two wins, Irish films showing prominently in festivals around the globe, major stars and filmmakers coming to film on the island and some eye-catching box office success. Of course, 2016 is a year that will always stand out to the writers at Film In Dublin, as this was the year that the site launched and since mid-July we’ve worked hard to show you the positives and the pitfalls of navigating through the fair city of cinema.
With the year almost over, our writers have compiled a list of some of this year’s cinematic highlights. Balloting every member for their own top picks of the year, a consensus was more or less reached on ten outstanding films, cinema that provided a welcome distraction from the horrors of the last twelve months, helped sharpen our focus from the lessons to be learned from the year, or both. We’re sure to have left out some of your favourites; in keeping the list to the very best of the best we’ve had to omit some of our own best loved choices so we’re more than open to suggestions on what else could have been considered. Here though, are Film In Dublin’s picks for the top 10 films of 2016.Read more…
- December 29, 2016
- 2016, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Alia Shawkat, Amy Adams, Anton Yelchin, Antonio Bolívar Salvador, Anya Taylor-Joy, Arrival, Ben Foster, Best of 2016, Channing Tatum, Chris Pine, Ciro Guerra, Dennis Villeneuve, embrace of the serpent, George Clooney, Gil Birmingham, Green Room, Hail Caesar!, Hell or High Water, Hunt for the Wilder People, Imogen Poots, Irish Film, Jack Reynor, Jake Gyllenhall, Jeff Bridges, Jeremy Saulnier, John Carney, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison, Lists, Michael Shannon, Nilbio Torres, Nocturnal Animals, Patrick Stewart, Ralph Fiennes, Rema Te Wiata, Robert Eggers, Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Sam Neill, Scarlett Johansson, Sing Street, Taika Waititi, The Nice Guys, The Witch, Tom Ford
With Rogue One out this week, I decided to take a look back at last year’s Star Wars offering, The Force Awakens. While both new Star Wars films have been both celebrated and attacked for championing ‘minority’ characters, they’re still very much focused on Fathers and the passing on of power, which shows that patrilineage is still king. Patrilineage means the ways that we keep track of, and idolize, biological fatherhood. And nothing has preserved patrilineage quite like domesticated dogs – where would we be without man’s best friend? Probably still figuring out farming.
- December 16, 2016
- Adam Driver, BB-8, Carrie Fisher, Chewbacca, Chewie, Daisy Ridley, Darth Vader, Domhnall Gleeson, Emperor Snoke, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, John Boyega, Luke Skywalker, Male Melodrama, Mark Hamill, Princess Leia, R2D2, Rogue One, Space Opera, Star Wars, The Force Awakens
‘Kefin’ Mahon is a true podcast expert. Between wrestling podcasts How2Wrestling and the Attitude Era Podcast and the film-focused Cinema Swirl, UK-based Kefin Mahon and various tiffin loving Brit co-hosts go through the weird and wild world of wrestling and the joy of some beloved films respectively. Cinema Swirl sees big-bearded Kefin host alongside Sam Chaplin, who has somehow managed to go through life having never seen most of the massively popular films that have shaped popular culture, from Back to the Future to Lord of the Rings. With Cinema Swirl having recently returned from a hiatus, Film In Dublin spoke to Kefin about how his co-host is finding his journey through the pop-culture canon, who introduced Kefin himself to these films in the first place and more.
Christmas time is upon us now and for many (certainly for this website with the word ‘film’ in its title), Christmas is a time for movies. Whether that means catching Back to the Future halfway through on RTÉ for the seventeenth year in a row or popping in your Home Alone DVD to watch while you’re wrapping presents, everyone has their own traditions and favourites. For anyone looking for some suggestions for what to watch this Christmas, some of the Film In Dublin team have put together some personal picks for you, complete with clips (some of which are NSFW, just so you know). Christmas classics can vary greatly from person to person and we’d love to know some of our readers personal favourites, so feel free to let us know.
- December 2, 2016
- Christmas, Christmas Movies, Christmas Vacation, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Lethal Weapon, Scrooged, The Holiday, The Polar Express, The Ref, We're No Angels
“Have you got Soul Brother”? It has been 25 years since Alan Parker’s The Commitments appeared on our cinema screens and charmed its way into our hearts. Comprised of unknown performers and set in working class Ireland, this adaptation of one of Roddy Doyle’s most famous works captured the brutal economic hardships of a post-recession Dublin but also the zest and exuberance of what it was like to be young and have a dream.
In 1991, Ireland had the youngest population in Europe and some of the highest unemployment. The Commitments depicted a gritty working class Dublin that up until this time was absent in Irish cinema. A lot has changed in the 25 years since the film’s initial release. Now a hugely successful West End Musical, the show has recently enjoyed several sell out shows here in Dublin. What better time for Film in Dublin to break down this Irish classic and see if it still has soul after all these years?
- November 25, 2016
- 1990, Alan Parker, Andre Corr, Andrew Strong, Angel, Bugsy Malone, Classic Films, Comedy, Commitments, Dublin, Fame, Glen Hansard, Ireland, Irish, Irish cinema, Irish Film, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Pink Floyd, Robert Arkins, Roddy Doyle, Snapper, Soul, Soulmusic, Stephen Frears, Taffin, The Quiet Man, The Van
