Dublin Arabic Film Festival, in partnership with the Irish Film Institute, has announced its line-up for 2016. All of the films were released in 2016 so they each offer a fresh perspective. Last year the festival screenings sold-out so there is a clear demand for the cinema of the Arabic World in Dublin. This year’s programme covers…
Mattress Men Is A Quirky Gateway To Deeper Issues
Director: Colm Quinn Featuring: Michael Flynn, Paul Kelly Running Time: 84 minutes With his distinctive features, alliterative name and unwavering commitment to selling mattresses, ‘Mattress Mick’ has become a true Dublin character in the last few years. But what secrets does Mick keep under the mattress, or rather, what was behind the unlikely transformation of an aging bed salesman into…
Arrival Brings Exciting New Life To High Concept Sci-Fi
Director: Denis Villeneuve Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker Running Time: 116 mins Arrival is the kind of science fiction film you always hope for but rarely get. It is intelligent, moving and thought provoking; filled with grand ideas and epic imagery. At the risk of overselling it, it is the best sci-fi film of the year;…
Inferno Produces Smoke But Lacks Fire
Director: Ron Howard Starring: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Ben Foster, Irrfan Khan, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Omar Sy Running Time: 121mins Inferno marks the third time Tom Hanks has teamed up with Ron Howard to adapt a Dan Brown novel. The previous two installments being The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, both of which…
War On Everyone Is A Battle Of Attrition
Director: John Michael McDonagh Starring: Michael Peña, Alexander Skarsgård Running Time: 98 minutes Fuck off. Feel free to resume reading this review after you’ve finished cracking up, because going by John Michael McDonagh there is nothing funnier than a spot of profanity. A sudden swear has been used to comedic effect plenty of times in films…
Movie Memories: Erin McGathy On Rolling, Looping, Dating
On her podcast This Feels Terrible, comedian, artist and actress Erin McGathy talks love, sex and heartbreak, with guests from both sides of the Atlantic, from Marc Maron to Tara Flynn. Erin has guested on television shows like Community and Drunk History and since relocating to this side of the Atlantic she has appeared at the Vodafone Comedy Festival and performed her show Love…
Jadotville Jacks: Untold Story of Irish Bravery
Director: Richie Smyth Starring: Jamie Dornan, Mark Strong, Jason O’Mara Runtime: 108 minutes Netflix has recently added Irish gem The Siege of Jadotville to its collection. The film premiered at Galway Film Fleadh in September with a ceremony beforehand announcing that the ‘Jadotville Jacks’ were being honoured with a unit citation. Siege is a military-film…
Dublin Doc Fest Announces 2016 Programme
The Dublin Doc Fest was founded by Tess Motherway in 2013 and showcases short documentary films from both Irish and international filmmakers. Now in it’s fourth year, the Dublin Doc Fest has chosen the unconventional setting of the Teeling Whiskey Distillery to host its latest installment, and has announced the programme of shorts for this…
The Melancholy Death Of Expectations For Tim Burton Films
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is not exactly filled to the brim with talking points, so we reviewed the latest Tim Burton film in the style of one of the director’s own poems. There was a director Whose films were quite good, With big hair and big eyes And a love for Ed Wood.…
Only One Camelot
Pablo Larráin’s Jackie may be obvious Oscar-bait, but from the trailer it looks set to be stylish and genuinely compelling. The film stars Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy and focuses on the days following beloved president John F. Kennedy’s assassination. The Costume and Make-up departments have done a commendable job of turning Portman into a dead ringer for…