by Oscar O’Sullivan

Monday – Goldfinger

The film where Bond becomes Bond. Much as I loved the first two instalments, this is the one where the formula truly takes shape and takes off – the Aston Martin, the megalomaniac villain, the array of kooky gadgets, the gimmick henchman, the awesome simplicity of “no, Mr Bond, I expect you to die” creating an entire subgenre of villainous banter that has been parodied to death but never topped. What fascinates me the most is that it presents itself at first as a deconstruction of the Bond character, introducing him in a comically stylish cold open where he effortlessly wraps up an unseen mission before being pulled off his holiday for a simple surveillance job. For the first time, Bond’s womanising gets him in very serious trouble as his cover is blown and the lady who led him astray is killed in spectacular fashion. While he tries to carry on with business as usual, it becomes clear that Bond’s behaviour has put him at a very serious disadvantage against a foe who, on paper, shouldn’t be anywhere near as threatening as Dr No or the deadly operatives of SPECTRE. He blunders into Goldfinger’s hands and only narrowly avoids a summary execution through some quick thinking, then fails to get rescued by his CIA partners because they see him with a beautiful woman and assume he’s up to his usual tricks. Speaking of said beautiful woman, Pussy Galore is presented as a serious threat to Bond at first, a woman immune to his charms and on board with the insane scheme of the primary villain. She’s also the hinge on which the film swings all the way around from deconstruction to comic book fantasy when Bond basically forces her into a literal romp in the hay that entirely changes her morality. After an entire story that springs up from Bond’s weakness for the ladies causing multiple fatalities, the day is saved by him ignoring consent – without her change of heart, Goldfinger’s plan goes off without a hitch and 007 is vaporised by the nuking of Fort Knox. That’s not to say the film betrays it’s intentions, far from it – this idea of Bond reckoning with his behaviour is quite clearly something that I’ve only projected onto it myself, a happy accident. This film is focused on a much loftier goal, transforming James Bond from a competent, businesslike operator taking on the Enemies of the West into a comic-book superhero driving a science fiction sports car to do battle with a man who is pathologically obsessed with gold. The fantastical turn suits me fine and it’s as finely crafted as it’s predecessors, if not more so when it comes to the scale. A solid-gold action classic. 10/10.

Wednesday – The People’s Picturehouse

Cork’s top spot for independent film, the People’s Picturehouse has gone from strength to strength in the year since it was founded. September’s showcase included experimental film, a true no-budget comedy, aliens, music, poetry and my own documentary. If you’re in Cork and have have a short film or were thinking of making one, we want it for the Picturehouse. As the new Outreach Officer I’ll have my eyes peeled for new films, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to see your work on the big screen.

Thursday – Swing Bout

Shot right here in Cork without Screen Ireland funding, Swing Bout is a rarity in Irish film, and hopefully a sign that more features can be produced here soon. It’s limitations are worked around in fairly charming ways – obviously a full-scale boxing bout with a packed-out arena wasn’t viable for the crew to shoot, so the entire film takes place backstage, with a couple of off-screen matches heard over the radio. Backstage is where the real drama is anyway, with fighters who aren’t even sure if they’ll get to enter the ring on any given night stressing and squabbling in their shared locker room. Meanwhile, the organisers and coaches have their own dramas over fixed fights, gambling regulations and criminal connections drawing down the cops on the big night. I think the film leans too heavily on the criminal subplot and it’s cast of middle-aged actors at the expense of the fighters, who all give performances that mix bravado with vulnerability, but who don’t get as much development or screentime as they deserve. There’s some great editing, especially in the sparring practice scenes and the occasional montage, and there’s a sequence of extreme tension in the final act that really pays off a lot of the meandering beforehand. Swing Bout proves that the talent and enthusiasm is there to make films in Cork, and all we need is the resources and infrastructure to take the next step and make something truly great. 7/10.

Friday – Megalopolis

It feels like a cop-out to call a film impossible to discuss, but here we are with Megalopolis, which truly does have to be seen to be understood. There are certainly reference points that can be used to ground the film in reality – Shakespeare, silent cinema, historical epics, sci-fi futurism, Baz Luhrmann films – but nobody has ever combined these many influences in such a direct way to create such an inexplicable story. It’s like a political Rorschach test, bringing up so many different contradictory ideas without examining any of them, leaving you puzzled as to what, if anything, the film wanted to tell you. This beautiful mess can also make it difficult to invest emotionally in the film, especially because conflicts in the plot are extremely immediate and one-sided. Coppola briefly brushes up against things that feel personal but, for better and for worse, is more interested in the lofty ideas of a cinematic and cultural future that even he doesn’t seem to understand. Don’t expect to love it, but don’t dismiss it’s strangeness as something deserving hate either. Watch it before the readings and analysis become set in stone. 8/10.

Saturday – New York, New York

Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York isn’t altogether successful in it’s lofty ambitions. Attempting to combine the technicolour magic of classic Hollywood musicals with the gritty emotional realism of Scorsese’s own work in the 1970s, the result is a film that is less than the sum of it’s parts. The flights of fancy and musical flourishes are always welcome, especially when the final act goes full Singin’ in the Rain with an extended homage to the ‘Broadway Melody’ sequence of that film where Liza Minnelli gets to show off the full extent of her talents, but they feel at odds with the personal drama of the narrative and leave you wanting more song and dance magic than the film provides. The love story between Minnelli’s shy singer and De Niro’s explosive sax player is a strong emotional centre grounded by the great performances, charting their unlikely meeting and fruitful creative partnership that puts increasing strain on their marriage as De Niro’s insecurities and anger issues cause him to lash out in increasingly violent ways. The drama never quite explodes into something truly moving, perhaps because the film had to tone down it’s darker aspirations to keep it some way connected to the lightness of it’s visuals. A stunning spectacle when it moves into musical mode, often amusing and never quite boring, it’s a fascinating experiment that fails to be the best version of itself. 7/10.

Sunday – Plight of the Pintman

See for yourself. 10/10.