criticism
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Bring Them Down The first of two new releases I watched in the Everyman last night, and certainly the better of the two. Bring Them Down is a rural Irish revenge parable that hits some dynamic highs but stumbles over a heavy-handed and half-hearted moral message. Michael (Christopher Abbot) is a tense,…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Where do we draw the line when it comes to that rare and elusive genre of ‘Magical Realism’? Is there some defined point that should never be crossed, lest the film topple over into pure fantasy? Is the realism the more vital ingredient? How those elements are weighted surely comes down to…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Monday – Inland Empire Plotless by its very nature, Inland Empire began life as a series of digital camera tests that Lynch enjoyed so much he decided to string them together into a feature film. Ostensibly a story about an actress whose sense of reality begins to drift as she films a…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan While I have your attention, why not watch my Youtube video after you’re done reading these reviews? Go on, you know you want to. Monday – The Sixth Sense A film that surely needs no introduction. Um. The Sixth Sense. M. Night Shyamalan’s breakthrough hit is famous for having a twist that…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Monday – An American Werewolf in London Stick to the road, stay off the moors. Simple instructions, but do our heroes follow them? Of course not. Cue two fatalities and one new werewolf. An American Werewolf in London is steeped in the tropes and mythology of werewolf films without feeling like a…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Monday – Play Misty for Me Clint Eastwood was best known for playing cowboys and cops, so of course the logical choice for his directorial debut was this, a thriller where he plays a radio DJ tormented by a superfan who won’t take no for an answer. Eastwood’s deep, even tones make…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Monday – Thunderball To describe this film in a word – wet. Filled with visually stunning underwater sequences that I can only assume were a nightmare to pull off, the results speak for themselves – be it the ethereal beauty of exploring a downed aircraft or the gonzo insanity of the final…
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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,…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Before we get into the usual reviews, a little personal news – my masters documentary project My Shadow Calleth Me – The Making of Thus Spake Zarathustra will be playing on the big screen thanks to The People’s Picturehouse Cork, the monthly film showcase that highlights independent film and art from local…
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by Oscar O’Sullivan Monday – Dr. No The greatest character introduction in film history? Not the film itself per se, but the actual first scene where we meet James Bond. We’ve heard his name, know a message has been sent for him and he’s at a luxurious casino. At the table there’s one man whose…
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