10 movies to watch on Freeview TV this week

Carol   Sat   29/4   Ch4 @ 21.00

2 women from very different backgrounds fall in love in New York in the 50's. As you can imagine all sorts of feathers are ruffled, especially the husband of one. A big gorgeous looking love story with cracking acting from Cate Blanchett and especially Rooney Mara. Kyle Chandler in support is good value as always. The slow pace may bother some people but this is worth sticking with til the end.

Calvary   Sat   29/4   BBC2 @ 21.30

A priest's life is threatened and he spends the next week trying to figure out  who his would be killer is. A dark and brooding comedy drama with a magnificent central performance from Brendan Gleeson as the parish priest who delves into his flock for answers. Cracking support from some very well known Irish faces too including Chris O'Dowd in fine form in a rare non comedic role. Superb Sligo scenery in this too.

The Fountain   Sat   29/4   TG4 @ 23.25

A film about love and life set in 3 time periods spanning 900 years. Starring Hugh Jackman in 2 different roles. Yes, Jackman has done films other than Wolverine. He is excellent in this as is Rachel Weisz, the love of his life who he will do anything for. It sounds a bit bizarre this this is great, absorbing stuff unique stuff that will draw you in and best of all, it's only 95 minutes long. You can't bate a nice short film.

Tucker And Dale Vs Evil   Sun   30/4   Horror Channel @ 21.00

Fun ensues when holidaying hillbillies find themselves staying near a bunch of partying students in the woods. This takes the tropes of 80's slasher films and turns them on their heads in hilariously gooey ways. Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk are good fun as a pair of initially gormless fools who then turn out to be anything but. You'll get the most out of this if you've seen Friday The 13th etc but its still great craic if you haven't.


Once Upon A Time In America   Mon   1/5   TG4 @ 21.05

Sergio Leone's film is an honest to god masterpiece while being a troubling and problematic watch too. A deep and complex tale of a man and his friends and their life of crime spanning 5 decades. This is a film that demands your attention and your time as it's nearly 4 hours long. Ya, its long but it's never ever boring. It's an experience. Robert De Niro is astounding in the lead role. He's utterly repellent but you can't look away from him. 

Margin Call   Mon   1/5   BBC2 @ 23.00

An excellent and quietly frightening look into the early days of a financial crash. Complicated stuff but all told in a way that gets the financial jargon across so as to not alienate the viewers. Super cast in this one and shout outs go to Kevin Spacey & Zachery Quinto but Stanley Tucci in a supporting role steals the film from all. In fairness he's usually the best thing in any film he's in. Thought provoking stuff.

The Night Of The Hunter   Tues   2/5   TCM @ 15.00

Southern gothic par excellence as two young children go on the run after their mother's murder with an evil preacher on their trail. Robert Mitchum is just excellent in this. Id go so far to say as it's a career best performance as an utterly terrifying malevolent presence. I hesitate to call this a horror film but it's definitely a dark and scary fairytale. A glorious looking one too. Definitely my film of the week. Odd time to be on though.

The Faculty   Wed   3/5   Syfy @ 22.00

Strange occurrences at a football obsessed Texas high school catch the attention of a group of students. No one believes them of course and chaos ensues. Highly entertaining stuff from the writers of Scream and has the same blend of laughs and scares but with a sci-fi tinge this time around. Good performances from Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, Clea Duvall and Jordana Brewster, all looking very fresh faced. 

The Lady From Shanghai   Fri   4/5   Film4 @ 11.00

Film noir heaven from director Orson Welles. Rita Hayward is stunning as a woman using her wiles to entice a man into a scam involving her husband. A convoluted Hitchcockian tale but at the same time immensely watchable. Hayward is great and the camera loves her. Welles himself is perfect as the male lead too. Super stuff with a memorable climax thats been imitated in so many films that it will ring a bell the second you see it.

The Last Stand   Fri   5/5   TV3 @ 21.00

A drug dealer on the run is looking to get back into Mexico through a quiet border town. And the sheriff of that border town? None other than a creaky old Arnold Schwarzeneggar. You can guess what happens. Great fun happens that's what! Arnie is old but still has the action chops. A highly entertaining Friday night film full of fun and inventively bloody action sequences. Good support from Luis Guzman and Peter Stormare.

The Belko Experiment. A short review.

Ever worked in an office? Ever dealt with office politics? Ever wanted to break a keyboard off a co-workers head? This is the film for you.

An office full of workers in Bogota Colombia find themselves locked in and told that they must kill their co-workers or die themselves. That's it. That's the plot. Nice and simple and brutally effective.

If you look for subtlety and nuance in your films, look elsewhere but if you want blacker than black comedy and savage violence after a long day at work this is your only man. One thing this film does very well though is it takes its time to introduce the large cast of characters, so we know who's who and actually give a damn when the red stuff begins to flow copiously. John C. McGinley steals the show as a frightenly recognisable office loop de loop.

A mix of Battle Royale and The Purge, this is fun, nasty stuff that moves like a ferrari. Avoid if you are anyway squeamish.

10 films worth watching on Freeview TV this week

District 9   Sat   22/4   RTE2 @ 21.20

Neill Blomkomp's intelligent and action packed tale of extraterrestrial visitors to earth and how they are treated by the South African government officials where they live. An apartheid allegory that's its really well done and well integrated into the story. Told in a documentary style to eventually gives way to all out action. A smart, fast moving, gory yet touching film that's really worth watching.

Little Miss Sunshine   Sat   22/4   W @ 21.00

A delight of a film about a troubled family driving across America so their daughter can take part in one of those godawfully creepy American child beauty pageants. Cracking cast in this with the adorable Abigail Breslin in the lead and Toni Collette on fire as her mother. Both Alan Arkin (brilliant fun) & Steve Carell (playing very much against type) steal the film though. You'll laugh and cry at this one.

The Sessions   Sun   23/4   Ch4 @ Midnight

A man trapped in an iron lung feels he is missing out on living to his fullest so hires a therapist to help him out with one of life's important rites of passage. Superb brave performances from Helen Hunt & John Hawkes carry a very affecting story. This is about a side of life with disability that most of us thankfully never have to think about. Frank, uplifting and upsetting but you'll be glad you watched it.

The Wicker Man   Mon   24/4   The Horror Channel @ 23.20

A police sergeant searching for a missing girl on a Scottish Island finds himself caught up in something very unexpected. A proper cult classic here that deserves every bit of praise it gets. Not a horror film exactly but it's so atmospheric and haunting in places that no one would argue it. Edward Woodward is fantastic as the sergeant. This is a film that will stay in your head for days afterwards.

Mildred Pierce   Tues   25/4   TCM   @09.25

A true classic from the golden age of Hollywood. A film about a recently divorced woman and her complicated relationship with her daughter. A gorgeous looking film with a mighty performance from Joan Crawford in the title role. Made in 1945 and still topical in places, this is bleak, powerful, and stunning stuff that will have you rushing to netflix or wherever looking for similar films from that era.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes   Wed   26/4   RTE2 @ 21.00

A virus has both decimated the human population of Earth and made Apes ultra intelligent and now both face off against each other. The second film in the rebooted series that everyone expected to be awful but that turned out to be both fantastically entertaining and heartfelt. Fine acting from Jason Clarke & Andy Serkis grounds the movie and the special effects are just jaw dropping. And lets face it, we all want the apes to win!

Starred Up   Wed   26/4   Film4 @ 23.20

A young man finds himself bumped up to an adult prison when he becomes too much to handle in his youth detention centre. A cracking film with a career making performance from Jack O'Connell as an initially vicious little fecker who you come to empathise with as he lays his demons bare. Dark and intense but peppered with a touch of humour, this is really worth a watch as long as barrages of 4 letter words don't bother you.

The China Syndrome   Thurs   27/4   Film4 @ 12.35

Jane Fonda leads an all star cast in this 70's set tale of a near catastrophic failure in a nuclear plant and the reporter who wants to get the information about it out to the wider world. Yet another 70's thriller full of post Vietnam & Watergate paranoia which has always made for good cinema. Fonda and Jack Lemmon are excellent in this thought provoking and chilling little drama.

Chato's Land   Fri   28/4   TG4 @ 22.45

A brutal tale of a Native American man who turns the tables on the posse chasing him once he gets back to his own land. Charles Bronson is always good fun in a western and Jack Palance does great bad lad work as the man chasing him. As with all early 70's westerns it's nasty & unpleasant in places but the acting is top notch and the oppressive desert scenery is used to great effect.

Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia   Fri   28/4   TCM @ 23.10

A stark and dusty Sam Peckinpah masterpiece about a man chancing his arm to make a bit of money and finding himself in a very bad place while doing so. A grim, blackly funny film that will probably offend some of ye and just disturb the rest. Not a film for the optimists as it really shows up the darker side of human nature. Warren Oates is superb in the lead role and its an awful shame he died a few years after its release.






 

10 Films worth watching on Freeview TV this week

War Of The Worlds   Sat   15/4   BBC2 @ 21.45

Steven Spielberg's terrifying version of the H.G. Wells story. Made only 4 years after the 9/11 attacks, all manner of meanings can be read into this story of world wide attacks from otherworldly beings but its best to just sit back and gawp in awe at the horrifying spectacle before you. Tom Cruise rocks it as always but a short vignette with Tim Robbins as a crazed survivor will stick with you for days afterwards.

Dead Ringer   Sat   15/4   TG4 @ 23.25

A lovely slice of late period film noir with Bette Davis as a woman who murders her twin sister and begins to impersonate her. Fierce bang of Hitchcock off that story line eh! Davis is superb in a dual role in this very entertaining and twisty little tale. It's slightly predictable in places but its great fun and not as dark as it's synopsis makes it out to be. Karl Malden and Peter Lawford make for fine support.

Rescue Dawn   Sat   15/4   BBC1 @ 23.45

A US fighter pilot is shot down over Laos during the early years of the Vietnam war and puts his heart and soul into escaping the arms of his captors. Christian Bale gives his all in this tense and fast moving and extremely entertaining true story. Directed by Werner Herzog too and definitely one of his most accessible films but he still manages to cast his unique style over the story. 

East Is East   Sun   16/4   CH4 @ 23.05

The late Om Puri is excellent in this 70's tale of a traditional Pakistani father who comes to resent the fact that his English born children aren't growing up in the ways he expects them too. A funny but at times hard to watch insight into life as an immigrant in England and one that refreshingly doesn't contain the same terrorist or fundamentalist tropes that these films usually do. 

Brother   Mon   17/4   Film4 @ 01.30

A disgraced Japanese yakuza finds himself in Los Angeles and works with his brother and new friends to create a new criminal enterprise. Japanese superstar Takeshi Kitano brings his trademark laconic cool to America and it makes for a highly entertaining film. The tone may seem odd to people not used to Kitano's unique style but the scenes of gentle comedy and horrific bloodshed somehow compliment each other in a perfectly strange way. 

The Great Race   Mon   17/4   RTE2 @ 11.45

Jack Lemmon & Tony Curtis team up once again in this entertaining tale of a car race from New York to Paris. Lemmon and Curtis play arch rival racers determined to beat each other to the finish. Great fun, wacky as hell and guaranteed to make you laugh in that snorty embarrassing way. It's long but happily never ever boring. A super way to start your bank holiday Monday.

The Running Man   Tues   18/4   TCM @ 21.00

It's 2017. America has become a military state with closed borders. Hmmm this sounds familiar. Prisoners are executed on reality tv. Arnie is one such prisoner but he's been wrongly convicted and must fight his way to freedom. A highly entertaining action film full of laughs and good crunch that has become frighteningly prescient in the present day. Arnie is good fun as always and is supported by a solid cast of B movie regulars.

Solaris   Thurs   20/4   Film4 @ 00.40

A man is sent on a mission into deep space to investigate strange happenings on a space station.An almost 3 hour long Russian subtitled sci-fi film from Andrei Tarkovsky isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea but if you are willing to stick with it this is a very rewarding experience. It's a film that will scare you, make you think, reminisce about people from your past & generally do things to your head that most other films won't. Highly recommended.

Weekend At Bernie's   Thurs 20/4   3E @ 21.00

One for the 80's kids here. 2 men have to pretend their dead employer is alive and of course, this leads to all manner of wackiness. The kind of film you think you'll be annoyed by but really you end up loving, this is 100 minutes of utter nostalgia. Ya, its dated ( is there any 80's set film that hasn't?) but its just great fun and the lead duo of Andrew McCarthy & Jonathan Silverman are fierce likeable. Plus Bernie's mustache always make me laugh.

The Birdman Of Alcatraz   TCM   Fri   21/4 @ 15.00

Burt Lancaster had a fantastically long and varied career and this film arguably contains his best performance. This is a prison set tale about a man who for once was actually guilty of his crimes and how he set about bettering himself whilst inside. A sad, claustrophobic, touching and superbly acted film filled with sumptuous black and white photography. Excellent support from Karl Malden & Telly Salavas too.

 

Uncomfortable scenes.

I like to be challenged when I watch a film. I think its a great thing to be pushed out of your comfort zone, to be made squirm and be uncomfortable and nauseous. Its good for your head. It makes you think. And it makes for great cinema.

Sometimes though, you see something that leaves a horrible impression. You see it and think "ah shit, that's going to pop up in my dreams."

It would be very easy to fill this list with loads of gory and gruesome horror so I won't. OK, I'll put a few first and then head elsewhere.

Here's 9 scenes that broke my head.

The Exorcist

The famous Tom Savini once said that The Exorcist will only really affect you if you were raised Catholic. I was. Sort of. My parents gave it a half hearted effort and then gave up. Fair play. The scene in it that gets me is the defilement of the statue of Mary near the start of the film. And I have no idea why. It just feels transgressive even though I couldn't care less about a statue of Mary. Maybe its just the religion that was horsed into us in school still has a tenuous grip but it has always disturbed me. Weird.

Audition

A Japanese man who was recently widowed auditions women to be his new wife. Of course the woman he picks is an absolute psychopath. The film is infamous for a horrible scene of torture near the end but it's another scene that absolutely did me in. An imprisoned man begs for food and is offered a dogbowl filled with vomit. Which he hungrily laps up. Sorry, if you could see the face im making now you'd laugh. God it's vile.

The Curse Of Frankenstein.

When you think of old Hammer horror movies you think of camp silliness, garish special effects and busty wenches. But ye are looking back on them with adult eyes. I saw this one when i was about 10. I hadn't seen much horror at that stage so this one had an effect and the scene that did it is when Christopher Lee as Frankenstein's monster gets shot in the face. It's tame as hell now, and the blood looked like ketchup but i was horrified and wanted to puke. It supposedly caused uproar in the 1950's when it was made and i can see why.
 
Rules Of Attraction.

A young woman sits in a bath tub. Harry Nilsson plays his most famous song over the scene. Shit, this is even hard to type. She slits her wrist lengthwise. And then goes into an agonising death throe. The song distorts into something horrific as the life ebbs from her. This scene is so disturbing that it hasn't been available to see in its uncut form in Ireland or England since 2004. I remember seeing it uncut in the cinema. Numerous people got up and left. It killed the film dead, big full stop near the end of the film. Black comedy turned to just black. I still feel queasy thinking about it.

Taxi Driver.

Martin Scorsese's masterpiece and the scene in question involves him acting too. He's a passenger in Travis's taxi and is talking about his wife having an affair. He intends to kill her with a .44 magnum. It's not a physically violent scene but the language he uses to describe how he will kill her and the calm manner in which he says it is a real gut punch. It made my teeth itch. It's hard to describe tbh. You need to see it. I've read Scorsese decided to act in the scene as he was the only one who could do it as creepily as the idea he had in his head.

Eraserhead. 

Basically the entire film is an uncomfortable experience. A story of a man and woman dealing with their newborn child who also happens to be hideously deformed. Even the description is conjures up horrific images. When you first see the child it takes your breath away. In a horrible way. It's a horrible scene made even worse by the sympathy you have for the poor little unfortunate. Its a struggle not to leap for the remote to switch it off.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

A strange film. A classic from the second golden era of Hollywood that makes you sympathise with a rapist and cheer him on when he tries to murder a woman. I like the film but there's a lot going on under the surface in it. Randall McMurphy fakes insanity to avoid jail and finds himself squaring off against a nurse who ok, is a bit overzealous in her job but when he finally snaps and tries to strangle her and you find yourself hoping he kills her......ya well, there's something wrong there. Or its filmmaking doing something very right. 

Saving Private Ryan.

In a film famous for it's horrific depiction of warfare. it's a little small scene of 2 men fighting that freaked me out the most. 2 men, one a German soldier and one a Jewish American soldier find themselves scrapping in a room. It's dirty and nasty, wrestling and biting, until the German grabs the yank's knife and ever so slowly pushes the knife into his chest, quietly talking him into submission as he does it. It's horrible and the fact that it's a hitler youth knife killing a Jewish man makes it even worse. 

Superman 2

Ok. This is a silly one. It's a Superman film, it can't be that bad, oh but it is. I hate it. It made me squirm when i was 7 and still does now. Superman wants to be "with" Lois Lane. But he can't as a superhero so willingly gives up his powers to be a normal man. He finds himself in a diner standing up against a pure gowl who proceeds to kick the shit out of him. Normally Superman would laugh in his face but as Clark Kent he hasn't a hope. He gets an awful hiding and is then shocked at the sight of his own blood. It's mild as hell these days but it has always had an effect on me. Silly yes but it works.

9 Films worth watching on TV this week

Zero Dark Thirty   Sat 8/4   RTE2 @ 21.15

Kathryn Bigelow's tremendous tale of the hunt and eventual take down of Osama Bin Laden. Jessica Chastain is perfect as the woman who planned and executed the entire operation. I found some of her methods problematic but the story neither glorifies or condemns and just tells it like it was. A tense & superbly acted film which will grip you even when you know the ending.


Dredd   Sat 8/4   Ch4 @ 22.45

A brilliant and bloody adaption of the cult British comic strip and one thats a million miles for the homogenous family goodness of the recent Marvel comic book films. Judge Dredd and his new rookie have to take down a gang who have taken over a huge block of flats. Chaos ensues. Karl Urban plays Dredd in a perfectly grumpy & deadpan fashion & Lena Headey is good fun as his nemesis. Great gory fun. Don't watch if you are any way wimpy.

Goldfinger   Sun 9/4   ITV @ 13.45

The quintessential Bond film. This one sees the 007 agent taking on a crazed megalomaniac who plans to destroy America's gold reserve. A perfect distillation of everything you think of when you think of a classic Bond movie. The car, the gadgets, the Girl ( one of the best, Honor Blackman rocks it as Pussy Galore ), the unique henchman, laserbeams and of course the title song. Sean Connery is, as always a perfectly suave killer.

Mammal   Sun  9/4   TV3 @ 21.00

An unusual and absorbing Dublin set drama about a woman coping with the loss of her estranged son through unorthodox means. A story of motherhood that is quite tough to watch at times but really worth sticking with. Rachel Griffiths (Brenda from TV's Six Feet Under) is super as the lead and is supported by a cracking Irish cast including Michael McElhatton and Barry Keoghan. 

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night   Mon   10/4   Film4 @ 23.35

A lovely little oddity right here. An Iranian horror film with a slight whiff of a western about a lonely female vampire who stalks the men of her desolate town. There's not much going on story-wise in this film but its a fantastic exercise in style and atmosphere. Definitely worth watching if only to broaden your cinematic horizons. A beautiful looking film too.

Song Of The Sea   Tues   11/4   Film4 @ 14.45

An undisputed Irish animated masterpiece. Imagine a Studio Ghibli film shot through with a huge dose of celtic mysticism. A brother and his little sister set off on a quest when sis falls ill. An enchanting, magical and in places heartbreaking exploration of grief and love that will make you cry, laugh and drop your jaw with awe in places. Watch on Film4 HD if you have it. It's just gorgeous looking.

What's Up, Doc?   Wed   12/4   TCM @ 19.10

Usually i'd run a mile from any Barbara Streisand film but this one is an utter hoot. Set in San Francisco this is a proper old fashioned screwball comedy all set in motion by a luggage mix up. It feels like an old 30's comedy and i mean that in a good way. The cast is led by Ryan O'Neal and Streisand and both are in top form, charming and just good fun. Record this for when you have a crap day & need something to cheer yourself up.

Black Swan   Thurs   13/4   Ch4 @ 01.05

Darren Aronofsky's blackly funny and utterly terrifying tale of obsession and jealousy in the world of ballet. Natalie Portman plays a career best role as a Ballerina who's success is threatened when a younger Ballerina played by Mila Kunis appears on the scene. The perfect film to watch when you want to break your brain and feel squeamish, uncomfortable, nauseous and disorientated all at once. Magnificent stuff.

The Homesman   Fri   14/4   TG4 @ 21.35

A harsh and starkly realistic depiction of how life was for women during the pioneering days of the American west. 2 people, a man and a woman escort 3 women in need of help across the country. This is a dark film, shot through with a vein of darker comedy and aided by some superb acting from Hilary Swank and Tommy Lee Jones ( who also directed it ). Really worth a watch but make sure you are in the right mood for it.

Films that shaped my love of cinema

I always loved movies. Can't get enough of them. I'm an addict. *Stands up* "My name is Ronan and I'm a celluloid junkie." I can't remember a time when I wasn't engrossed by them. I've grown up on them. I can't imagine a world without them. Oh jesus that would be horrible wouldn't it. No flights of fantasy, no escape for a couple of hours. Oh no fuck that.

I was lucky with my parents. We were let watch what we wanted within reason. Well no, its not like we were let loose on 18 cert films when we were 7 ( happened once and was a formative experience I'll get back to later) but in general they didn't stop us from watching what we wanted. I remember once I was about 13 and it was a friday night and I saw a film called Deliverance was starting. It looked interesting so I said I'd give it a whirl. Ma walked in and asked what was on. I told her and she told me it was good but tough and might scare me but she didn't stop me from watching it. Well scared I was and but I appreciated the fact that she let me watch. Another memory was watching a Watership Down when I was about 8. I was scarred after it but Da thought it was an important film for us to watch and I'm glad we did. Having excellent parents who trust you to watch what you are able for was great for my burgeoning hobby.

Below are 5 films that made me into the film fan I am today

• Raiders Of The Lost Ark
• Alien
• The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
• Goodfellas
• Reservoir Dogs

Raiders Of The Lost Ark. 

 Raiders is a masterpiece. I've seen it dozens of times and it never fails to thrill me. The first time I saw it I was young, no idea, 8 maybe. Probably on Christmas day or Easter sunday. Blew me away, didn't give me a second to breathe. It's breakneck speed, the comedy ( shooting the swordfighter is still the best piece of comedy ever put to film IMHO), the scary ass nazis, the drinking contest, the heroine who could hold her own, the stunts, the snakes and that beginning. But the part that got me was the ending. It still gives me goosebumps. We all know it, the ark is opened and spirits pour out. Initially floaty but then hellishly malevolent. That scene of the angelic face turning demonic!!! WHOA. Young me was petrified but amazed. I still vividly remember the feeling of awe I had and for that I'll always credit Raiders as being the movie that hooked me.

Alien

Da turned up one evening with a video cassette and a VCR. I was 7. It was back when you could rent a film and the player from the same shop. The video had no case and no writing on it because every single film in the shop was pirated. People complain about film piracy now but it was brutal in the 80's. The film was called Alien and Da told us it was about a dragon that lived inside people. Sounds harmless enough so we were let watch it. I was expecting Star Wars but this was much different. The people in it were normal people, real workers. Everything was fine and dandy until a man who's voice i recognised as Hazel from Watership Down got an alien stuck to his face. That was scary enough and Ma was a bit concerned until the table scene happened. Blood and viscera erupted across the screen. Me and my brother ( who was 4 at the time, jaysus ) and tbh Ma & Da fuckin roared the house down. I was horrified. But also.....strangely exhilarated. I'd never seen anything like that before and that's the film I credit with giving me a love of dark, scary, tension packed cinema.

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

I saw this for the first time with my nana. Nana loved westerns, old Glenn Ford movies, Gary Cooper facing baddies with his new bride, TV shows like Bonanza and The High Chapperal. Clint and Sara the nun and her 2 mules and so on. One night I was staying there and we watched TGTBATU. From the opening credits I was hooked. Vivid colours and mad graphics and Ennio Morricone's iconic music blasting and just WOW. A lot of people have problems with the pace of westerns but I been watching them for years so It never bothered me. I loved the characters, Blondie was cool and Tuco was a loveable scumbag and Angel Eyes was terrifying and the whole film was just so epic. Huge. The bridge explosion, the desert landscapes, the huge graveyard of Arch Stanton and the arena of death at the end. I couldn't look away. The final scene were Blondie gives Tuco his reprieve just burned itself into my brain. This was just something else. It cemented my love of westerns to this day. I love em, if I come across one on the telly I have to watch it. They are just pure cinema.

Goodfellas 

Probably my favourite film of all time. Definitely my most watched film of all time. I was 15, I should have been studying for my junior cert. Hahaha. There was a film on RTE 1 as it was a Wednesday night. Robert De Niro was in it. I liked De Niro so I wanted to see it. The RTE announcer gave a content warning before the film. My ears pricked up. RTE never did they so this film had to be something special. And it was. In spades. The film opened on a car driving. The occupants pull over, open the boot and brutally and casually murder the bloodied man inside. My jaw dropped. WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS??? The next 140 minutes were amazing. Blew my head off. Never stopped for breath. No real plot, freeze frames, voice overs, cameras swooping left and right, the music, long shots following people through restaurants, it felt alive. It was so exciting, the acting, the language, the insight into this strange life of crime. A moment of realisation when watching it that I just loved movies. Loved em. I saw this film again in the cinema earlier this year and it was as exciting as the first time. 

Reservoir Dogs

This came out in 1991 and I was too young to see it and too young to know about it. I started reading Premiere magazine ( remember that one!) aged 13 or 14 so heard all about it and the controversy surrounding it. I was dying to see it after that before sadly it couldn't get a video release with all the film violence brouhaha after the Jamie Bulger murder. It could only be seen in the cinema. One night I got home from school and Da had a surprise for me. Reservoir Dogs was being shown in Tullamore and he would bring me and a few friends to see it. I was over the moon. Finally getting to see this big cause celebre. I know it would be brilliant. And it was. I loved it. Da and his friend walked out half way through it and this made it even better. It was gruelling, it was bloody.....but it was also hilarious, with well written characters and great dialogue and played with time in a fashion we didn't see often back then, flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks. It was brilliant to just get lost it. It instilled in me a love of a good story, of pithy dialogue, of non linear storytelling.

There we have it. 5 films that changed my life, that gave me a brilliant hobby, a way to relax and unwind and fall in love with cinema.

Free Fire. Short but not sweet.

I love a good film. And if a good film is short it's even better. There's an awful trend in movieland today for every big film to be padded and saggy. Film makers think the audience need everything spelled out to them. We don't. We like using our brains to connect the dots. And we all love a nice lean little film. 

Free Fire is a short film. And that's probably the best thing about it.

Director Ben Wheatley has made 6 films so far. 3 are excellent (Down Terrace, Kill List & A Field In England), 1 is great fun (Sightseers) and the last 2, one was an interesting failure (High Rise) and now one is an utter dud IMO (Free Fire).

The film has a very simple set up. Its 1978 and 2 IRA buyers meet gun sellers in a Boston warehouse to buy a cache of arms and everything goes sideways of course. The rest of the film is one big extended gunfight. Sounds fun though right? Its not. It's boring and eventually numbing.

It just feels like we've seen it all before. The Warehouse setting evokes Reservoir Dogs. The over cooked dialogue and smooth talking characters recall any number of films that popped up in the wake of Dogs and Pulp Fiction. The lines spouted don't feel real. One line about sympathy from the usually reliable Michael Smiley made me audibly groan. The characters are a motley crew of criminals, a mix of heroin addicts, scumbags and suavely suited gangsters, again recalling Tarantino's oeuvre. I wasn't a fan of any of them but Armie Hammer's character really annoyed me. He felt far too modern for the piece. From his one liners to his military stances and gunsmanship ( is that a word?), he just felt wrong right away.

I've a feeling i need to see this film again. It's getting such high praise i that i have to be wrong about it. Nothing clicked with me. I felt nothing for the characters. Nothing. I was so excited for this film and i had to force myself not to walk out after an hour. One scene involving a very slow moving vehicle and some horrible violence made me laugh only because annoying people died. An awful pity and a waste of a great cast that includes Smiley & Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Brie Larson, Sharlto Copley and Jack Reynor. Like seriously, there was 3 cracking Irish actors in there and an Oscar winning actress and i couldn't give a fuck about any of them. What is that all about? It has to be me. 

Ugh. Double ugh.