January 2011

The Archives

  • 01.25.11
    And the Oscar might go to…. Blog Exclusives, Lists, Trade News | Comments Off
    The nominations for the 2011 Oscars are finally in! Here are the main categories, with my own predictions highlighted - let's see I right (or wrong) I get them! Best Picture: Black Swan The Fighter Inception The Kids Are All Right The King’s Speech 127 Hours The Social Network Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter’s Bone Best Actor: Javier Bardem, Biutiful Jeff Bridges, True Grit Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network Colin Firth, The King’s Speech James Franco, 127 Hours Best Actress: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone Natalie Portman, Black Swan Michelle Williams, Blue ...
  • 01.25.11
    THE FIGHTER: Boxing Clever Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    THE FIGHTER Directed by David O. Russell. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo. 114 mins. Rating: Four/Five In cinemas February 4 Based on the true-life story of a Massachusetts-born underdog boxer Micky Ward, The Fighter has all the makings of yet another Boston-based film about charming blue collar rogues just waiting for their chance to – dramatic pause - make somethin’ of themselves. But thankfully director David O. Russell abandons these clichés in favour of the gritty realities of dysfunctional family life, and while ostensibly a boxing film, The Fighter revolves around the struggles that take place outside the ring. Set in ...
  • 01.25.11
    RABBIT HOLE: And so we fall. Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    RABBIT HOLE Directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Starring Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller. 92 mins. Rating: Four/Five In cinemas February 4 Becca and Howie (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) are living a pseudo existence. Becca is a joyless Stepford wife who spends her days tending to her garden, making her delinquent sister crème brûlée for breakfast and avoiding social gatherings, while Howie disappears all day to his unidentified job. Their interactions with eachother are stilted and perfunctory, and it’s not until other characters force their way into the couple’s lives that the source of their anguish is revealed – the ...
  • 01.25.11
    HOW DO YOU KNOW: If it’s not a rom or a com, what is it (no question mark) Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    HOW DO YOU KNOW DIRECTED BY JAMES L.BROOKS. STARRING REESE WITHERSPOON, PAUL RUDD, OWEN WILSON, JACK NICHOLSON. [116 mins] In cinemas January 28 RATING: TWO AND HALF/FIVE At one point during How Do You Know, a therapist is asked for a piece of general, all-round piece of advice, “something that would help anyone, in any situation.” His sage-like response is thus: “Figure out what you want to do with your life, and learn how to ask the questions to get there.” Quite a solid mantra. Unfortunately director James L. Brooks didn’t take his own his own advice. Despite a great cast and some ...
  • 01.25.11
    HEREAFTER: Eastwood’s Afterlife drama is Dead in the Water Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    HEREAFTER Directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Matt Damon, Cécile de France, Frankie McLaren, George McLaren. 129 mins Rating: Two/Five In cinemas January 28 Following in the schmaltzy footsteps of Crash and Babel, Clint Eastwood’s overlong drama Hereafter uses three intertwining plotlines to demonstrate the inescapable interconnectedness of humanity and his own lack of originality. French journalist Marie (Cécile de France) has a near-death experience when she’s caught in a tsunami; Marcus (Frankie McLaren) is an English boy whose twin brother is killed in a car accident, and George (Matt Damon) is an enigmatic labourer burdened with an ability to communicate with the ...
  • 01.25.11
    BRIGHTON ROCK: Not Rocking the Remake Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    BRIGHTON ROCK DIRECTED BY ROWAN JOFFE. STARRING SAM RILEY, ANDREA RISEBOROUGH, HELEN MIRREN, JOHN HURT, ANDY SERKIS. In cinemas February 4 [111 mins] RATING: TWO AND A HALF/FIVE Known for this successful screenplays (The American, 28 Weeks Later), Rowan Joffe’s directing debut marks a notably odd choice of project. Choosing to adapt Graham Greene’s 1939 novel, Joffe immediately sets himself up for comparison with the beloved 1947 adaptation starring Richard Attenborough – a comparison which was never going to reward him favourably. Pinky (an extremely menacing Sam Riley) is a small town hoodlum whose gang run a protection racket based at Brighton race course. When naive ...
  • 01.25.11
    BLACK SWAN: Shades of Grey Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    BLACK SWAN DIRECTED BY DARREN ARONOFSKY. STARRING NATALIE PORTMAN, VINCENT CASSEL, MILA KUNIS. [108 mins] Opens January 21 RATING: THREE AND A HALF/FIVE Perfectionist ballerina Nina (Natalie Portmas), is a troubled woman stuck in a state of stunted adolescence. Obsessive rehearsal and an eating disorder have kept her body in its pubescent form; her creepily devoted “Mommy” (Barbara Hershey) undresses and tucks her in at night; and, sexually inexperienced, she’s unable to process her feelings for her sleazy director Thomas (Vincent Cassel.) But when Thomas offers her the dual lead role in Swan Lake, Nina is forced to grow up. And because burgeoning female sexuality is ...
  • 01.16.11
    Interview: Richie Baneham Interviews | Comments Off
    If asked to list some Irish Oscar winners down your local pub quiz, it’s likely that the name ‘Daniel Day Lewis’ will spring to mind, followed by ‘Peter O’Toole’ and then maybe even yer man from The Frames. However last year it was Tallaght man Richard Baneham who walked away with a gong, having worked on the visual effects for James Cameron’s Avatar, the highest grossest film in history. And so, one year on from his win, with the 2011 Oscar nominations looming, we asked Baneham about his journey to Oscar stage, the pressure of living up to his award ...
  • 01.15.11
    EXTRA, EXTRA: January 14 Trade News | Comments Off
    * He’s multitalented, but my God, don’t he know it…Mike Skinner, aka the conversational rapper The Streets is now officially turned to the world of film. Having directed his own music videos, he’s currently working on an untitled script with his longtime associate Ted Mayhem. According to Skinner it will be “a punchy thriller” set in a hospital that will likely be released via his website skinnermike.com. * Director Scott Rudin has claimed that Angeline Jolie’s portrayal of Cleopatra in his upcoming biopic will not be that of a sexy seductress and is instead “a completely revisionist Cleopatra…She’s not a ...
  • 01.15.11
    2010: You Spin me right round, baby right round Blog Exclusives, Lists, Reviews | Comments Off
    Following my list of the best films of 2010, I joined my wonderful buddy Mr. Gordon Hayden on his radio show We Love Movies on Spin 103.8 Listen to part one here, where we list our best & worst movies of the year from number 10 to number 6 & argue over the Millenium Trilogy starring Noomi Rapace & I explain why Green Zone ended a flirtation of mine before it ever really began! Then get ready as we rant & rave about our ten most loved & hated films of 2010, & where the tension escalates to such extreme levels ...