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Smithfield is one of the oldest market squares in Dublin City Centre. Situated on the north side of the Liffey it even featured in the film The Spy who came in from the Cold, starring Richard Burton, as the home of Checkpoint Charlie.
Sadly the once vibrant town square lost most of it’s charm during the Celtic Tiger restorations. Read more
Guillermo del Toro’s latest offering Mama is a supernatural horror movie about a mother’s love. When businessman Jeffrey (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) kills his wife he flees with his two small daughters Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse). When their father disappears the two little girls are left alone in a run down cabin deep in the woods, well nearly alone. Read more
Five years after the lukewarm comedy Knocked Up writer/director Judd Apatow latest offering, This is 40, looks at marriage from a different angle. Read more
In 1865 Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) is re-elected President of the United States and the war between North and South still rages on. But instead of focusing solely on ending the war, Abe battles to push the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting slavery, through the House of Representatives. Read more
Like last year 2013 brings a lot of big blockbuster movies filled with comic book superheroes, sequels and 80′s remakes. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Tom Cruise are back in the mix, saving the world and killing all the bad guys. Even Stephanie Meyers can’t leave us alone after her schmalzy “Twilight Saga” has finally come to an end and gives us a parasitic alien in the form of Saoirse Ronan. Sometimes it really does feel like Hollywood has run out of ideas and just regurgitates what has already proven to be box-office gold. But that isn’t always a bad thing, as you’ll know what you’re getting for your money when you buy a ticket.
Here is a quick rundown of some of the big films coming out throughout the year, but as we know in films, timelines are fluid so see the months as guidelines not craved in stone.
January starts of with a big bang and Arni in “The Last Stand”. Schwarzenegger is the disgraced LAPD officer Ray Owens who is serving out his time in the sleepy little town Summerton Junction. When drug lord Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) shows up all hell breaks lose and Schwarzenegger is back to his good old standard of killing people with big guns. Maybe not a film for the Oscars but if you like action movies and are an Schwarzenegger fan “The Last Stand” won’t disappoint, even if the plot is a little weak and the acting a little wooden.
Other Films like “Lincoln”, “The Sessions” and “Django Unchained” have already been winning prizes and if you want to know more about them just follow the links.
February is filled with lots of light-hearted comedy in Films like “This is 40”, “Parental Guidance”, “I Give It A Year” and “Wreck-it Ralph”. But there is a good balance with dramas like Oscar nominee “Flight” and Bafta nominee “Hitchcock”.
However the biggest blockbuster could possibly be action film “A Good Day to Die Hard”. Bruce Willis returns as John McClane and this time it’s his son Jack (Jai Courtney) who needs help. When he discovers that his son is actually a CIA agent trying to prevent the Russians from blowing up the world with nuclear weapons the father and son team up and try and save the day.
March is a month of science fiction and fantasy with “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” tracking down evil hags and killing them. “G.I Joe” makes a return to cinemas and Percy Jackson, Poseidon’s son, is also back in “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”. Nicholas Hoult is “Jack the Giant Slayer” and Saoirse Ronan plays “The Host” to a parasitic alien.
The one to watch is probably “Elysium”. With Director Neil Blomkamp (District-9) at its helm this sci-fi thriller looks promising. In the year 2159 the human population is split in two, the very wealthy who live on the man made space station Elysium and the rest who live in the slums of earth. Matt Damon plays the hero Max who is trying to bring equality back. Jodie Foster is his adversary Secretary Delacourt who will stop at nothing to keep the wealthy rich.
April, this is where things start to get a little hazy but it looks like we’ll be seeing a remake of Stephen King’s “Carrie” return to the big screen. Chloe Grace Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick Ass) replaces Sissy Spacek as Carrie, a shy high school kid who discovers her telekinetic powers and unleashes some supernatural nastiness on her peers. And it could be that this is the month that we see Tom Cruise again in his upcoming film “Oblivion”.
May could be the mega month of releases with “Iron Man 3”, “Star Trek 2”, “The Hangover 3”, “Fast Six” (Fast and the Furious franchise) and the Lone Ranger all hoping to lure us into the cinema.
Although the “Lone Ranger” is a new project for Walt Disney Pictures it does reunite Johnny Depp and his Pirates Director Gore Verbinski. Depp is Tonto who tells the tales of John Ried (Armie Hammer) or the Lone Ranger as he’s better known.
But May is also said to be the month that the long awaited “Great Gatsby “ finally graces our screens. With Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Toby Maguire as Nick Carraway it looks like it could have been worth the wait.
June brings back the “Man of Steel”. This time round it’s handsome Henry Cavill (Cold Light of Day) who is clad in the blue tights and red panties but that isn’t his only support, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner and Laurance Fishburne all make an appearance.
Brad Pitt may prove all doubters wrong that the project “World War Z” was filmable after all, when we see him starring in the Paramount production.
And Hugh Jackman has let his hair grow again for his starring role in “The Wolverine”. This time around it’s off to Japan, who knows maybe those claws will prove useful when making sushi.
But Will Smith is also back in M Night Shyamalan’s “After Earth”. This action Sci-fi film is only directed by Shyamalan so hopefully it will be better than “The Last Airbender”.
July reunites Stephen Spielberg with science fiction in his film “Robopocalypse”. The film is based on the book by Daniel H Wilson and seems quite similar to “I, Robot”.
But again Hollywood gives us sequels with “Grown-ups 2” “The Smurfs 2”and “Dispicable Me 2”, and “Jurassic Park” will be stomping its way back into Cinemas in 3D on it’s 25th (yes really) birthday.
“Dirty Dancing” is being re-made and said to be released in June. But after the disastrous “Total Recall”, “Fame” and “Footloose” reboots of the last few years maybe this isn’t such a wise idea. After all can anyone really replace Patrick Swayze as Jonny and Jennifer Grey as Baby? Some films should just be left alone!
August gives us the return of the retired, extremely dangerous crowd in “RED 2”, who knows maybe like “The Expendables” this will be better second time round. But “300:Battle of Artemisia” will at least give us scantily clad men with eight packs to watch, even I do yell a lot! And even “Sin City: A Dame To Kill For” and “Robocop” seem to be on the list of films to come out in the middle of Summer.
As for the rest of the films that are coming out this year things seem to be even less plannable. But some of the other 2013 big blockbusters that will be beckoning you to take a seat and nibble some pop-corn are:
“Oz the Great and Powerful” (March)
“Kick Ass “ (July?)
“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” (possibly August)
“Monster University”
“Enders Game” (October)
“Thor: The Dark World” (November)
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (possibly in November)
“The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug” (December)
By Jensine-Bethna Wall
Set in hot, humid Florida of the late 60s The Paperboy is a surprisingly atmospheric film. When big time reporter Ward Jensen (Matthew McConaughey) comes home to investigate the case of Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack) it is the beginning of a whole series of events.
Hillary is about to be executed for killing a cop, but Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman), a letter-writing, bottle-blonde with the hots for death row inmates, thinks he is innocent and asks Ward to look into the matter. Ward’s bother and college dropout Jack (Zac Efron) finds a new purpose in life when he falls in love with bombshell Charlotte, even though she is nearly twice his age.
As Ward and his co-writer Yardley (David Oyelowo) become more and more involved in unraveling the truth behind Hillary’s incarceration, Jack becomes more and more obsessed with Charlotte. Secrets are revealed and fantasies brought to life in a sticky, sexy southern way.
Surprisingly Kidman brings a lot of sex appeal to the role of Charlotte, displaying a near pornographic aggressiveness. And Cusack as Hillary is the perfect opposite to seductress Charlotte. He is creepy and crude, manipulative and possessive and there is always a surge of violence lurking below the surface.
McConaughey embodies the slightly greasy Ward with his usual blend of charm and sleaze, however there is more depth to the character, which he slowly excavates as the plot thickens. Another pleasant surprise is Efron as Jack. Although he is outshone by Kidman, Cusack and McConaughey, Efron does hold his own and his ‘graduate-like’ struggle is believable and quite endearing.
As the whole story is narrated by Macy Gray as the sassy, omniscient housekeeper Anita, her unique voice injects “The Paperboy” with it’s own flair. But director Lee Daniels does struggle to give the film a consistent flow and the narrative is often choppy. Maybe this is because the topic is so unsettling, the mixture of sex, violence and racism always unbalancing the plot. However what the narrative and storytelling lack the strong acting makes up for, overall a good film but not one for sensitive stomachs.
By Jensine-Bethna Wall
The Impossible is based on the true story of a family who spent their 2004 Christmas Holidays in Thailand and were swept up in the devastating tsunami. Incredibly, although over 230,000 people were killed, the family of five survived and managed to find one another in the chaotic aftermath.
On Christmas morning Henry (Ewan McGregor) and Maria (Naomi Watts) unwrap their presents with their three boys Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin) and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast) and then play in the hotel pool, enjoying each others company, leaving all work and money worries behind. Suddenly a rumbling silences the playful laughter and within moments the entire family is swept up into a massive wave of water.
Maria finds herself being tossed and turned by brown murky water until she finally finds herself clinging to a tree screaming for her sons and husband. By some miracle her eldest son Lucas hears her and together they end up in a chaotic hospital with Maria fighting for her life.
Separated from his wife Henry and his two small sons are struggling to come to terms with what has happened. Not willing to give in to despair Henry tries to find Maria and Lucas.
This impossible story makes for a great movie and thankfully director Juan Antonia Bayona and screenwriter Sergio Sanchez opted for a very realistic and gritty approach, there is no Hollywood grandeur or Disney plastic to distract from the emotional story.
However the strength of the film is mostly down to both McGregor and Watts. McGregor as Henry undergoes a very believable transformation from bland tourist to responsible father and husband. In an incredibly emotional scene he delivers a performance of a lifetime when he shows the crippling emotions Henry goes through when calling his wife’s father. Unable to speak and put into words what has happened he breaks down in sobbing tears of grief, fear and overwhelming agony.
Watts as Maria is just as incredible and it is not surprising that her performance is up for an Oscar. Her Maria is strong and caring yet utterly aware of the devastating situation she and her son are in. Struggling to survive she tries not to give in to the pain of her life-threatening injuries and even encourages her son to help as much as he can.
The Impossible is an old fashioned film about pain, devastation and human nature. It doesn’t sugar-coat the horrors of the natural disaster and at times is very vivid in its uncompromising portrayal. But in its center is the triumph of human kind, not diminishing any emotion, be it fear, pain or joy, making The Impossible a rare film and one that you will definitely need your tissues for.
By Jensine-Bethna Wall
Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, like Inglorious Basterds, takes history, gives it a Tarantino twist and creates a whole alternate world.
Set in 1858 Django Unchained is basically a western, men in hats on horses shooting people. But of course there is more to the story than that. The German bounty hunter Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) frees Django (Jamie Foxx) from slavery and takes him on as an “apprentice”. While the two unlikely partners go looking for bad guys on wanted posters, ruthlessly kill them and cash in the reward a second layer of plot is slowly revealed.
Django wants to find and save his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). Intrigued by the name Dr. Schultz tells Django about the German myth of Brunhilde and her lover Siegfried and decides to help the “real life Siegfried” free his Broomhilde.
After a lot of violence, blood and gore Django and Dr Schultz discover that, Broomhilda is held by the Southern aristocrat and sadist Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) on his Plantation Candyland.
Django Unchained is a homage to the spaghetti westerns of the 60s, just much more violent and bloodier. Like so many of Tarantino’s films, revenge is the main theme, justifying the bloodlust of its lead character. And while the interwoven storylines and plots need time to be told, 165minutes (no break) does seem a little excessive and is a true test to anyone’s bladder.
However the strong cast and witty dialogues do keep you entertained, especially Di Caprio’s captivating performance as the complex villain Candie. He is charismatic, brutal and deeply racist, with a weirdly intimate relationship to his house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson).
Both Waltz and Foxx are also enthralling to watch, Waltz embodies Schultz as a true gentleman, charming and very eloquent, educated but with a ruthlessness streak and a deep-rooted sense of right and wrong. Foxx seems to channel Clint Eastwood at times, with his silent demeanor and expressive gaze. And there is a whole slew of recognizable faces in smaller, supporting roles, like Don Johnson, M.C Gainey, James Remar and Tarantino himself.
Although Django Unchained is undeniably a Tarantino film, laced with black humour and playful brutality, it isn’t as good as Inglourious Basterds. This is partially due to the overindulgence in length and partially due to a disconnect in the storytelling. Too many narratives are equally weighted, and some that could use a stronger focus lack punch. But this doesn’t entirely distract from the unique storytelling, strong characters and great actors, making Django Unchained overall another successful Tarrantino film.
By Jensine-Bethna Wall
Boston born poet and journalist Mark O’Brien is the inspiration for Ben Lewin’s latest film The Sessions. Following a crippling attack of Polio as a child O’Brien lives his life mostly confined to the restrictions of an iron lung. The Sessions follows O’Brien’s autobiographical writings of his sexual coming of age.
In 1988, at the age of 38, Mark O’Brien (John Hawkins) decides to lose his virginity. Restricted by his inability to move anything but his head he seeks the help of professional sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen-Greene (Helen Hunt).
In several sessions Cheryl engages with Mark physically and helps him discover and understand his own sexuality. To better understand these sexual encounters Mark seeks the advice of Father Brendan (William H Macy) and in a series of “confessions” he describes his experiences. These frank discussions between Mark and the often dumbfounded priest are tender, honest and quite funny.
Luckily The Sessions is never overly sentimental, gimmicky or affected. This is mainly due to the combination of superb acting and the natural flow of the storytelling. Hawkes excels at portraying the immobile O’Brien, with his head always tilted, his back constantly uncomfortably arched he shows all emotions in his face. Never going overboard but playing O’Brien with an appropriate mixture of sincerity, naivety and sense of humour.
But Hunt in the role of Cheryl is no less impressive. Hunt plays Cheryl as a strong, independent, intelligent woman, undoubtedly comfortable in her own body and very aware of her own imperfections and desires.
The Sessions is quite a special film, a story beautifully told, never saccharine or condescending but tender, honest and very real. It really is no wonder that it won both the Audience and the Special Jury Prize at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. Sadly with staggered and limited release it could be quickly overlooked.
By Jensine-Bethna Wall
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Radio talk show host and ex-CIA agent Jack Begosian (Andy Garcia) is trying to make sense of his past by seeking the truth in his nightly radio show. But when he is hired by heiress Morgan Swinton (Deborah Kara Unger) to uncover a water crisis-spurred massacre in South America, Begosian sees his chance for redemption.
Sadly The Dark Truth aspires to more than it delivers. The combination of third world exploitation, corporate cover-up and a leading man trying to do the right thing aims to be highly dramatic, yet still weighty, but only succeeds to feel like a made-for-TV movie. And even though Garcia tries to hold the poorly written script together it is just not enough. The action scenes are underdeveloped and bland, the plot too fragmented and the characters have no depth. In addition to this the viewer can’t help but feel that well-known actors like Forest Whitaker and Eva Longoria are past their prime.
It seems as if the aspirations of Director/Screenwriter Damian Lee and his budget were too far apart. His attempt to create a disturbing drama like “Blood Diamond” or an action thriller like “Tears of the Sun” with A Dark Truth failed. And even the cynical and world-weary monologues of Begosian in his recording booth fail to inspire as everything is to obvious or clichés to actually make the audience think.
The Dark Truth may have good intentions but is boring and filled with lacklustre stars, and truthfully not worth the price of a ticket
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