Tralee Omniplex Tuesday Treat - What new release movie deserves your €6 this week?

There are three new releases for your consideration for this weeks Tuesday Treat at Tralee Omniplex. Another chapter in a jaded franchise, a well known actor's directorial debut feature and a hilarious satirical comedy are what's on offer for Omniplex customers and all for the giveaway price of just €6!

Jigsaw:
Hard to believe but this is the 8th chapter in the Saw franchise and in what has become a tradition that nobody has asked for, Halloween means a new Saw movie! Unsurprisingly not being well received by the critics but if you're a fan of the series then this will probably not disappoint!

Breathe:
This directorial debut by Andy Serkis is a heartfelt true story that includes fine performances by Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy and gets the first time director of to a solid, if perhaps unspectacular start behind the camera.

The Death of Stalin:
My pick of the bunch this week sees Armando Iannucci's latest offering tackle a pivotal moment in Russian history. With a cast that includes Jeffrey Tambor, Jason isaacs and Steve Buscemi and the writing of Ianucci and co. this should be a sure fire hit!

This weeks Top Movies on the Telly

The Ring - (TG4  Monday 30th October  21:30)
Keeping the scary theme going this week and it's hard to believe that this Gore Verbinski directed horror is 14 years old this year. Creepy visuals, a haunting tone and a solid performance from Naomi Watts contribute to make this a solid addition to the horror genre and one that will undoubtedly give sleepless nights!

Bobby Sands:66 Days - (BBC4 Tuesday 31st October 21:00)
Evenhanded, absorbing and insightful look into a painful chapter from Irish history, this Brendan J.Byrne directed documentary received well deserved critical acclaim on it's initial release as is well worth a watch.

Red Eye - (3e Wednesday 1st November 21:00)
This taut and tense Wes Craven directed thriller sees Cillian Murphy in top form and supported admirably by a talented cast that includes Rachel McAdams and Brian Cox. Well paced and highly entertaining this suspense filled thriller comes highly recommended.

Review: Thor: Ragnorak Marvel leave their best until last in this hilarious and visually stunning blockbuster

In this latest in the Marvel Studios offerings,Thor: Ragnarok," Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok--the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilisation--at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, his sister, the ruthless Hela.
I can't say that I was too enthralled with the prospect of yet another superhero movie to digest as it has been a long and at times weary feast of superhero blockbusters over the past year. Incredible special effects and dazzling CGI can only thrill for so long and after a while these type of films tend to blend into each other and are easily forgettable.
Mercifully, Thor:Ragnorak is not one of those films and thanks mainly to this chapter in the series being captained by the wonderful New Zealand director Taiki Watiti. Anyone familiar with Waititi's previous work which included Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We do in the shadows will now that his sense of humour and comic vision are his strongest assets and Thor: Ragnorak has his unmistakable mark all over it.
In fact, this latest Marvel offering contains more laugh out loud moments than any comedy I've seen on the big screen this year with the cast obviously having fun in their roles too. Casting in this film is very strong also with old reliables Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddlestone and Idris Elba bringing their usual charm and charisma to the production but it is the cameo additions including the always solid Cate Blanchett and the unique Jeff Goldblum (doing his best Jeff Goldblum impression!) that elevate this to another level.
The visuals in this big budget feature are also noteworthy with the explosion of colour throughout almost resembling an advertisement for skittles but that combined with some incredible effects (accompanied by Led Zeppelin's rip roaring Immigrant Song ) all hit their mark successfully.
This concoction of humour (and the fact that unlike lots of films in this genre it never takes itself too seriously), a reliable cast and incredible special effects combine to produce one of  the finest superhero films this year with Marvel Studios delightedly leaving the best until last! Highly recommended!
✷✷✷✷

What movies to watch this Bank Holiday Weekend?

In the Cinema:

Death to Stalin:
This latest satirical outing from director and co-writer Arnando Iannucci has been earning rave reviews and with a cast that includes Jason Isaacs, Jeffery Tambor and Steve Buscemi and Iannucci's unique style and wit, it makes a pleasant change to have a comedy of real quality to look forward to!



Streaming: 

1922: (Netflix)
This psychological horror is the latest in a long line of Netflix Original features. Based on the Stephen King, directed by Zak Hilditch and starring the always reliable Thomas Jane and Molly Parker this comes with some strong reviews and may be just what horror fans are looking for this weekend!



On Telly

Scream (Turner Classic Movies Sunday 29th October 21:00pm)
Another scary movie for the weekend that's in it. Wes Craven's tongue and cheek depiction of the slasher film is in itself an effective horror movie whilst also including sly and witty undertones that led to it's continued popularity amongst fans of the genre today.

Curtain closes on another fantastic Kerry Film Festival

The cast and crew of The Crest the opening feature of The 18th Kerry Film Festival - photo by Rob Allen

A Captain Unafraid on Sunday 22nd October brought to an end four days of quality film at the 18th Kerry Film Festival. From Le Voyage de Fanny on Thursday morning right through the four days of the festival the standard of short and feature films on show was extremely high. Add in the T.A.L.K Industry event on the Saturday and the Awards Night later that evening and you have paramount to a festival that depsite being in it's 18th year is only going from strength to strength.
From Thursday morning with a selection of short film in series that included Unforeseen, Documentary and Discovery Features is was quite clear that this was no ordinary festival and audiences and visitors to Killarney over the four days were not going to be disappointed. This view was strengthened by the screening of the opening feature The Crest and the short that preceded it Men of Straw that night. A Q&A held by Artistic Director Maeve McGrath with cast and crew of both films only added to the experience for the audience and day one of the festival was indeed a memorable one!

The cast and crew of Men of Straw at the opening night of KFF17 - photo by Rob Allen

Maureen O'Hara award recipient Emer Reynolds The Farthest got proceedings underway on day two which also saw a rich selection of shorts in series that included Communicate, Recall and Orchestreateand also saw the addition of St Marys Church as a venue for the screening of a Youth Programme selection of short film as well as the screening of the magnificent Score with both being free of charge to the public. Meanwhile in Cinema Killarney Irelands submission in the Foreign Language Category for the Acadmey Awards Song of Granite was being screened to an eager audience.

Artistic Director introduces The Crest on the opening night of KFF17 - photo by Rob Allen

Day three saw more quality shorts in series that included Animation and Irish narrative , whilst the Methodist Chruch in Killarney Rath and the Beat Goes On with both films again free of charge.
A Free Industry event T.A.L.K was also held in the Killarney Plaza on Saturday afternoon lots of interesting film related topics up for discussion with a very knowedlgeable panel.
Then came the Irish premiere of Gabriel Byrnes latest vehicle Lies We Tell a compelling drama set in North England and directed by Mitu Misra.
Saturday night concluded with the Awards Night in the Gleneagle Ballroom with the following films victorious on the night:

KFF:Storystock Competition: Ciaran
Best International Narrative: Noro
Best Documentary: Blood and Ink
Best Animation: Second to None
Best Student: Raha
Best Score: Wrongheaded
Best Irish Narrative: Wave
Best Kerry Short: A Conversation

The final day of the festival saw another selection of wuality shorts in series such as The Returned, International and Kerry Made with the festival coming to a close with the screening of Kevin Roche - The Quiet Architect and A Capatin Unafraid at Cinema Killarney.
Overall, judging by the crowds, atmosphere and buzz generated by this award winning film festival now in it;s 18th year a very successful weekend was had by all and credit must go in no small part to Artistic Director Maeve McGrath and her crew for another fantastic festival!
Roll on 2018!!

5th Richard Harris International Film Festival gets underway this week

Hot on the heels of an exceptional Kerry Film Festival, comes another strong programme for film lovers in the south west with the start of the 5th Richard Harris International Film Festival in Limerick this Thursday 26th October.
Beginning with a double diaspora screening of Covadonga by Sean Hartofilis and Bakerman by David Noel Bourke at the Millennium Theatre and including an insightful Q&A afterwards with cast an crew, this five day festival features over 9 feature films and 100 short films as well as some  extremely special events.
Three Irish features are on show throughout the festival with Eamon Norris' "Making It", Gerard Walsh's "Release" and Jason Figgis' "Urban Traffik" all shining examples of the high standard of Irish film being produced at present.
The Live Script Read introduced in 2016 also makes a welcome  return to Belltable with a reading of US Feature film due to be shot in Limerick in 2018 – “For the Good of the Child” which focuses on the poorest of Ireland’s inhabitants in the 1950’s to 1970’s and the internment of poor children into Industrial Schools until they reached 16.  Director and writer Marina Donohue joins RHIFF with lead actor and many special guests taking to the stage.
The centrepiece of each year’s festival is the Richard Harris Retrospective Screening, which this year is the Academy Award winning film Cry, the Beloved Country directed by Darrell James Roodt.  Taking the coveted Sunday afternoon slot at the Belltable, director Darrell Roodt joins the Harris Family for the screening and a Q&A afterwards.
Saturday 28th October sees University Concert Hall staging the RHIFF annual concert, this year’s being  Goldenhair. It spins the poetry of James Joyce through Golden Globe-winning Brian Byrne’s composition, with Stephen Rea and Patrick Bergin mastering the spoken word, with singers Kathleen Turner, Wiliam Byrne and more plus 16 musicians playing funk, jazz, chamber and bluegrass.
The final day of the festival will be a Sports Documentary day with the dominant feature being the LA made documentary by Mike Tollin 25 years ago, ‘Morningside 5‘ . It explores how basketball players coped with life have been sports superstars in school. The director is the man behind ‘One Tree Hill’ and  of course, the original film of said players in their youth, ‘Hardwood Dreams’.
Overall, another quality festival packed with exceptional film and events and with the Cork Film Festival just around the corner it sure is a great time to be a lover of film in the southwest of Ireland.
For full details of the RHIFF 2017 go to https://richardharrisfilmfestival.com/

Tralee Omniplex Tuesday Treat - What new release movie deserves your €6 this week?

There are three new releases for your consideration for this weeks Tuesday Treat at Tralee Omniplex. A timely horror slasher film, a blockbuster disaster movie and the third in a well known superhero franchise are what's on offer for Omniplex customers and all for the giveaway price of just €6!

Happy Death Day:
It is the season for the horror slasher movie and this latest feature puts a "Groundhog Day" type spin on this well worn genre. Reviews are not terrible however and Jessica Rothe is earning high praise for her role. Fans of this type of film should not be disappointed despite the movie's ridiculous title!

Geostorm:
A disaster movie that is by all accounts a disaster of a movie. Critics have panned this latest Dean Devlin directed blockbuster for lacking imagination, ideas and writing of any strength. It also seems to lack the stunning visuals that is the calling card of most of these type of films. The forecast for this one is not good. One strictly for Gerard Butler fans only!

Thor:Ragnorak
Benefiting from some positive reviews, this latest edition in the Thor series seems to one packed with action, humour and most of all fun as it reaps the rewards of having Taiki Waititi on board and the unique style he brings as director. May just be this weeks pick of the bunch!

This weeks Top Movies on the Telly

St. Vincent - (Film Four  Monday 23rd October  21:00)
This comedy from the director of Hidden Figures Ted Melfi sees Bill Murray in fine form as retired grumpy neighbour with a penchant for gambling and alcohol who strikes up an unlikely friendship with his 12 year old neighbour. Murray's natural charm and wit contribute to a largely enjoyable comic drama.

Alien - (Film Four Tuesday 24th October 21:00)
A true classic that has aged remarkably well, this sci-fi horror is brimming with palpable nerve jangling tension throughout and is helped in no small way by a remarkable lead performance by Sigourney Weaver. Worth revisiting again!

Thor - (Film Four Wednesday 25th October 21:00)
The first in the series directed by Kenneth Brannagh this superhero blockbuster succeeds in the most part due to it's wit, action and two charismatic performances from Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddlestone. A timely refresher in the franchise to coincide with the release of Thor:Ragnorak

Review: The Lego Ninjago Movie - Entertaining Family film that sees return to form for the franchise

This third installment in the Lego movie series revolves around the battle for Ninjago City which calls to action a young Master Builder Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, also secret ninja warriors. Led by Master Wu, these ninja warriors must defeat the evil warlord Garmadon, who also happens to be Lloyd's dad. Pitting father against son, the epic showdown tests these willing but undisciplined ninjas as they learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash the inner power of Spinjitzu.
As a big fan of the first Lego movie but not being completely enamoured with the second, I was interested to see if firstly, this third chapter of the popular franchise was in any way a marked improvement in what I felt was a muddled second effort or indeed if this series had run it's course, having lost the novelty factor some time ago.
The good news for fans of the Lego movies is that this is undoubtedly an improvement on Lego Batman whilst not hitting the heights of the first uniquely imaginative and entertaining film.
Screenwriters Bob Logan and Paul Fisher keep it simple with a barrage of gags largely taking precedence over plot returning to what made the series so popular in the first place.
The animation, as the audience has come to expect, at this stage, is superb and the whole production is visually stunning.
There are some downsides however as with the originality of the first film now being a distant memory it's hard to visualise where to next for the series. It also(as expected) at times simply looks like a LEGO advertisement with emphasis on the product as opposed to the feature production itself.
In general though, The Lego Ninjago Movie is an entertaining enough family film , that while may be a bit too loud and brash for younger members of the family is nonetheless a rather fun way to spend ninety minutes out of the elements!
✷✷✷

What movies to watch this weekend?

In the Cinema:

Thor Ragnorak:
Much previewed and following the usual fanfare this latest marvel feature sees Chris Hemsworth return to the role he has made his own. Expect much of the same with awesome effects and thrilling action sequences aplenty (with a few gags thrown in for good measure) -  which is not a bad way to spend two hours or so in the cinema!



At Home: 

Spiderman: The Homecoming:
With a new cast, new director and a third bite at the Spiderman apple, this reboot thankfully got a new lease of life. Highly entertaining high octane blockbuster that should not disappoint. Read my full review here.




On Telly

The Iceman (Channel 4 Saturday 21st October 23:35pm)
A true life crime drama that largely succeeds due to a strong turn from the excellent Michael Shannon. This film could have done with a stronger director and script but Shannon holds it all together in one of his most mesmerizing performances to date. Recommended!

Classic Movies Revisited - All About Eve

Its says a lot about Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All About Eve that 67 years after it's initial release it still holds up as one of the finest examples comic dramas ever shown on screen. It is a film that can be viewed as the rule book for aspiring screenwriters, the swift notes for student actors and a timely lesson to all film fans that a well told parable, with a smart dialogue and talented cast wins hands down over any CGI effects, camera tricks or show stopping stunts that technology can muster up.
Based on the story The Wisdom of Eve by Mary Orr, All About Eve is an elegantly bitchy backstage story revolving around aspiring actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter). Tattered and forlorn, Eve shows up in the dressing room of Broadway mega-star Margo Channing (Bette Davis), weaving a melancholy life story to Margo and her friends. Taking pity on the girl, Margo takes Eve as her personal assistant. Before long, it becomes apparent that naive Eve is a Machiavellian conniver who cold-bloodily uses Margo, her director Bill Sampson (Gary Merill), Lloyd's wife Karen (Celeste Holm), and waspish critic Addison De Witt (George Sanders) to rise to the top of the theatrical heap.
Thematically multi-layered, this sharp and witty written film  won 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and a Best Supporting Actor for the magnificent George Sanders.
In fact it has the unique honour of seeing two actresses and two actors nominated in the Best Actor/Best Actress category at the Academy Awards - a feat that has not been repeated since.
Unsullied by the demands and technology of modern cinema, this classic Hollywood tale is a wonderful insight to the backstabbing backstage of Broadway as the heavy weight bout between these two divas comes fuelled with poisonous yet witty dialogue in a timely reminder that as the cliche goes "the don't make em like they used to"!
✷✷✷✷✷
All About Eve is currently available on Netflix.

5 great films on show at the 18th Kerry Film Festival

This Thursday sees the beginning 18th year of the award winning Kerry Film Festival which has a crammed programme of quality features, shorts and events over the four days. Whilst I would encourage all film fans to travel to Killarney to experience the magic of such a prestigious event there are some simply unmissable films on show and I have put together a list of 5 such films. It is worth noting however that there is plenty of exceptional films on show aside of these 5 at the Kerry Film Festival and it's well worth checking out www.kerryfilmfestival.com for further details).

5.The Crest - Thursday 19th Oct 20:45pm Cinema Killarney
The opening feature of the festival and directed by Dir. Mark Christopher Covino this magnificent film tells the tale of two descendants of an Irish king journey to an island where he once presided - not to reclaim the land, but to surf the waves. They meet for the first time in Ireland on a quest to explore their shared heritage, learn what has been passed down to them from those who came before, and surf the waters of their ancestors.This is a story of family, immigration and the value of tradition and culture.
Booking for this film can be made at : https://the-crest.eventbrite.ie

4.The Farthest - Friday 20th Oct 11:00am Cinema Killarney
Directed by Emer Reynolds, winner of KFF Maureen O’Hara Award for 2017,
this feature documentary is a visually stunning and heartfelt depiction of the Voyager Space Probe and the people who dedicated their lives to reaching out to the cosmos and looking outside of ourselves and continues to encapsulate audeineces worldwide.
Booking for this film can be made at : https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-farthest-feature-film-tickets-38417671289

3. Score A Film Music Documentary - Friday 20th Oct 8pm St Marys Church of the Sloes 
A must for anyone with an interest in cinema score - this FREE EVENT is one not to be missed!What makes a score unforgettable? Taking a peek at how composers developed some of the most iconic scores in history, SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY follows the creative struggles of designing a modern soundtrack from scratch, featuring some of cinema’s most recognised names in film music.

2. The Lies We Tell
The Irish premiere of the Mitu Misra directed film starring Gabriel Byrne and Harvey Keitel. Producer Andy McDermott will attend the screening and will also take part in the KFF industry day sessions, T.A.L.K. This one will undoubtedly be very popular and already booking is swift for this screening so book early.
Booking for this film can be made at https://lieswetell.eventbrite.ie

1.Kevin Roche: The Quiet Architect - Sunday 22nd Oct 7pm Cinema Killarney
Still working at age 95, Pritzker Prize winning Irish-American architect Kevin Roche is an enigma. He’s reached the top of his profession, but has little interest in celebrity and eschews the label “Starchitect”. Despite a lifetime of acclaimed work that includes the Ford Foundation, Oakland Museum of California and 40 years designing new galleries for The Met in New York, he has no intention of ever retiring and keeps looking forward.
Booking for this film can be made at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/kevin-roche-the-quiet-architect-feature-film-tickets-38436983051