Review: US - Jordan Peele's stunning fear filled feature could well be the scariest movie you'll see this year!

This week's Tralee Omniplex outing, Us, tells the story of Adelaide (Nupita Nyong'o) who, haunted by an unexplainable trauma from her childhood and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, feels her paranoia elevate as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to happen to her family. After spending a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers , Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the shapes of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway - doppelgängers of themselves.
My adoration for Jordan Peeles's 2017 directorial debut Get Out is well documented at this stage with it's freshness, originality and social commentary boosting a genre that is already at the top of it's game and announcing the one time comedians arrival on the film making scene with a loud bang!
The next hurdle for Peele to clear was the follow up feature and that difficult "second album" as the bar had been set so high on his first effort! The anticipation this time around was also a new phenomenon for the director to deal with as we all waited with bated breath for what he was going to do next.
Thankfully, the newly crowned master of the horror genre does not disappoint in a film that will inflict a whole range of emotions on its' captive audiences that will stay with them for days afterwards.
Whereas Get Out, had a slow gradual build up before the scares came think and fast, Us puts the frighteners on it's audience from the get go and that uneasy feeling  of horror stays with you throughout!
Michael Abels score fits the movie perfectly adding that extra layer of intensity to the whole production and all the old horror movie tricks are included to aid the restlessness for the duration of the film.
However, it is the performance of Nupita Nyong'o as Adelaide that elevates this from a pretty decent horror film to the top drawer feature that it becomes with a performance that rivals anything seen within the genre in recent times.
Us,  is much more than your run of the mill scarefest (even though it has those qualities in spades!). Peele is a thinking persons horror movie director with the fearful feeling in the pit of your stomach accompanied by a dose of head scratching as Peele's included and expected social commentary comes with extra ambiguity and is open to many interpretations (as all good films should be!)
The inevitable warning that comes with this feature is that if you are not a fan of the horror film and things that go bump in the night then this may not be the film for you!
Otherwise, Us is simply another powerful chapter in the remarkable film making career of an indisputable talent and a film that is bound to end up on many's top ten lists before the end of the year!
✹✹✹✹1/2

Review: Captain Marvel - Steady addition to that holds it's own amongst the Marvel collection

Longer evenings and clocks going forward must only mean one thing - summer blockbuster season and a endless glut of superheroes at Tralee Omniplex. This years Marvel machine begins with an origins feature of a different kind, with Brie Larson taking on the role of the first female Marvel headliner - a job she soars in (literally in parts!)
In this 21st outing into Marvel mania, Captain Marvel an extraterrestrial Kree warrior finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, she keeps having fuzzy recurring memories of another life as U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury, Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.
As much as the eye roll has become the natural reaction to another entry in the world of cinematic superheros the truth is that most of them are actually of high quality and despite my best intentions to dislike, I find myself being won over by charismatic performances, witty one-liners and incredible effects and Captain Marvel has all these qualities in spades.
Brie Larson is exceptional in her role as Captain Marvel, depicting a heroine of poise, grace with added toughness and humour to really give light to yet another Marvel character.
Samuel L. Jackson finally gets some serious screen time as Nick Fury and his chemistry and banter with Larson are some of the finest moments in this film. Jude Law and Ben Mendelsohn are the picks of a solid supporting cast that help this adventure feature fizz along at a solid yet entertaining pace.
It does take a short while to find it's stride however with the beginning of the film feeling a little lethargic but ultimately required for the plot and when the action hits the earth's core (again literally!) the feature really takes flight with director's Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck following the tried and trusted formula of entertaining Marvel features yet adding their own touches to give Captain Marvel its' own originality. With plenty of plot twists, spectacular special effects and more than enough to tease the Marvel addict with promises of what lies ahead in the Avengers horizon, Captain Marvel is a blockbuster that will satisfy fans and not overly disappoint the non-believers.
✸✸✸1/2

A Mist that Clears - Exceptional locally produced short showcasing at this weeks Dingle International Film Festival

Locally produced short film A Mist That Clears will follows last years warm reception at the Kerry Film Festival with a showing this week at the 13th Dingle International Film Festival on Sunday 24th March as part of the Kindgom Shorts Programme.
Proving the depth of talent currently being produced in the county, this short film has also been recently been accepted by the famous Fastnet Film Festival in West Cork and is sure to be popping up in the film festival scene over the coming months.

 Directed by Killarney’s Shay Nolan and written by Cian Brady A Mist That Clears, was shot entirely in Killarney with post-production completed in July 2018. Starring Kathie Richardson (Cork) and Neil Kelders (Killarney) and  co-produced by Rob Bais (sound), Daragh Beeston (cinematography) and James Purcell this short feature is one of high quality, proof of which can be seen in it's acceptance at such high calibre film festivals.

The filmmakers, given their relative inexperience, were keen to contain the film to one or two locations with only one or two speaking parts. The task then falling to Cian was to write an engaging script that could hold the viewers’ attention. 

The primary focus for Director Shay Nolan was to capture the underlying sense of sorrow and regret in the story while at the same time allowing the script to shine. The conversation between the two leads is designed to be a clever back and forth that tells the viewer something of the complexity of their relationship as well as hinting at the warmth that remains between them.

The filmmakers were determined, in the nicest possible way, not to be ‘topical’ or ‘thought provoking’. The ultimate goal was to produce a short film that entertained an audience for 10 or so minutes and they have certainly achieved that.
For the serious cinephiles amongst us they assure us their next film will have the bleakest of landscapes and stoniest of silences throughout.

For fans of exceptional short film why not make your way to Dingle this Sunday 24th March to catch a short film of real quality that has the added bonus of being produced locally and showcases quite well the talent alive and kicking in the Kingdom when it comes to making film.

Full details and screening times can be found at www.dinglefilmfestival.com

Beat the post St Patricks Weekend blues with 4 amazing days of film at the 13th Dingle International Film Festival

Set in the beautiful picturesque surroundings of the Dingle Peninsula any festival or event would be worth checking out , but when that festival is a four day celebration of local, national and international film with a packed programme catering for all type of movie goers then there really is only one play to be next week and that's at the 13th Dingle International Film Festival.
Maurice Galway the founder/CEO and Artistic Director of the Dingle International Film Festival and his team have again created a strong upcoming programme that will contribute to make this boutique film festival in the south west of Ireland the ongoing success story that it continues to be.
From the opening gala on Thursday 21st March of Killarney native Jessie Buckleys Wild Rose to the closing film Grant Korgan's The Push on Sunday 24th March, An Daingean will simply be the cinematic hubub of the country and a festival that should not be missed!
Feature films, short films, fascinating Q&A's and lots more besides are all on the menu over the course of the four days of film programming. Short films such as the Oscar nominated Detainment as well as Brendan Gleeson directed Psychic just give some indication of the quality of short film on show this weekend.

The Sisters Brothers showing this weekend at DIFF 2019

Featuring actors such as John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix and Jake Gyllenhaal on show in The Sisters Brothers on Saturday 23rd March and festival film scene favourites such as Float Like a Butterfly and When All is Ruin Once Again the feature film category of this festival more than holds its' own in a very strong programme.
With world renowned director such as Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine), an always compelling foreign film representation (in shorts and features) and the showcasing of local film in the Kingdom Shorts section of the festival on Sunday, Maurice Galway and co can once again hold their heads up high for producing a festival programming of exceptional quality and I would implore movie fans of all tastes to take the scenic route this week and enjoy not only the surroundings but a fantastic filled programme of what promises to be another quality Dingle International Film Festival.
A full list of upcoming events and further details can be seen on the Dingle International Film Festival 2019 website.

Review: Fighting with My Family - Noble effort by Stephen Merchant in heartfelt wrestling feature sure to make you laugh

Premiering at this years Sundance Film Festival, Fighting with My Family which was written, directed and produced by Stephen Merchant is a sports biographical comedy based on Max Fisher's 2012 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, and as solid comedies are a rarity these days in Hollywood, I was a little unsure of what my weekly trip to Tralee Omniplex had in store for me upon arrival.
This weeks feature film of choice is based on the incredible true story of WWE Superstar Paige. Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the tough. competitive training program, she must leave her family and face this new, harsh world alone. Paige's journey pushes her to dig deep, fight for her family, and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.
With Dwayne Johnson on board as executive producer and the likes of Nick Frost, Vince Vaughan and Lena Headley lending their acting chops to the production, director Stephen Merchant has more than a "little help from his friends" in this amazing true to life tale. Thankfully for him, all help involved don't let him down and combine to produce what is an extremely funny, heartwarming and enjoyable movie.
Simplistic, respectful and solid in it's subject matter, Fighting with My Family also contains quite a few laugh out loud moments courtesy mainly of Nick Frost (as Paige's father Ricky Knight) and Vince Vaughan (as coach Hutch) who both take on roles that they are comfortable with and have brought them the greatest success in their respective careers.
It is Florence Pugh however, in her role as Paige that is the driving force behind the success of this feature. Proving that her magnetic performance in Lady Macbeth wasn't a once off, Pugh displays her comedic and dramatic capabilities here to great effect and makes the central character in the plot a relatable and likable one.
There are some obvious pitfalls to this film too unfortunately. It does at times over egg the sentimentality but you feel that may be to broaden its' appeal for a worldwide audience. Jack Lowden too, as Paige's brother Zak is outshone to such degree by his co-stars performance that his inability to match her on screen presence is extremely noticeable.
These are minor quibbles, however and if you are looking for a fun way to fill ninety minutes with a few laughs, much fun and a lot of entertainment than look no further than Fighting with My Family.
✹✹✹1/2

Review: Lego Movie 2 -A well constructed sequel for all the family

This weeks cinematic journey at Tralee Omniplex , saw the whole McCann family settle in their very comfy MAXX screen seats for the eagerly anticipated Lego movie sequel - the imaginatively title Lego Movie 2.
When the Lego Movie hit our cinema screens in 2014, it was initially thought that this was a cinematic idea that may not quite work but thanks to the ingenious minds and vision of Phil Lord and Chris Miller the audience was treated to a highly original concept, masterful animation and most importantly a family film with soul. Two spin off sequels in Lego Batman and Lego Ninjago (not to mention the serious spike in Lego set sales!) have added to the phenomenon that has become the Lego genre within the kids movie scene. No pressure then for director Mike Mitchell to keep this brick built juggernaut going and to somehow serve up fresh ideas and entertainment in keeping with the very high standard set by his predecessors.
In the Lego Movie 2, the citizens of Bricksburg face an all new threat when Lego Duplo invaders from outer space start to wreck everything in their path. The battle to defeat the enemy and restore harmony to the Lego universe takes Emmet, Lucy, Batman and the rest of their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds that test their bravery and creativity.
With Lego maestros Phil Lord and Chris Miller taking up writing duties in this movie, the gags, plot lines and moral themes were always going to be of high quality, and so it proved with numerous laugh out loud moments (for both young and old) , heart warming scenes and the usual highly entertaining cameos also present.
Visual effects too were at a premium and at times even more impressive than it's predecessors despite the lack of the element of surprise this time around.
Alas, if there is an area where this film does slightly fall down, it is in that lack of originality which is understandably missing in the fourth film of the it's type. The Lego Movie 2 has become somewhat a victim of the franchises success as we are no longer surprised with what these films can produce.
However, that still doesn't take away from the fact that everyone within my very own movie mob from 4 years of age upwards had nothing but positive things to say about another worthy addition to an extremely consistent and entertaining series, that despite lacking the originality of what has come before it , is simply a fun family film that will entertain all ages!
✸✸✸✸

Leading Female Filmmaking Talent At The Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival 2019

The credits rolled and lights came up last night on the 17^th Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival, Ireland’s premier film event. The successful festival ran from Wednesday February 20^th to Sunday March 3^rd.

The festival enjoys an international reputation and is considered a vital launch-pad for Irish film and an important showcase of world cinema for discerning audiences. This year’s programme included no less than eleven world premieres, including Dark Lies The Island, She’s Missing, Dub Daze, Floating Structures, What Times Is Death, Land Without God, A Girl from Mogadishu, When Hitchcock Met O’Casey and Dublin On Screen’s The First Was a Boy, Confinement and There's No Place Like Home.

International Women’s Day takes place on Friday and this year’s festival celebrated women who are leading in their filmmaking fields, from the world premiere of Mary McGuckian’s A Girl from Mogadishu, an inspiring true story of female empowerment based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed; the critically acclaimed documentary Maiden about the first all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race; to a masterclass with Joceyln Pook, one of the UK’s most versatile composers with an international reputation as a highly original composer, winning numerous awards and nominations including a Golden Globe and two British Composer Awards.

Closing Gala

One of Ireland’s most exciting new female acting talents, Jessie Buckley, performed the final act of the festival with the premiere of her new film Wild Rose. In the film, the Killarney actor and 2019 BAFTA Rising Star Award nominee displays her considerable musical and dramatic talent as Rose-Lynn Harlan in the inspiring, infectiously joyous heart warmer, where Rose-Lynn dreams of getting out of Glasgow and emulating the country singers she idolises by making it as a singer in Nashville, but life decisions and circumstances soon find her facing what she perceives as a choice between family and stardom.

Audience Awards

Each year the audience who attends the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival gets to vote on the films that bring a smile to their face; a tear to the eye; inspire or clean knock their socks off! Thousands of movie lovers who attended this year’s festival voted for the Virgin Media Audience Award and Audience Short Film Award.

The critically acclaimed sailing documentary Maiden was chosen as the Virgin Media Audience Award winner. It centres on the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. At its core is a fascinating subject, Tracy Edwards, a young cook on charter boats who gets to skipper the team as they attempt to break new ground and make history. At great personal sacrifice, Edwards and her team set out to defy convention and sexism and smash a glass ceiling.

Speaking about receiving the Virgin Media Audience Award the filmmaker said: “Everyone at New Black Films is so grateful to the audiences at the Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival for honouring us with their coveted award. We are thrilled that the Irish public responded so enthusiastically to Tracy Edwards' inspiring story, and chose through their votes to recommend the film to audiences around the world who will be able to enjoy it for themselves when the film is shown in cinemas from March 7th. We’d like to thank the festival’s organisers and our distributors Dogwoof for helping us connect with such a valued audience.”

The Virgin Media Audience Award was as hotly contested as ever, with a broad range of films with varied topical themes making up the top five. The other four films were Land Without God which centres on Mannix Flynn and members of his family as they recall the effects of decades of institutional abuse and the impact it has had; Mia and the White Lion about a single-minded girl who befriends and bonds with a lion cub named Charlie, only to find him the target of big-game trophy hunters as he approaches full size; A Girl from Mogadishu about Ifrah Ahmed, one of the world’s foremost global activists against Female Genital Mutilation; and Damian Callinan’s Australian comedy The Merger, the story of a former Aussie Rules professional football player who returns to his hometown to coach his local club which recruits refugees to keep it viable.

The Audience Short Film Award goes to 99 Problems. Directed by Ross Killeen and produced by Louise Byrne, it gives the inside scoop on the murky world of the ice cream business. On the surface this unassuming business seems harmless, but dig a little deeper and it has quite a dark undertone, where turf wars are fierce. Through the eyes of Pinky, the self-declared 'king of the ice-cream men', viewers are taken into this unregulated industry where rival drivers will stop at nothing to protect their livelihoods.

Speaking about this year’s festival, Grainne Humphreys, Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival Director, said “As Virgin Media DIFF comes to a close once again I’m delighted that we were able to bring so many fantastic features to an Irish audience. We celebrated the best of Irish and international filmmaking talent with a line-up that included world premieres, new discoveries and visits from the industry’s best known stars. We were also delighted to partner with Virgin Media on the first of a three year sponsorship. The partnership allowed us to bring some of the world’s most exciting cinema to a wider audience.” 

Niamh O’Driscoll, Senior Brand and Communications Manager of Virgin Media, said: “We were delighted to be named as title partner of this year’s Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival. It is such a great match as it underlines our commitment to foster creativity in film production and television content as Ireland’s leading connected entertainment provider and commercial broadcasting company.  The past twelve days of the festival brought together so many of Ireland’s top producers, directors, screenwriters and actors. There was also an amazing team of people involved in bringing to life the programme and creating the unique experiences for audiences so that they could discover the art of film while at the same time celebrating emerging film talent."

Documentary Award

The documentary jury were unanimous in choosing Of Fathers & Sons as the inaugural winner of the inaugural Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival documentary competition. Talal Derki’s intimate, widely praised documentary centres on a radical Islamist family and their harsh existence as war rages around them in Syria. Speaking about it the jury said “this film is not only a ground-breaking documentary but thanks to the courage of the filmmaker we are given access to a world that we would never normally have the opportunity to experience.”

On receiving the award, Talal Derki said “I am very honoured to win this prestigious award at Ireland's most popular film festival and I thank the jury for that. The victims of all these conflicts are the children and we must do everything to ensure that they have a better future. Therefore, I dedicate this award to the children in my home country Syria.”

The documentary competition jury was comprised of director Pat Murphy (Anne Devlin, Nora), director Ken Wardrop (His & Hers, Mom & Me), and Hamish McAlpine, producer (Funny Games, Bundy). As an honourable mention the jury also acknowledge the Irish documentary Gaza, describing it as “another wonderful film that took great courage to bring to the big screen”.

Irish & International Filmmaking Talent

A host of the world’s leading movie stars and filmmakers were in Dublin especially for the festival. Famous faces who walked the red carpet were Ralph Fiennes who brought his new film The White Crow and also received the festival’s prestigious Volta Award; Matt Bomer, Alejandro Patino and John Butler for the premiere of Papi Chulo; Alexandra McGuinness, Lucy Fry, Antonia Campbell Hughes and Blake Berris visited for the world premiere of She’s Missing; Pat Shortt, Peter Coonan and Moe Dunford were here with Dark Lies The Island; and star of The Office Stephen Merchant attended with his new film Fighting With My Family, which he wrote, directed and stars in.

Dublin Human Rights Film Award

Heartbound: A Different Kind of Love Story is announced as the winner of the newly relaunched Dublin Human Rights Film Award, a partnership with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL). The award is given to one film from the programme which raises awareness and understanding of human rights through the medium of film. Directed by Janus Metz and Sine Plambech, the documentary is set in a tiny fishing village in northern Denmark where over 900 Thai women have married and settled. It sets out to discover why these women crossed the world to marry, a phenomenon that started years earlier when a former sex worker married a local man.

The award was chosen by an esteemed adjudication panel which include film and television director Aoife Kelleher; Irish Times journalist and author Sorcha Pollak; actor, playwright and screenwriter Emmet Kirwan, Direct Provision activist Bulelani Mfaco; and disability advocate and ICCL board member Suzy Byrne. They also gave special mention to Mannix Flynn, Maedhbh McMahon and Lotta Petronella’s Land Without God as a very important Irish film.

Children’s Jury Awards

The Fantastic Flix programme for mini movie fans returned for its fourth year bringing a wide range of movie magic to younger audiences while celebrating difference and diversity in film. A jury of eleven 11-12 year olds had the opportunity to watch, evaluate and review all of the Fantastic Flix titles from around the world, giving them the opportunity to see some great films, share their opinions and discover the craft of critiquing film.

The Children’s Jury is run in collaboration with The Ark’s Children’s Council and the Irish Film Classification Office. Their winning films are:

·         Best Feature Film: Mia and the White Lion

·         Feature Film Special Mention: Departures

·         Best Short Film: First Disco

·         Short Film Special Mention: The Overcoat

The Children’s Jury members are Sophie O Neill Miley, Jagger Blount, Freya Simpson, Kaelan Musi, Madison Tucker, Evie Kenny, Fionnán Ó Baoighill, Amalia Godley, Laoise Connolly Heery, Conn Butler and Luka Delaney.

Young Programmers

The Fantastic Flix Young Programmers initiative offers 15-19 year-olds the chance to curate, host and influence the Fantastic Flix strand. It is a unique role which allowed them to step into the shoes of filmmakers and audiences alike. The Young Programmers met for a number of modules between December and February to curate a programme of short films and watch and recommend new films for the Festival.

They also chose one film from the programme as the Young Programmers Choice. The winning film is Rafiki. Speaking about Rafiki they said “We are delighted to award director Wanuri Kahiu with the Young Programmer’s Choice Award. Rafiki is not only an excellent exhibition of Kahiu’s talent as a filmmaker but also an outstanding portrayal of love in the face of adversity.”

They also give special mention to Ballon. Commenting on the film they said: “we are delighted to present Michael Herbig with a special mention for his film Ballon, a moving and intense depiction of the life of those living in the GDR and their attempts to escape to a better life.”

The Young Programmers were Caitlin Barry, Ifunanya Chukwuewuzie, Sally Howard Ihle, Croi Lenihan, Gaurav Ramsurn and Sagan Adan.

Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards

Established in 2006, The Dublin Film Critics Circle (DFCC) offers the nation’s full-time professional film journalists the opportunity to share opinions on recent releases and ponder the year’s award contenders. The 2019 DFCC Awards go to:

• Best Film: Transit
• Best Director: Rima Das for Bulbul Can Sing
• Best Cinematography: Hiroshi Okuyama for Jesus
• Best Documentary: GAZA, Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell
• Best Irish Film: Greta, Neil Jordan
• Best Screenplay: The Crossing, Bai Xue
• Best Actor: Bogdan Dumitrache for Pororoca
• Best Actress: Jessie Buckley for Wild Rose
• Jury Prize: Jia Zhangke, Ash Is The Purest White
• Jury Prize: Alex Perry Ross, Her Smell
• Jury Prize: Baran Kosaris, Permission
• Jury Prize: Bo Hu, An Elephant Standing Still
• Jury Prize: Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade
• George Byrne Maverick Award: Hugh O’Conor
• Michael Dwyer Discovery Award: Dianne Lucille Campbell