Review: Wild Rose - Kerry native Jessie Buckley shines in entertaning musical feature

Following on from it's successful showing as part of the recent Dingle International Film Festival, the new feature from Tom Harper and starring Killarney's own Jessie Buckley gets it's long awaited  release this week at Tralee Omniplex.
Wild Rose tells the complex story of Rose-Lynn, a woman on a quest to become a country music star, while also grappling with the responsibilities of being recently released from prison and a young mother of two children.
Having worked with Tom Harper on BBC's War and Peace series and having initially having found fame for displaying her musical talents in BBC's 2008 series I'd Do Anything , it was quite clear from the outset that this was the perfect fit for Kerry native Jessie Buckely who dazzled in her first top billing role last year in Beast.
What was pleasantly surprising also was that not only was she impeccably suited for the role but that this was yet another "A Star is Born" type movie that has been seen many times before and should be jaded at this stage but somehow , thanks to some superb writing by Nicole Taylor, excellent supporting players including the always magnificent Julie Walters and Sophie Okonedo, and another remarkable lead performance by Jessie Buckley,  Wild Rose manages to out a fresh and raw spin on a well worn tale and is a film that will evokes all types of emotions over it's 101 min running time.
Killarney really is a hotbed of acting talent at the moment with Buckey deservedly spoken about in the same tones as her local counterpart Michael Fassbender and Wild Rose is another feature she simply owns from start to finish and with her musical talents leading to her writing six of the songs of what is an amazing soundtrack (and this from a non-country music fan!) , Jessie Buckley is central to all that is great about this feature from many different angles.
Wild Rose is a pretty entertaining and gutsy bit of film making with one of our own lighting up the screen in the process and that is surely something worth getting behind and celebrating.
Overall, if it's entertainment, heartfelt drama, some moments of real humour and a soundtrack that will have you toe tapping for days then look no further than Wild Rose.
✹✹✹✹

Review: Dumbo - Visualing stunning live action remake that will please all the family!

After a week of sleepless nights after watching Us last week at Tralee Omniplex, I was delighted to get back to fun family fare this week with Tim Burton's live action remake of the classic Disney tale Dumbo the movie of choice.
Accompanied by the whole family including my own mini co-critics in Ellie (aged 8 ) and Luke (aged 4), I knew that only the best effort by visual maestro Burton would pass muster and leave the whole family satisfied.
This all-new grand live-action adventure expands on the beloved Disney story when Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose over sized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who recruits Dumbo for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant (Eva Green), until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.
Dumbo is the first of three live action remakes of animated classics with Aladdin and The Lion King following on later this year so the pressure was on for Burton to produce something unique as he was tinkering with a well known animated classic that has held a special place in audiences hearts for a long long time. That fact, along with the heavily marketing and advertising that went along with this remake meant that audiences were eagerly anticipating what this iconic and unique director would produce.
Whereas, the original Dumbo has not been outclassed here (an impossible task!) there is lots to like in a near two hour visual extravaganza of entertainment in a style that only Burton could produce.
The backdrop, effects and visual set pieces are amazing and the storyline continues at a pace that never bores. Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito and Eva Green also acquit themselves well, with Michael Keaton perhaps over egging it a bit as the villain of the piece. The star of the show inevitably is Dumbo and Tim Burton can indeed be proud of his live action creation that simply steals every scene he is in.
Whilst, Dumbo may not have everyone shouting from the roof tops ("It's no Lego Movie 2" - I was informed by my co-critics!) , there is plenty to entertain and excite in what is a fun family feature of pure cinematic escapism!
✹✹✹1/2

Troll Inc - A compelling documentary that will split it's audience and educate on the world of online trolling!

With local film maker Bertie Brosnan acting as Associate Producer on this feature and with a official synopsis that reads: " From innocent meme culture to malicious propaganda, the avant-garde has moved online and they have an agenda. Emerging from deep within underground computer
programming culture, internet trolls are disenfranchised and using the click-bait obsessed mass media to propel their performance art into the mainstream. Whether mischievously entertaining the masses, influencing presidential elections, or manipulating journalists and corporations, trolls are either saving us or driving our culture off of a cliff. Prosecuted as a whistleblower by the Federal Government, Trolls Inc. follows the world’s most famous Internet troll, Andrew Auernheimer, and his merry band of provocateurs as they take on corporate America, the media, and political correctness." - Troll Inc was always going to be a documentary that would interest and spark debate.
The current climate of journalistic reporting and how the masses are fed their information is also central to theme of this compelling documentary.
To make Troll Inc., director George Russell fought and won a year-long federal lawsuit forcing the government to honor a Freedom of Information Act request it had originally denied. To get such unparralled access to  such a nototorious figure in the world of online trolling was also a coup for the director as we hear the story largely from Auernheimer's point of view. The personality of the protaganist and his unquestioned views throughout the feature may be a bit much for some but isn't that the point of good film making - to spark debate and discussion. Troll Inc also serves to educate those that may be unfamiliar with the world of trolling and all it entails and is available to view at the links below.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/troll-inc/id1440701329

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Troll-Inc-Andrew-Auernheimer/dp/B07K7XK2J4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548776988&sr=8-1&keywords=troll+inc

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/troll-inc/8d6kgwxn3kj5?activetab=pivot%3aoverviewtab

https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/Troll_Inc?id=TrUjiSsjsjo&hl=en