CRITICISM / CULTURE / CINEMA
Films that stay with you.
Writing that looks a little closer.
Explore the collected reviews of Linda O’Brien.
A camp family caper.
Loose Cannons, directed by Ferzan Ozpetek, introduces another Italian family saga to the screen and another son reluctant to pick up the reigns of the family business. Luckily for Tommaso (Riccardo Scamarcio),…
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The lives of Brian.
Just like Brian Wilson's life itself, Love and Mercy swings between triumph and disaster, intoxicating highs and troubling lows. The narrative is split between two time periods. Paul Dano plays young Brian…
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Return to Oz.
Max Rockatansky needs a new nickname. This time around, the eponymous hero of George Miller’s resurrected diesel-guzzling series seems surprisingly sane. Ok, so he may be suffering from a little post traumatic…
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Impractical magic.
Magic Mike was one of those films that surprised everyone; a tale of male strippers by Steven Soderbergh that dispensed with gratuitous thrusting in favour of a morality tale examining the highs…
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Grim fairytale.
Looking at the short film Mama (which can be seen on youtube), it’s easy to see why Guillermo Del Toro was so keen to be involved in its transformation into a full…
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Another tower heist.
Last year in these very virtual pages, I was pretty harsh on Hollywood’s beefcake du jour Sam Worthington for his confused performance in the excruciating relationship drama, Last Night. Now we meet…
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Waves of emotion.
I went to see La La Land in a packed screening in Dublin city centre the day after I saw Manchester by the Sea. La La Land (which, incidentally is one of…
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A lack of atmosphere.
The latest 3D offering from Disney suggests that there is indeed life on Mars but to quote David Bowie, it’s a God awful small affair. The story goes that Martians have evolved…
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Dogs of war.
It took approximately ten minutes for Max to make me cry. This was hardly surprising; anything I watch that includes a dog in distress makes me emotionally fragile. Just seeing Paul O'Grady's…
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Shine on.
Science fiction is one of the most difficult genres to get right. What’s even more difficult is to create sci-fi that manages to touch the viewer both emotionally and intellectually. Stephen Spielberg…
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Rebirth of the cool.
Miles Ahead tells the story of an artist who has seen better days, attempting to reinvent himself and come in from the creative cold. Yes, it’s time for Don Cheadle to make…
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Bullets and beauty queens.
Miss Bala, written and directed by Gerardo Naranjo, documents a story within the unstoppable wave of carnage of the Mexican drug trade. It is a film born of anger but is far…
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An acceptable mission.
Oh but isn’t the cinema audience a fickle mistress? It was only a few years ago we were praying for respite from the silly spy movie, hoping for something a little more…
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I spy.
Tom Cruise is in the midst of an image problem. At a recent get together I asked a group of friends how they felt about our Thetan Overlord and was met with…
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Low stakes.
I have never had any desire to learn how to play poker. Losing money on the turn of a card isn’t really my idea of a good time and any game that…
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Family ties.
In Oklahoma, men are men; at least that’s the verdict of a recent poll which voted the state the manliest of the Union. This makes it the perfect venue for a discussion…
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High interest.
The usually interview-shy Jodie Foster has recently been a fixture on the publicity circuit for her new film Money Monster. She is an articulate and interesting speaker but having seen the film…
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Monte Carlo goes bust.
Monte Carlo, with its stars plucked from Disney, Glee and Gossip Girl is aimed squarely at an audience of young teen girls and will be of very little interest to anyone else.…
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