The Conjuring 2
Bumps in the night.
One of my favourite horror films is Jacques Tourneur’s Night of the Demon, from 1957. The film is an atmospheric chiller, following the investigation into a satanic cult that may be responsible…
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A life in
the pictures.
Films that stay with you.
Writing that looks a little closer.
Explore the collected reviews of Linda O’Brien.
397 REVIEWS · ONE CRITIC’S PERSPECTIVE
The Dark Tower
Towering stupidity.
The Dark Tower is a film that has many problems but chief among them is a very simple issue of aesthetics. Specifically, Matthew McConaughey’s tan. McConaughey plays the part of a devilish…
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The Darkest Hour
Dim.
There is one thing I’ll say for The Darkest Hour; the design of its alien invaders is quite clever from a production point of view. Rather than having to deal with dodgy…
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The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
Zac sees dead people.
I have studiously avoided all things High School Musical and consequently have something of a soft spot for Zac Efron. The Efron I know from 17 Again and Me and Orson Welles…
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The Deep
Cold as ice.
I don’t often investigate the intentions of film directors when writing a review. In my opinion, everything you need to know should be up on screen. Sometimes though, my interest is piqued…
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The Devil Inside
Hellish.
After the release of cult classic Night of the Living Dead in 1968, pale imitations began to spring up from all movie making corners. It’s easy to see why – zombie flicks…
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The Dilemma
Bromance is dead.
For many, the biggest mystery to emerge so far in this new year is what happened to all those birds. Well, I’ve got an even bigger conundrum to throw into the ring;…
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The Duff
Going viral.
If familiarity does indeed breed contempt, then at this stage we should be thoroughly irritated by high school movies. Over the decades in which Hollywood cinema has prowled the halls and classrooms…
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The East
Eastern promise.
Actress Brit Marling and director Zal Batmanglij are an interesting team. Co-writers of Sound of My Voice and Another Earth, they are producing provocative and ideas-driven work. Their third collaboration, The East,…
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The Edge of Seventeen
Teenage kicks.
What is it that makes actors want to be musicians and musicians want to be actors? The lure of that sought after moniker "Triple Threat" has led many thespians down a one…
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The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec
Paris is gurning.
For better or worse, Luc Besson has always had one eye on Hollywood and the other on France. His best known films, the day-glo Eurovision/sci-fi mash-up The Fifth Element and stylish breakthrough…
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The Fault in Our Stars
May induce nausea.
If you want to get rich you’d be better off putting down that Lotto ticket, picking up a pen and knocking out a young adult novel. It doesn’t even have to be…
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The Fighter
Knock Out!
I don’t envy Christian Bale’s publicist. He may be on top of his game but he’s a bit of a handful. Even his Golden Globe win has been more talked about for…
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The Flag
Lowering the flag.
If we were to apply a sliding scale of reverence to the productions that found their way to Irish screens in the wake of the 1916 commemorations, The Flag would be right…
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The Frames In The Deep Shade
As deep as a puddle.
The most interesting thing about The Frames has always been their fans. Back in the mid-90s I knew quite a few people who would follow the band around, seeing them multiple times…
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The Frozen Ground
Death in a cold climate.
The poster for The Frozen Ground has a tasteful, moody colour palette of cool blues and greys but the cast list suggests something more lurid – a serial killer movie starring Nicolas…
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The Good Dinosaur
Terrible Lizard.
I vividly remember seeing Jurassic Park in the cinema when I was eleven; I may have blamed the frigid air conditioning for the fact that I was burrowing my head into my…
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The Grand Budapest Hotel
Check in.
Ralph Fiennes has a habit of showing up in some very unlikely places. He is a very serious man with very serious ideas and yet he has the odd habit of taking…
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