Halloween is a time for the ghosts, ghouls and all things scary. It is also a famous time for movies. The City’s Aaron Doyle went out to find out what Halloween movies people are most excited about.
Albert Brooks, Alessandro Nivola, David Oyelowo, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain in A Most Violent Year. (IMBD)
By Rachael Hussey
With Oscar season in full swing, spending an evening at the cinema is an easy option. Our long winter continues and there is nothing like a warm box of popcorn and some dimmed lights to escape our surroundings. After seeing a trailer for J. C. Chandor’s third movie, A Most Violent Year, I was intrigued. Loving films and all things New York and crime-related, it was an easy choice for my mid-week movie night.
It’s set in 1981, when a Brooklyn based oil tycoon is on his way to the top. Oscar Isaac (Drive, The Bourne Legacy) plays ambitious immigrant Abel Morales, who runs a successful oil company. Isaac does a tremendous job of portraying the juxtaposition of the ruthless capitalist as well as the dedicated family man. Jessica Chastain (Lawless, The Help) plays his fiery New York wife Anna Morales, with spunk and attitude, in many ways tougher than her husband.
The 1980s in New York City were notorious for crime, violence and police corruption and this film does an excellent job of portraying this in a strong yet understated way. As an oil mogul, Abel’s business is continually targeted for robberies, particularly his trucks distributing oil. We see how one truck driver, Julian (Elyes Gabel), copes with the constant threat of armed robbery after experiencing it early in the film. Julian admires his boss, who coming from a similar background against all odds created an empire, successfully assimilating the ‘American Dream’.
The film deals with the protagonists struggle to remain a moral and law abiding entrepreneur while also creating a prosperous empire. Aspiring to a position above his seditious competition Abel struggles to keep his position in the oil world with jealous competition, crime and the law continuously on his tail trying to bring him down. Issues of capitalism and extreme wealth are evident as Morales’ grip on his success slips and his desperation grows while he attempts to hold on to his business.
What’s great about the film is the clever and understated way it portrays the different sides of society: the exuberant wealth, the corruption from the law, the poverty and crime and the hard-working oil employees, representing the working class. While I admire the values of the film, the strong acting and the first-class production values, the essence of this gets lost along the way. As Abel’s obsession with staying on top progresses and his life continues to unravel the audience sees the seedy and corrupt side of this world but it does not happen quickly enough. The message of the story could have been achieved a lot sooner and with a lot more vigour while retaining the style and voice.
A Most Violent Year is a well-produced and well-cast film but it lacks the je ne sais quoi to make it a masterpiece or a classic film that will stand the test of time. While it has some memorable scenes and some beautiful cinematography of New York, the story is a little bit too long; so I suggest you see this if you are in the mood for a slow watch. Despite the title, there is little violence shown and not as much action as one might hope to see in a crime drama.
Lily Collins’ eyebrows. This was the main reason I wanted to see “Love, Rosie”. Obviously the trailer has me interested, who doesn’t love a good rom com.
The film is loose adaptation of Cecelia Ahern’s book, “Where Rainbows Ends…” and follows Rosie and Alex, childhood friends, and their constant conflict with bad timing in search of their happily ever after. Through flashbacks and passing years the film shows life’s strain on the typical boy/girl friendship. However despite the supposedly ageing lead characters, Lily Collins and Sam Claflin looked as young as ever by the end of the film.
Cecelia Ahern’s latest book adaptation was shockingly good. I know not to judge a book by it’s cover but with the ‘Diddly aye potato’ accents that came with ‘PS I Love You’s’ adaptation I had my concerns, however I needn’t have with director, Christian Ditter abandoning half attempted Irish accents.
The film is set in England and Boston, however Irish viewers will notice that all is not as it seems with the supposed backdrop of England really being set in our own fair city with views from St Stephen’s Green shopping centre and The Harlequin on Drury Street.
The 102 minute rom com had laughs, sighs and a few tears as well from beginning to end. And although there was no complete plot twist, the film definitely had the viewer hooked from beginning to end with it’s cringe situations and witty one liners.The film itself was uplifted by it’s time travelling soundtrack with tunes from The Ketchup song to Lily Allen’s “F**k You”.
The daughter of Rock’n’Roll royalty, Lily Collins is an ideal lead as the part of English Rose meets girl next door. Her portrayal of the hopeless heroine Rosie Dunne, without being the typical chick flick damsel in distress breaths a new lease of life into this romantic comedy. And her on-screen chemistry with the film’s eye candy, Sam Claflin brought the characters credibility.
Overall “Love, Rosie” was an extremely enjoyable film which kept me entertained until the end and had me wanting to watch it again. And yes, Lily Collins’ eyebrows were fabulous and flawless throughout.
This taut, suspense filled psychological thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal is, without a doubt, one of the best films of the year so far.
Taking place over seven days, Prisoners follows the search for Anna Dover and Joy Birch; two six-year old girls abducted from outside their homes on Thanks Giving, as well as the mental and emotional toll this takes on their families.
Jackman excels as a man struggling to come to terms with his daughters disappearance [credit:cinemablend.com]The film begins at a break-neck pace, the opening credits barely finished rolling before the girls go missing. However, this is by no means another fast-paced action flick, the next two hours slowly building suspense and gathering pace to culminate in a breathless final sequence.
Jackman is again hugely impressive, this time as devout survivalist Keller Dover, father of the missing Anna. Keller’s desperation to find his daughter and the strain this puts on his faith is a central theme to the story.
Following Dover’s descent into violence is Detective Loki, the intriguing police-officer who has never failed to solve a case up till now. Gyllenhaal’s range is apparent here, his restrained performance as the tattooed loner-cop with the facial tick at odds with his last role in the light-hearted End of Watch.
Gyllenhaal as troubled police-officer Detective Loki [credit: popmatters.com]The film’s subdued sound-track helps cultivate the sense of tension through-out the film, while the prevalence of trees and other wooden objects is a subtle nod to Dover’s inability to see ‘the wood for the trees’ in his manic attempts to locate the missing girls.
‘Skeletons in closets’ (or under floors) are another key theme; histories of characters becoming increasingly relevant as the film progresses. Indeed, the consistent mentions of both Dover and Loki’s pasts are invaluable in developing a three-dimensional sense of the protagonists.
At its heart though, Prisoners is an impressively told story, one that reels you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the final second.
For many years Ireland has set the scene for many of Hollywood’s great movies. Ireland has a wonderful history with the silver screen, let’s not forget John Waynes ‘The Quiet Man’ or what about the opening twenty minutes of ‘Saving Private Ryan’, which was shot in Wexford.
The beautiful green fields of the Curragh, Kildare famously set the scene for Mel Gibson’s ‘Braveheart’. Of course these big budget productions need plenty of land to film so Dublin isn’t always first choice, however lately Dublin is slowly but surely becoming a filming hub for Hollywood and beyond.
Only recently Trinity College Dublin became the movie set for Ireland’s first ever Bollywood movie. It’s hard to imagine Dublin as the location for the latest Bollywood blockbuster. Even harder still to picture actors dressed to look like Gardai strutting about in those elaborate dance sequences. The ‘Ek The Tiger’ preview shows dance scenes taking place in Trinity College, Grafton Street and Temple Bar.
In September Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe came to Dublin for the filming of his latest movie ‘The F Word’, a romantic chic flick.
Maybe one day Dublin will have its very own Hollywood style andmark city tour? This might allow cinema goers the chance to retrace scenes from their favourite movies. Possible tour stops for The Commitments’, frequently cited as the best Irish film of all time might include The Guide Hall Synge St where the band are shown playing, or Sheriff St where Jimmy Rabbitte is shown selling cassettes. Include ‘Adam and Paul’ on the tour and your trip will include Ballymun and St Stephens Green. And of course let’s not forget the Academy Award winning ‘Once’ The film takes us on a trip around modern Dublin from Howth Head to Mountjoy Square to Grafton Street all accompanied by a lilting soundtrack.
Another movie associated with Dublin is of course, Neil Jordan’s ‘Michael Collins’. Dublin (including Dame Street; Grafton Street; Fitzwilliam Square; the Dining Room of Mansion House. and the Members’ Room of City Hall) forms a backdrop to most of the film. Collins meetsup with the subversive double agent Ned Broy (Stephen Rea) in the Marshes Library, St Patrick’s Crescent, the oldest public library in Ireland, and is given clandestine access to the centre of British rule, Dublin Castle (www.dublincastle.ie), where he realises the full extent of British intelligence. In the morning, he cycles back across the famous Ha’penny Bridge over the Liffey (the first iron bridge in Ireland, there was, as the name suggests, once a toll to cross it).
So step outside of your cinema and walk the streets of Hollywood, right at your Dublin doorstep!
Only recently Trinity College Dublin became the movie set for Ireland’s first ever Bollywood movie. It’s hard to imagine Dublin as the location for the latest Bollywood blockbuster. Even harder still to picture actors dressed to look like Gardai strutting about in those elaborate dance sequences. The ‘Ek The Tiger’ preview shows dance scenes taking place in Trinity College, Grafton Street and Temple Bar.
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