Movie of the week: Barry Lyndon (1975)
It’s another great week to be a movie lover in Dublin, with a pair of cinema’s greatest classics and two cracking new releases opening.
The Lighthouse continues its Kubrick season with his greatest movie, the 1975 masterpiece Barry Lyndon. Shot in Ireland, the film is arguably the most visually impressive movie in cinema history. Ryan O’Neal stars as the title character, a rogue who traverses 18th century Europe in his quest to become a member of the gentry. To capture the look of the period, Kubrick invented a new type of camera lens that allowed him to shoot the film with natural light. The effect is simply stunning. If you love cinema, you have to see this.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Completely different, but equally worthy of its classic status, is 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, returning to the big screen courtesy of the Irish Film Institute. A classic of cold war paranoia, Don Siegel’s movie has influenced countless horror and sci-fi thrillers, and has been remade several times, though only Philip Kaufman’s 1978 version comes close to the original.
Nightcrawler
The best of the week’s new releases is the dark drama Nightcrawler. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a career best performance as a sociopath who stumbles into the murky world of crime scene videography. As misanthropic as cinema gets, the film will leave you wanting a shower but shouldn’t be missed. One of the year’s best.
Mr Turner
Mr Turner is rumoured to be director Mike Leigh’s final film. If so, he’s leaving on a high, as this biopic of the 19th century painter is one of his finest works. Timothy Spall is outstanding in the title role and the film is full of humour that makes its subject accessible to those of us who lack a familiarity with 19th century English art.
As it’s Halloween, we get two awful horror movies this week. In Horns, Daniel Radcliffe continues his quest to leave Harry Potter behind in a dark thriller that awkwardly balances comedy and horror. Ouija is an official adaptation of the cult board game, and is every bit as bad as that idea suggests.
By Eric Hillis
