Movie of the Week: Eyes Wide Shut
The Lighthouse cinema’s comprehensive Stanley Kubrick season continues with his final film, 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut, on Wednesday. Critics were mixed at the time of its release but now many, myself included, regard it as one of his finest achievements. Then real life couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play an upper class New York couple whose rocky relationship leads the former to embark on a late night exploration of New York’s seamy after dark world. A fittingly great movie for Kubrick to exit on.
Back to the Future
Courtesy of promoters Film Fatale, the Sugar Club will be transformed on Saturday night into a 1950s high school dance hall. The occasion? A screening of Back to the Future, followed by a recreation of the movie’s Enchantment Under the Sea dance. I’m told tickets for the screening are unfortunately no longer available, but you can still get tickets for the dance at filmfataleevents.com/tickets
The annual French Film Festival returns to the Irish Film Institute on Thursday with a mix of Gallic classics and brand new fare. It’s a particularly strong lineup this year with lots of special guests from the world of French cinema. Find the full schedule at ifi.ie/frenchfest
The Imitation Game
The cream of this week’s new releases is The Imitation Game, a biopic of Alan Turing, the scientist who cracked the Nazi Enigma code during WWII, saving countless lives in the process. Benedict Cumberbatch is outstanding as Turing, and it’s testament to his abilities that we never once think of his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, given how similar the characters are.
Third Person is another multi strand drama from Paul Haggis, the filmmaker behind Crash, arguably the worst movie ever to receive a Best Picture Oscar. This one’s a little more successful, and gives Liam Neeson a rare chance to remind us he can actually act as well as look physically menacing. At times it strays into pretension but the film features some quality performances.
2014 is the centennial of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas’ birth, and he features as a character in Set Fire to the Stars, a low budget black and white drama focussed on his first US tour. It’s somewhat lightweight, but Celyn Jones is impressive in his portrayal of the hell-raising poet.
By Eric Hillis
