Cinema Roundup November 21st

Movie of the Week - Winter Sleep

Movie of the Week – Winter Sleep

Audiences finally have a chance to see the winner of this year’s top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, the Turkish drama Winter Sleep. Its director, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, has become synonymous with the phrase “slow cinema.” At almost 3.5 hours, his latest certainly fits that template, but while it may be somewhat mentally draining, its never dull. The story of a narcissistic hotel proprietor and his deteriorating relationships with his wife and sister, it’s a brilliantly played drama that may lack visual punch but features some of the year’s best dialogue scenes.

The Homesman

Tommy Lee Jones directs and stars in The Homesman, a nihilistic western that paints a particularly bleak portrait of the old West. Jones is excellent as the outlaw rescued from the noose by Hilary Swank’s spinster, the two embarking on a quest to deliver three insane women to a church on the far side of the Missouri river. You might feel like taking a shower afterwards, but if you’re a fan of Westerns, it’s definitely worth a look.

Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy

Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy

Mary is Happy, Mary is Happy is a Thai drama adapted from a series of tweets from the account @marymalony. With the tweets appearing on screen at intervals of a few seconds apart, the film can be irritating to watch. That’s a shame, as if you removed this gimmick you’d have an enjoyable and quirky teen drama.

Get on Up

Get on Up

The late Godfather of Soul, James Brown, gets the biopic treatment in Get on Up. Like most music biopics, this one fails to get across just how relevant Brown was, but it does feature an outstanding performance by Chadwick Boseman in the lead role.

No Good Deed is a run of the mill thriller starring Idris Elba as an escaped psycho who terrorises a suburban wife. Elba is a capable screen presence but this is mediocre.

Wild Strawberries is a film club for the over-55s run by the Irish Film Institute. On Wednesday they’re screening Philomena. If you missed it on its release last year it’s well worth catching. The French Film Festival continues this week at the IFI also.

If you fancy some free movies, Pearse St Library is screening the film noir classic The Big Sleep at 3pm Wednesday as a tribute to the recently passed Lauren Bacall, followed by Blade Runner at 5.30pm Thursday.

By Eric Hillis

 

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