Movie of the Week – The Spirit of the Beehive
The great 1973 Spanish civil war drama The Spirit of the Beehive screens at the Irish Film Institute on Monday with an intro by critic Michael Doherty. After a viewing of Frankenstein, a young girl becomes convinced the creature is hiding in her family’s barn, but it’s actually a wounded soldier. The film was a huge influence on the more recent but less effective Pan’s Labyrinth, and somehow managed to be critical of Franco while he was still in power.
Amelie
Celebrate Valentine’s Day in style on Sunday by taking in Amelie at the Lighthouse. Sure, it’s almost sickly sweet and presents a very white-washed view of Paris, but it’s still a movie it’s impossible not to fall for.
The Survivalist
We have a strong recommend among the week’s new releases too – and it’s Irish! The Survivalist is a brilliantly directed, highly tense tale of survival in a post-apocalyptic Monaghan. A mother and daughter arrive at the remote cabin of the titular survivor, resulting in a cat and mouse game of mistrust and paranoia. Writer-director Stephen Fingleton does great work on a relatively miniscule budget. Expect bigger things from this young man!
A Bigger Splash
A Bigger Splash is a messy, unfocussed psycho-drama that ends up being a lot of fun thanks to great performances from Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes as a rock star and her predatory ex-lover. The first half plays out like a romantic comedy before a plot twist sends it into thriller territory. The effect is jarring, but director Luca Guadagnino has you intrigued enough at that point to just about hold it together.
Concussion
The recent scandal involving the NFL’s cover-up of head trauma among American Football players is examined in bland fashion in Concussion. Will Smith impresses as the Nigerian doctor who uncovered the problem, but the film always feels like it’s skirting around the drama to avoid legal repercussions.
Deadpool
The latest superhero movie is Deadpool, and it’s possibly the worst so far. This one features a protagonist who breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience and commenting on the narrative in smartass fashion. Apart from that it’s as generic a comic book movie as any we’ve seen, but the constant stream of dick jokes makes it unbearable for anyone over the age of 12.
By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com
