Movie of the week – Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
Wonder Woman proved one of the biggest box office hits of 2017, so what better time for a biopic of its creator, William Marston? Professor Marston and the Wonder Women tells the story of how Marston (Luke Evans) created the comic, inspired by his relationship with his wife Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall) and their lover Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote). The movie doesn’t reveal a whole lot about the genesis of the comic book, but it’s an at times fascinating study of an unconventional but genuine relationship.
The Florida Project
Director Sean Baker impressed with his LA set drama Tangerine a couple of years ago, but his hotly anticipated latest, The Florida Project, is a somewhat disappointing followup. The movie follows the fortunes and more often misfortunes of a young single mother living with her daughter in a Florida motel. Cast against type as a nice guy for a change, Willem Dafoe is the film’s highlight as the kindly motel manager, but after an intriguing and nuanced opening half, Baker’s movie devolves into soap opera cliches.
Let the Sun Shine In
The Irish Film Institute’s annual French Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday with a screening of Claire Denis’s latest, Let the Sun Shine In, starring the great Juliette Binoche. The fest runs for two weeks and features Irish premieres of a host of new Gallic films, including Godard biopic Redoubtable, Cannes favourite 120 BPM and Michael Haneke’s Happy End, along with screenings of classics of French cinema. Visit ifi.ie/frenchfest for the full lineup.
By Eric Hillis of themoviewaffler.com
