A newly restored print of Antonioni’s classic of alienation and ennui, L’Eclisse, plays at the Irish Film Institute. Just out of one relationship, Monica Vitti enters another with Alain Delon. One of the great Italian’s finest works, it features, as do several of his films, one of cinema’s most memorable endings.
Speaking of memorable endings, The Sixth Sense plays this evening at the Lighthouse. It’s best remembered for that twist, but it’s got a lot more going for it, with a genuinely effective atmosphere throughout.
At the Lighthouse on Sunday you can catch Stand By Me. One of the better Stephen King adaptations, it’s a bittersweet coming of age tale that holds much nostalgia for ’80s kids.
A trio of mediocre new releases hit screens this week, including the latest screen adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. This one is directed by longtime Bergman collaborator Liv Ullmann, but she doesn’t seem to have picked up many filmmaking tips, as this is as bland a stage transfer as you could imagine.
We Are Your Friends is the tale of a wannabe DJ (Zac Efron) who becomes friendly with a superstar DJ, and even friendlier with his girlfriend. Efron’s charm is just about enough to keep this one afloat.
Hitman: Agent 47 is the second adaptation of the cult video game. The visuals are fantastic, and a couple of action sequences are audacious and innovative, but the script is truly awful.
By Eric Hillis