Friday 28 April 2017

Handsome devil

Boarding-school movie about two mismatched lads. We've seen this film over and over from Hollywood, but far better. Everything here is boring: characters, dialogue, music, scenes, and story. It's the kind of film made by nice people with zero of interest to say. The songs on the soundtrack are awful and this movie isn't clever enough make these sound interesting. That gay exposure scene was done 20 years ago in Irish cinema (Last bus home). Even the rugby scenes aren't particularly exciting (how come Hollywood movies make college American football appear interesting even though most audiences over here don't understand the game?). Not clear what era it's set in, thought the 1980s until that Suede poster on the wall. All that was missing was Deirdre O'Kane as a concerned mother! Really dull stuff that makes a big fuss over every second scene but the audience won't be bothered. Scott plays a gay teacher but the film is too timid to make a statement.

Title: Handsome devil
Genre: Drama
New/old: New
Cinema/DVD: Cinema

Tuesday 25 April 2017

Gift

Dull movie about a man in Kerry who can't cope without his dead wife. Lots of flashbacks and conversations with the deceased. Similar in tone and style to Parked or The pier: lots of establishing shots, depressing feeling, characters you won't like, scenes that make sense later in the movie, bad cinematography, and lots of awful music on the soundtrack. Every fifteen minutes the lead guy attempts suicide but you won't care. He looked miserable before his wife died. The main actress has a strange nose yet he ignores the younger, sexy waitress for her. Shallow filmmaking at its dullest and totally lifeless! Best scene involved Brendan Grace as a priest. Strangely, none of these characters make reference to Ireland (which is unusual). There's one part with the headmaster walking towards the lead and the camera operator stumbles. Could they not have reshot that scene and made it better?

Title: The gift
Genre: Drama
New/old: New
Cinema/DVD: Cinema

Sunday 9 April 2017

Free fire

Average shoot-out movie set in a warehouse. It's the late 1970s and a group of Irish terrorists (presumably IRA, not loyalists) attempt to purchase arms. Except the goods have been swapped as Libya are the preferred customer. You won't care what happens because the characters are unlikeable and stupid. Most people who get shot are only grazed to extend the story. If they all got killed after the first ten minutes it would have been OK. Everybody wears brown (of course) and there's strange acoustic guitar music on the soundtrack (and John Denver). Some of the dialogue seems too modern: "sex pest" and "chill pill". Straight-to-DVD material that isn't as good as it thinks.

Title: Free fire
Genre: IRA
New/old: New
Cinema/DVD: Cinema

Master of the world

Dated movie from the 1960s with Vincent Price trying to stop wars around the world. He uses an airship to attack from the sky. A group of ...