Sunday 22 September 2019

Kitchen

Feminist mob movie set in the 1970s, all the men are jerks. It's about New York's Irish community and three men get sent to prison. Their wives take over the racket. Lots of killings and double-crossings but it's too fast paced with too much plot. Like they cut 30 minutes out; would have worked better as animation. People in phones boxes get shot in the head, too accurate to be realistic. People get killed and the other characters are upset though we've  only seen them briefly in an earlier scene. The movie looks great and the rock and funk soundtrack is good though no disco or punk which is unusual. Best role was the older woman who took no nonsense. Refreshing hearing characters speak their minds and refusing to act nice in this PC era. Watchable and above average though it's no classic.

Title: The kitchen
Genre: Gangster
New/old: New
Cinema/DVD: Cinema

Sunday 15 September 2019

Extra ordinary

Impressive horror comedy about a driving instructor with powers to deal with ghosts. Set in small-town Ireland it boasts a superb script, good cast playing for laughs but taking the story seriously, decent music, fast pacing and some funny moments. A failed international musician wants to sacrifice a local virgin to the devil. Her father hires the driving instructor to deal with his dead wife who haunts the family home. It's like a routine genre film done too many times already here but finally they got it right. Usually with these movies some parts are good but get runied from casting Deirde O'Kane or Amy Huberman or is badly directed. The two-worded title is deliberate. One of the few recent Irish films I would recommend but don't expect this silly effort to win awards.

Title: Extra ordinary
Genre: Horror
New/old: New
Cinema/DVD: Cinema

Sunday 8 September 2019

Thank you come again

Overlong comedy set in a sex shop off Dublin's Grafton Street. It's not that good or funny but is watchable. Most of the cast are the same age and look like they are from the same class out of drama school. There's a silly story involving diamonds, a priest with second thoughts and an unemployed older man. There's little reference to Ireland apart from in a newspaper. Uneven acting and the bickering between staff gets tiresome. Lots of bad cutaways of actors talking directly to the camera. Best scene was the speed dating. At the end one of the characters says 'dead priest in a porn shop' which would have made a better title.Good to see some Irish filmmakers not caring about winning an IFTA! 


Title: Thank you come again
Genre: Comedy
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 ...