• Maze

    September 22, 2017 - By 

    Courting controversy is something that filmmakers have to be very wary of in this day and age, and for writer/director Stephen Burke (Happy Ever Afters) and producer Brendan J. Byrne (Bomb Squad Men), there is no escaping it when dealing with as delicate a subject as the true story of the mass breakout of Provisional IRA prisoners in Northern Ireland from one of Europe’s most secure prisons. But what the filmmakers have managed to create is a credible and well-balanced movie that does not glorify the act, though they make no bones about how much of a coup the escape…

  • Insyriated

    September 19, 2017 - By 

    At a time when the Syrian conflict seems to be in its last days, Belgian writer/director Philippe Van Leeuw has created a unique and timely piece that deals with the huge complications faced by those who refuse to be moved from beseiged areas. What makes Insyriated stand out as a great piece of filmmaking is Van Leeuw’s nuanced approach to the conflict, with undifferentiated antagonists and a focus on the struggles of a family trying their best to live a normal life under impossible circumstances. And it is all impressively done with a hefty dose of realism, given the undoubted low…

  • The Farthest

    September 7, 2017 - By 

    Whether or not space exploration is your thing, The Farthest is an essential documentary that tells the amazing story of the Voyager mission that was launched in August 1977, with the aim of exploring the outer regions of our solar system and beyond. But what is every bit as interesting as the scientific aspect of the mission is the gold vinyl cargo containing various messages and media – even encoded pictures – from earth for any would-be extraterrestrials that might come into contact with the two space crafts. An interstellar message in a bottle, you might say. Director Emer Reynolds…

  • David Lynch: The Art Life

    August 31, 2017 - By 

    After five years in the making that started off with a Kickstarter campaign, directors Jon Nyugen (Lynch), Rick Barnes and Olivia Neergaard-Holm’s (Victoria) biopic documentary The Art Life is the quintessential homage and insight into the extraordinary career of David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive). And while the focus is directed on his painting and influences from his childhood onwards, the insights into his work processes and day-to-day life are remarkably honest and enlightening, making for an essential watch for any fans of his films, music or art. Initially, we are introduced to Lynch as he works on a painting in his…

  • Land of Mine

    August 11, 2017 - By 

    World War 2 films could be seen to have been at saturation point for quite some time but writer/director Martin Zandvliet’s (The Model) new drama Land Of Mine proves that there is still plenty of mileage in the genre, with a tale that sheds light on a very controversial time period in Denmark’s history, while also dealing with age old themes of revenge and forgiveness with stark authenticity. Set just after WW2, Land Of Mine tells the story of a group of surrendered German soldiers, all of whom are young boys from the Hitler Youth, who are ordered to demine the…

  • It Comes At Night

    July 21, 2017 - By 

    It is a wonderful thing when Hollywood actually develops some backbone and throws their weight behind filmmakers like writer/director Trey Edward Shults (Krisha). His latest genre bending horror, It Comes At Night, is incredibly brave filmmaking, as even the title is deceptively chosen – some might call it false advertising. This is an intelligent and tautly crafted horror, with its base set in the dystopian nightmare genre, but there will undoubtedly be detractors who may feel shortchanged by the elusiveness in showing what the ‘It’ fully entails. Set at a time of mass extinction for the human race, Joel Edgerton (The Gift)…

  • The House

    July 7, 2017 - By 

    You could be forgiven for getting halfway through The House and be ready for walking out the door. But if you weather the initial shitstorm of writer/director Andrew Jay Cohen’s (Bad Neighbours) latest slapstick/screwball comedy, then it might well pay off for you. The filmmaker has somehow managed to make a film of two, glaringly different halves, as there are some big laughs to be had when the absurdity ratchets up in the last 45 minutes and the comedic violence takes over from the ‘jokes’. Will Ferrell (Anchorman) and Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) play a married couple in a well-to-do suburban estate in the US. After an ill-advised…

  • Risk

    July 2, 2017 - By 

    Julian Assange has to be one of the most divisive and controversial figures of modern times. With documentary filmmaker, Laura Poitras’ (Citizenfour) latest, covering the last 6 years of his time running Wikileaks, you’re likely to think a little less of him. There is no doubt that the man is exceptionally brave and principled but what Poitras uncovers is a planet-sized ego and a certain naivety, at least initially, as to what he was getting mixed up in. Risk begins in 2011 when Assange and Wikileaks’ notoriety went into overdrive after their huge cache of leaks concerning the US government…

  • Cardboard Gangsters

    June 23, 2017 - By 

    Cardboard Gangsters is an Irish crime drama from writer/director Mark O’Connor (King Of The Travellers) that tells a story familiar to fans of gangland movies, running through all the stereotypes and cliches that come with this oversaturated genre (which tend, in fairness, to be accurate). Thankfully the filmmakers have still managed to create a plausible and socially relevant film with an authentic grittiness and suitably dark premise, one bolstered by a strong lead performance from co-writer John Connors (Love/Hate). On the tough Darndale council estate in Dublin, four twenty-somethings, led by local DJ and hard lad, Jay Connolly (Connors) live…

  • Whitney: Can I Be Me

    June 18, 2017 - By 

    Whitney Houston’s much-publicised rise, fall and subsequent death is a tale of an exceptional talent that was surely wasted. If like me, you knew little about her life bar the mud-slinging from the mainstream media, then British docu-filmmaker Nick Broomfield (Biggie and Tupac) and longtime associate of Whitney, Rudi Dolezal’s depiction of the troubled star, will be a refreshing take that sensitively and respectfully delves into the causes and effects of her tragic downfall. They most certainly don’t have all the answers that some people may be after but this is an essential watch for anyone with any sort of…