News

This material is based on data powered by IMDb, not The A.V. Club grades.Loki (2021)The mercurial villain Loki resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”Rating: 8.2/10Stars: Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Owen Wilson (Mobius), Sophia Di Martino,...

Graphic: IMDb

This material is based on data powered by IMDb, not The A.V. Club grades.

Loki (2021)

The mercurial villain Loki resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”

Rating: 8.2/10

Stars: Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Owen Wilson (Mobius), Sophia Di Martino,...

Over the last few decades – thanks in part to movies and TV shows like Dazed and Confused, Boogie Nights, Anchorman and HBO's Vinyl – there’s been a pronounced pop cultural tendency to reduce the 1970s to little more than a fabulous parade of campy signifiers like mirrored disco balls, brightly-painted muscle cars, platform shoes, bellbottomed jeans, tube tops, Afro hairdos, pornstaches and piles of cocaine.

It's an understandable impulse, of course. (Who doesn't love Afros or piles of cocaine?) But taking such a superficial approach to the seventies means glossing over the grittier,...

First off, if you haven’t seen Slap Shot, step away, flip on Netflix and stream it. The 1977 film not only the greatest hockey movie ever made, but perhaps the funniest sports comedy, as well. Screenwriter Nancy Dowd – yes, Slap Shot was written by a woman, a fact that still shocks a lot of people, considering it’s a crass, shameless and often misogynistic portrait of male-bonding – penned the story after spending time with her brother, Ned Dowd, a minor league hockey player for the Johnstown Jets. During a phone call with his sister, Ned complained how the

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Feature film project 'Easter Sixteen' about the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin has been optioned by UK financier Peter Lukas who will produce along with co-author of the award-winning screenplay Brendan Foley (Legend of the Bog) under the new title of 'Easter Rising'. It is understood Peter and Brendan will be working with veteran Dublin-based producer Ned Dowd (executive producer, King Arthur, Veronica Guerin, Apocalypto) and Danish producer Lars Hermann (The Riddle). American production company Coll-Abbitt has also expressed its intention to join the project which will be re-titled 'Easter Rising'. Irish actor turned director Jason Barry, best known for his role in James Cameron's 'Titanic', confirmed that Marathon, his film partnership with Nicola Charles was now being wound up and each were pursing independent projects, with his own major focus continuing to be 'Easter Rising'.

My special interview with Colin Farrell about his new film "Ondine" from director Neil Jordan. It's about a man who discovers a woman in his fishing net. Is this woman a mermaid?

In this interview, we talked about:

How he got involved with "Ondine"

Working with Neil Jordan

The setting of the film

Have fun!

Here's more info on "Ondine" from Yahoo:

Syracuse is a simple fisherman who catches a beautiful and mysterious woman in his trawler's nets. The woman seems to be dead, but then she comes alive before Syracuse's eyes and he thinks he may be seeing things. However, with the help of his ailing, yet irrepressible daughter, Annie, he comes to believe that the fantastical might be possible and that the woman (Ondine) might be a myth come true. Ondine and Syracuse fall passionately in love, but just as we think the fairytale might go on forever,...

Dingle Film Festival director Maurice Galway has deemed the 4th Dingle Film Festival a major success following its March run. This year's event, which saw actor Cillian Murphy, director Stephen Frears and producer Ned Dowd on its guest list, was held in March as opposed to its usual September slot resulting in a doubling of box office takings since last year. 'A History of Violence' and 'Eastern Promises' director David Cronenberg is set to helm the new feature film which explores how the relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud led to the discovery of the method of psychoanalysis. The drama will feature Ifta winning Irish actor Michael Fassbender (Centurion, Hunger) as Carl Jung opposite Viggo Mortenson (The Lord of the Rings: The Reurn of the King) as Freud. The film's other stars are Keira Knightley (The Duchess) and Vincent Cassel (Mesrine: Killer Instinct).

As part of the Dingle Film Festival's comedy programme, the festival has teamed with the Irish Film Board to provide a series of events and screenings dedicated to the funnier side of filmmaking. Industry events billed for the festival include a special event entitled 'Don't Make Me Laugh' which will specifically explore the art of writing comedy for the screen and a special presentation of Ifb award winning comedy short films. 'Don't Make Me Laugh' will be chaired by Ifb Development Executive Andrew Meehan and panelists will include Emmy Award winning screenwriter Marc Flanagan (The Tracy Ullman Show) stage, radio, screen and TV writer Pearse Elliot (Man About Dog); and producer Ned Dowd (Shanghai Noon). The seminar will explore the challenges of writing comedy for the screen, various approaches to character development, the role of TV in promoting talent as well as examining what makes comedy travel. The panel will...

Opens

Friday, Aug. 1

United Kingdom

LONDON -- A luminous performance from Cate Blanchett lies at the heart of Joel Schumacher's impressive drama "Veronica Guerin. While it is a fair bet that she -- and the film -- will get honorable mentions when it comes to awards time, it is equally unlikely that the film will make much of a dent at the boxoffice. It has opened well in Ireland but is not set to be released in the United States until October.

The real-life story of crusading Irish journalist Veronica Guerin made its way to the screen in John Mackenzie's impressive 2000 film "When the Sky Falls", made for Sky Television, which was given a limited theatrical release. That low-budget drama starred Joan Allen as the fictional journalist Sinead Hamilton, though the story was very much that of Guerin.

Schumacher's film is far more glossy than Mackenzie's grittier movie -- his budget was larger -- but the films are similar in that they feature standout performances from two actresses very much at the top of their game. The character of Guerin is a powerful one, and it is easy to see why it would attract top actresses. As a journalist in Dublin in the 1990s, she set out to expose the vicious drug dealers rife in the city. Her obsession led to her murder in 1996.

"Veronica Guerin" covers the last two years of her life. It is refreshingly frank in showing that Guerin's passionate determination to expose Dublin drug dealers also led to her neglecting her family and being accused of seeking self-glory. While the Guerin presented here is clearly a woman driven by a very honest desire to right wrongs, she also is presented as being self-absorbed, reckless and susceptible to manipulation.

In her mission to battle the drug dealers, she is helped -- though often misdirected and manipulated -- by the roguish John "The Coach" Traynor (played with charm by Ciaran Hinds), though her real nemesis is the brutal drug lord Gilligan (Gerard McSorley, who gives a performance of frightening brutality). Faced with beatings and attempted bribery, Guerin remains strident in her mission, with support and balance coming from her mother Bernie (Brenda Fricker).

Schumacher directs with restrained skill, bringing out the passion and brutality of the situations without letting the film slip into melodrama. Schumacher's best work seems to come when he handles dramas with more modest budgets (such as "Tigerland" and "Flawless"), which challenge him and allow his clear intelligence and ability to work well with actors to come through.

Blanchett brings her expected professionalism and ability to the role. Her Irish accent is perfect, and she has the charisma and presence to easily hold center stage. Her character may be flawed, but she remains driven and admirable. Fricker, Hinds and McSorley also deliver powerful performances. Irishman Colin Farrell, a Schumacher regular, makes a brief appearance as the wonderfully named soccer fan Spanky McSpank.

VERONICA GUERIN

Buena Vista Pictures

Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Credits:

Director: Joel Schumacher

Screenwriters: Carol Doyle, Mary Agnes Donoghue

Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer

Executive producers: Ned Dowd, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson

Director of photography: Brendan Galvin

Production designer: Nathan Crowley

Costume designer: Joan Bergin

Music: Harry Gregson-Williams

Editor: David Gamble

Cast:

Veronica Guerin: Cate Blanchett

Bernie Guerin: Brenda Fricker

John "The Coach" Traynor: Ciaran Hinds

Terry Fagan: Darragh Kelly

Timmy: Laurence Kinlan

John Gilligan: Gerard McSorley

Spanky McSpank: Colin Farrell

Running time -- 98 minutes

MPAA rating: R...