The Whale: It stars Brendan Fraser in an Oscar-nominated performance. But this film’s a shockerDarren Aronofsky’s movie starts well enough, then sinks under its own weightinessThu Feb 02 2023 - 05:00
Sam Riley: ‘I am going to have to be myself – a failed musician in his early 40s’Music and film have overlapped a few times in Sam Riley’s career. His new film, She Is Love, blurs the lines even furtherWed Feb 01 2023 - 05:00
Oscars 2023: Uncomfortable truth is that two black women are best-actress race’s most obvious losersDonald Clarke: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is meeting to review its rules after Andrea Riseborough’s surprise nominationTue Jan 31 2023 - 01:00
Four new films to see this weekSteven Spielberg’s seven Oscars-nominated The Fabelman, plus brawny Gerard Butler in Plane, documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, and dark Bulgarian drama JanuarySun Jan 29 2023 - 05:00
The next Irish cinematic triumph is just around the cornerDonald Clarke: It may be set in Tennessee, but the Wicklow-shot Cocaine Bear is clearly set to be the film of the yearSat Jan 28 2023 - 00:00
The Movie Quiz: What is the first spoken line in the original Star Wars?Plus: Which classic RTÉ show makes a peripheral appearance in An Cailín Ciúin?Fri Jan 27 2023 - 05:00
January: An impressively spooky film to take us out of deep winterDark Bulgarian drama, adapted from an allegorical play by Yordan Radichkov, has familiar absurdist themesFri Jan 27 2023 - 05:00
The Fabelmans: An immaculately performed portrait of Steven Spielberg as a young manThe freshly Oscar-nominated director crafts an impressive, thinly disguised autobiographical exploration of familiar Spielbergian themesWed Jan 25 2023 - 05:00
Oscar nominations 2023: Donald Clarke on an astonishing, record-shattering year for Irish filmAcademy Awards: Today’s 14 nominations for domestic films and talent mean Ireland has clocked up its most successful day ever at this stage of the raceTue Jan 24 2023 - 14:53
Oscar nominations 2023: Ireland could have a record year. Donald Clarke makes his predictionsColin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley could all be up for awards. And that’s just the acting categoriesMon Jan 23 2023 - 05:30
Four new films to see this weekMargot Robbie and Brad Pitt in Hollywood epic Babylon, plus Iranian serial killer drama Holy Spider, Irish horror comedy Let the Wrong One In, and documentary on the legendary Chelsea HotelSun Jan 22 2023 - 05:00
In When I’m 64, Paul McCartney imagined someone of Madonna’s age knitting, not going on tourDonald Clarke: The announcement of her tour has drawn predictably sexist and ageist coverage from the usual mid-market placesSat Jan 21 2023 - 05:00
Oscars 2023: Will Steven Spielberg win best director for a third time to enter the exclusive club?American director has had his ups and downs at the Oscars. What are his chances this time around?Sat Jan 21 2023 - 05:00
The Movie Quiz: Spot the fake Fast and Furious titlePlus: A film adapted by which Irish author is currently vying for an Oscar nomination?Fri Jan 20 2023 - 11:12
Let the Wrong One In: Brides of Dracula reinvented as a Dublin hen party? It’s close to irresistibleBraineater fans will be relieved to hear director Conor McMahon has retained his confidence in the hurl as an effective weapon against the undeadFri Jan 20 2023 - 05:00
An unprecedented year for Irish talent: Donald Clarke on the 2023 Bafta nominations Colm Bairéad’s Irish-language film An Cailín Ciúin continues astonishing run with two nominations as Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin bags 10 nodsThu Jan 19 2023 - 14:03
Babylon: It’s got Margot Robbie, it’s got Brad Pitt, and it’s intriguing, infuriating, entertaining and preposterousDamien Chazelle’s evocation of pre-talkie Hollywood features some of his very best work but also some of his clumsiest folliesWed Jan 18 2023 - 05:00
Four new films to see in cinemas this weekCate Blanchett is grandstandingly brilliant in Tár, plus frightful folkie Enys Men, creepy doll M3GAN, and Sam Mendes’ Empire of LightSun Jan 15 2023 - 05:00
The remarkable audacious life of US photographer and activist Nan GoldinAcclaimed documentary-maker Laura Poitras has made a film about artist and anti-Purdue Pharma campaigner Nan GoldinSat Jan 14 2023 - 05:00
The first big scandal of Oscars season is under wayIs celebrated conductor Marin Alsop right to criticise Oscar favourite Todd Field over his film Tár?Sat Jan 14 2023 - 05:00
M3gan: An AI doll - what could possibly go wrong?Cracking sci-fi shocker digs into the contemporary human psycheFri Jan 13 2023 - 05:00
The Movie Quiz: Which of the four Banshees stars is also part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?Plus: What is officially the highest grossing release of 2022?Fri Jan 13 2023 - 05:00
SAG awards 2023: The Banshees of Inisherin’s Oscar hopes get a big boostColin Farrell shortlisted for best actor as Martin McDonagh’s film lands five nominationsWed Jan 11 2023 - 16:48
Golden Globes 2023: The Banshees of Inisherin wins three awards as Colin Farrell takes best actorMartin McDonagh’s film and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans the big winners as host takes potshots at troubled history of awardsWed Jan 11 2023 - 06:02
Tár: Cate Blanchett in full symphonic mode in role tailored to her strengthsSocial provocations are secondary in a work that strives first to make a fully angled fictional characterTue Jan 10 2023 - 13:50
Tár, starring Cate Blanchett, has already stirred up Oscar buzz and ruffled culture war feathers‘We’re at a point where generations are screaming at each other,’ says film director Todd FieldMon Jan 09 2023 - 05:00
Four new films to see this week A Man Called Otto with Tom Hanks, Till starring Danielle Deadwyler, Catalan-language film Alcarràs, and avenger thriller The EnforcerSun Jan 08 2023 - 05:29
The rules of new year reading: pick a long novel, make sure it’s ‘difficult’, no swearing at dense paragraphsEndless novels from the 19th century and earlier are there waiting to eat up the pre-Easter gloomSat Jan 07 2023 - 05:30
The Movie Quiz: What was the last Star Trek film with a number in its title?Plus: How many MCU movies feature ‘Avengers’ in their titles?Fri Jan 06 2023 - 05:00
A Man Called Otto: Works well enough as a middle-brow hankie dampenerUS remake of a Swedish film about a neighbourhood curmudgeon’s rehabilitation handles the tonal shifts less deftly than the originalFri Jan 06 2023 - 05:00
The Enforcer: sometimes too sleazy, but often not sleazy enoughWhy is Antonio Banderas bothering with this sort of barely upright avenger thriller?Fri Jan 06 2023 - 05:00
Four new films to see this weekEmpress Elizabeth Austrian drama Corsage, Lars Von Trier’s The Kingdom: Exodus, Léa Seydoux in France, and odd beast nature documentary WildcatSun Jan 01 2023 - 05:00
50 films to see in 2023 From Oppenheimer to the Blitz and Babylon to Barbie exciting releases are coming our way in the year aheadSat Dec 31 2022 - 05:00
Donald Clarke: Will we ever again have a ‘Who shot JR?’ moment? Shut up, you dull idiotIf you offered today’s cornucopia of readily available culture to any child stuck with one channel in 1970s Ireland they’d have clawed your arm off in gratitudeSat Dec 31 2022 - 05:00
The Kingdom: Exodus – Lars Von Trier at his dementedly mischievous best The Danish director’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease adds new poignancy to the morbid humourFri Dec 30 2022 - 05:00
Whitney Houston: Can this Rocketman-style biopic do justice to a flawed, fascinating woman?I Wanna Dance With Somebody: This by-the-numbers film is saved from utter blandness by Naomie Ackie’s strong, occasionally eccentric performanceWed Dec 28 2022 - 05:15
Vicky Krieps: ‘Wearing these dresses is actually torture. It cuts off the emotions’Vicky Krieps’s award-winning performance in Corsage as an iconic Mitteleuropean monarch strips away the myth and the glamourTue Dec 27 2022 - 05:00
Four new films to see this weekWhitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, plus Ozon upturns Fassbinder with Peter von Kant, Christian Bale streaming in The Pale Blue Eye, and classic British gothic The Queen of SpadesSun Dec 25 2022 - 05:00
Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino; Hollywood: The Oral History by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson Favourite films and foundational years via essays; a tribute to the rise, fall, rise again and maybe final fall of a defining American institutionSat Dec 24 2022 - 05:03
It’s Christmas! How could we possibly forget?Donald Clarke: The generic streaming Yule flick serves the same purpose as the low-grade compilation playing in the Lager Mart. It is there to reassure you it really is ChristmasSat Dec 24 2022 - 05:00
‘When Whitney married Bobby we were all, like, What about Robyn?’ I Wanna Dance with Somebody tries to untangle the troubled life of America’s princess, from her drug abuse to having to hide her sexualityFri Dec 23 2022 - 06:01
Christmas TV and film guide: 40 of the best shows and movies to watch over the next weekIncluding The Banshees of Inisheerin, Glass Onion, Motherland, Chariots of Fire, Marie Antoinette, How Ireland Rocked the 80s, and Callan Kicks the YearFri Dec 23 2022 - 05:00
The Movie Quiz: Donald Clarke’s bumper Christmas editionVarious Scrooges, Robins and Hollies are in the mix along with Home Alone and Die Hard, plus the most painful First Noel pun you’ll ever hearFri Dec 23 2022 - 05:00
Wildcat: A helpless creature, a traumatised young man, and too many unanswered questionsAs is often the case with fly-on-the-wall documentaries, we are often left wondering who is the fly and where is the wallFri Dec 23 2022 - 05:00
The Queen of Spades: Martin Scorsese calls this stunning film a true classic. We agreeThe film returns at a time of the year when ghost stories are particularly cherishedThu Dec 22 2022 - 05:00
Oscars 2023: An Cailín Ciúin shortlisted for best international filmDonald Clarke: Colm Bairéad’s Irish-language film continues a remarkable run by becoming one of 15 titles vying for an Academy Awards nominationWed Dec 21 2022 - 20:21
Four new films to see this weekJames Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar sequel, plus indie thriller The Apology streaming and reissues of Fanny and Alexander and The Bishop’s WifeSun Dec 18 2022 - 05:00
The pointy-headed film critic is nothing new but audiences’ tastes have changedDonald Clarke: Elon Musk joined the catcalls against this year’s New York Times top tenSat Dec 17 2022 - 05:00
The Movie Quiz: Who was the first Irish performer nominated for an acting Oscar?Plus: What is the highest grossing Star Wars film of all time?Fri Dec 16 2022 - 05:00
The Bishop’s Wife: The third best Christmas film everThe 1947 film is loaded with Hollywood greatsFri Dec 16 2022 - 05:00
