Adrian Weckler: I discovered my superpower during fraught LA protests – the invisibility of age
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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Film reviews: Fantastic Four's First Steps is goofy, ridiculous and enjoyable
THE Fantastic Four have yet to connect with the moviegoing audience in the same way as their Marvel peers – Spider-Man, Ironman, the Avengers et al – and it's unlikely that Fantastic Four: First Steps (12A) will propel the quartet into the blockbuster franchise bracket. It has its own charm, though: Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm / the Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), Johnny Storm / the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn) and Ben Grimm / The Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are already established superheroes as the movie opens, beloved as the Earth's protectors and peacemakers. So when the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) arrives from deep space to inform humanity that it's doomed to be consumed by the planet-devouring Galactus (Ralph Ineson), the foursome suit up and blast off into the galactic depths to confront the voracious 'space-god'. So far, so expected, but do keep an eye on that subtitle, because the Invisible Woman, and despite what we assume is all medical advice to the contrary, goes rocketing off into battle with Galactus whilst heavily pregnant. Which, yes, sounds a touch preposterous, but to be fair Fantastic Four: First Steps takes no more liberties with biology and physics than the vast majority of superhero movies. There's a good chemistry between the four leads, with Vanessa Kirby first among equals as she plays a woman with all manner of unusual gifts but whose real super-strength is her maternal instinct, while Julia Garner's Silver Surfer is one of the coolest things to happen to the genre in the past decade. And then there's the production design, which situates the story in a kind of retro-futuristic 1960s and allows this iteration of the Fantastic Four to hark back to simpler times, when uncomplicated superheroes only ever had to deal with binary issues of good and evil. Endearingly goofy and frequently ridiculous, First Steps is the most enjoyable superhero flick of the year so far. GAZER. Gazer ★★★★☆ Cinematic release - review by Declan Burke Gazer (15A) stars Ariella Mastroianni as Frankie, a young mother who struggles to perceive time correctly due to a condition called dyschronometria, and thus focuses more closely than usual on other people and events as she tries to centre herself in the here and now. When she encounters Page (Renee Gagner) at a grief counselling session, Frankie finds herself drawn into the tangled web of Page's life, and quickly finds herself the main suspect when Page's dead body is discovered in the trunk of her car. Written by Mastroianni and Ryan J. Sloan, with Sloan directing, Gazer is an unconventional, slow-burning and highly stylised film noir that feels like it's been freshly plucked from the 1970s. Ariella Mastroianni is brilliantly befuddled as the cognitively impaired patsy stumbling through the mean streets of New Jersey searching for answers — due to Frankie's condition and paranoia, we're no wiser than she as to what is really going on — and there's strong support from Renee Gagner as the hard-as-nails femme fatale. Jonah Wren Phillips in the movie 'Bring Her Back.' Bring Her Back ★★★★☆ Cinematic release - review by Cara O'Doherty Following the success of their 2023 hit Talk to Me, Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou return with Bring Her Back (16s), an exploration of grief through a horror lens. When Andy (Billy Barrett) and Piper (Sora Wong) find their father unconscious, Piper desperately tries to save him, but it's too late. The kids are sent to live with much respected carer, Laura (Sally Hawkins), but while Piper gets a warm welcome, Andy faces a cold reception. Confused by the hostile treatment and the presence of a strange non-verbal foster child, Andy begins to sense that something is amiss. His instincts prove accurate as the situation escalates darkly. The film takes some truly gory turns, but the real horror lies in the lengths people will go to deal with grief. The kids are impressive, but it's Hawkins who steals the show, expertly eliciting sympathy from the audience despite her numerous wrongdoings.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Irish Times
The Movie Quiz: Which Hitchcock film features a future crew member of the Nostromo?
Which dog is in a current smash hit? K9 Marley Hooch Krypto Who is the odd bloodsucker out? Bill Skarsgård Bela Lugosi Klaus Kinski Max Schreck Who was recently identified as the highest-grossing movie star of all time? Which is missing a different punctuation? Thunderbolts batteries not included 500 Days of Summer Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) Who went on to be the dad in The Witch, the Green Knight in The Green Knight and, from this week, Galactus in Fantastic Four: First Steps? Finchy Tim Gareth Dawn Who lent his name to the Motion Picture Production Code? Will Rogers Will Hays Will Geer Will Wheaton Which Hitchcock film features a future crew member of the Nostromo? North by Northwest (1959) Psycho (1960) The Birds (1963) Frenzy (1972) Which is the odd title out? Constantinople Lisa del Giocondo Garbo Sinatra What, correct to one decimal place, do you get if you add the two Leslie Nielson Naked Gun sequels together? 34.2 35.8 36.1 45.8 Which is the odd work of fiction out?
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Five For Your Radar: Skibbereen Arts Fest, Happy Gilmore, Fantastic Four...
Streaming: Happy Gilmore 2 Netflix, Friday, July 25 Nearly 30 years on from the original film, Adam Sandler - fresh from a star turn at the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live as well as the Oscars ceremony earlier this year - returns to the fairways. Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny and Sandler's daughters Sadie and Sunny feature alongside the returning Ben Stiller and Julie Bowen and a stellar cast including Eminem and golfers from Rory McIlroy to Bryson DeChambeau. Skibbereen Arts Festival: Various venues Friday, July 25, to Sunday, August 3 Music, art, film, theatre, spoken word, literature, and comedy are all well catered for at this year's expansive programme in Skibbereen Arts Festival. Paul Noonan and Daithí Ó Drónaí of Houseplants. Picture: Nina Val A 90s-themed street party kicks things off on Friday evening, while on Saturday, Catherine Airey, an author with West Cork roots, discusses debut novel Confessions, and HousePlants, a dance band led by Bell X1's Paul Noonan, play the Town Hall. One of the most exciting acts in the country, RÓIS, plays on Wednesday. Festival: Forest Fest Emo Village, Co Laois, Friday-Sunday, July 25-27 Returning for its fourth outing this weekend, Forest Fest has amassed an interesting lineup headed by Franz Ferdinand, Manic Street Preachers, and Travis. Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand: appearing at Laois' Forest Fest. Orbital will bring the ravers, while the likes of The Farm and Kula Shaker provide the Britpop (and post-Britpop) vibes - as will the Oasis tribute band on Friday night. There's a healthy mix of Irish acts, Forest Fleadh and Ibiza Rewind areas - choose your weekend adventure wisely - and lots more across five stages. Cinema: Fantastic Four: First Steps out now A couple weeks on from DC's attempt to revamp Superman, Marvel dusts off the Fantastic Four for another go at the silver screen. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm and Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic in Fantastic Four: First Steps Prestige TV stars Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us), Vanessa Kirby (The Crown), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear) all feature in what begins as a 1960s throwback family comedy - taking inspiration from Marvel's TV shows WandaVision and What If…? perhaps - though the story sounds like typical superhero fare as a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer, enter proceedings.. Theatre: Stones in his Pockets The Everyman, Cork, Tuesday, July 29, to Sunday, August 10 Written by Marie Jones and directed by Matthew McElhinney, this Barn Theatre production of the award-winning West End and Broadway hit Stones in his Pockets comes to Cork for the next fortnight. Set in rural Ireland, a small village is turned upside down by the arrival of a Hollywood studio to film the latest blockbuster. Told through the eyes of local lads Charlie Conlon and Jake Quinn, who are employed as extras, it soon becomes clear that Tinseltown's romanticised dream of Ireland is a long way from reality…
