Five For Your Radar: Skibbereen Arts Fest, Happy Gilmore, Fantastic Four...
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…
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