Story of individuals – not ‘cases’

Films Reviews Thu, Feb 12, 2026

****
The second film of the Galway Film Society’s exciting spring 2026 line-up is the latest film from the critically revered, veteran directing team of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.

A poorly built machine of mismatched components

Films Reviews Thu, Feb 05, 2026

**
A Star is Born (2018) was a sensational crowd-pleaser of a film, with a heartrending love story at its core between Cooper and Lady Gaga. It captured the hearts of audiences everywhere, and more than justified the decision to make a fourth version of the same story.

A microcosm of modern insecurity

Films Reviews Thu, Jan 29, 2026

****
Unquestionably one of the most provocative and visually playful of celebrated modern directors, Park Chan-Wook treats each of his films as elaborately designed art pieces.

REVIEW: The Bone Temple 4/5

Films Reviews Thu, Jan 22, 2026

Eighteen years separated 28 Years Later (2025) from its predecessor 28 Weeks Later (2007). Now, its sequel arrives eight just months later.

FILM REVIEW: Mastermind is more character than thrills

Films Reviews Thu, Dec 18, 2025

If you’re looking for an exciting action-filled film in the mould of Heat (1995) or Point Break (1991), look elsewhere. What you will get with Kelly Reichardt’s Mastermind is another methodically paced, process-focused journey with a protagonist adrift from society.

Impressive mystery from stale franchise

Films Reviews Thu, Dec 04, 2025

***
Knives Out (2019) was the cinematic equivalent of a lightning bolt. By injecting a mostly forgotten film genre with colour, energy and humour, it became one of the most well-regarded films of 2019, even earning itself an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay in a highly competitive year. The fact that a modern take on an Agatha Christie-style story was recognised for its originality should be commended.

Cinematic act of defiance

Films Reviews Thu, Nov 27, 2025

****
 

Review: A House of Dynamite

Films Reviews Thu, Nov 06, 2025

**
A number of Kathryn Bigelow’s films focus on work, and the psychological effects of dedicating your life to that job. Personal lives take a back seat as the protagonist gets too deep into their mission. Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Utah develops a close bond with his target, played by Patrick Swayze, which makes him question his mission and his allegiance, in Point Break (1990).

MOVIE REVIEW: Roofman

Films Reviews Thu, Oct 23, 2025

Roofman is a familiar story, following well-meaning, charismatic heroes who resort to ill-judged, desperate, decision making.

THE BIG PICTURE

Films Reviews Thu, Oct 02, 2025

A propulsive and prescient thrill ride that's hard to top

Palaces to Pálás

Films Reviews Thu, Sep 18, 2025

Spoiler alert: I saw some of this year’s most anticipated films, and ate great Italian food too.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Weapons'

Films Reviews Thu, Aug 14, 2025

****
The horror genre has felt slightly stale recently, and there has been an infatuation with trauma as its thematic engine. Much in the way that The Naked Gun felt like a breath of fresh air for the comedy genre, Weapons accomplishes the same feat for horror.

REVIEW: Friendship

Films Reviews Thu, Jul 24, 2025

****
Tim Robinson is better-known for his sketch comedy work than feature film credits. He regularly participated in Saturday Night Live up until 2016, and has done his own show, I Think You Should Leave from 2019, to the present. I have since seen a couple of episodes of his comedy sketches and it seems Friendship is an attempt to transpose his unique brand of comedy to the big screen.

DC Universe in fresh hands

Films Reviews Thu, Jul 17, 2025

With comic book movies experiencing an alarming decline in commercial returns and audience interest, Superman (2025) was a risky venture. Especially since the character has a colossal reputation, and every incarnation of Superman that followed Christoper Reeve’s beloved 1978 version has been met with fan disappointment and mostly negative critical reaction. However if anyone could make Kal-El, the last son of Krypton, soar again, it was James Gunn.

FILM REVIEW: The Shrouds

Films Reviews Thu, Jul 10, 2025

A deeply personal, thought-provoking film about grief and memory with a discomfiting sci-fi invention at its centre.

MOVIE REVIEW: F1

Films Reviews Thu, Jul 03, 2025

After the resounding success of Top Gun: Maverick (2022), director Joseph Kosinski endeavours to replicate that potent formula with F1.

REVIEW: 28 Years Later

Films Reviews Thu, Jun 26, 2025

****

MOVIE REVIEW: 'The Phoenician Scheme'

Films Reviews Thu, May 29, 2025

***
Rewatching The French Dispatch (2021) recently reminded me just how singular Wes Anderson is as a filmmaker. The detail infused into each frame ensures that your attention never sways. There is so much to feast on.

Kneecap Review: A blend of ketamine-soaked satire as Gaeilge

Films Reviews Thu, Aug 15, 2024

Last Saturday evening we decided to do something different, so headed to the cinema. I hadn’t been very often since Covid, something I realised as I handed over more than the cost of the tickets for Coke and popcorn. To be fair, my grandchildren had warned me.

The best from Spielberg in a long time

Films Reviews Thu, Feb 02, 2023

It hasn’t been a great decade for Steven Spielberg, I really didn’t enjoy last years West Side Story and the film he directed before, Ready Player One, was the worst film he’s ever made. Last year, like plenty of other directors, he’s gone for a little introspection. He’s wrote something about his own life and made an autobiographical film about his childhood. A little like Kenneth Branagh with Belfast last year.

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