Sweet Story: An Exploration of Film and Culture
Coming Home was a film that spoke to an America just coming to grips with the lasting effects of the Vietnam war. Though filmed in the late seventies, Coming Home takes places in 1968, a year that was marked by not only the escalating conflict in Vietnam, but also political and social turmoil within the... Continue Reading →
A Date for Mad Mary. Element Pictures, 2016. Directed by Darren Thornton. Screenplay by Darren Thornton and Colin Thornton. Produced by Ed Guiney and Juliette Bonass. Adapted from the one-woman play 10 Dates with Mad Mary (2010) by Yasmine Akram. Starring: Seána Kerslake, Tara Lee, Charleigh Bailey, Denise McCormack, Siobhan Shanahan. [Image: scannain.com] Darren Thornton’s... Continue Reading →
To mark the recent return of American Horror Story for its ninth season, entitled 1984, I have put together a quick list of some of my favourite episodes from previous seasons. Contains spoilers for seasons 1-8. Season 1 (Murder House) Episode 9: Spooky Little Girl American Horror Story is often at its strongest when the series incorporates real people and events... Continue Reading →
In 2016-17, I completed an MA in English, specialising in Irish Writing and Film, at University College Cork. As part of the course, everyone in my class was required to set up and regularly update a blog. The idea of the blog initially filled my classmates and me with dread, as blogging was completely uncharted territory for... Continue Reading →
The second season of American Crime Story ended its run on RTÉ last month. Entitled The Assassination of Gianni Versace, the series focuses on the crimes of Andrew Cunanan, a disturbed young man who killed five people over a few months in 1997. The celebrated fashion designer Gianni Versace became Cunanan final victim on the 15th July. As... Continue Reading →
“I remember one particular kid… one of the players… he left the pitch and he said to his dad; ’I don’t give a fock how you think I played, just crack open the wallet dude’ … and that’s the moment in my mind that Ross O’Carroll-Kelly was born.” Paul Howard, Episode 86: An Irishman Abroad... Continue Reading →
Since its debut on Channel 4 this spring, Lisa McGee’s Derry Girls proved to be a hit with critics and viewers alike. Partly based on McGee’s experiences growing up in Derry, the series offered a refreshingly warm and funny look at adolescence in 1990’s Northern Ireland. Throughout the first season, the Troubles acted as a... Continue Reading →
In celebration of the release of season one of Stefanie Preissner's comedy-drama, Can't Cope, Won't Cope on Netflix, I'm taking a look at some of the best recent Irish television comedies. I want to pay particular attention to comedies that have female writers and shows where female characters play a substantial role. Derry Girls: Lisa... Continue Reading →
In the last decade, the podcast industry has grown to become one of the most popular forms of audio entertainment. With the rise of smartphones and iPods, podcasts have allowed for a portable and accessible way to listen to long-form conversations and interviews. In Ireland, some of the recent developments in the field have been... Continue Reading →
A profile of David Gleeson's 2003 comedy-drama. Contains some spoilers. Set in Limerick city during the boom years, Cowboys and Angels depicts the growing friendship between two very different men and looks at the anxieties and challenges faced by young people trying to establish their identity in a modern city. When shy civil servant Shane... Continue Reading →
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