Selection box off ice
There are some fine movies on offer in Irish cinemas over Christmas. Paul Whitington picks the best
MUSICAL The Greatest Showman This impossibly cheesy musical stars Hugh Jackman as PT Barnum, the legendary 19th century American impresario who made his name with a kind of upmarket freak show, and his fortune with a travelling circus. Born a pauper, Barnum dreams large and hits the big time when he opens an alternative theatre featuring giants, dwarves, bearded ladies and other performers considered physically beyond the pale. It’s fairly superficial for the most part, but the musical numbers are a lot of fun and Jackman and his co-star Zac Efron give it socks. Opens Stephen’s Day.
DRAMA Molly’s Game Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin( The West Wing, Social Network etc), Molly’s Game issetin the weird world of high stakes poker and based on the true story of Molly Bloom, who became the operator of one of America’s biggest private games before being targeted by the FBI in a sting. Idris Elba plays her lawyer and Jessica Chastain is superb as Molly, an embattled woman who refuses to compromise her principles. It’s brilliantly written of course, and funnier than it sounds. Out January 1.
ADVENTURE Star Wars: The Last Jedi Flooding the multiplexes for the foreseeable future, Rian Johnson’s
Last Jedi takes up the Star Wars baton from JJ Abrams and runs with it. While Rey (Daisy Ridley) is stranded on a wild but beautiful planet that looks a lot like Skellig Michael trying to persuade Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) to return to the fight, General Hux and co have cornered Princess Leia and the Rebel fleet and is intent on wiping them out. It’s absorbing, funny, visually spectacular, and Carrie Fisher is very good in what would sadly be her final performance.
FAMILY Paddington 2 The diminutive bear returns in an absolutely irresistible sequel, falling foul of a ham actor called Phoenix Buchanan, played with relish by Hugh Grant. Paddington is saving to buy a valuable antique pop-up book of London for his aunt’s birthday, but when the book is stolen by Phoenix, the bear gets framed and sent to prison. After accidentally dying all the prisoners’ uniforms pink in the prison laundry, Paddington makes some salty friends who help him escape and clear his name. A lot of fun.
COMEDY The Disaster Artist James Franco does some of his finest work directing and starring in this hilarious drama based on the making of an infamous film. The Room has been called the Citizen Kane of bad movies, and its unintentional comedy has turned it into a cult favourite in the US. But its maker, Tommy Wiseau, thought he was creating a masterpiece, and Franco catches his bizarre accent and eccentric performing style brilliantly in this affectionate tribute.
ART HOUSE Call Me By Your Name One of the best films of 2017, Luca Guadagnino’s sensual masterpiece is set in Italy in the summer of 1983 and stars a resurgent Armie Hammer as Oliver, a handsome American archaeologist who causes much upheaval when he arrives at the sleepy summer home of the Perlman family. It’s a splendid, sumptuous film, and will remind you what summer feels like.
CLASSIC It’s a Wonderful Life I know it will inevitably be shown on TV over Christmas, but if you’ve never seen Frank Capra’s classic on the big screen, now’s your chance. It’s a delightful comic melodrama, and a lot darker in places than you might remember. James Stewart is George Bailey — an honest small-town man who’s been driven to the brink of suicide by financial pressures until a kindly angel called Clarence turns up to show him what a difference his life has made to the people around him. Showing today and tomorrow at the Light House and the IFI.
DOCUMENTARY Mountain Jen Peedom’s splendid and terrifying documentary explores
the human fascination with mucking about on mountains that began with the Victorians and gathered pace through the 20th century, especially following the advent of mass skiing. In Mountain, which is narrated by Willem Dafoe, we watch wingnuts of every race and creed fling themselves off the sides of high peaks wearing flying suits, skis or even riding mountain bikes. Why do they do it? Maybe because we humans feel most alive in the proximity of death. Currently showing at the IFI.