Donald Clarke

6 days ago | irishtimes.com | Donald Clarke

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1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Donald Clarke

Sinners      Director: Ryan CooglerCert: 16Starring: Michael B Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li, Delroy LindoRunning Time: 2 hrs 17 minsTime to again dust off the “swinging for the fences” cliche. Following the huge success of Black Panther and Creed, Ryan Coogler has gratefully accepted close to $100 million from Warner Bros and put every cent on the screen.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Donald Clarke

Warfare      Director: Alex Garland and Ray MendozaCert: 15AStarring: Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Michael Gandolfini, Evan Holtzman, Charles MeltonRunning Time: 1 hr 35 minsAlex Garland and Ray Mendoza will surely have anticipated a volley of objections to their ruthless, distressing yet gripping treatment of a disastrous US engagement in the Iraq War. The role of the Navy Seals is not placed “in perspective”.

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Donald Clarke

Distressing news from Celebrity Land. One of the more entertaining feuds of recent years has come to a peaceful conclusion. Madonna and Elton John have – without, so far as we can tell, any assistance from the United Nations – agreed to a joint decommissioning of arms. Descending the steps after a return flight from Munich, Ms Ciccone waved a scrap of paper. “We finally buried the hatchet,” she told the crowd. (I made up the Munich stuff, but the quote is genuine.)Why is this sad?

1 week ago | irishtimes.com | Donald Clarke

Last year’s prizes at Cannes ended up as field guide to the 2025 Academy Awards. Five statuettes in two categories for Emilia Pérez. A screenplay gong for The Substance. Palme d’Or to the eventual Oscars top dog, Anora. Best actor went to Jesse Plemons, who wasn’t mentioned much in awards season, but he is unquestionably an American. What’s happened to the old-school art house that used to dominate the French film festival? Look no further than the winner of best director.