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Friendship Goes Awry in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (Review)

9Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Friendship Goes Awry in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (Review)

Martin McDonagh's 'The Banshees of Inisherin' takes place on a fictional island off the coast of Ireland in 1923, with the Irish Civil War exploding off in the distance. The residents of Inisherin lead simple lives. There isn't much to do aside from tend to the land and go to church or the pub. Things turn sour when Colm (Brendan Gleeson) decides that he no longer wishes to associate with longtime friend, Pádraic (Colin Farrell). Simply put, Colm wants to focus his time on composing music and enjoying a little peace and quiet. Being dismissed so quickly and resolutely does not sit well with Pádraic, who can not seem to leave well enough alone. He continues to pester Colm and fight the decision to terminate their friendship Pádraic until Colm gives him a disturbing ultimatum. ...

Jessica Chastain Dazzles in Otherwise Average “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Review)

For nearly two decades, Tammy Faye Bakker and her husband Jim were televangelists, preaching to the faithful on TV screens all around the world. Director Michael Showalter ("The Big Sick") and screenwriter Abe Sylvia have taken the documentary of the same name that was released in 2000 (streaming now on WOW Presents Plus) and used it as a springboard for this biopic on the controversial couple. The end result is overlong and a little tedious if you've seen the documentary before, but it's worth watching simply because of how marvelous that Jessica Chastain is portraying Tammy Faye. She is simply unrecognizable under all that makeup and the outrageously fake eyelashes, often clinging to a can of Diet Coke and becoming one with the character. Chandler Head portrays Tammy Faye as...

Questlove Takes Us Back to the “Summer Of Soul” (Review)

Winner of the U.S. Documentary Competition's Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, "Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" is the filmmaking debut from Roots drummer extraordinaire Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and one of the year's most exhilarating films. https://youtu.be/k99XO-UE5AQ In the summer of 1969, over 400,000 attended the Woodstock festival in New York State. That event is well documented in every respect, with a legendary film, album releases, and books to dissect every aspect of the cultural revolution. But that same summer, a series of music concerts were held in Mount Morris Park in Harlem, New York, that became known as "Black Woodstock." The Harlem Cultural Festival occurred every Sunday from late J...