When I saw the ad for this series, I was hopeful that it would do a good job with an incredibly interesting piece of Irish history. Being Irish/American, I have visited Ireland 10 times and I am a keen student of Irish history. I have been to all of the locations where the 1916 rebellion occurred and stood in the jail cells and at the location of the executions. I also attended a lecture tour by a Trinity College professor through the streets of Dublin including Glasnevin Cemetery where I met the grandson of one of Michael Collins assassination squad members. So I find it remarkable how people can make a picture like this and choose to rewrite the history in ways that do little to enhance the story, when the actual story is more interesting. An example is the story of Elizabeth O' Farrell . Her real story is much more interesting than the distorted soap opera they made of this remarkable woman. There are some saving graces in the series such as the very fine acting by Brian Gleeson, Charlie Murphy, and Barry Ward to name a few. There was also some effective use of the actual locations in Dublin. The combat scenes were well done and at times very powerful. However, too much of the narrative was spent on meaningless story lines like the wastrel brother of Elizabeth or the pregnancy of May, while diluting the most important elements of the actual story. People like Eamon DeValera and are poorly fleshed out and many of the other principal leaders are left out for the sake of tedious love stories and other inane side stories. They had five episodes to portray one of the most important events in modern Irish history and all they made was this glossy soap opera. The film Michael Collins which also contained historical inaccuracies was a much better effort, helped I suspect by having an Irish director. Better luck next times guys with this story.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Eraserhead
(1977)
Who needs water boarding?
4 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I am amazed that David Lynch was able to get his career started with this abomination. The only other filmgoing experience I can compare this too was watching Felini's Satyricon or Lynch's truly awful version of "Dune" ( Uh, dude, Lyle MacLanahan can't act!). However, I must give credit where credit is due, Lynch made time come to a standstill with this loathsome creation. The only other director that could give him competition in this regard was Edward D. Wood Jr. Ed at least has a charming eccentricity with his loopy, insane dialog and unlike Lynch he is at least trying to tell a story. Yes, I admit it, I enjoy a good story, it doesn't have to be predictable or linear e.g. Memento, but at least tell a story. Lynch is good at making you look at disturbing images. Slowly panning camera work through the industrial nightmare world that he creates here and in "Elephant Man", This director is known for his artistic vision with my favorite being his filming of the evolution of the decay of vomit in "Wild at Heart" and of course who could forget the barf inducing cutting the turkey with icky blood coming out.That doesn't change the fact that manure is manure, much like the Jules Feiffer character in" Little Murders "where the character makes a living taking pictures of manure. As he says, " I've been shooting manure for years and have made a good living doing it." Just like Lynch.
I have never watched such a short film, about 90 minutes, that seemed to drag on for so damned long. My son who is a budding screen writer was watching this at home one day. I asked him what he was watching, and he said "The Erasherhead" it's only 90 minutes long but it seems like years."
I have a fantasy that George W. Bush goes to Hell for all the bad things he has done to humanity. There the devil makes him watch "The Eraserhead" for eternity.
To be fair, I liked 'The Straight Story" it had a story and good performances.
I have never watched such a short film, about 90 minutes, that seemed to drag on for so damned long. My son who is a budding screen writer was watching this at home one day. I asked him what he was watching, and he said "The Erasherhead" it's only 90 minutes long but it seems like years."
I have a fantasy that George W. Bush goes to Hell for all the bad things he has done to humanity. There the devil makes him watch "The Eraserhead" for eternity.
To be fair, I liked 'The Straight Story" it had a story and good performances.
Who cares who John Gault is?
19 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This review does contain spoilers.
First I want to thank the makers of this third and final installment of Atlas Shrugged for the many hours of entertainment it has provided my friends and I. We have added it to the pantheon of other movies-so-bad-that-they-are-good. One can only surmise that the ghost of Edward D. Wood Jr was channeled for this laugh fest. Look, I admit that I am a progressive, but I am a progressive who has taken the time to read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, listened to her interviews and read her Objectivist newsletter. I have a good understanding of her point of view and take it as seriously as many of her adherents. However as far as film making is concerned I can only conclude that Ayn Rand is spinning in her grave like a turkey in a rotisserie, to coin a Randian style metaphor. This film and Atlas Shrugged parts 1 and 2 are a truly awful presentation of her views.
Can we be honest here, the only people who would be happy with this would be her hard core followers. If the intent is to convert people to her world view then this wont even come close. It provides the Cliff's Notes version of a Cliff's Notes version of her book. Yes, I agree that trying to condense a 60 page speech by John Gault in small typeface is daunting in itself . But to reduce it to a 600 word speech while taking almost all the key elements of her argument absent is a disservice to Ms. Rand and I don't even agree with her! There is not a word about her views about atheism in this speech. In addition, I can't believe anyone would be inspired to do anything after listening to this anemic and pathetic distillation of her speech. Plus, what's with the Christ-like crucification scene where he is is tortured by OMG, Project F. Project F was apparently inspired by Ed Wood"s Bride of the Gorilla where Bela Lugosi tortured a man on a table with a colander attached to electrical leads. So needless to say, I was disappointed when Project F after much discussion by its inventor" I never intended for it to be used this way" turns out to be a box with four knobs and flashing lights with two leads attached to his neck by a cheap dog collar. It was in fact only about one step up from Ed Wood's device.
Throughout this series the happy denizens of Gault's Gulch live in a bucolic valley where apparently little elves and faeries perform the daily drudge work of growing vegetables for Gault and his fellow geniuses meager farmers market in addition to cutting lawns, cleaning toilets and and all the little things that are necessary for the brilliant geniuses who live in this Randian paradise.From the looks of things they must pay union scale or are you suggesting that John Gault cleans his own toilets or smelts his own steel?
To my Randian friends I suggest you watch John Ford's liberal union manifesto The Grapes of Wrath or Rob Reiner's The American President to see how to deliver a message, even if it 's message is is only for the converted. Both movies have a first rate cast, high production values, excellent writing and pacing and wonderful photography. While conservatives will hate the message, but they may be intellectually honest enough to admit it is good storytelling. But they had more money you say, yes they did, so watch John Sayles Matewan which had a largely unknown cast but was compelling and powerful story telling done on a shoestring budget.
My brother-in-law and I watched this movie in Ventura, CA on its opening night.The audience had 25 people, including us. Nobody was under 50. You guys need to tell your message more competently to attract the younger folks to you cause. The total sales for all three movies so far is about 5.5 to 6 million. The free market has spoken and said this movie and Atlas Shrugged Parts 1 and 2 stink.
First I want to thank the makers of this third and final installment of Atlas Shrugged for the many hours of entertainment it has provided my friends and I. We have added it to the pantheon of other movies-so-bad-that-they-are-good. One can only surmise that the ghost of Edward D. Wood Jr was channeled for this laugh fest. Look, I admit that I am a progressive, but I am a progressive who has taken the time to read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, listened to her interviews and read her Objectivist newsletter. I have a good understanding of her point of view and take it as seriously as many of her adherents. However as far as film making is concerned I can only conclude that Ayn Rand is spinning in her grave like a turkey in a rotisserie, to coin a Randian style metaphor. This film and Atlas Shrugged parts 1 and 2 are a truly awful presentation of her views.
Can we be honest here, the only people who would be happy with this would be her hard core followers. If the intent is to convert people to her world view then this wont even come close. It provides the Cliff's Notes version of a Cliff's Notes version of her book. Yes, I agree that trying to condense a 60 page speech by John Gault in small typeface is daunting in itself . But to reduce it to a 600 word speech while taking almost all the key elements of her argument absent is a disservice to Ms. Rand and I don't even agree with her! There is not a word about her views about atheism in this speech. In addition, I can't believe anyone would be inspired to do anything after listening to this anemic and pathetic distillation of her speech. Plus, what's with the Christ-like crucification scene where he is is tortured by OMG, Project F. Project F was apparently inspired by Ed Wood"s Bride of the Gorilla where Bela Lugosi tortured a man on a table with a colander attached to electrical leads. So needless to say, I was disappointed when Project F after much discussion by its inventor" I never intended for it to be used this way" turns out to be a box with four knobs and flashing lights with two leads attached to his neck by a cheap dog collar. It was in fact only about one step up from Ed Wood's device.
Throughout this series the happy denizens of Gault's Gulch live in a bucolic valley where apparently little elves and faeries perform the daily drudge work of growing vegetables for Gault and his fellow geniuses meager farmers market in addition to cutting lawns, cleaning toilets and and all the little things that are necessary for the brilliant geniuses who live in this Randian paradise.From the looks of things they must pay union scale or are you suggesting that John Gault cleans his own toilets or smelts his own steel?
To my Randian friends I suggest you watch John Ford's liberal union manifesto The Grapes of Wrath or Rob Reiner's The American President to see how to deliver a message, even if it 's message is is only for the converted. Both movies have a first rate cast, high production values, excellent writing and pacing and wonderful photography. While conservatives will hate the message, but they may be intellectually honest enough to admit it is good storytelling. But they had more money you say, yes they did, so watch John Sayles Matewan which had a largely unknown cast but was compelling and powerful story telling done on a shoestring budget.
My brother-in-law and I watched this movie in Ventura, CA on its opening night.The audience had 25 people, including us. Nobody was under 50. You guys need to tell your message more competently to attract the younger folks to you cause. The total sales for all three movies so far is about 5.5 to 6 million. The free market has spoken and said this movie and Atlas Shrugged Parts 1 and 2 stink.
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