REVIEW: Calvary (2014)

I have always been a huge fan of dark comedy. In fact, two of my all-time favorite movies, Fargo (1996) and American Beauty (1999), fit into this genre. In keeping with this month’s “Irish” theme, the Cardinal Film Society’s first member's screening was writer/director John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary, and the film definitely did not disappoint the darker portion of my movie tastes.

The Cardinal Film Society (CFS) screening was actually the second time I had seen the film, and watching it this time was a lot more enjoyable than the first. I was able to pay better attention to the dialogue and interaction between characters because I knew what was going to happen throughout the movie.

Released in 2014, Calvary stars Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges, Braveheart) as Father James, a Catholic priest in a small Irish town. The film opens on a close-up of Father James in a confessional, where an unseen man tells him that another priest, who has since died, sexually abused him for years as a child. Because this man cannot seek revenge against his abuser, he announces to Father James that killing a “good priest” will have to do, and that he is planning to murder the Father the following Sunday, giving him time to get his affairs in order. The identity of the parishioner is well known to James, but remains a mystery to the viewer until the end of the film.

The Action of Liam Neeson

For Irish month on the CFS Blog, I thought I’d highlight one of my favorite, current action stars. His name is Liam Neeson and he has a very particular set of skills. The star of the popular Taken trilogy was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland in 1952. He rose to critical success with his portrayal of Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List (1993) and earned an Oscar nomination for his performance. In a world today of robot battles and old actors trying to relive their blockbuster days, it’s hard to find an action hero that people can really root for. Liam Neeson has been that actor for me. The thing that keeps me running to the theaters to see the next Neeson action movie is how he always plays a great character with his back against the wall. More often than not he is fighting for a loved one, so he gains our sympathy and impresses us with his amazing fighting skills. 

Taken (2008) did everything right. His daughter was kidnapped and his character, Brian Mills, would do anything to get her back. Neeson was able to balance being a concerned father and an ex-CIA agent. It definitely helped that the story line was fresh and fairly realistic.

Family & Religion in The Boondock Saints (1999)

 

It is obvious in various Irish movies that family and religion play a major role; some portion of those films inevitably revolve around one or both of those aspects. After recently watching Calvary (2014), an Irish film directed by John Michael McDonagh, I have found it executes both aspects, family and religion, like the motion pictures Waking Ned Devine (1998), Leap Year (2010), and The Boondock Saints (1999). 

The Boondock Saints, directed by Troy Duffy, is about the MacManus brothers, Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus, from The Walking Dead fame), who become vigilantes in Boston to rid the city of drug dealers and their crimes. The two brothers emphasis on pursuing justice through the murders they are committing is directly tied to their Irish Catholic religion. The religious element is evident in the way the brothers recite the “Family Prayer” which is, “And Shepherds we shall be For thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended forth from Thy hand Our feet may swiftly carry out They commands. So we shall flow a river forth to Thee And teeming with souls shall it ever be. In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti.” The latter can be translated to “In the name of the father, of the son, and the Holy Spirit.” Every time this prayer is quoted in the movie, the MacManus brothers then murder one of their horrendous victims.

Graeme's Top 10 Favorite Movies

Unlike Austin, I cannot say I’m a very big list guy. So when I was asked to come up with a list of my top ten films, I knew right off the bat this was going to be extremely difficult. I’ve probably seen hundreds of movies at this point, from every year and genre imaginable. Still, I have a strong preference for more fantasy-oriented material, as you’ll see in the list below.

This list isn’t an approximation of what I consider the most artistically challenging or technically groundbreaking movies of all time, but instead my own personal favorites. I got into movies when I was very young – I first watched Jurassic Park when I was four years old, and that’s what really opened my imagination to what movies were capable of: escapism. Removing you from the troubles of reality and transporting you to these fantastic, engaging worlds.

The list below is organized by year of release, since it’d be impossible for me to rank them by which ones I liked the most (although Jurassic Park will always be my number one). But hey, this list could be different in a week or so. There’s always new movies coming out, and always an older classic to discover for the first time. So, without further ado:

Graeme's Top 10 Favorite Movies

King Kong (1933)
A classic monster movie that still holds up, even by today’s standards. The stop-motion animation in this film is the basis for a lot of today’s CGI.

The Goonies (1985)
The kind of spirited adventure you’d daydream of having as a kid. It’s a complete nostalgia trip for me.

Jurassic Park (1993)
The movie that got me into movies. 22 years later and the dinosaurs are still completely convincing. Plus, that soundtrack.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Probably the single most inspirational movie I’ve ever seen. And it helped launch 100 Morgan Freeman voiceovers.

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
Because this list needed a shot of pure testosterone. John McClane is the quintessential badass, and Die Hard is for my money the greatest American action series ever. The original is technically the best installment but I prefer how this movie unleashes John McClane on greater New York instead of confining him to a single building. Jeremy Irons and Samuel L. Jackson are great in supporting roles.

The Lord of the Rings (2001 – 2003)
This is kind of cheating, but I consider LOTR a single story. Middle-Earth is still the most believable, beautiful fantasy world I’ve ever seen portrayed on film, and I’m a sucker for the archetypal good vs. evil stories. I’d rather visit Gondor than Westeros.

The Departed (2006)
Such an awesome cast. My favorite of Scorsese’s crime pics, and this is the film that introduced me to his work to begin with.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)
There’s no working American director like Tarantino, and this is my favorite Tarantino movie. It’s a clever sendup of history and unleashed Christoph Waltz on the world.

The Social Network (2010)
Fincher’s one of my favorite working directors, and I’d argue this is his best film, or at least his most topical: it captures everything wrong about today’s over-reliance on social media.

The Lego Movie (2014)
The funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time, and I loved its message about creativity. The fact it wasn’t nominated for Best Animated Feature is one of the Academy’s worst snubs. Also, hands down the best cinematic interpretation of Batman.

 

5 Films the Academy Ignored: 2014’s Hidden Gems (Part 5)

Finally, saving the best for last, David Mackenzie’s Starred Up. This film introduces us to Eric Love (Jack O’Connell), a feisty, uncontrollable juvenile who is transferred to an adult prison. Eric’s father, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), is a hardened and fairly respected inmate, introducing Eric to his connections and way of life. But Eric decides to take the Michael “Charles Bronson” Peterson route, and bullies his way toward the top. Starred Up explores the penal system and asks whether prison is solely meant to punish or to rehabilitate. Furthermore, it spends most of its time developing the relationships a convict may have in prison, and how difficult it can be to trust, even when it’s your own family. 

5 Films the Academy Ignored: 2014’s Hidden Gems (Part 4)

The fourth film is Alex Ross Perry’s Listen Up Philip. Philip (Jason Schwartzman) is an egocentric novelist, thriving on his own debatable greatness, but rarely focusing on the consequences of his narcissistic actions. As his second novel is working its way through the publishing process, Philip grows more and more frustrated with his life in the big city, and his relationship with his girlfriend, Ashley (Elizabeth Moss), an aspiring photographer. Philip’s literary hero, Ike Zimmerman (played wonderfully by the great Jonathan Pryce), offers Philip refuge at his woodland summer home. What transpires is an unflinching examination of the yearning of an artist, and more importantly, the destructive path one’s ego can create when not kept under control.

The film falls into a style associated with the mumblecore movement; a visual method inspired by John Cassavetes, with a Woody Allen/ Noah Baumbach-esque dialogue, delivered by a cast born for their roles. It’s wonderful to see Philip completely unaware of how boorish and inconsiderate he can be, and through other characters we see deeper into his personality. His relationship with Ashley – a character who gets to say the things we want to say to him – exposes his immaturity and self-centered nature. 

Meanwwhile, his time with Ike – who is more of a narcissist than Philip – grants us a window into the future. Philip has two options, learn from his mistakes and be a better person, or continue down his current path and become an unhappy, bitter author, like Ike. Definitely see this movie to find out which option he chooses. Listen Up Philip is available on Amazon Instant Video and iTunes.

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5 Films the Academy Ignored: 2014’s Hidden Gems (Part 3)

With this third film we embark into arguable greatness. It’s a lovely little British romantic comedy – not to be mistaken with traditional “romcoms”, which seem to be a genre of their own these days, and often carry negative connotations … but I digress.

It’s Roger Michell’s Le Week-End. In the vein of ’80s Woody Allen and Linklater’s “Before” trilogy, we follow Nick (Jim Broadbent) and Meg Burrows (Lindsay Duncan) as they return to Paris for their 30th anniversary in order to relive their honeymoon and rekindle the fiery passion that was once there. Within the first few minutes, we see that the fire dwindled long ago.

Jeff's Top Ten Favorite Films

I honestly can’t remember a time of my life without movies. There were movies I watched so many times as a kid that I can’t remember when I first saw them and the VHS tapes eventually wore out. Some of these included the original Star Wars trilogy (1977, 1980, 1983) and Steven Spielberg films like E.T. (1982), Hook (1991), and Jurassic Park (1993). To me as a kid movies were these sort of other-worldly awesome things that I never saw as anything more than entertainment. All I knew was that I enjoyed them and couldn’t wait for the next Batman movie, the next Star Wars prequel movie, or when they were finally going to turn Harry Potter into a movie. So at that time I had no interest in movies that weren’t handed to me by current mainstream pop culture.

But then when I was fourteen years old I watched Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining (1980). It wasn’t a movie that terrified me (at first) but I remember that after it was over I was just sort of staring blankly at the screen as the credits rolled. I remember thinking “So was he a ghost? Did the hotel consume him? What was with that bear costume?!?!?” I remember having questions that just weren’t answered and never were when I watched the movie again. And again. And twenty more times. I had never experienced that in watching a movie; something that challenged me and didn’t give me a resolution that I wanted but one that was still satisfactory. So began my journey as a cinephile. I thank Stanley Kubrick for showing me the way, haha.

Like Charlie, it took me a while to pinpoint a list of ten favorites. I would say 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Citizen Kane (1942), and City Lights (1931) have been my absolute favorites for a long time. Recently I’ve been fixated on Brazil (1985) and Groundhog Day (1993) so I knew they should be on the list. Take note that this list is in alphabetical order because I feel it would be unfair for me to place one above any other on the list since I love them all for so many reasons.  

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Brazil (1985)
Citizen Kane (1942)
City lights (1931)
Dr Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Fight Club (1999)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Vertigo (1958)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Honorable mention would include The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Big Lebowski (1998), and…ok fine I’ll say it, Die Hard (1988). 

5 Films the Academy Ignored: 2014’s Hidden Gems (Part 2)

The second title is a relatively small, American independent picture called Blue Ruin. Director Jeremy Saulnier has created an incredibly effective, low-key revenge thriller about Dwight Evans, a disheveled, quiet vagrant struggling through life after his parents’ murder. After being informed by the police that the alleged murderer is being released from prison, Dwight sets forth to avenge his lost loved ones. When things turn grim, he must protect his estranged sister from the rival family’s retaliation.

Like Big Bad Wolves, Blue Ruin is simply a hell of a ride. This film’s beauty surfaces in its silence, showing more than it tells. Saulnier expertly builds scenes of tension, emotion and humor, many of which without a word ever spoken. However, when words are delivered, they work. The writing is neither great nor poor, and the performances are not much more than adequate. But the film is built to play its strengths, and Saulnier nails it. In all fairness, the film ends up in far-fetched territory, but if you can suspend your disbelief and take the journey, it’s easy to stomach. Blue Ruin is also available on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and iTunes.

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5 Films the Academy Ignored: 2014’s Hidden Gems (Part 1)

As we approach the 87th annual Academy Awards, and as we distance ourselves from 2014 and acclimate to the new year, I thought it would be beneficial to mention five films from 2014 that had no chance of being Interstellars, American Snipers or Birdmen. Not because they are lesser films, but because they sink below the global cinematic surface and are overshadowed by the towering titans.

It is no secret that the Oscars often have a bias toward formulaic, traditional narratives and scene-stealing performances (hence the phrase “Oscar-bait”), but the Academy also tends to overlook films that don’t have large advertising budgets and/or word-of-mouth hype. Rarely do we get the opportunity to champion a nominee that is truly an independent underdog. Some years have their exceptions; a few years back, Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) surprised me as a nominee for Best Picture of 2012. So it happens, but those years seem to be more and more infrequent.

In an attempt to stifle my desire to criticize the Oscars for their blind spots and politics, I will move on to the five films I’ve chosen to share with you. 

REVIEW: What We Do in the Shadows

Good comedies are hard to come by these days. I mean good comedies that do more than beg for laughs by providing a good cinematic foundation for those laughs. For me, the contemporary Hollywood “funny movies” rarely ever work, and we’re bombarded with their kind constantly throughout a given year. However, there is a subgenre perfectly tailored to aim for laughs and still hold on to its artistic merit: the mockumentary.

This is Spinal Tap (1984), Waiting For Guffman (1996), and Man Bites Dog (1992) are some good additions that come to mind within this subgenre, and What We Do in the Shadows is up there with the best of them.

Many documentaries tend to follow a person or group of people in order to expose how they get through life, or how they will overcome an obstacle. By documenting this footage, we simply watch someone progress through life, and if that person is interesting, it makes the movie memorable. What We Do in the Shadows takes this documentary structure and adds an absurd fictional concept: What if a documentary crew followed five vampires around in contemporary society? As a result, a new classic is born.

Charlie’s Top Ten Favorite Films of All Time

My story is probably pretty common. I started watching movies at home with my Dad, watching whatever he wanted. The first film I recall watching with him was The Blues Brothers (1980), matter of fact, that’s the first movie I remember ever watching. That movie has stuck with me my entire life. I still watch it every so often and love showing it people who haven’t seen it. I think we all have that film. You know the one. That one movie that doesn't have the best writing, perhaps the cinematography could have been better, or the acting is a little bit cheesy. But it’s still a movie that gets you excited every time you get to watch it.

The Blues Brothers is that film for me.

With that being said, choosing a list of favorite movies is really hard. For me, that list is in constant flux. There are movies that I love for my own personal reasons (The Blues Brothers), and then there are movies that are well produced that I have a high level of respect for and really enjoy watching. So really, I suppose there are two lists that are constantly evolving and changing in my head. Yet there comes a time where one must buckle down and make some decisions, and that’s what's about to happen. I’ve struggled with the order and what movies should be on a list of this sort, but I shall toil no longer! I present you with…..

Charlie’s Top Ten Favorite Films of All Time 

(at this exact moment in time anyway)

#10 DIE HARD: WITH A VENGEANCE (1995)
#9 PULP FICTION (1994)
#8 DIE HARD (1988)
#7 CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012)
#6 THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1970)
#5 STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE (1977)
#4 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
#3 BIRDMAN (2014)
#2 THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980)
#1 FIGHT CLUB (1999)

This list was really difficult to produce. Not all of these movies had a profound effect on the way I view cinema, but they are, indeed, movies that I cannot turn off and that I love. Please take special note of two movies from the Die Hard franchise making it onto this list. As you may find out in a later article about franchises - Die Hard is, unquestionably, my favorite movie franchise. What you see is not a mistake! And I promise I'll explain myself.. eventually. 

If you were to ask me tomorrow about this list, I can almost guarantee that the order may change or even the movies maybe different. But as of writing, this is it. My favorites. Have you seen any of them? Do you agree? Disagree? Question my sanity? Leave it in the comments!

Austin's Top 20 Favorite Films of All Time! (Part 1)

Hello, my name is Austin Glidden, and I am president of the Cardinal Film Society. I have been a cinephile since fall of 2003 when I saw Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amelie (2001). It changed my life. Since then, I have dedicated my time to studying movies from all generations. I love film and the power it has to make real change, and I'm happy to provide this Top 20 list to give you, the readers, more insight into my interests.

To preface my list I'd like to make it known that these Top 20 are not necessarily what I consider the most well-made films, but rather, my personal favorite films of all time; my desert island movies, so to speak. I had very little criteria going into this list. I simply chose the films that I'd watch over all others. If I could only have twenty, I believe these would be it.

#20 THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (1968) 

#19 LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008) 

#18 THE THIN RED LINE (1998) 

#17 CITY LIGHTS (1931) 

#16 REAR WINDOW (1954) 

#15 THE GODFATHER (1972) 

#14 TAXI DRIVER (1976) 

#13 BLADE RUNNER (1982) 

#12 ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) 

#11 A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1972)

Those are my 11-20, and are films that have contributed to my understanding of film, and influenced the lens in which I watch them. I wish I could have 50 titles so to bring in more variety, but if I'm true to my history, it all starts with these ten and the next.

The remaining Top 10 will be posted after our first podcast episode. They are deeply personal to me, and each one is attached to a story that is important to my personal journey through cinema. I have tried to recount some of those memories in order to better explain my reasoning behind my choices. I will add them here soon. Be sure to listen to our first show to find out!