mark-coffey

Rocky Road was the last film shown at the 1968 Cannes festival which was shutdown in soladarity with the student revolts in Paris. The students adopted Rocky Road and screened it in the vast amphitheatres of the Sorbonne, which was still besieged by riot police.

Lennon's theme was what do you do with a revolution once you've won. Lennon found that you give it straight back to the Bourgeoisie. At the centre of the film is the iron grip the Catholic Church held on Ireland after British occupation.

We see the young and hip Fr. Michael Cleary singing Chatanooga Shoeshine Boy to a maternity ward. We then see him extolling the virtues of celibacy and sex within marriage, this long before it was known that he had fathered 2 children by his housekeeper.

The film couldn't be banned in Ireland (the censors comment to the director was: "Since there is no sex in the film, Peter, there is nothing I can do against you.") It was only picked up by one Dublin cinema for a short run. The church's iron grip on the country was thus shown when no other cinema dared show the film.

Luckily things have changed enough that the Irish Film Institute has seen fit to restore the film and nearly 40 years after it was made it is again being shown in it's own country.

One of the most amusing thing about watching this in the cinema was the number of people who got up and left the cinema during the movie. I guess they saw a couple of big names and went on spec - bad mistake.

Having said that, there were ups and downs. Highlights for me were the first scene with Steven and Roberto was just surreal - dunno if it was the bizarre 'plot' or the fact that Roberto had so much coffee he couldn't sit still... I loved Steve Buscemi's Elvis theory... Steve Coogan and Alfred Molina's cousin's segment was one of the few laugh out loud bits of the movie. Bill Murray's scene was hilarious too. And for some reason the final scene gave me a warm fuzzy feeling - dunno why...

The photography was wonderful - black for coffee and white for cigarettes. The silence in some parts (that some people found tedious) allowed you to take in the whole scene and if you looked in the background there were a lot of little details that pulled the different scenes together. For example all the tables had chessboard patterns - except the one with Steve Coogan - which is the only scene where nobody drinks coffee. I guess I need to see it a few times to catch them all.

I know a lot of people were disappointed, but I guess that's down to expectations. I brought my girlfriend and warned her that it may not be her cup of tea (we're going to see Bridget Jones next week) but she loved it as much as I did. I guess if you're looking for a laugh a minute film that doesn't involve any thinking then it isn't for you. If you are looking for something a bit quirky even if not perfect, then it's worth a look.

What can I say about this movie? Where do I start? Jeff Bridges plays The Dude - a seriously stoned bowler who is dragged into a web of deception when mistaken for the Big Lebowski. All the dude wants is his rug back, but he goes through a lot to get it.

The main characters in this movie are all larger than life and quite insane. John Goodman, John Turturro and Julianne Moore all produce excellent performances, due in part to the excellent script. It has to be one of the most quoteable films ever.

This is one film that needs to be watched a few times as the whole atmosphere is a bit incoherent, and it seems to make a little more sense with each viewing.

Its worth seeing just to check out John Turturro in a purple catsuit.

I was subjected to this movie a couple of nights ago and I have to say - it is the worst film I've seen in a long time. The whole story is sickly sweet. Clare Danes looks (and acts) like she is about 12. The writing is terrible - it has some of the cheesiest lines ever. It is worth watching for the tacky zoom shot in the very last scene. Don't waste your time.

This film reminded me of that other Depp drug-soaked film - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A bit more realistic this time, it focuses on trauma in George Jungs personal life rather than labouring the point that drugs screw you up - although this is not omitted.

Ray Liotta is very good as Jung's father. His make-up is fantastic - he looks like Ray, but aged about 60.

The cinematography is extremely good also. Most of the scenes are expertly shot. There is some humour which is needed in such a sad and tragic story.

Finally, I have to say that I can't remember the last Hollywood film that didn't have a sickly-sweet, happy ever after type ending. Its good to see a "based on a true story" film that seems believeable.