The Blessing of the Irish Star

Opinion

Irish cinema deserves a chance. But often we see extremely positive reviews promising the moon. What happens next is: viewers come out of the movie either slightly or greatly disappointed. Let’s just settle this upfront: a four to five star movie is technically acceptable, has decent acting and a well-plotted story. This is the bare minimum. If any of those elements fails, the others have to be outstanding for a film to remain in the ‘very good’ category.

Just a few weeks ago, Niall Heery´s Gold received four stars in The Irish Times. Heery’s second production (after Small Engine Repair, 2006) is fine; but the script is not accomplished enough to be worthy of a very good review. The funny fact is that even that positive review points out “there’s not a great deal of plot to the piece”. The reviewer had a job to do, and this wasn't to be too kind.

Going back a few years, let’s take The Runway, (Ian Power, 2011). Film Ireland paired it with The Guard (John Michael McDonagh, 2011): “between this and The Guard, it looks like 2011 will be a great year for Irish cinema”. The Runway didn’t accomplish any of The Guard’s success in the box office. Even in this review, there are remarks about certain flaws in the script. The Runway was a breath of fresh air but again a solid three stars movie, nothing more. It's understandable a small industry invites self-censoring on the part of critics, but this shouldn't translate into back patting.

It’s been seven years since John Carney’s Once hit Irish cinemas. Carney’s first feature film was considered “an unexpected treasure” by RTÉ within weeks of its release. The Irish Times also gave it a four star rating calling it "irresistibly appealing". Is Once an enjoyable and original approach to the musical genre? Yes, definitely. But Carney’s musical featured two lead actors outside their comfort zone while not playing music, which is not completely ignored in RTÉ’s review: “Once has wonderfully natural performances from the two leads. Although musicians first and actors second”. Once presents some continuity and technical goofs, one of the obvious ones is the drummer looking into the camera in the studio scene. Carney’s film gained the 'very good' classification with an okay story, acceptable acting and being technically sufficient, which shouldn’t have elevated it to the altars of the four and five stars.

We have mentioned three enjoyable movies, and certainly small victories within an industry that doesn’t produce twenty feature films every year as per the information available Irish Film Board website. Picking out names of media giving away an extra star, ‘the Irish star’ may not be seen as constructive criticism. But, it needs to be said, a non-reliable review makes the audience jaded about local cinema and it doesn’t allow for honest feedback to reach the creators.

Partly because of extremely positive reviews, the audience doesn’t consider Irish productions a safe choice; let’s not forget going to the movies may be a once a month occasion for an average family. Over appreciation discredits the critic, but never mind that, the movie industry is the one that suffers the most.  Balanced criticism is the only valid path for Irish cinema to win a place in the entertainment market, and to gain back the trust of its audience.

Shiver the Whole Night Through

Book Review

***

Shiver the Whole Night Through is the first Young Adult (YA) novel by Darragh McManus, best known as a crime writer. McManus’s book is ambitious in the themes, as it goes into consequences of bullying and even touches superficially on the topic of teenaged suicide. It does so through a noir-supernatural-horror-romance combination.

                               

Aidan Flood is a teenager on the verge of committing suicide. He has good reasons to be depressed, but a traumatic experience makes him delay his attempt and eventually changes his mind about ending his life. After a local beauty, Sláine, is found dead, Aidan tries to confirm the causes of her death. Something tells him she did not commit suicide as the Guards think; she doesn’t strike him as the type. In his search for the truth, he receives help from Sláine who comes from the other side, falls for her -as this new non-corporeal being- and discovers the secret history of his hometown and its spooky forest, Shook Woods.

McManus mentions in the foreword that there is a soundtrack to the book, with melancholic and even spooky songs to help to set the eerie tone for those reading. As in this foreword, there are several moments where I see the writer not letting the story explain itself. There are certain occasions, in Aidan's transformation as a character -suggested by his actions and thoughts- that McManus has a tendency to over explain. The way some scenes are picked apart is distracting, especially since such explanations may not be needed by a sharp reader.

Shiver the Whole Night Through, whose title is taken from a Nirvana song, does set a depressing and later a scary tone, which is diluted a few chapters in. At this point, romance and the inherent Irish humour lighten the events, soften the tone and even brighten up the story. Aidan finds in Sláine that someone he thinks he can trust and finds himself as the protagonist of quite a fantastical story (with supernatural, horror and noir elements) from which he doesn't want to escape.

The narration is done through Aidan, his thoughts and what he sees. It is a fact the reader is able to put two and two together, well before the character admits something to himself. But this doesn't steal any credibility to the character, who becomes more mature and confident gradually, and it’s consistently well written.

The action lacks pace. The story takes a few days to get going -the novel is set in a period of several months- and the plot seems to drag around a couple of times until we confront the final conflict and resolution. It explores the changes in Aidan's life, how he recovers his self-esteem and becomes a hero in the traditional sense (with a little help from his friends).

You can appreciate McManus decision of setting the story in Ireland and do it with all its consequences. He uses Irish names, expressions and even references to some stereotypes about Irish people, like not doing "emotional honesty” with members of your family. This is a brave choice, since a vague location may help a YA novel, at least from the distribution and selling point of view.

Shiver the Whole Night Through is an ambitious book. It succeeds to define its characters. Although the mixture of genres works out fine with the tone of the story, in some cases it operates as a distraction for the reader to solve this supernatural puzzle.

The Mariner

Theatre Review

****

There is no hiding place in the set decoration for The Mariner. The action occurs on a naked stage with a sole chair, an old portrait and a change of clothes suspended from the ceiling. The stage resembles the hold of a ship, conferring it with a cold look. The three actors remain on stage at all times, turning their backs to the audience when they are not involved in the action.

Peter Shanley (Sam O’Mahony), a Royal Navy sailor, is sent home after the World War 1 Battle of Jutland in the North Sea. He carries a letter in which very little is explained about the circumstances for being discharged.  He is unable to speak and his head is covered in bandages. The state he is in causes two very disparate reactions in his wife, Sally; and his mum, Mrs. Shanley. It’s as if he was two different men. Sally (Lisa Dwyer Hogg) is happy to see her husband again, who she barely got to know before his enlistment. Mrs. Shanley (Ingrid Craigie) is convinced the sailor is not her son and constantly looks for proof of the intruder's identity.

The tension builds throughout the play around the figure of the sailor, whose uncertain identity creates a conflict between two members of his family. And also, what we could consider the symbols of two generations: one who calls for freedom in the year of the Easter Rising; the other who is in favour of the Empire.

The mariner regains his ability to speak in the course of the play, a progress that reveals the splendid text by Hugo Hamilton. Words are the only protective shield left to the actors. The words that intensify the conflict and make the audience uneasy with a question: who is this man interrupting Sally and Mrs. Shanley’s life?

Sally is a loving wife who sweetly undresses her husband and helps him to become the man she once knew. She tries to make him remember and infuses the scene with passion, tender feelings and caring gestures. The couple’s swing on stage represents all of this, and a memory of their time together as husband and wife before his departure. She personifies the hope for the new, for change, for better things to come.

Mrs. Shanley is obsessed, needs reassurance about her son’s identity and seems almost inclined to believe anything but that Peter has returned home safe and sound. She holds ont0 the old ways and would prefer if no change would occur at the end of her life.

Dwyer Hogg holds a significant weight in the performance. She is convinced the sailor is Peter and happily welcomes the love of her life, gone for a long time. Craigie answers this situation with distrust and anger that she directs to that man whom she doesn’t believe to be her son.  As the story moves forward, the mariner becomes a civilian and finds again his own voice, which inevitably will result in one of the other characters to be expelled from the scene.

A hidden picture of the Royal Navy sailor found by Hugo Hamilton as a child, of who he thought it was his dad’s father (The Speckled People, 2003) inspires a compelling story about what war does to men, and what comes back from it.

The sounds of a town, of the harbour and a few minimalistic piano pieces complete this atmospheric play. A piece invaded by a claustrophobic feeling despite being performed on a stage populated just by words.

The Book of Life

Movie review (published by Geek Ireland, October 27th) 

****

Colourful sugar skulls, marigolds and the imaginative universe of Mexican El día de los muertos -the day of the dead- inspire Jorge R. Gutiérrez’s first film for the big screen.

The story of The Book of Life, shared by a mysterious museum guide, is the tale of three close friends: Manolo (Diego Luna), María (Zoe Valdés) and Joaquín (Channing Tatum). Manolo and Joaquín are both in love with María, who is sent to Europe to become ‘a lady’. María's return a few years later is the cause of the confrontation between her friends, who compete to gain her love. Nothing too revolutionary so far, but here is the twist and the disturbing secret behind the scenes. La Muerte, Queen of the Remembered, bets against Xibalba -who rules the World of the Forgotten-, as she is certain Manolo will triumph over Joaquín to conquer María's heart. But this is not just a love story or a tale about a silly gamble; this is an adventure that may bring an end to humankind, which is, unfortunately, in hands of these two volatile creatures from the other side.

The Book of Life is delightful: the character design and the worlds we see throughout the story are visually stunning. While the museum parts are not particularly interesting, the wooden figurines -used to represent those living in the town of San Angel- and the Remembered -inspired in the mentioned sugar skulls- are an absolute treat. The 3D version enhances its very detailed design and takes the audience's experience a step forward, as it did with Coraline (Henry Selick, 2009). The characters in the land of the Remembered have a slight resemblance to some of Tim Burton’s latest creations, but their aesthetic is so much more astonishing.

For those less familiar with the festive tone of El día de los muertos, it may come as a surprise a children's movie can come from the celebration of the dead. The explanation is simple, in Mexico, remembering who have departed is a way to keep them alive. Mexican folklore does not only make possible this wonderful movie, but enriches the stimulating colour palette and the visual aspects of it. This is a film not only for the small ones, but for anyone: though you may be in danger of coming out of it with a bit of a visual sugar-high.

A general audience may also enjoy pop references such as Creep sang by conflicted Manolo, forced to become a bullfighter to continue with the family tradition. Mumford & Sons’ I Will Wait is also featured, but with a mariachi taste. And let’s not forget to mention the traditional Cielito lindo, sang by Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo, no less. These songs, a wink to those forced to bring the little ones to a Halloween movie, are the source of comic gags, and fit naturally in Gustavo Santaolalla’s score.

The Book of Life has first class talismans: Ron Perlman, pop music, Oscar winner’s soundtrack, Diego Luna's charm and of course, Guillermo del Toro's blessing. Jorge R. Gutiérrez takes a brave approach to animation, incorporating Mexican folklore elements and spinning them off to create one of the most spectacular animated films of the last few years.

In this globalised world, in which we forget to pay attention to the cultural wealth that vibrates all over the globe, it’s refreshing to receive a title that not only familiarises us with other traditions, but that does so in an engaging way for all ages. This is a real Halloween treat; do not miss it for the world! n, it may come as a supfestive tone of this tradition, it may come as a sup

Love, Rosie

Movie Review (published by Geek Ireland, October 21st)

***

Love, Rosie is a British -slash German- movie, based on a novel by Irish writer Cecilia Ahern (it’s the adaptation of Where Rainbows End). Perhaps this is all a bit confusing.

Rosie and Alex are best friends since they can remember, but are afraid of getting romantically involved, as they are not sure if they are right for each other. Everything that happens next follows the classic pattern of a romantic comedy. Though the plot goes on and on in circles for twelve years until these childhood sweethearts get back together. There are pregnancies, wrong husbands and wives, stolen mail and an endless list of clichéd elements. However, they don’t make the watch less enjoyable (unless the viewer is expecting something more than an easy consumption movie).

Unwanted teenaged pregnancy and other serious matters are included in Alex and Rosie's story, but with a sugar coated tone. The heroine manages to take the right decision to keep her angelical aura throughout the film. Rosie, interpreted by Lily Collins, is allowed to be an innocent, sweet and apparently flawless heroine until the end. Flawless, if we manage to forget that she goes through life making the same mistakes than any mere mortal makes. Although many delicate matters are suggested throughout the story, the approach has a lot more reservations than in per say Obvious Child , but this riskier title did not manage to create much of a romantic vibe around its characters of for that matter that much sympathy. So, they are even.

Collins as Rosie and Sam Claflin –Finnick in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- playing her best friend/school sweetheart Alex are believable as a couple. They are also the right cast choice to interpret teenage kids and more grown ups versions of themselves. Another successful and efficient cast choice is Rosie’s real best friend played by Jamie Winstone, who takes part in the pharmacy scene (one of the best ones without a doubt). There are other scenes that work well and keep that air of refreshing British comedy (a lá Bridget Jones) such as the ‘first time’ scene and the lift line.

The music in Love, Rosie is a playlist of those hits you are trying to forget existed; but made you dance like crazy because you were younger and less wise than you are now. There is an element of interference in the way the music is fit into the final cut. Those hits, adjust perfectly fine in the story line, but they replace the possibility of more dialog, which points out a lacking screenplay.  At some points the music reminded me of that episode in 30 Rock, in which Avery and Jack are trying to take a very important decision and the music is turned up by some randomer. Unfortunately, in Love, Rosie, the characters don’t have the power to ask for the music to be turned down.

Cecilia Ahern’s novel is a succession of letters, e-mails, IMs and other forms of modern communication used by human beings. So, there is no traditional narration, but the one done through the messages exchanged by the main characters. But Love, Rosie’s script does not take advantage of so many raw materials from the original novel. Or, is it the disinterest of the director, Christian Ditter, to exploit potential tense moments between the characters?  

Where Rainbows End was published in the US with the same title as its movie adaptation. The title choice for this movie, to clearly give better chances to its distribution in America, is the ending line for a letter, funny enough fact since Rosie does not write a single missive in the movie!

Love, Rosie is cheesy, has a predictable ending (let's not forget we are talking about Cecilia Ahern here). But all and all, it’s a very enjoyable romcom that blends into the American model, with refreshing moments as it corresponds to a British comedy. 

Gold

Movie Review (published by Geek Ireland, October 13th)

**
Gold is an Irish comedy, at least that’s what I was made to believe. There is just a small issue with that statement, I did not laugh once. Gold starts with a reasonably comical scene, a rebel teenaged Abbie (Maisie Williams) looking for ‘food supplements’ to improve her performance in cross country running. Abbie, accompanied by her terrified friend Devon (Patrick Gibson), meeting the drug dealer at a gym is a good opening.

Ray (David Wilmot) is in his forties, when he decides to go back to his hometown to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend Alice (Kerry Condon) and daughter Abbie. Alice asked him to leave, so she could raise their child with the PE teacher, Frank (James Nesbitt). Ray, who is been absent for ten years, causes a disruption, in their quiet and structured life.

The pace in Gold is lacking, the first few scenes and the introduction of Ray’s character into the family home does not get the story going anywhere. It’s not until a family day trip and the extraordinary event that takes place there that the story moves forward. The script fails to explore why the family is dysfunctional, or if it is at all. It does not go into a deep understanding about why Alice took the decision of raising Abbie away from Ray.  

Ray’s relationship with Abbie has a more natural progression. Abbie does not trust her biological dad; she thinks he’s homeless, but due to some special circumstances she feels pity for him. The compassion she shows for Ray a bit easier to understand, but still quite forced. Abbie manipulates him, but doesn’t feel any respect for him, which it’s a natural development for a relationship that has been shovelled into her life at an awkward time.

David Wilmot does have some decent lines like “You want a hug or something?” Though, It's hard to believe he is charming enough to shake the foundations of a relationship within a few days of showing up. Ray is insecure, seems to be on the verge of crying most of the time, and is homeless. This may be a very snobbish statement, but how is he able to shake anything with that description?

James Nesbitt in the role of Frank is the comic relief in the story. His high performance coach video is the cause of a couple of smiles, a sketch that unfortunately gets overused and old by half way through the film.  

Heery’s second film – after Small Engine Repair in 2006- has a predictable ending, and that’s no crime if your movie moves the audience. The problem with Gold is that fails to be a comedy and fails to be a drama too. 

A Story that Came from the South

Movie Review 

****

Ali by Paco Baños

Ali is afraid of falling in love and terrified of driving… smokes like a chimney and is as blunt and cynical as they make them.

Paco Baños' heroine lives in Seville, but she could be from anywhere else. She struggles with becoming an adult, though she behaves like one at home, where she is used to play a protective and caring role with her mum. Ali looks after her progenitor, who doesn't give up on love despite all the failed 'Princes Charming'.

Baños' film made me flashed back to the Seville I lived in about eight years ago; the city where the Cine Avenida screened Buffalo '66, one of the director’s confessed inspirations for this movie. And, I’m not saying you should forget about the touristic and traditional image of Seville, but you should also know there is so much to this alternative side of the city. And, I feel proud to say it’s this under-the-surface Seville that has made possible a little gem of the Spanish cinema like Ali.

Ali’s dialog is witty, quick, fun and sharp, as is its heroine, a certainly inspired Nadia de Santiago. Baños’ film talks about overcoming our fears; it’s a tale with tender men and strong women. It’s a movie with Andalusian accent. Julio de la Rosa’s soundtrack is delicate at times, pays an homage to garage rock and to dancy pop, and hypnotises us with bells and subtle notes. But, what makes this an incredible soundtrack is Ali’s breathing or smoking, her laugh, the sound of the sea near the Trafalgar’s lighthouse or that torrential rain that you knew was going to happen just because someone decided to put their clothes up in the terrace.

I honestly don’t think I’d change anything in Baños’ movie that succeeds at telling a genuine story about how people become important when they are connected to each other. A tale coloured by the sunlight, warm and bright, from the south that inundates every frame of its wonderful cinematography.

The End of the Summer

August came for the grey stones,

abandoned to a sepulchral silence.

Gone is the hullabaloo

of the sunny days.

Frothy waves

are thrown by a teal sea

and the impetuous wind,

up and down the shore.

OMG, I Went to See TFIOS!

Review of The Fault In Our Stars

Once or twice a year, I find myself reading a YA novel, it's one of those guilty pleasures I allow myself from time to time. Last year, I read The Hunger Games trilogy, which I devoured in two weeks, and by chance since it was highly recommended by cultural gurus such as Reasonable Discussions (the disappeared podcast by the AV Club) The Fault In Our Stars. It was a book about kids with cancer, yes, but no, the story had something different that thankfully made it a best-seller. I can think of much worse YA novels to end up in teenagers’ hands. At least this one featured teenagers I could relate to, as the teenager I once was and as an adult.

The Fault In Our Stars movie adaptation shared a problem with The Hunger Games trilogy, how to accept actors incarnating characters that have been so emotionally close to me as a reader? As a teenager, I read The Outsiders avidly, cried like never before with a book and identified amazingly well with Sodapop, a character I had nothing in common but the awkwardness of being a teenager. When reading about Katniss Everdeen and Hazel Grace Lancaster they became those perfect heroines I never had in my teens. In my thirties I felt them as fully developed characters, and went inside their heads as much as I once did with Sodapop’s.

The young adult genre is as rich as irregular, and I can say I still enjoy approaching some titles every so often. What I found more interesting and refreshing about both novels were these strong female characters with driven, who pull their weight and make these stories so inspiring. John Green's story had a unique tone, a little something that I thought difficult to transfer to a movie. Hazel and specially Augustus are so unique, so well rounded and charming that I thought no cast choice would feel right.

My admiration goes to Shailene Woodley, who became Hazel on screen and on the off screen narration, so easy to mess up by over or under acting. I have my reservations about the choice for Gus, because, come on, who is so charming at that age? And, how difficult is to shape a quality as abstract as charm? Augustus has so much more depth in the book, but isn't it because we magnify his charm to our taste while reading?

There is one thing that bothered me about the movie, well, no the movie itself, but its marketing campaign. The movie posters show, instead of the usual magazine quotes, random tweets about the movie by even more random people. If I am correct this has been done before for some other movies marketed to teenagers, and I can’t think of a worse way to discredit a film. I went to see the movie, because I enjoyed the novel by John Green, but I wonder how many people will be discouraged by this. I imagine “OMG, I love TFIOS so much!! But I cried like a baby!” is not going to convince many people to go and see the movie. But, although there might be some crying involved, I certainly recommend it, as much as the book.

A Cage Of Dreams

Review of The Golden Dream by Diego Quemada-Díaz

I admit, I went to see The Golden Dream partly skeptical about the need of another movie about young immigrants from Central America on their journey to the USA. I do have a social conscience, that is not the problem, and I like to see these stories on film (I believe cinema has the obligation to show what happens out there, since the mass media has become a bit of an entertainment tool these days). I also feel more than respect for directors that don’t mask the truth and decide to give voice to those who don’t make it to the 6pm news. My skeptical attitude had more to do with the fact that I had seen Sin nombre (Cary Fukunaga, 2009) so I couldn’t stop wondering what would make this movie unique from the audience's point of view. I didn’t have to wait long to see the difference.

I was one of those lucky viewers who had the chance to listen to Quemada-Diaz explaining the process of filming The Golden Dream after the show. He struck me as a gentle but combative speaker. As he explained, he didn’t want to tell a horror story (there is not much happiness laying around of the way of illegal immigrants), but he manages to suggest the obstacles his characters, built out of real testimonies, will find on their way. He definitely succeeds on doing so without falling into explicit violence or using shocking images.

However, there is one confusing element as spectator when watching The Golden Dream: it lacks the rhythm expected in a road movie. Quemada-Diaz, in the Q&A session that followed the film, expressed his wish for making an epic movie (epic in proportion, since it combines hundreds of testimonies). The epic pace is the one you should expect. The story and characters develop surrounded by infinite landscapes and the hundreds of people who accompany them in their journey.

The Golden Dream is a beautifully shot movie with a poetic cinematography and the many unresolved and intriguing events of the lives of Sara, Chauk and specially Juan. It’s a tale of brotherhood and loyalty, in which the unexpected may be the key to survival.

Night-blooming Jasmine

One of the reasons I studied Communication (Journalism if you like) was because it was the closest I could be from a career in cinema: I could write about the Seventh Art! Taking into account my abilities, it seems I took the right decision back then. My sensibilities are in both places though...
 

My college years, like for everyone I think, were a time for discovery. And as strange as this may sound, Woody Allen is something like a mystery to me since then. He is one of those directors you couldn't get to know at home (at least not in mine, since he was considered this neurotic little man who told the same stories over and over again). I had my Allen's marathons in college, but there were a lot of movies I didn't get to see. They were always taken in the faculty film library! Today I still think of those ones I missed as a gap in my cinema education.

Last week, I went to see Blue Jasmine, that was screened in the Mermaid Arts Centre (Bray). I was happy to see the place was absolutely packed. First, because I find comforting people still go to see movies with good acting. Even I, as ignorant as I am about Allen's career, know I am going to see actors in a moment of brilliance, with the obvious exceptions. Second, because, does this full house mean he is becoming mainstream?

I can't talk much about the movie without spoiling the story, but I can tell you this: you should see Cate Blanchett as Jasmine. Some people have the opinion she is a cold looking woman. I would always would prefer to describe her as ethereal (Galadriel's fault, I guess). Blanchett’s Jasmine is ridiculous, shallow, but vulnerable and afraid of being alone too. Woody Allen’s special talent is writing character defining dialog, and through it we learn to love and detest Jasmine.

Jasmine is one of those anti-heroes the screens are overpopulated with these last few years (Breaking Bad, Justified, Dexter, to name just a few). When she starts telling her story, we find difficult to feel sympathy for her. The way she talks about her past life in Manhattan, the Hamptons, St. Tropez…, makes you despise this creature that is from that other side of the world. But, at times, you may feel like forgiving her sins and pitying her, especially when you sense she is about to collapse.

Jasmine has been invented by Jeanette (Blanchett's character's real name) the same way she has invented a fictional happy marriage and a not so fictional careless life. She is this delicate and classy lady, who speaks like a character out of Casablanca. Describing the way she meets her husband, wrapping the moment in a romantic veil, in which Blue Moon was playing and “he swept her off her feet”. During her life with Hal (her “very, very rich" husband), she is “scaling the dizzy heights of high society” and shares a fate not far from who inspired A Lady Of A Certain Age by The Divine Comedy.

The property bubble and financial malpractises cause the chain of events that will bring Jasmine to feel like fish out of water, and will destroy lives of many around her. Woody Allen does not offer an analysis of this chain of events, but delivers a satirical speech against the authors of those events efficiently, through a dialog that spares no punches.

Homage Is The Word You Are Looking For

It is not the first year I have this feeling of anticipation about all the movies released just before the Oscars (in this impossible race before the nominees are announced). The last few years, all the releases are squeezed into a few weeks, to leave us with nothing else to watch for the rest of the year. I am happy to live with this high season of cinema, if what comes to the screens is going to impress me and leave me with a good taste in my mouth for the next few months.

I went to see Silver Linings Playbook in the cinema last year (and recently again, in the First Fortnight Festival). I really enjoyed the movie both times. I thought Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (Golden Globe for her role last year) delivered better than fine performances. Their acting and chemistry are some of the best things about the movie, which eventually falls into a happy/easy end. But we can forgive that, we do want those two characters to have a second chance in life, don’t we?

I always thought David O’Russell movies had a weird logic to them. I also thought that logic got in the way of people caring about his characters; at least I remember feeling that way with I Heart Huckabees, and this same thing I have confirmed with American Hustle. I believe O’Russell is also an amazing actors’ director. But I find his original stories do not make you fall in love with the people in them, but make you conscious, all the time, they are just characters.

As one of the favourite pictures for the Oscars, and also in the Golden Globes, I wanted to like American Hustle. I wished to find a well written movie I could appreciate and enjoy. The cast performances are impeccable, from the more discussed roles of Christian Bale and Jennifer Lawrence, to Amy Adams or Jeremy Renner, although I thought of Bradley Cooper to be too histrionic this time. I did find most of them quite authentic as an ensemble in this charade, as part of this homage to the late 1970's and Scorsese.

I did appreciate the art of camouflage that most actors practised successfully in the film. The disguising into a con man, a British femme fatale, an arsonist housewife or the New Jersey’s Mayor is convincing. The story they are involved in, not so much. And I am almost sure this is not because of an improbable plot, but more due to the fact the movie lacks narrative rhythm. The pace in which the story develops did not engage me as a viewer.

The soundtrack however did at times, as it offers some musical treasures of all time: the disco, but not outdated, Donna Summer’s I feel love; the popular Delilah by Tom Jones or Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John, to name some of my favourites. So, I guess you could say American Hustle is a fantastic fancy dress party, where the music helps in creating evocative scenes and some of the best atmospheric moments in the cinema of 2013.

Frozen

First of all, let me apologise, I am definitely not an authority on Disney princesses and I still resist to watch some of the movies which have a princess as the main character. This stubbornness is due to a couple of reasons: I had terrible aversion to the colour pink and princesses since early age, thanks to the spoiled girl I used to play with after school (she was obsessed about clothing in pink and thought she was a princess).  

My second reason is more of a story telling preservation instinct. I, as a child, had read The Beauty and the Beast, the traditional French fairy tale. When I was about ten years old, most girls in my school went crazy about the Disney film, but I could never get that interested. The characters of the original story looked nothing like the ones in the Disney version of this tale, and they almost certainly didn't sing, at least not in my head.

I believe is just fair I mention this background before I go on talking about Frozen, since these facts do not dispose me to like the movie or even give me a strong reason to watch it. I confess the fact that Kirsten Bell was putting voice to the princess convinced me to give it a go. I am a helpless Veronica Mars fan, so I was hoping for a witty princess, which I though it could be a refreshing feature. However, I found some other fresh ideas thrown in to this story.

I heard there was no villain for this one, but I don’t agree, as I think Elsa's power is the villain. That power and the ignorance built around it that makes her a lonesome human being. I thought of those as wonderful starting points to write a story about tolerance, a value so needed no matter what century we are in.

The Snow Queen story is not a familiar one to me, but it’s needless to say this is a very free interpretation of Andersen’s tale. Perhaps we can forgive Disney if the story is less of a princess being saved by the prince, and more of an adventure led by the princess to protect what she loves the most.

Frozen is a musical and that part I did not enjoy as much as I should have (not a fan of musicals either, what can I say!), but for those who like the genre the soundtrack includes some catchy songs and beautifully sang melodies.

What I liked the most is that the prince does not save the day. The not very beautiful creatures, the trolls Kristoff has become friends with, are wise and helpful. Romantic love is not what this movie revolves around, although Disney didn’t go as far as Pixar with Brave and Princess Anna does have a love interest (or two!). And there are some pretty decent jokes on it such as Olaf’s preferences in life. 

What Music Does

I came to Ireland seven years ago, in pleasant weather like the one we are enjoying these last few days. No point in using an umbrella, almost no way to keep safe from the rain and certainly not from the wind. But…I was welcomed kindly. I had a dear friend living in Dublin at the time, in whose company I spend many dark afternoons. She introduced me to other people and I started my life in a country not so different to my one, well, except for the grey, I admit. At the time I wanted to immerse myself in the Irish culture, get to know people from here. I was interested in music, seeing bands live, to go out and see for myself that city everyone had talked to me about. The best place to live in when abroad (at least in an English speaking country).

I recently started to do a playlist, in my still underused Spotify, of the bands and singers I was told about when I arrived. Some of them are still on my favourite bands list. Some artists’ careers froze at that particular time. Some of them reoriented their trajectory to become essential names in the Irish scene years after and to the present. My playlist is named Kimmage, a very clichéd place to live in if you are Spanish and come to Ireland “to improve your English”… which was my case.

My immersion in this music was such I almost forgot what I listened to before that time. I believe this happened because, one: the music from this side of the world has been always my soft spot and now I could understand every word (or so I thought!). I will never forget “Pepe Jeans honey” most commonly known as She Moves In Her Own Way (Inside In/Inside Out, 2006) by The Kooks. The second reason was: I could see all those bands live! I made my business to attend all the gigs I could and visited the venues I still consider the best non-traditional Irish culture immersion places ever. To name a few: Vicar St, Temple Bar Music Centre (now The Button Factory), Crawdaddy, The Olympia Theatre, some outdoor like Marley Park or Malahide Castle and Electric Picnic, of course.

The albums I listened to belonged to a scene that was fading away at the time, as I learned recently. Bands like The Frames, Bell X1, Damien Rice (a band formed by the very talented Vyvienne Long, Tom Osander or Lisa Hannigan, as well as Rice), the disappeared Mic Christopher, Gemma Hayes to name some of the ones that still would be part of my playlists. At the time, I was given The Cake Sale (2006), an Oxfam charity album which combined some of the best talent of that scene. The album was done with the collaboration of two Canadian usual suspects at Irish venues back then: Emm Gryner and Josh Ritter.

Emm Gryner, who recently did the backing vocals for the Space Oditty covered by the most popular astronaut in YouTube, played in Crawdaddy in 2007, where I had the chance to see her. I absolutely adore Shining Light (Ash's song cover) included in her Songs of Love and Death (2005). I honestly think I can’t choose between the original and her cover. Gryner lent Black Winged Bird to The Cake Sale, one of my favourite tunes in the album, perhaps because it is performed by Nina Persson (The Cardigans) another of my soft spots musically speaking. I would like to know how that happened!

Josh Ritter, as our second Canadian, has always enjoyed of some popularity in Dublin. So much, he even released a live album in 2007 recorded in one of our favourite venues and called In The Dark: Live At Vicar St. His contribution to The Cake Sale was singing Vapour Trail. Some Surprise is that one song that strikes your chords, or at least mine. In the album it was sung by Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol) and Lisa Hannigan, although it was written by Paul Noonan (Bell X1). I had the luck of listening to it live in one of Hannigan's solo gigs, singing duet with Noonan, in Vicar St! What else can you ask for!

I reserve a special place in my heart for the songs I included in the playlist and some others not available on Spotify... Some of them remind me of my beginnings in this country, like Underglass (Burn The Maps, 2004) by The Frames, terribly overplayed in the clothing store that first hired me. It was part of the monthly compilation to be played at all times in the shop floor, over and over again. Birdtalk EP(2006), full of songs that I loved instantly as much as Vyvienne Long, such a lovely girl! The EP made me laugh, at loud, He wants to move, cover of the NERD’s song She wants to move is absolutely priceless. Vyvienne Long can also play Seven Nation Army like no one, with Jack Whites’ permission, and only armed with her cello.  Then, there is Flame, by Bell X1, that I must have listened to about a million times. First, due to my obsessive playing on repeat of songs I really like. Second, to my lunch times spent in Jervis Centre (if the weather was too miserable to get out of the mall when on break); where it was overplayed especially around Christmas time in 2006.

I learned to love and appreciate the talent of the Bellies, Gemma Hayes or Lisa Hannigan. Bell X1 became one of my favourite bands and, although I tried my best, their fantastic Music in Mouth (2004) or Flock(2005) were sadly never exported to my country of origin. I gathered all their albums until date and went to many, many of their gigs at the time. I was really happy when I eventually managed to get a copy of Field Recordings (2012) and Chop Chop (2013) and got to see them live in the concert Hall last June. Nobody Moves Me like they do. Since, apparently, they go through life thinking the way I do and struggling with the same things. I guess it’s a generational thing…

Gemma Hayes came up with an album, not long after, that is one of my favourite ones to listen to on full, The Hollow Of Morning (2008). As part of the tour to promote Let It Break (2011), she played in the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray (where I resided at the time). I had no doubt about attending the date, for two reasons: her very particular voice and her ability for loveless tunes to sound so disarming. She didn’t disappoint at all and the atmosphere turned very special during the gig, in which she was only accompanied by Ann Scott.

One of Lisa Hannigan’s first gig as solo artist in Whelan’s, was the first time I saw her live. I had seen Damien Rice in Marley Park by then and I was really looking forward to see her, as I heard her presence on stage was so captivating. The person who told me this is my husband today, who I blindly trust on these matters. Therefore, I was really curious about this girl that seemed to charm everybody... I wanted to listen to the female voice of Volcano (0, 2003), which I simply adored since the first time I listened to it. 0 was the only album of that wave that made it to Spain (at least to the South of Spain) before my arrival to Ireland. Lisa Hannigan has produced two fabulous albums in these past few years and I am really forward to the third one. Her shows are not to be missed! I have witnesses, as I convinced some of my friends to go and see her, here and in Spain. I did also buy her albums for my friends and family back home until I found out her second album eventually made it to Radio 3 (the indie music station, something like Phantom 105.2, but with coverage nationwide) Yay!

Those bands and their songs, some of them anthems, made me feel welcome. That's what music does.