Happy St. Patty’s Day Everyone!
♣
In honor of the holiday, here is a list of a few of my favorite films set in Ireland:
The Guard (2011): One of my favorite films of 2011; seen by way too few folks.
Hunger (2008): a breakthrough performance by one of my favorite actors, Michael Fassbender. A visually arresting film sparse on dialogue but leaves an indelible mark all the same.
In Bruges (2008): Caught this on cable randomly one afternoon and I am so glad that I did. It is a perfect blend of humor, violence and tension. (Note: I am playing a little loose with this choice since, in fact, it is mostly set in Bruges, Belgium)
Circle of Friends (1995): For me this film is too cute for words. Based on the novel by Maeve Binchy, Circle of Friends stars Minnie Driver and Chris O’Donnell.
The Matchmaker (1997): First seen when I was going through my Janeane Garofalo phase (which I never probably left). I like to class this as a romantic/political comedy.
The Commitments (1991):
That’s me done: please take a moment to share some of your faves!
Pete says
March 18, 2012 at 10:22 amSo glad to see The Commitments on here. Love that film and the music! Hunger also brilliant but I will likely never watch it again. The Guard I liked more than In Bruges! I also loved In The Name of the Father. Absolutely brilliant performances from Day-Lewis and the late great Pete Postlethwaite.
Pete recently posted..Why I Love The Hunger Games
iluvcinema says
March 18, 2012 at 10:26 amI hear you about Hunger. I feel kinda the same way. That is the first time I have really liked a film and have no desire to see it again. That said, I do still recommend it to others just because while it is disturbing it is a moving cinematic experience.
sati says
March 18, 2012 at 1:05 pmI love In Bruges so much, Ralph Fiennes always makes me laugh in this one and the movie is just magical. I still haven’t seen The Guard although I heard some good things about it.
sati recently posted..First full trailer for Prometheus
iluvcinema says
March 18, 2012 at 3:03 pmThe guy who did The Guard is Martin McDonagh’s (In Bruges) brother. So “The Guard” has a similar tone to In Bruges.
ruth says
March 18, 2012 at 2:23 pmHappy belated St Patty’s Day!
I really need to see The Guard soon, even just to watch the unlikely duo of Gleeson and Cheadle. One of my fave films set partly in Ireland is P.S. I Love You. I know lots of people hate it but I think it’s a lovely rom-com.
ruth recently posted..Upcoming Flix Spotlight: Brendan Gleeson’s At Swim Two Birds
iluvcinema says
March 18, 2012 at 3:05 pmHave you read the book? I had a friend who quite liked the novel.
ruth says
March 19, 2012 at 9:54 pmWhich book? P.S. I Love You? I did read parts of it but never got around to finishing it. The movie is quite faithful to the book I think, as the author quite like the film.
ruth recently posted..Weekend Viewing Roundup: Three Musketeers (2011) & Lambent Fuse Premiere
iluvcinema says
March 19, 2012 at 10:22 pmYeah, PS I Love you
Dan says
March 21, 2012 at 11:15 amSome great films here. I was particularly impressed with In Bruges because it seemed to come out of the blue and I didn’t know what to expect from it. The Guard was another excellent film – one of my favourites from last year too. I recently caught Hunger – great performance from Fassbender.
Dan recently posted..Top 10 Films of a Ten Year Old
iluvcinema says
March 21, 2012 at 12:09 pmReally looking forward to McQueen and Fassy’s next outing – Twelve Years a Slave
Paula says
March 21, 2012 at 11:33 amThe Commitments! yay! love that movie. I’ve heard a lot of good things about The Guard & In Bruges so I will probably check that out at some point. But i don’t know if i’ll ever be able to watch Hunger. Fass and McQueen are genius together, but when you can count somebody is so skinny you can count their vertebrae…it isn’t good.
Paula recently posted..Reckless Review: Thirteen Women
iluvcinema says
March 21, 2012 at 12:06 pmIt was quite scary indeed Paula. I would only say see it at least once to have the experience. It sticks with you.