Aubrey MaloneA round-up of summer screenings
Edna O'Brien has been famously quoted as saying that August is a wicked month. It's usually the case with films too but here's a round-up of some you might like to see:
Boyhood.This has been playing for a while but is getting huge praise from the critics and public alike. Shot over a 12-year period ñ itself a stupendous achievement – it deals with the life of a Texas boy from the age of 12 to 18. A coming-of-age movie with a difference from Richard Linklater, starring Ethan Hawke.
Joe. An ex-convict (Nicolas Cage) tries to rescue a 15-year-old drifter (Tye Sheridan) from an alcoholic father who's abusing him. The treatment is dark and disturbing. Won't be everyone's cup of tea.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.Yet another variation on a well-tried theme, this Darwinian extravaganza has a group of genetically evolved apes being threatened by a band of human survivors of a virus. Cue primal conflict.
Earth to Echo.After receiving a bizarre series of encrypted messages, a group of children embark on an adventure with an alien who needs their help. For 'E.T.' lovers everywhere.
The House of Magic. There are lots of feline frolics in this animated feature about an abandoned cat that seeks shelter from a storm in a strange mansion owned by an old magician. The fun begins when a resident rabbit and mouse plan to evict her.
Guardians of the Galaxy. One of the summer's more elaborate blockbusters, this is a big budget space movie dealing with an adventurer's struggle with a bounty hunter after he steals an orb with strange powers that's coveted by one of those villains that wants to take over the universe.
The Nut Job.A slapstick comedy that charts the travails of a mischievous city park squirrel called Surly and his rat friend Buddy after they plan a heist on a nut store and end up getting embroiled in a bank robbery.
Living in a Coded Land. This thought-provoking feature which is showing at the Hawk's Well Theatre in Sligo at 8pm on August 6 and 7 makes extensive use of archival material as it explores themes like colonialism, emigration, the famine, housing and art in the Ireland of the past and present. Itís directed by Pat Collins and is described as a 'poetic film essay'. If you're interested you can ring 07191-61526, or consult www.@hawkswell.com
