Jul 13, 2014 | chART
By BRUCE DENNILL There’s a bit of an unintended theme – keep quiet, for crying out loud – building on this blog at the moment, with posts talking about audience etiquette in comedy and theatre as well as the frustration caused by ridiculously loud entertainment...
Jul 9, 2014 | chART
By BRUCE DENNILL Andra Cilliers made her National Arts Festival debut at St Aidan’s, a magnificent de-commissioned (you could tell because there was a bar set up in the corner) church set up as a music venue for the duration of the event, on Tuesday 9 July. The...
Jun 30, 2014 | chART
By BRUCE DENNILL Ireland punches well above its weight in terms of hard-hitting singer-songwriters. In recent years alone, the relatively small island nation has yielded Damien Rice, Glen Hansard and now Foy Vance (to say nothing of the many great bands from...
Jun 30, 2014 | chART
By BRUCE DENNILL Riddick / Directed by David Twohy / 16VLN Vin Diesel’s range is not terribly impressive, but when he’s placed in a position where he’s allowed to play to his strengths – strong silent type; doesn’t mind a fight – he can be very effective...
Jun 21, 2014 | chART
By BRUCE DENNILL The Conjuring / Directed by James Wan / 16VH It’s incredibly difficult to make a film that’s actually scary anymore. Hollywood has gone through the motions too many times, and the conventions and tropes that are meant to make audiences...
Jun 15, 2014 | chART
By ALAN SWERDLOW The Fault In Our Stars / Directed by Josh Boone / PG13 I must admit up front that I’m not fond of sentimentality or schmaltz. Any subject treated in that way becomes artificial and offensive to me; after all, sentimentality is an...
