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58th Chicago International Film Festival, Film reviews

58th Chicago International Film Festival: The Banshees of Inisherin Review

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Hatred and solitude are the two elements that stir the pot in The Banshees of Inisherin. Director and writer Martin McDonagh showcases the disturbingly tense relationship of Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Farrell’s character has a distracted mindset that makes him curious about what he did wrong. Gleeson’s character has an introverted and annoyed attitude which makes him determined to be alone. The Banshees of Inisherin is pure McDonagh as he creates a situation as detrimental as he did with In Bruges (2008).

The Banshees of Inisherin takes place in the 1920s in Ireland. The film was shot in breathtaking locations including Inishmorewhich is one of the Aran Islands in County Galway as well as onAchill Island in County in County Mayo. The movie’s scenes display much of the Irish culture from that timeframe. There are pub settings, Irish traditions, and many rural areas throughout the film. The scenery makes The Banshees of Inisherin more vivid in terms of the personality clashes.

In the film, Farrell is Padraic, and Gleeson is Colm. They are good friends until Colm calls it quits to their friendship. Padraic finds himself shocked and upset. The more he tries to make peace with Colm, the heavier the consequences. When Padraic’s sister Siobhan (played by Kerry Condon) tries to help Padraic not make irreparable decisions, the problems escalate between Padraic and Colm and lead to unexpected surprises. Colm’s choices become bizarre. The irrational behaviorthroughout The Banshees of Inisherin goes into full McDonagh mode.

The consequences start to include cutting off fingers, house fires, and more catastrophes which lead Padraic to make silly and vindictive choices also. Padraic tells Colm, “You usedto be nice,” and then late tells him, “Now you’re not nice,” and he says it with annoyance, frustration, and despair. Colm informs Padraic by saying, “I just don’t like you no more,” and he does so in a cold and aggravating tone. The Banshees of Inisherin is like a verbal, Irish boxing match between Farrell and Gleeson. It is truly a film of suspense done extremely well.

The Banshees of Inisherin is a McDonagh masterpiece. Thetension is enticing, the plot is structured, and it is a fun ride thanks to the performances of Farrell and Gleeson. There are no boundaries to finding a resolution between Padraic and Colm, but lots of vindictive actions along the way. Four stars for The Banshees of Inisherin.

Film reviews

The Good Nurse Review

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Being employed in the medical field is serious business. There are a lot of rules and regulations surrounding confidentiality, not just for patients but for medical professionals as well. The Good Nurse is a true story that shows how wrong things can go when those rules and regulations allow someone who can’t be trusted to care for seriously ill patients. As someone who has family that works in the medical field, this film spoke to me. And it shows how hospitals have changed since the true events of The Good Nurse.

Although The Good Nurse is a feature length film, its cinematography is like watching a hospital TV show. Many scenarios are rushed and the dialogue is not really enthralling. The plot of the film introduces us to nurse Amy Loughren, played by Jessica Chastain. She is a workaholic nurse with two children, and works constantly to make ends meet. Amy has a good heart with her patients and has a good home life. A new nurse, Charlie Cullen, played by Eddie Redmayne, joins Amy’s ward. He appears to have positive and caring qualities that lift Amy’s spirits when she gets down at her job. But as their patients start to die one-by-one, Amy starts to believe that Charlie is the one causing the deaths. Detectives Danny and Tim (played by Nnamdi Asomugha and Noah Emmerich) are assigned to the case, but confidentiality at the different hospitals where Charlie previously worked makes it an ordeal to get proof to put an end to Charlie’s terrible acts.

Redmayne’s performance as Charlie is sinister with a charm. He rides his evil side. Hospital confidentiality has protected him over the years and has allowed him been able to just move to another hospital when he was fired. And that confidentiality has also allowed him to continue in his evil ways.

The Good Nurse is not exactly brilliant, but it is haunting. The many patients who died makes the film disturbing. We fear for the safety of the patients, and also the safety of Amy. Chastain’s performance as Amy is breathtaking and daring, but the film is depressing. It is certainly not a feel-good movie, although I will say it is faithful to its harrowing story. It was worth a watch but it may be hard to watch again. Two and a half stars for The Good Nurse.

Film reviews

Tickets to Paradise Review

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George Clooney and Julia Roberts are always a joyful pair when they do movies together. Whether their flick is comedic, suspenseful, or serious, they always have perfect chemistry. In Tickets to Paradise Clooney and Roberts both play sarcastic and opinionated characters. The combination of their attitudes is where the joy is in the movie. Both are involved in crazy disagreements and have challenging egos which clash in an unexpected scenario in Tickets to Paradise.

Before seeing this movie, I kept thinking about Clooney’s previous film The Descendants (2011). Since Tickets to Paradise is also set in a tropical location like The Descendants, I thought the films might have more in common.  However, Clooney’s character in the former film has many more underlying personal issues. Tickets to Paradise, on the other hand, is filled with humorous moments and a risky scheme involving the main characters that results in lots of laughs. 

In Tickets to Paradise, Clooney is David and Roberts is Georgia. They are a divorced couple with a daughter, Lily, played by Kaitlyn Dever. Lily has just graduated from college and is on her way to pursue additional education in Law School. Before Lily’s days of tough schoolwork begin, she decides to go on a vacation to Bali with her friend Wren. Wren is played by Billie Lourd. With David and Georgia having lingering resentment towards each other, they both encounter a major problem when their daughter informs them that she is getting married in Bali.  Her fiancé is named Gede, played by Maxime Bouttier.  Filled with frustration and annoyance with their daughter, David and Georgia fly over to Bali in hopes of putting a stop to their daughter’s wedding. It is not that easy especially given with how much David and Georgia despise each other. Another crazy aspect to the situation is that Georgia’s pilot boyfriend Sean tags along. Sean is played by Rob Lynch. Tickets to Paradise is a wild ride of this divorced couple having to go through the crazy obstacles to stop their daughter’s fantasy.  With Clooney and Roberts in the lead roles, it is stellar fun with many twists as well as dialogue that is witty and heartfelt. I had a fun time with Tickets to Paradise.

The culture and rituals in Bali are a key element in the film and have an impact on stalling or stopping the wedding. From cursed islands and religious beliefs to egotistical and hysterical behavior, there are plenty of obstacles along the way. Tickets to Paradise will provide fans with good fun and they will get a kick out of the performances by Clooney, Roberts, Dever, and Lynch. The scenery is tropical and extravagant. Although the film is silly in certain moments, it is intended for positive entertainment.

Will the wedding go forward for Lily? Will it be altered? Can Robert and Georgia deal with each other? Find out in Tickets to Paradise. Three and a half stars.