Beyond Criticism? John Michael McDonaghs overweening attempts to infuse his writing with pseudo-intellectual dialogue is nauseating. From fumbling bad guys nonsensically quoting Nietzsche and Schopenhauer verbatim, to making (a comic genius like) Dylan Morans allusions to literature and art sound cringingly forced. There are various excellent ways to bring esoteric references to mainstream audiences — take a masterclass with anything from Allens Annie Hall (hilarious effect) to the recent True Detective (somber effect) — but McDonaghs attempts only serve to patronize his audience. Woe betide this audience if they criticize the absolutely fantastic most significant Irish film in years... the Irish are never more irritating than when theyre in full-on self-congratulatory mode. Sorry, John, but if you want to see what a truly significant recent Irish film is then look at this:
Posted on: Sat, 12 Apr 2014 20:59:12 +0000