Irish Film Institute -Review Roundup: Dunkirk, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Prince of Nothingwood, Mountain

Review Roundup: Dunkirk, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Prince of Nothingwood, Mountain

This week we’ve got four films in cinemas, with a few you might be familiar with…

First up is Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, staging a return for Christmas in a spectacular 70mm presentation. We’re very proud to have the only 70mm projector in Ireland, and this thrilling film is the ultimate experience for movie fans.

Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life is also back, with James Stewart promises the moon to Donna Reed. We’re showing it all the way up to the 23rd of December, and we highly recommend grabbing some mulled wine and mince pies first.

Mountain is a visually stunning documentary which charts vertiginous peaks around the world (narrated by Willem Dafoe, naturally) and The Prince of Nothingwood is an entertaining profile of no-budget filmmaker Salim Shaheen.

Check out some reviews for these films below, and pop in to make up your own mind!

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
“A genuine American classic”
5/5 – Guardian

“It’s a Wonderful Life is a wonderful title for a motion picture about which practically everyone who sees it will agree that it’s wonderful entertainment”
Hollywood Reporter

“The most well-loved of all Christmas movies”
Chicago Tribune

“It’s a Wonderful Life is a pretty wonderful movie”
Time

“The epiphany of movie sentiment and a transcendent experience”
Chicago Reader

“it’s one of those ageless movies, like Casablanca or The Third Man, that improves with age”
Roger Ebert

 

DUNKIRK
“The crunching realism, as captured on large format film stock, is unmistakable, and puts every other rival summer spectacle to shame”
5/5 – Irish Times

“Nolan surrounds his audience with chaos and horror from the outset, and amazing images and dazzlingly accomplished set pieces on a huge 70mm screen”
5/5 – Guardian

“As well as delivering a gripping, emotionally potent cinematic experience, Nolan has done justice to this incredible story of survival against the odds”
5/5 – RTE

“A spare, propulsive, ever-intensifying combat thriller, Nolan’s history lesson is both a rousing celebration of solidarity and the tensest beach-set film since Jaws”
5/5 – Empire

“This is real cinema: spare, terse, expertly edited. I saw it in 70mm, and so should you if you can. But mostly, you should just go see it – it’s a masterpiece”
5/5 – Irish Independent

“Dunkirk is a blisteringly emotional film filled with memorable imagery and a pulse-pounding score. It is a cinema going event so if at all possible head along with friends or family. You’ll be talking about it long after the credits roll and on a final note if you’re in Dublin and you’re looking to see it in the coveted 70mm head along to the IFI it is an unforgettable experience”
5/5 – Scannain

“What Christopher Nolan has done is effectively and accurately capture the relentless panic – and that makes the film all the more convincing”
4.5/5 – Entertainment.ie

MOUNTAIN

“The pictures are remarkable. It’s something to seek out on the big screen”
4/5 – Guardian

“Worth it for the views”
4/5 – Irish Times

“One of the most visceral essay films ever made, with Peedom and her Sherpa altitude cinematographer Renan Ozturk unfurling a series of glistening images that should be seen only on the biggest of big screens”
Hollywood Reporter

“Lingers for the quality of its visuals”
Little White Lies

“Mountain is such an immersive experience that you can feel your palms start to sweat …”
4/5 – The List

THE PRINCE OF NOTHINGWOOD

“A real original”
4/5 – Irish Times

“[A] funny and affectionate documentary portrait”
4/5 – Guardian

“[An] amusing, at times rousing, tribute to a man called the Ed Wood of Afghanistan, someone whose larger-than-life presence makes him more suited to being in front of the camera than behind it”
Variety

“This funny and wildly eccentric doc about ‘the Ed Wood of Afghanistan’ is lit up by endearing over-the-top Afghan actor Qurban Ali”
Time Out

IFI CINEMAS TODAY


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