St. Patrick's PARADE & related 2010
Abram J Ryan Div (Louisville, Ky) ANCIENT ORDER of HIBERNIANS
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These 2 films are good flicks... for kids, adults, anybody... ROGER EBERT SAYS: Children deserve not lesser films but greater ones, because their imaginations can take in larger truths and bigger ideas. "The Secret of Roan Inish" is a film for children and teenagers like Fiona, who can envision changing their family's fate. It is also for adults, of course, except for those who think they do not want to see a film about anything so preposterous as a seal-woman, and who will get what they deserve. ...Of course this is a wonderful "family film," if that term has not been corrupted to mean simpleminded and shallow. |
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INTO THE WEST
Into the West (1993) is the story of two Irish brothers, twelve and eight-years-old, who are raised among the nomadic Travellers. The boys are brought to Dublin by their widowed Papa, a hard drinker dealing with his wife's death by removing himself from his past. On the day they arrive in Dublin, there is another new arrival: a fantastic white stallion called Tir na nOg (Gaelic for "land of eternal youth") who attaches himself to one of the boys. When authorities discover the horse in the Reilley's flat, they remove it and sell it off to a nasty horse breeder who turns Tir na nOg into a champion show jumper. The two boys, however, have other ideas, and decide to free the horse, becoming fugitives in the process. …a charming, wise and gentle film that shows enough confidence to build slowly to a satisfying climax. (A family film, it may be a bit slow for some youngsters… adults without children shouldn’t dismiss it.) Adapted from Scott Renshaw’s review posted on “RottenTomatoes.com”… the movie had a 70% “fresh” rating |
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THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH The Secret of Roan Inish (1995) is the story of Fiona, a quiet 10-year-old, who goes to live with her grandparents on Ireland's west coast - right across a sea channel from Roan Inish (Inish means “island”), which her family had occupied for generations and left during a tragic storm in which her baby brother, Jamie, was lost to the sea. Or was he? Sayles (the director) builds "Roan Inish" around a sequence of old-fashioned tale-spinning, during which Fiona soaks up stories from her relatives like some ethnological sponge. Like "Into the West," this movie freely mixes Celtic myth (particularly the myth of the selkie: half man/half seal) and everyday reality. But the focus of “Roan Inish” is not so much on the collision of modern life with traditional ways as on a private journey to discover roots - of family history, geography and ties to nature. "Roan Inish" seems to have followed a rocky road to wide distribution. No doubt that's because it lacks stars and moves at its own leisurely pace. …it has a kind of stubborn integrity that's increasingly rare in the movie marketplace. Adapted from Scott Rosengerg’s review posted on “RottenTomatoes.com”… the movie had many reviews and a 100% “fresh” rating. |
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