Film Society

Maynooth's Film Society!

Message Film

We are Maynooth's Film Society! We hold weekly film viewings at 7PM every Wednesday where free popcorn and snacks are always provided. We also upload weekly film reviews and analysis/discussion.

We regularly collaborate with various societies on-campus such as the Mental Health Society and the Erasmus Society! Events such as day trips, quizzes and more are also held throughout the year.

Our aim is to provide a safe, accessible, and welcoming environment for all students to get a break from the stresses of student life. Hope to see you there!

Film Society Gallery

Day	Start	Finish	Title	Location
Wednesday	19:00	21:30	Film Viewing	Location varies
Join us every Wednesday at 7PM for our weekly film viewing! Films are decided by popular vote on our Instagram page

Posted	Title	Author
18th Dec	'Reservoir Dogs' - Review	Adam McGuire
'Reservoir Dogs' - Reviewed by Adam McGuire The feature length directorial debut of Quentin Tarantino is often hailed as a cult classic by many fans. The movie shows us the story of 6 petty criminals in Los Angeles who attempt a diamond heist and must deal with the consequences of the heist going wrong, while unaware that there is an undercover cop amongst them. The rough around the edges, gritty style of this movie and the excellent work by the young up and coming actors as well as the support from the seasoned acting veterans really helps to elevate this movie to another level. The movie itself starts off near the end and is told in flashbacks from each characters’ perspective, which leads to the story being slowly unravelled in an interesting and dynamic fashion as the audience slowly solves the mystery of who is the undercover police officer as the story progresses. The gory nature of the movie leaves the audience with a sense of unease throughout the movie which serves to hold the audience’s attention and shows us the start of Tarantino’s signature gory, over the top violent directorial style. The transition between background music and silence in some of the scenes gives a great idea of depth and perspective and really accentuates some of the actions done by the various characters. While the film itself is very low budget, it shows the masterful directing and writing from Tarantino that allows the movie holds up to the test of time over 25 years later. This gritty, realistic crime movie truly is a must watch for both the casual movie watcher and the diehard fanatic.
18th Dec	'Les Intouchables' - Review	James Crotty
'Les Intouchables' - Reviewed by James Crotty Les Intouchables was one hell of a pleasant surprise. In all honesty my excitement for this movie was nearly non-existent, partly due to the stigma surrounding French film of them being overly dramatic and very heavy on the smoking scenes, and while there is a copious amount of smoking in the movie it gets a pass based on its stellar performances and the palpable emotion entwined in the story. It isn't action packed and to some, the premise of Les Intouchables may be boring, but it is offset by its mature and witty humour. This movie will have you laughing all the way through and I cant recall any of the jokes or one liners that didn’t land. I cannot stress enough how funny this movie is at times despite the fact that we are essentially reading the lines off the screen, and perhaps even more impressive is the tonal consistency throughout the screenplay. It never loses the upbeat hopeful tone, even when the struggles of the characters are harshly felt. Omar Su and François Cluzet each put in fantastic performances as Driss and Philippe respectively. I can not understate the quality of the performances on display and the effect they have on the viewer. I felt when the characters struggled and when the movie finished I was left immensely satisfied. This movie is a must-see.
16th Dec	Screening of 'The Grinch'	David Corish
Join us at 7PM in John Hume, Lecture Hall 2 on Wednesday, 18th December for a screening of 'The Grinch'
10th Dec	Nerd Soc Christmas Party	David Corish
Join other Nerd Societies in a Christmas party of the ages. There will be a table quiz round for each different society! Free Pizza and the SU Bar on site! Come along and have a great time!
10th Dec	We raised €210!	David Corish
We raised €210 for Ataxia Foundation Ireland at the Inter-Soc charity quiz last night! A massive thank you to every society involved and everyone who donated Congratulations to the winning team, 'Phil Soc', and the raffle winners who won a polaroid camera and a Chromecast Thanks again everyone!
9th Dec	Screening of 'Reservoir Dogs'	David Corish
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;} </style> <![endif]-->Join us at 7PM in Iontas Theatre on Wednesday, 11th December for a screening of Tarantino's ‘Reservoir Dogs’
5th Dec	Inter-Soc Charity Quiz	David Corish
Inter-Soc Charity Quiz in aid of Ataxia Ireland! We'll be starting at 7:30pm in the Venue on Monday, 9th! €2 entry fee per person 4 people per team
3rd Dec	Screening of 'Les Intouchables'	David Corish
Film Soc has returned! Join us at 7pm in John Hume, Lecture Hall 2, on Wednesday, 4th December, for a screening of 'Les Intouchables'
29th Nov	'Arrival' - Review	Daniel Sheridan
'Arrival' - Reviewed by Daniel Sheridan "Is our lack of communication creating this divide between us on a personal and political level". That is the question posited by Denis Villeneuve's thoughtful sci-fi film Arrival. This has been in the list of many (including myself) as one of the best films of the 2010's. With most sci-fi films becoming loud and boisterous these days, the quiet approach of Arrival was a breath of fresh air. Not interested in the spectacle of explosions and harsh sound effects, Arrival was more interested in presenting its central thesis and making you reflect on that rather than the otherworldly elements of the film. One thing that draws you in from the outset in Arrival is the music, from Max Richter's On the Nature of Daylight which serves as the theme of the film, to Jóhann Jóhannsson's original score. Both works add this melancholy element to the film which adds to the narrative, particularly Jóhannsson's score which sounds otherworldly much like his other albums. We cannot talk about Arrival without talking about Villeneuve's spectacular direction and Eric Heisserer's script which work perfectly in tandem with one another. The project started off as a passion of Heisserer's, wanting to adapt Ted Chiang's short story 'The Story of Your Life', which gave way to Villeneuve's involvement in the film. Many changes added by Villeneuve elevated the narrative of the film, specifically the opening of the film which allowed the narrative to look alot like the language of the Heptipods in the film. It is collaborations like this that take a film from being good to fantastic. When it comes to the cinematography of the film Bradford Young did a great job of grounding the film in a sense reality while also evoking the otherworldly presence. The way the alien craft hangs in the background of almost every shot shows this great sense of world building through the visual medium. We also must look at Amy Adams' immaculate performance. Giving a career best, Adams takes over every scene she is in, encapsulating this notion of a person feeling out of their depth. Her descent into this new world she has been thrust is one of the best performances of the past ten years. Please, if you have the chance, go see Arrival. If not for the fantastic cinematic experience then for the clever ways in which it connects to our real world.
25th Nov	'The Imitation Game' - Review	David Corish
'The Imitation Game' - Reviewed by David Corish ‘The Imitation Game’ recounts the devastatingly sad story of Alan Turing, the “father of Computer Science” A genius, maltreated by the British government, who saved countless lives and significantly shortened World War II. Here, Turing is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch who turns in a thoroughly fascinating performance. He fully inhabits the role of this Sherlockian character, bringing not only an aura of extreme confidence and intelligence but an expertly averted gaze that hints at a profound vulnerability to this seemingly arrogant and unfeeling man. Keira Knightley brings some levity and her character, Joan, contrasts Turing’s distant persona with delightful warmth. The cast is rounded out by a similarly superb Charles Dance as Commander Denniston with his trademark authoritative voice as booming as ever; one needs only wait and listen for a pin to drop whenever he appears on-screen. The film centres around Turing’s breaking of Enigma. The codebreaking is vastly simplified for a Hollywood audience; however, the stakes are kept suitably high. Scenes of ‘Christopher’ working to crack the German’s messages are interspersed by footage of the war raging on. The clicks of the rotors resemble a clock’s ticking, something of a countdown to annihilation. Every second that goes by, another life is lost. A deft hand is applied in both the editing and cinematography, although a little more creativity would have been appreciated. Alexandre Desplat’s masterful main theme employs an almost mechanical use of repeating piano arpeggios. These fantastically convey the fast movement of Turing’s mind and are suitably computerised but do not sound electronic. As the main theme continues, the arpeggios begin to layer representing numerous strands of thought running at once. It feels calculated yet musters in the listener an enjoyment of said calculation. The bass line is melancholic, a solemn hymn-like sound filled with gravitas. We are reminded of the tragic circumstances in which this calculation is taking place. War is coming. Several motifs are also heard throughout the film, Christopher’s theme is especially a highlight and the short childhood motif is joyously nostalgic. It is worth noting that the film takes major liberties with its source material. This is not simply taking some minor artistic license; in many parts, it is almost entirely fiction. Computing historian Thomas Haigh once remarked that the film is a “useful summary of everything that popular imagination gets wrong about Bletchley Park.” A shame as Turing’s story is already compelling. Broad strokes do remain intact and audiences may consider themselves somewhat educated on his contributions to the war but a documentary, this is most certainly not. Also, was the framing device of a detective investigating Turing really necessary? No, it is muddled and confusing, serving only to distract from the main event. Historical inaccuracies aside, “The Imitation Game” is most definitely worth a watch, especially if you are unaware of Turing’s contributions to the war effort. Cumberbatch’s performance of a tortured, brilliant man is riveting and serves as an excellent tribute to an astonishing man.