Embracing The Old And The New

Greystones Film Club launch their latest line-up

With that little TV in the corner having morphed into an all-engulfing, dizzying entertainment smorgasbord, the need to find something off the menu that might actually deserve your love and attention.

Which is where the Greystones Film Club comes in, finding those festival favourites and surprise box-office hits that can only be found on the big screen.

And after the summer break, they’ve got two beauties on offer…

THURS12SEPT24 8PM €12 That They May Face The Rising Sun (Ireland UK G 107mins)
As with 2022’s Irish-language offering The Quiet Girl, Pat Collins’ second feature (after a string of acclaimed documentaries) takes its sweet, sublime time in telling a tale that’s really all about the small details.

An adaptation of the final novel from John McGahern, it chronicles a year in the life of a rural, lakeside community in late 1970s Ireland, as Joe (Barry Ward) and Kate Ruttledge (Anna Bederke) return home from London to live the quiet life. Through work, rest and the passing seasons, we step into a sensual, enclosed world that gradually feels like an everywhere. One of the best-reviewed movies of the year, this one will undoubtedly dominate the IFTAs – and may even bag Ireland an Oscar. If there is a dhia. Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q3qKFn5f54&ab_channel=BREAKOUTPICTURES, tickets here: https://whaletheatre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873646495.

THURS19SEPT24 8PM €12 Mr Jimmy (US Japan G 113mins)
As anyone who has met the mighty Alan Adamson will tell you, there’s something truly magical about undying hero worship.

An everlasting love for your idol, that childhood obsession only burning stronger the older you get.

For Alan, it’s Elvis. For Akio Sakurai, it’s Jimmy Page, and 35 years after playing along to Led Zeppelin records in his bedroom, that teenage thrill remains very much the same for this Japanese guitarist.

His particular level of obsession extends to copying every single note of every Jimmy Page guitar solo ever recorded – live or in the studio – along with every single stitch of the man’s onstage outfits, the same guitars, the same amps, the same stances. Channeling Jimmy Page is the man’s life, his identity, and getting to play a 2-hour 2012 show in front of his one and only true rock god launched Akio from 20 years of playing Tokyo clubs to moving to L.A., where his American dream hit both heavenly highs and Spinal Tap lows.

It makes for a fascinating documentary, as our method guitar hero goes from a man obsessed to a man possessed, stuck in a moment that’s actually someone else’s. Recreating the spontaneous is a thankless task, a hall of mirror images, and even as success comes his way, we realise that Mr Jimmy might be stuck in Christmas Eve forever, his personal demons all in the meticulous attention to detail.

A fable all about never giving up on your teenage dream, this award-winning documentary will hit a nerve in just about everyone who has, whilst possibly working as a cautionary tale for everyone who hasn’t.

The Whale and the Greystones Film Club are very proud to turn it up to 11 for the Irish premiere of the rockin’ Mr Jimmy.

There will be more Greystones Film Club screenings announced in the coming weeks, but for now, these are two big screen offerings that really shouldn’t be missed. Especially on the big screen. Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSaVHb9_PaM&ab_channel=Abramorama, tickets here: https://whaletheatre.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873647130.