Hello, world. I’m MacDara Conroy, and this is my blog.


Elsewhere: My Letterboxd reviews of Janis: Little Girl Blue, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Lifeforce and Turkey Shoot

Janis: Little Girl Blue:

Nothing particularly revelatory here, if you already know the story, but the combination of fiery live clips and reminiscences of those who knew her does a great job of conveying what a special musician Janis Joplin was, and the metaphysical connection she had with friends and fans alike.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping:

‘This Is Spinal Tap for millennials’ is the smartarse thing to say although it’s pretty much true, and that’s okay. It doesn’t come close to its inspiration’s hit rate in the laughs department, but once can’t say they didn’t make an effort.

Lifeforce:

Deliciously cheesy practical effects and some seriously gutsy stunt work can’t mend the cracks in this barely coherent story, an uneven mash-up of sci-fi and Hammer-esque vampire horror that has no business being a two-hour movie. Sorry, Tobe Hooper, but it doesn’t help the case against Poltergeist not being your own work. Still, I can see where Clive Barker might have got some ideas for Hellraiser a couple of years later.

Turkey Shoot:

Not the most exciting film, considering the juicy B-movie premise, but this Ozploitation ‘classic’ – in which the wealthy hunt a future totalitarian society’s undesirables for sport – did at least lay the groundwork for what The Running Man and Hard Target would do much better some years after. It’s also very well shot, if one ignores the daily-soap-like interior scenes.