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

Date: December 2021

Film review — Shaolin Temple

Hate to say I found this one a bit slow-going until the Wooden Men Alley sequence; that’s when the fightin’ starts and never lets up for the entire second half. More…

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Our New Year’s cheese has arrived! Oh no, we’re not having a party, just treating ourselves > @MacDara #aside

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Deliberate frustration. We need to protect ourselves from our own govt at this stage > @Elaine_Loughlin #aside

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Inaction in the face of these numbers from our so-called leaders makes sense when you consider their plan is to exhaust us > @MacDara #aside

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Film review — The End of Evangelion

I had to read about five Wikipedia articles to get a handle on the story before I could even start with this, despite having watched the original series not so long ago, so yeah, it’s one of those. More…

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Film review — Red Lights

I’m convinced I at least half-watched this before but if I have it’s been erased from my memory. Proof enough of the existence of psychic powers, if you ask me. More…

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Actually tried watching Dynamite live last night but I fell asleep and Bee said the Fite stream kept cutting out > @MacDara #aside

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Film review — The Sparks Brothers

There’s a glimpse of Steven McDonald in the last half hour that teases a parallel universe where there’s another version of this film but it’s about Redd Kross. More…

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Film review — Old

It’s got the same problem as The Happening, and The Village, and most of Shyamalan’s ‘big’ movies in that an attempt at serious human drama clashes with a preposterous premise, and the results are expectedly muddled. I much prefer the fake Wikipedia plot where this turns out to be a sequel to Lady in the Water and shit gets even crazier after the credits roll. More…

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Film review — Don’t Look Up

There’s so much to ridicule about this pitiful excuse for a satire, but maybe the most egregious is that no one gets cut off for swearing on TV. More…

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Spending Xmas Day as the Baby Jee intended: marathoning Air Crash Investigation #aside

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Me and Watt will be watching the Ariane 5 launch in a little bit. Merry Xmas everyone! > @wattfrompedro #aside

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My Pfizer shots only gave me a dead arm for a few days, but Moderna’s hit me like a truck > @MacDara #aside

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I’m a bit younger than Leo, but I can tell you all we knew of the Troubles was how to pronounce Maghera from UTV news reports > @adriang86518036 #aside

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Film review — The Boxer from Shantung

It’s got more politicking than fighting, and I’ve been distracted this week so it took me a few goes to get through. But if you want a masterclass in vengeance-fuelled resilience, the last half hour is for you. More…

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Boosted! Rang Boots this morning and they had open slots this afternoon. Big relief, I can tell you > @MacDara #aside

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Persistence paid off and I’m finally vindicated for being a Bret Hart and Sting mark all these years. Feels good, y’know? #aside

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Got a refund from eBay for a thing that doesn’t work, and I don’t have to go to the post office to send anything back which might be even better if I’m honest > @MacDara #aside

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Film review — King Boxer

Diving (digitally) into Arrow’s Shawscope box set, and this one is the first in the list. There’s a hint of Iko Uwais in Lo Lieh’s determined martial arts student who finds himself embroiled in a clash between honourable tradition and shady politics. The fight scenes are where it’s really at, though, and it’s no surprise to see why this sparked such a craze in ’70s America. More…

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ICYMI the Shaw Bros box set is streaming on the Arrow Player so I’m starting with King Boxer #aside

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> Timeline magic @EZSnappin @DDDrewDaniel #image

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I’ve been anxious too much this weekend, it’s not good for me. Gonna keep it in my drafts from now on. Not gonna let the bastards ruin our Xmas > @MacDara #aside

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Film review — VFW

Grumpy old men and a bolshy young wan besieged by a zombie-like drug-addled horde and their uber-villainous kingpin? So much, so Assault on Precinct 13. That Carpenter vibe extends to the soundtrack by Zombi’s Steve Moore, too. Sounds pretty good, right? If only they’d shot it with cameras with better light sensitivity, because I could barely see a fucking thing. More…

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Post-Xmas home visit plans postponed until January, or two weeks after we eventually get our boosters at least. Yes, that’s two years running you all ruined Xmas > @MacDara #aside

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They’ll be long gone before those kids become voters, is that their reasoning? > @Limerick1914 #aside

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Am I right in thinking the only vaccination centre in Louth said boosters for 40+ for walk-ins earlier? Now it’s 50+ #aside

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I’m tired, I really am. Tired of having to compensate for other people’s selfishness. And I know I’m not alone in this, but it feels like it #aside

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Had to hold myself back from starting a screaming match with the unmasked dad and son at the self-service tills. I can’t, I’m fucking done with Irish people #aside

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We have the worst government ever, unless you’re middle class. Then it’s grand. Your precious weddings weren’t touched, you’ll carry on spreading Omicron regardless > @MacDara #aside

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If you’re a competitor with WW Ireland, now’s the time for your big marketing push #aside

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My last work meeting of the year was a quick one. Wrapping up tomorrow, then the computer stays untouched till 6 January #aside

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Movie friends: is there anywhere available in Ireland where I can rent/stream/etc Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched? #aside

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This has been the most Thursday-feeling Wednesday I’ve felt in a while #aside

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Just had a Nathan’s hot dog for the first time since we went to Coney Island a million years ago. It was good #aside

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Now my appointment’s been pushed back a week, saaaaaake > @MacDara #aside

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Booked for our boosters at a pharmacy in town on 3 January (earliest we could get) as we have no faith in the HSE getting to us any time soon #aside

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> Bonus points for being at the show where he started this reign > @FiteTV #image

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We also finished Foundation this weekend. They could’ve done it in fewer episodes, and its themes are too on-the-nose, but it’s hardly the snoozefest I was led to believe. Looks stunning in 4K, too > @MacDara #aside

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Just finished Invasion. So, what was even the point of the Sam Neill storyline? Just a bait-and-switch to get people invested in the painfully meandering story? #aside

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Our hacky solution to this conundrum: a HDCP stripper in the HDMI signal path. Don’t get a Monoprice Blackbird, they’re useless > @MacDara #aside

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So it turns out, an FFP2 mask doesn’t really work all that well when you’re hyperventilating #aside

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