The Happytime Murders (16s) *
The Happytime Murders is outrageous, out there but ultimately not nearly as much fun as it thinks itself.
A warning to parents: don’t mistake the cuddly looking puppets on the posters for making this a family friendly movie. There’s a darkness to the artwork for a reason - this film is geared firmly towards adult audiences and unsuitable for children.
It’s hard to know what Brian Henson (son of the legendary Jim) was thinking when he signed up for this one-note movie. The Happytime Murders plays it for shock value but it’s trying too hard and crucially, the jokes don’t land.
The movie’s thin plot revolves around a world in Las Angeles where humans and puppets coexist, but puppets are widely derided and regarded as second-class citizens.
At the heart of this world is rogue puppet detective Phil Philips (Bill Barretta), a noir-type cop who once had a promising career in the LAPD. But he was given the heave-ho after failing to take out one of his own.
But when Phil happens upon a gory massacre at a local porn shop, it marks the first in a series of murders all linked by the same connection. All of the victims, both puppet and human, are former stars of a children’s show called The Happytime Gang. He joins forces with a reluctant cop (Melissa McCarthy) to crack the case.
Other significant people in Phil’s life include his secretary, Bubbles (a wasted Maya Rudolph) and Jenny, a former star of the TV show who now works in a lap dancing club and who Phil was once in love with.
The potential for some adult fun is there, but the movie’s screenplay isn’t funny enough to make the gags land. It’s a fun-free experience to watch, and one that feels far longer than its 90 minute running time.
I Dolours (15A) ****
Irish filmmaker Maurice Sweeney and journalist Ed Moloney bring us a remarkable, shocking account of the life of IRA bomber Dolours Price - through her own testimony.
Price, who died in 2013, gave a detailed account of her life and role within the IRA to Moloney on the strict proviso it would not be released until after her death.
Weaving actual footage from those five hours of interviews with historical archive material, Sweeney tells an evocative tale of The Troubles from the perspective of one of its most controversial protagonists.
Some of Price’s stories and experiences are also blended into the film as performed by actors.
One of the most shocking elements of the film is when she details her role in the IRA murders of the ‘Disappeared’, often driving people over the border to their deaths. The included, according to Price, mother of ten Jean McConville, whose family have always denied was an informer. The Northern Ireland Ombudsman has also discredited the claims.
Not an easy watch, but the film gives us a unique perspective on a violent and important period in Irish history.
