In this episode, Dara is speaking from a position of powerlessness thanks to the after-effects of Storm Darragh, which ripped through many parts of Ireland last week with an unforgiving ferocity.
Dara, Meet Dara – The Story of How I Met My Sister! – Episode 185 Read More »
In this episode, Dara is warming up for the festive season by acknowledging how stress-inducing it can all get and how it really isn’t for everybody. In his own household a new permutation is longed for by some, which doesn’t entirely suit him.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? Ask Me Sponge Balls! – Episode 184 Read More »
In this episode, Dara looks at the idea of psychological defeat and the metaphorical hills we are determined to die on. Fundamentally an issue of faith in one’s own psyche and worldview, what happens when our confidence in that vision begins to crumble? Can faith be restored?
Men Need Not Apply – Women Who Leave Men Behind – Episode 183 Read More »
In this episode, Dara is spurred to reflect on Francis Ford Coppola’s latest film, ‘Megalopolis’. In the great master’s wild and not-so-wonderful saga, one brilliant man carries the burden of saving society from itself, but must contend with a rival who epitomises more mundane aspirations. Is the film about Coppola himself, or is it his thesis statement of whose visions are worth following? Whatever about its intention, the execution is an unwieldy mess.
The Anticlimax of Megalopolis, or What Would You Do With Coppola’s Money? – Episode 182 Read More »
In this episode, Dara shares final thoughts on the US presidential election and speculates that the Democrats still haven’t shaken the patronising habit of belittling those who disagree with them. He argues that if you take this attitude in the world of martial arts, you are setting yourself up to fail – the assumption of superiority is a dangerous flex of ego that can result in complacency and abdicated diligence.
The Humble Art of Reading the Room, or It’s Not All About You! – Episode 181 Read More »
In this episode, Dara reacts to the re-election of Donald Trump to the US presidency. Did the Democrats and Kamala Harris once again fail to take seriously Trump and the Republican voter base? Whatever the cause, politicians of the liberal centre or centre-left have not been convincing enough to get themselves back into power. Four more years of Trump is a worrying prospect for the larger wellness of a very divided nation.
Four More Years! Trump Restored and Gore Vidal’s Presidential Writings – Episode 180 Read More »
In this episode, Dara considers violence against women and the recent clear-eyed responses to it by Hollywood regulars Anna Kendrick and Saoirse Ronan, as seen in Kendrick’s impressive directorial debut ‘Woman of the Hour’, and as heard in Ronan’s bulletproof interjection on the Graham Norton show. After reviewing Kendrick’s chilling movie and contextualising Ronan’s comments, he recalls a key moment of Rachel McAdams’ character in the second season of True Detective which laid out with absolute clarity the power differential between men and women.
In this episode, Dara talks about the characters we respond to in the art we consume. Having been very stirred by ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’, he stays in the world of movies and finds himself thinking about Jungian archetypes and the shadow self we can see reflected at us from the big screen. Speaking about that film, which has heavily promoted Lady Gaga as the joint draw of the story along with Joaquin Phoenix’s compelling title character, he argues that it is what transpires between the Joker and Brendan Gleeson’s prison officer that really unlocks the film and its grim depiction of human damage.
I Felt That, or Emotional Travelling with Fictional Characters – Episode 178 Read More »
In this episode, Dara is still reeling after watching Coralie Fargeat’s astonishing film ‘The Substance’, a scarifyingly vicious body-horror satire on the pressure that results from the extreme demands of celebrity and the beauty expectations inflicted on women. The film is centred around a TV fitness personality whose middle-age renders her undesirable in the eyes of the network. In a ferocious performance by Demi Moore we bear witness to the lengths a woman will go to to preserve her looks and corresponding status.
What the Hell Is That! The Audacious Grotesquerie of ‘The Substance’ – Episode 177 Read More »
In this episode, Dara considers the elements that contribute to our resentment buckets and shoulder chips. He believes time and the ease of others are two key ingredients in the mix. He confesses to giving voice to some very uncharitable resentfulness around the time he became a father. He also speaks carefully around a significant source of resentment in his marriage.
You Have It So Easy! Resentment, Ease, and Reaching for the Good – Episode 176 Read More »
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