acting

Napalm, Keeping Quiet, and Sweet Country Music – The Lovely Career of Robert Duvall – Episode 240

In this episode, Dara revisits the careers and acting talent of two very special American actors – the very recently deceased Robert Duvall and Tom Noonan. Duvall had an amazingly long career from his breakthrough role in 1962’s To Kill a Mockingbird, through the New Hollywood 70s and right on to this current decade. He was a performer of effortless and natural charm who was a master of quiet, deceptively unmannered acting.

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It’s Emma Thompson, Stupid! (She’s a Dame, Don’t You Know…) – Episode 214

This episode is as on the nose as a John Lee Hancock film! No ambiguity, no grey areas, it’s a celebration of the career of Emma Thompson. After recently rewatching 1995’s Sense and Sensibility, Dara was reminded of how much he has always admired Thompson and her work. So he decided to dedicate an hour to her (almost) entire filmography.

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Hackman, Ingoldsby, and Toth – Masters and Medium – Episode 196

In this episode, Dara is reckoning with great creative men, two real and one fictional. The world has recently lost the bodily forms of Irish poet Pat Ingoldsby and Hollywood actor Gene Hackman, but their work remains indelibly with us. Ingoldsby was a beloved figure in Ireland whose sparkling and deceptively profound poetry arguably never received the credit it was due, although its accessibility ensured it reached legions of appreciative and dedicated readers, many of whom have expressed their grief and gratitude since he passed.

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Things Living and Dead, or The Strange Inertia of Nicole Kidman’s Upper Lip – Episode 172

In this episode, Dara is looking for a pulse. After he and his daughter watched Adam Sandler’s 2004 romcom, 50 First Dates, Dara was reminded why he wasn’t a fan of the comedian’s factory line movies – there were too many moments and gags that were completely devoid of life.

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Readings from Brando and Durcan – Slimy Slugs and Penile Compasses! – Episode 171

A very simple and straightforward episode this week – Dara reads a lengthy unabridged extract from Marlon Brando’s autobiography – Songs My Mother Taught Me, published in 1994. Brando’s voice is frank and accessible and he shares his thoughts on acting, fame, and various female lovers during the time of his emergence as America’s most captivating actor. He also speaks about being a damaged child and the difficulty he had trying to shake off feelings of worthlessness.

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