Author

Tom Rowley 15 posts 0 comments

Tom Rowley is a filmmaker/writer/storyteller from Dublin. He co-runs the website and app Storymap, mapping Dublin through its people and their stories. He once buttered a bagel on the wrong side while working in a café, but other than that hes an ok fella.

Film

Czech New Wave | The Boozy Cinema You Need Right Now

Tom Rowley Nov 18, 2020 0

The Czech New Wave is this insanely rich torrent of creativity that erupts in the former Czechoslovakia in the tiniest of time frames - roughly 1964-1968. It’s a mayfly of a wave, ephemeral and utterly unique. Seen from a distance it feels…

Film

Is There Will Be Blood a Comic Masterpiece? | Analysing PT Anderson’s Classic 10 Years On

Tom Rowley Dec 29, 2017 4

There Will be Blood taught me that a profound movie can also be a remarkably silly one. 10 years ago, I was just a few months out of college, and met up with my old Film Studies class to watch PTA’s latest film on its first day. We were…

Film

Christopher Nolan is Making the Wrong Movies

Tom Rowley Aug 26, 2017 2

This is a rant. Yes, I’m swimming a bit against the stream here/maaaaybe borderline contrarian. Christopher Nolan is now the Oscar frontrunner and Dunkirk is universally acclaimed. Here’s the thing though - I believe he’s a strong director…

Film

Literature on Film | Lolita Really is Un-filmable – Even Kubrick Failed

Tom Rowley Jan 14, 2017 0

Lolita was the first novel I really, truly loved. I didn’t read much as a child. I saw it as a ‘nice’ thing adults asked you to do - like brushing your teeth or eating fruit - something virtuous. I read Lolita when I was 16 and it was…

Topical-Opinion

We Need to Strange-ify Masculinity in Order to Dismantle it

Tom Rowley Aug 23, 2016 0

It’s so odd to talk about the whole process of being a man. I think it’s because while it’s everywhere it’s so invisible. It’s that central authority in society, that ubiquitous thing that orders everything else, so that absolutely…

Film Review

Mustang Embraces the Reality of Female Teenage Sexuality in Turkey | Film Review

Tom Rowley May 13, 2016 0

Mustang is a powerful and timely drama, but more impressively it’s also exhilarating, stylish, and fun. I don’t know about you, but I always have this problem. A friend will call up: ‘Oh do you want to go see this great new foreign…

Film Review

Victoria is the One Take, Single Shot Film You’ve Been Waiting For

Tom Rowley Apr 1, 2016 0

Forget Batman v Superman, Victoria is the most ambitious film you’ll see this year. The first and most obvious ambition is technical - Victoria is filmed in one roving long take over 2 hours and 20 minutes, criss-crossing the Kreuzberg…

Film Review

Film Review | Anomalisa is an Unforgettable Cinematic Experience

Tom Rowley Mar 8, 2016 0

GO SEE THIS FILM, IT’S A GEM, AN UNFORGETTABLE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE. THE END*. *Unfortunately Peter the film editor has informed me that I needed to write a longer review than the above, so let me elaborate. You forget films can…

Film Review

Oscar Watch | Why Mad Max: Fury Road Should Win Best Picture

Tom Rowley Feb 23, 2016 0

‘You know hope is a mistake’ Max grumbles. His words not only convey the confusion and pain of a man living in a world that is dead, but are also good counsel for any of us delusional enough to believe Mad Max: Fury Road could nab the best…

Film Review

Film Review | Chronic is a Study of Character with a Stunning Central Performance

Tom Rowley Feb 18, 2016 0

Winner of the best screenplay award at Cannes, Chronic is a neat, tidy and patient character study, following David, a carer for chronic patients. Through him, we meet 4 different patients facing the stark reality of their condition -…