Going Out Films Elementary, dear metro Arts & Entertainment life In Town Tonight Republic Of Loose Championed by Irvine Welsh, who included their 2007 LP Aaagh! in Q magazines list of 100 albums of the century, the Loose return after a year of US touring and a collaboration with New York rapper Styles P Tonight, The Academy, 57 Middle Abbey Street D1, 7.30pm, 25 (returns only). Tel: 0818 719 300. www.republicofloose.com Imelda May A graduate of the capitals rich rockabilly scene, Ms May simultaneously channels Hank Williams, Bettie Page and David Lynch, with spine-tingling results even in an arena of this size Tonight, The O2, East Link Bridge, North Wall Quay D1, 7pm, 37.50 to 42.50. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.imeldamay.com Madness They may have a combined age of a million and thirty-four (or thereabouts) but Suggs and co continue to be the life and soul of the gig circuit thanks to their enduring pop-ska hits Baggy Trousers and Our House Dec 28, The O2, North Wall Quay D1, 7pm, 44.20 to 49.20. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.madness.co.uk Book Now Christ Deliver Us! The young people of a provincial Irish town during the 1950s are on a journey of self discovery except the clergy are stifling their every step. Tom Kilroy follows his 2004 play My Scandalous Life with the world premiere of Christ Deliver Us!, a gritty story that removes the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia for Irelands past and stamps all over them. Based on Frank Wedekinds German symbolist masterpiece Spring Awakening, this Wayne Jordan-directed production stars Tom Hickey and Cathy Belton Feb 16 to Mar 13 (previews Feb 4 to 15), 2010, Abbey Theatre, 26 Lower Abbey Street D1, 7.30pm, 18 to 33. Tel: (01) 878 7222. www.abbeytheatre.ie Sherlock Holmes (12A) Running time: 128min Dogged by rumours of re-shoots, signs were that Guy Ritchies big Hollywood break was going to be a birrova dogs breakfast. Turns out, the worst crime of this family entertainment, is its a tad on the boring side. Ritchie may not have written the script, but his cheeky gunsngeezers approach is stomped all over this larky, all action, pulp fiction take on Sherlock. Essentially, its a Joey/Chandler bromance between the master detective (Robert Downey Jr) and his roommate Watson (Jude Law impersonates a Thompson Twin) that gets jeopardised by the arrival of girls, namely: Watsons fiance and Sherlocks spirited villainess squeeze, Rachel McAdams. Meanwhile, Mark Strongs evil Masonic mastermind looms around like Voldemort in a cravat and there is a steady stream of utterly extraneous fight scenes. Nut him! cries Watson to Holmes in a line thatll have Sir Arthur Conan Doyle groaning in his grave. Still Robert Downey Jr is inspired casting as the mercurial, egotistical Holmes, playing him as a flibbertijibbet! A will-o-the wisp! and a ripped, bare-knuckle boxer (well, this IS a Guy Ritchie movie) who uses his elegant powers of deduction mainly to inflict canny GBH on his assailants. With every London street scene crammed to bursting with toothless chestnut roasters et al, its a cracking, if scant on brain matter, Stephens Day watch, thatll delight ten-year-old boys (theres not a sniff of Holmes infamous cocaine habit). Derring-do stunts such as Holmes high-diving off the Houses Of Parliament hint its aiming to become a weird Victorian 007 franchise. If it does Ill eat my deerstalker. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh 14 metrolife Tuesday, December 22, 2009 Nowhere Boy (15A) Running time: 95min Everyone knows what happened to John Lennon after he got famous but what of his childhood? This leisurely biopic meets John (Aaron Johnson, pictured) when hes a rebellious teenager. Hes living with his strict Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) and about to be shattered by the loss of his uncle and father figure George (David Threlfall). Its this trauma that leads him to seek out his real mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), a flighty party girl whose hysterical cheeriness betrays her inner turmoil. The pair get to know each other in a series of encounters played, uncomfortably, like love scenes. They run around giggling, enjoying days out and sharing secrets. Its a challenging, absorbing character portrait perhaps more revealing about Julia than John. The film strikes a less convincing note when John begins to assemble the band that will become The Beatles. Gangly Thomas Sangster (the annoying kid from Love Actually) is completely miscast as Paul McCartney, and he looks like he knows it. This wont satisfy Beatles fans keen to know every musical detail. But it is a striking, if slow-moving portrait of an unconventional mother-son relationship, and a promising debut from artist-turned-director Sam Taylor Wood. Anna Smith Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Sequel (G) Running time: 88min The singing chipmunks return. Presumably the first instalment was such a DVD hit with parents keeping their kids quiet, its spawned this squeakquel. However, there are two main problems with this caper. The first is Alvin himself. A reprehensible individual, Alvin is both an egomaniac (hes a chipmunk himself so why is he given star billing?) and a psychopath scarcely a day goes past without him accidentally hospitalising his guardian. The second is the supporting chipmunks. The Chipettes, lady chipmunk counterparts to Alvin and pals, perform the Beyonc Single Ladies dance routine every five minutes, complete with bum wiggling manoeuvres, as if intent on turning the nations under fives into a legion of juvenile Jezebels. The insanity! The plot is designed to lure the tiddlers in Alvin goes to high school where he becomes embroiled in a musical talent showdown. Hilarity ensues (if youre still at nursery), although a reference to Silence Of The Lambs suggests the filmmakers assume they have an adult audience who arent snoozing/ drunk. The best bit is seeing smug unfunny man David Cross, who must have a hefty mortgage to pay, making a goon of himself as villainous record exec Ian Hawke. If the kids must watch anthropomorphised comedy rodents, there are better ones out there than this bunch. Andrew Williams NET RESULT What weve found online this week www.singleofthedecade.com So weve reached the end of the decade and now were set the task of deciding the best single. This site already has a top ten list thats sure to spawn much debate but users can join in with their own choices, voting and adding tracks for others to judge and leave comments about. Theres no preference for any type of music so all styles can be nominated. Some popular songs already nominated are Crazy In Love by Beyonc (pictured), Daft Punks Digital Love and The Killers Mr Brightside. www.adsoftheworld.com Those who enjoy watching TV commercials or looking at creative ads in glossy magazines will find this site entertaining as it keeps up to date with the latest international campaigns. Ads Of The World gives users a chance to check out and leave comments about some of the best advertisements for various media formats such as TV, cinema, radio, the internet and print. The site is updated on a daily basis and also has information on awards plus news updates from the advertising world. www.animefreak.tv There are many places to watch Japanese animation online and Anime Freak is yet another good place to find those popular cartoons. The titles can be streamed from the site, which is packed with free-to- watch animated films and series, with a choice of English dubbed dialogue or subtitles. Episodes of popular cartoons such as Bleach, Dragon Ball and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are available. Theres also a variety of anime music and manga comics on the website. Anthony Gibson Q8: Stephen Rea appeared in two plays on the Dublin stage this year, Ages Of The Moon and Tales Of Ballycumber. Name the playwrights? index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html