Paul Markey

Writer, projectionist and cinephile

Ghosts of the silver screen - goodbye to the State Cinema

The northside suburb of Phibsborough seems in a constant state of flux.

Film • 24 Feb 24

Gene Hackman in 1971 classic The French Connection

Let's get physical - why you should hold onto those DVDs

"Has anybody watched "The French Connection" recently?" somebody asked last year on a film website I frequent. "It's been censored."

opinion • 29 Jan 24

Paul Markey's best movies of 2023

The wallop that was Tár ensured my new movie-going year was off to a punch-drunk start.

Film • 21 Dec 23

Adam Driver and Marion Marion Cotillard in Leos Carax's Annette

On Leos Carax: French cinema's visionary director comes to Dublin

Adam Driver must have the best agent in the world. Or at least the best taste.

Film • 15 Nov 23

Peter Sellers in The Return Of The Pink Panther (1975)

The Exorcism of the Pink Panther, and Peter Sellers' Dublin adieu

If it wasn't for the man behind the The Exorcist, we wouldn't have The Pink Panther films.

Film • 21 Oct 23

The wild tale of Rod Taylor, my dad & a forgotten Irish thriller

Dublin, March 1978. Star Wars plays to packed houses at the Savoy, the legendary Micheál Mac Liammóir is laid to rest in Howth and RTE, in a controversial move, axes the early summer run of Trom agus Éadrom.

Film • 27 Sep 23

Cillian Murphy, projected, from a 70MM film print of Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer on the big screen, and the magic of 70mm projection

It's all about moving parts, you see. A tactile experience that translates to the eye.

Film • 19 Jul 23

Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny

Fortune and glory - Indiana Jones and me

Where do you go after Star Wars? After watching the trilogy a million times through my childhood and teens I did, eventually, get kind of bored.

Film • 01 Jul 23

Mark Hamill pays Jabba a surprise visit in Return Of The Jedi

Return Of The Jedi at 40 - the force is strong with this one

Like oh so many kids of my generation, I lived for Star Wars.

Pop Culture • 03 Jun 23

The iconic statue of a cinema usher outside Dublin's Screen Cinema, now demolished

Lights out: The diaries of a Dublin cinema usher

I'm no Michael Palin or Alan Bennett. But in intermittent bursts throughout my life I've kept regular accounts of the - more often than not - mundane drama of my day to day.

Film • 31 Mar 23