The Morrigan review – spirit of pagan demon queen unleashed in Irish burial chamber horror

Archaeologists blunder into an ancient and unwittingly release a vengeful monster – with predictable and conventional results In Irish folklore, the Morrígan is a powerful goddess of death and war. This horror movie imagines her as an actual historical figure: a pagan queen massacred with her followers by Christians. A quick scene at the start of the film shows the dirty deed. The Morrígan’s rage against misogyny has screamed down through the centuries – so it’s a shame the film frames her not as a feminist icon but a highly conventional horror movie nemesis; a malign vengeful female to be crushed and destroyed. There is nothing to punch the air about in the end. Saffron Burrows plays an archaeologist called Fiona who has been repeatedly passed over for tenure at her US university. When Fiona presents her radical theory that the myth of the Morrígan may have a basis in real life, her slippery colleague Jonathan (Jonathan Forbes) is made the lead on the dig. Fiona is forced to bring al...

Jane Campion: ‘I needed this Oscar for The Power of the Dog. equality matters

The director, one of the winners of the fateful night that blurred Will Smith, talks about the importance of representation after winning the Oscar for best direction for 'The Power of the Dog.' The last gala of the Oscar Awards, in which tapes like CODA, Drive my Car, or Dune should have dazzled, has ended up marked by Will Smith's attack on presenter Chris Rock. Although the Academy will investigate the incident, the cinema was in second place. But there were surprises, some very pleasant, such as the first victory of a film released on streaming like CODA or the well-deserved award for directing by Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog, being the third woman to win the Oscar for Best Director. and the second in a row after the success of Chloe Zhao and Nomadland in 2021. As the actress has confessed in Variety, she needed this award to promote equality. Jane Campion's achievement is no more minor. They have had to spend 93 years awarding statuettes to two women like those mentioned to be able to raise their awards consecutively. Although Campion's happiness was remarkable, the one that promised to be the great winner of the night, The power of the dog, was left almost empty when tapes like CODA or Dune managed to prevail in the most varied categories to the production of Netflix. The streaming platform's advertising campaign opted for the Apple film, but the show took home one of the most important awards: best direction. Until 2010, with Kathryn Bigelow and her On Hostile Ground, no woman had won this Oscar, with only seven women nominated for that category in the entire history of these awards. Campion highlighted this, who was visibly happy and excited to receive this statuette. "I am proud to have won today, for my film, my team, and my cast, but also to be another woman who is going to be followed by a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, and an eighth. So I am very excited because now this is moving fast. We need it. Equality matters," she explained. In 1994 it was very close. While Jane Campion, who lashed out at superhero movies a few days ago, picked up the best screenplay award for The Piano, she almost received the Academy's highest directing honors. Instead, Steven Spielberg received the award for his Schindler's List. CODA director and screenwriter Sian Heder, who took home the award for best screenplay, was full of praise for Campion, who she considers an inspiration in her career. " I love a job well done; when people do it, I don't care who they are or where they come from. It just excites me. I think it is very rewarding that lately, they are women because they have brave energy. Thanks to the #MeToo movement, I think this is their moment," he concluded. The Hollywood industry, little by little, seems to be heading towards new horizons and times, rewarding talent.

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