Irish Eye on Hollywood:
McDonagh’s Buzz

Also in November, Martin McDonagh will unveil his latest film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The title might be a tad unruly, but the buzz on the film is strong. The film – which stars Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell and Tipperary native Kerry Condon – earned a ten-minute standing ovation at the recent Venice Film Festival, where it also won the prize for Best Screenplay. The movie revolves around a woman who believes local police are not doing enough to find her daughter’s murderer. McDonagh initially received raves for his Irish plays such as The Beauty Queen of Leenane and A Skull in Connemara. He made the successful transition to Hollywood with profane, violent yet also funny films such as In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. Three Billboards seems very much to be cut from the same cloth. ♦