Welcome to the weekend, courtesy of JOE.ie. Whether you’re staying in or going out, we’ve got it covered. It’s time to leave the working week behind.
GOING OUT
Gigs
It’s a fairly quiet weekend on the gig front, meaning the undoubted hot ticket for Friday and Saturday night are MGMT’s shows at the Olympia this weekend. MGMT haven’t been troubling the charts much since the release of their incredibly audacious/rubbish second album Congratulations, but they’re still as formidable a live act as any. Well recommended if there are still a few tickets floating about.
Film
After the absolute stinker that was last year’s Land of the Lost, Will Ferrell is back on fine form alongside Mark Walhberg in the crime comedy The Other Guys. Anchorman and Step Brothers director Adam McKay always tends to bring out the best in Ferrell, while we’re intriuged by the prospect of Wahlberg dropping his usual tough-guy veneer to test out his comedy chops. JOE reviewed the flick the other day and enjoyed it very much.
Wahlberg and Ferrell bring the funny in The Other Guys
On the other hand, you can do your best to support the Irish film industry this weekend by catching the unflinching drama Savage, which depicts a man’s inability to deal with a brutal, random act of violence set upon him. Again, we at JOE were very impressed.
Events
If you’re looking for a laugh without venturing to the cinema, Apres Match’s “Possibly So” tour begins in Vicar Street on Friday and Saturday. The trio of funnymen were easily the highlight of RTE’s dismal World Cup coverage (anyone remember Ossie Ardiles?) so expect the Apres bunch to be on fine form.
There’s plenty of sporting action this weekend too, as Limerick take on Cork City in the Airtricity League. Elsewhere, Bohs challenge Bray Wanderers in a Ford FAI Cup quarter final. Whichever tie catches your fancy, tickets are available on Ticketmaster now.
Getaway
God evidently thinks it’s funny to urinate all over his servants on this his greenest isle at this time of year, but you don’t have to stand for it. You could convert to Buddhism or alternatively make a break for it – check out the hottest late, late travel deals featured in the newest edition of the Last Minute JOE.
STAYING IN
Sport on TV
This weekend brings the eagerly anticipated GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Final between Cork and Down, if you needed any reminding. Expect Croke Park to be packed to the rafters for arguably the biggest weekend of the Irish sporting calendar.
If you’d rather catch some football from across the pond, then Sunday is a huge day for Premier League fanatics too, with Man City and Chelsea both stacked up against weak opposition. The undoubted football highlight, however, must be the heated unofficial derby between Manchester United and Liverpool, also taking place on the Sunday. Finally, it’s great to see NFL back on the box – can the Dallas Cowboys overcome last week’s shock opening day defeat to the Redskins when they take on the Bears this weekend?
Rooney looks set to face a torrid reception from Liverpool fans for his Premier League return on Sunday
Saturday 18 September
Premier League: Stoke City v West Ham (Sky Sports 2 from 12:45pm)
Premier League: Tottenham v Wolves (Setanta Sports 1 from 2:30pm)
Premier League: Sunderland v Arsenal (ESPN 1 from 4:45pm)
Serie A: AC Milan v Catania (ESPN from 7:45pm)
Sunday 19 September
SPL: Kilmarnock v Celtic (Sky Sports 4 from 12:15pm)
Premier League: Man Utd v Liverpool (Sky Sports 1 from 1:00pm)
Serie A: Palermo v Inter (Setanta Ireland from 2:00pm)
GAA SFC Final: Cork v Down (RTE Two from 3:30pm)
Premier League: Chelsea v Blackpool (Sky Sports 1 from 3:30pm)
NFL: Dallas Cowboys v Chicago Bears (Sky Sports 2 from 5:30pm)
NFL: NY Jets v New England Patriots (Sky Sports 2 from 9:00pm)
On the Box
Gavin and Stacey star Rob Brydon hits the big time tonight with his own primetime Friday night chat show on BBC 2 – the imaginatively-titled The Rob Brydon Show (Friday, BBC2, 10:00pm). Brydon is joined by Little Britain star David Walliams and Tom Jones for his inaugural show. The Welsh comedian is usually at his best for unhinged panel performances, so we’re hoping for the best tonight.
Johnny Depp is out of his head in Fear and Loathing
It’s easy to forget that prior to conquering the box office with his Pirates of the Carribean and Alice in Wonderland roles, Johnny Depp had nothing more than a cult following for much of the 90s, starring in little-seen masterpieces such as Ed Wood or Saturday night’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Saturday, TG4, 9:40pm). A psychedelic road trip with a difference, Loathing has become an oft-quoted cult classic since its low-key 1998 release.
Terry Gilliam’s manic drama revolves around a reckless sports writer and his lawyer hitting the highways in search of the American Dream, heading for the Nevada gambling capital in a convertible stocked with alcohol and drugs. Benicio Del Toro, Ellen Barkin and Christina Ricci round out a more than capable cast.
DVD
Russell Crowe reunites with Gladiator director Ridley Scott once more for this week’s big home entertainment release, the pair’s ‘gritty reboot’ of Robin Hood, which is essentially a Batman Begins-style take on the fabled English hero. We use the Begins comparison because Crowe doesn’t actually do anything Robin-Hoody in the least until the last half-hour, when the entire production team seemingly begs for a sequel right in front of you. Whether a sequel does get made or not (the disappointing US box office take suggests the latter), Robin Hood is still well-made, rousing Saturday night entertainment.
And finally…
Don’t forget to join JOE this weekend for our GAA live match-tracker. The unimitable Conor Hogan will be covering the Senior All-Ireland Football Final Sunday between Cork and Down from 2:30pm onwards. Feel free to send your comments mid-game to shout@joe.ie.
