Published on March 22, 2026
Belfast’s Holylands area has gained notoriety over the past two decades for its affordable student housing and persistent issues related to anti-social behaviour. This part of the city, especially every St Patrick’s Day, transforms into a scene marked fueled drugs, occasionally resulting in student arrests.
The reality of anti-social behaviour and excessive partying is not limited to special occasions; it is a year-round concern that has strained relationships between long-term residents and universities. These institutions have invested significant time, resources, and money to address the worst excesses of their students’ behaviours.
First-time director Paddy Duffy presents a contrasting perspective with his film ‘The Unholylands’, which follows the story of two law undergraduates, Michael Brennan played and his stepbrother Scott portrayed . The premise is straightforward: both aspire to join the family law firm managed , played . In a pivotal scene, their father confronts them about their reckless antics, unearthed through their social media posts. He warns that their prospects for a future at the firm could be jeopardized and assigns Alister Griffiths, a posh and uptight Oxford graduate played , to chaperone the two students.
However, Scott has other plans and convinces Michael to continue their party lifestyle while also dragging Alister into their antics. The narrative quickly devolves into a disjointed plot involving psychotic culchies, a bag of ketamine, and Mr. Brennan’s attempts to monitor their activities, culminating in confrontations with other characters in the Belfast underworld.
Duffy, who also penned the screenplay, appears to target the same demographic that enjoyed films like ‘Kneecap’ and ‘The Young Offenders’—audiences who find humour in drugs, excessive drinking, and casual sexual escapades. However, what separates those films from Duffy’s effort is their clever writing and filmmaking quality. In contrast, ‘The Unholylands’ resembles a student film stretched over 99 minutes, marked and poor acting. The film’s amateur direction is so lacking that even the various holiday specials from ‘The Hole In The Wall Gang’ seem like works of cinematic genius .
The film is riddled with weaknesses across the board, making its theatrical release in Northern Ireland and subsequent broadcast on BBC1 NI truly perplexing. It’s even more astounding that Duffy managed to secure cameo appearances from James Nesbitt and country singer Nathan Carter.
The troubling spectacle of student behaviour in the real-life Holylands has prevailed for years, and through ‘The Unholylands’, Duffy has managed to produce something even more disheartening than the events it attempts to celebrate.
In the realm of superhero cinema, Jake Schreier is tasked with concluding the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with the $180 million budgeted film ‘Thunderbolts*’. This movie, marked with an asterisk, may hold significance for devoted fans of the franchise, but to others, it seems just another entry in a long lineup of similar films.
Centering on Florence Pugh’s character Yelena Bolova, a Russian assassin introduced in 2021’s ‘Black Widow’, the film opens with Yelena grappling with the loss of her adoptive sister Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, who perished in 2019’s ‘Avengers: Endgame’. Early on, Pugh performs a stunts sequence where Yelena jumps from a skyscraper, activating a parachute to make her descent safely.
In her role, Yelena is commissioned Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, portrayed -Dreyfus, to eliminate a target at a facility. Upon her arrival, she discovers other members of the O.X.E. Group’s Sentry superhuman project present as well. A chaotic battle ensues until they realize Valentina, amid impeachment proceedings, aims to eliminate any evidence facility alongside them.
The ensemble cast includes Wyatt Russell as the new Captain America, John Walker, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, and Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykoff/Taskmaster, among others. They unexpectedly team up and escape the facility, only to be pursued ’s forces. In the midst of this chaos, Bob Reynolds, portrayed , begins to show signs of superpowers.
Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, enters the fray, attempting to capture Yelena and the so-called Thunderbolts* to testify against Valentina. Their journey takes them to New York after discovering that Bob has been coerced into aligning with Valentina in his new superhuman form, Void.
While the premise of ‘Thunderbolts*’ is far from groundbreaking, it does rank among the more enjoyable entries within the Marvel lineup, predominantly due to Pugh’s compelling performance. The film’s best moments revolve around her character, in contrast to the rest of the cast, who largely adhere to the established MCU formula.
Veteran actors such as Dreyfus, Stan, and David Harbour deliver solid performances, despite the film’s predictability and familiar CGI effects. While the plot may feel redundant, staying through the film reveals the significance of the asterisk and sets the stage for the looming arrival of the Russo Brothers’ ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ slated for cinemas in December 2026.
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