Showgirls (NC): Paul Verhoeven: The Hollywood Years
Sat 24 Aug 2024 (note: this event has already taken place)
7pm
€10.50
131 mins | United States 1995 Director: Paul Verhoeven Starring: Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan and Gina Gershon In Las Vegas stardom can be found…at a price. Noni Malone is willing to pay that price when she drifts into town and becomes an exotic dancer in the seedy back room of the Cheetah Club. Here, she is discovered by Cristal, star of the biggest, brashest and sexist show in Vegas. With the help of Cristal’s lover Zack, Nomi is given the chance to fulfil her wildest dreams. But, in a world riddled with lust and jealousy, she soon discovers that fame and fortune can come at a cost. Panned by critics when it was originally released and a failure at the box office, SHOWGIRLS has gone on to become a major cult movie, with viewers appreciating Paul Verhoeven’s hyperbolic approach to the material and recognising the film as a damning indictment of the pitfalls of fame and fortune in the American entertainment industry. Originally banned from Irish cinemas, do not miss this opportunity of experiencing SHOWGIRLS on the big screen. “SHOWGIRLS is truly one of
the only ’90s films that treats pop culture as a vibrant field of social economics and cerebral pursuit.” Slant
Paul Verhoeven: The Hollywood Years This summer Triskel Arts Centre presents a season of films dedicated to one of the most divisive, controversial and successful directors who worked in American cinema during the late 20th century: Paul Verhoeven. The Dutch filmmaker made his stateside debut with the original ROBOCOP in 1987, a bold and audacious sci-fi action movie with a strong satirical edge. The same can be said of his next picture TOTAL RECALL, starring one of the era’s biggest stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. The steamy sex-charged neo noir thriller BASIC INSTINCT came next, one of the most financially successful films of 1992 worldwide. His followup picture SHOWGIRLS was a failure at the box office and was trashed by the critics when originally released but has come to be recognised as a biting satire of the entertainment industry. Verhoeven helmed STARSHIP TROOPERS next, a violent futuristic sci-fi tale which takes a cautious look at extremist militarism and propaganda. These movies will all be screened over five consecutive Saturdays in August.
