Hacker Cinema
Kneecap
2024 · Film · 105 min
Directed by Rich Peppiatt
When fate brings Belfast teacher JJ into the orbit of self-confessed 'low life scum' Naoise and Liam Óg, the needle drops on a hip-hop act like no other. Rapping in their native Irish, they lead a movement to save their mother tongue.
3 positivefrom 3 commenters
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3 comments on Hacker News
Flann O'Brian can't be celebrated enough - 'At Swim-Two-Birds' is up there with Ulysses in terms of the great works of English language literature.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/08/100-best-novels-at-swim-two-birds-flann-o-brien-obrien-dermot-trellis
In terms of the cultural resurgeance of Irish, whilst the Rubberbandits have done their part, its nothing compared to the full-on assault on cultural consciousness the politically divisive rap-group 'Kneecap' have performed - although they're about to be cancelled by the pro-Zionist lobby in the US.
https://www.screenireland.ie/news/kneecap-becomes-first-irish-language-film-to-win-sundance-film-festival-award
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kneecap
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFYfp-hKxZQ
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/23/sharon-osbourne-calls-for-kneecap-rappers-us-visas-to-be-revoked-after-israel-criticism
There's actually a much wider variety of music now than in the eighties/nineties. I was born in 1974, grew up on eighties music. Got into alternative music in the nineties. And so on. What was on the radio in the eighties was pretty bland mostly but with some notable exceptions. But there was nothing else on so you listened to it anyway.
These days I listen to both old and new music. And also some music that is older than me. My motto is that if it was worth listening to fifty years ago it probably still is. And if it was crap then, it probably still is.
There are a lot of new/young artists making music in the style of pretty much any style you can name happened in the past 60 years or so. I need to get over the "these kids are less than half my age" thing of course. But some of that stuff is pretty good. There's an enormous long tail of relatively obscure artists that simply did not exist in the eighties/nineties. Worth exploring.
Pop charts stopped mattering a long time ago. People don't buy lps, cds or singles. And those don't get played on the radio based on sales statistics. There's still some artists that get played on the radio obviously. But radio is for old people. Most kids have headphones connected to their phones, not a radio. They'll listen to whatever they want, whenever they want.
I went to see Kneecap yesterday (Irish mockumentary about a real band doing Irish Rap). Pretty decent music and fantastic movie. Obviously inspired by eighties/nineties hip hop.
Ah thanks for reminding me about this. Lots of films to catch up on this year! I love how international Sight and Sound’s list is too.
I really enjoyed Kneecap and Perfect Days this year.