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Movies & TV

13th Feb 2014

JDIFF: Richard Dreyfuss is coming to town so here are JOE’s five favourite films starring the Hollywood hero

Terrific titles from the talented thesp...

JOE

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival launches today and, over the course of the next two weeks, film fanatics will descend on Dublin to sample the best that filmmakers from Ireland and the wider world have to offer.

You can check out the festival’s entire lineup by clicking here but it’s safe to say that one of the most exciting events that everyone here at JOE HQ is looking forward to is the visit of none other than Hollywood legend Richard Dreyfuss.

You can also be in with a chance to win a Season Pass to this year’s festival or a pair of tickets to a festival highlight simply by clicking here to enter the JDIFF Facebook competition.

To get everyone in the movie mood and to help you all swot up on Richard’s rockin’ repertoire before his visit here on Tuesday 18th February, JOE has prepared this very handy list of five fantastic films starring the great man himself.

So what are you waiting for? Get swotting…

Jaws (1975)

It’s a science fact that you cannot compile any list of great Richard Dreyfuss films and not include Steven Spielberg’s suspenseful 1975 classic, the ploop-your-pants blockbuster hit Jaws.

Dreyfuss plays Matt Hooper, a marine biologist who, along with Roy Scheider’s Police Chief Martin Brody and Robert Shaw’s grizzled sea-captain Quint, is tasked with hunting down and stopping the terrifying titular shark from terrorising the fine folk of Amity Island.

The brilliantly exciting news is that, as part of JDIFF, Jaws will actually be the next eagerly-anticipated movie shown as part of the phenomenally cool and creative Jameson Cult Film Club series and, this time around, Richard Dreyfuss himself will be a special guest and will take part in a Q&A after the film’s screening. We. Cannot. Wait.

IDL084-JDIFF-Jaws-web visual-V7 (1)

What About Bob? (1991)

You want us to watch a comedy directed by Frank ‘Yoda, I am’ Oz, starring Richard Dreyfuss AND Bill Murray? Not a problem. Where do we sign up?

Dreyfuss plays the angry straight man to Murray’s manic psychiatric patient and the two make a perfect yin and yang pair as Richard (that’s right, we’re on first-name terms with the man) absolutely nails the part of Dr. Leo Marvin; an egotistcal New York psychiatrist who is pushed to the edge while on a family vacation with Murray’s wacky Bob Wiley tagging along.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977)

More like Close Encounters Of The CLASS Kind. Am I right!? *JOE tries to high-five everyone. No one high-fives back*

Steven Spielberg and Dickie (that’s right, we’re on nickname terms with the man) teamed up two years after the success of Jaws to create yet another movie masterpiece in 1977. This time around, Dreyfuss stars as everyman Roy Neary in Spielberg’s sci-fi classic, a blue collar worker and family man who heartbreakingly becomes consumed with extraterrestrial life (and mountains made out of potatoes) after, well, a close encounter of the third kind AKA an Unidentified Flying Object.

American Graffiti (1973)

Before he was busy making brilliant films with Señor Spielbergo, R-Dreyf (that’s right, we’re on poorly-fromed rap name terms with the man) worked with one of Steven’s best buds, Mr. George Lucas, on this brilliant coming-of-age tale set in California in 1962.

The talented thesp plays Curt Henderson, one of a number of teenagers on a series of adventures over the course of one hot Summer night. Oh, and it involves Harrison Ford and a lot of cruising.

No, not that type of cruising you dirtmonger. We’re talking about car cruising.

Stakeout (1987)

Sure, this film may not be the most critically-acclaimed of Richard Dreyfuss’ career (that’s right, we’re back to full name terms – his lawyers got in touch), but crime comedy Stakeout certainly is one of the most fun. The Hollywood hero stars as Detective Chris Lecce on, that’s right, you guessed it, a police stakeout where he gets to team up with Emilio Estevez.

The man coached the Mighty Ducks for God’s sake! What more do you want in a perp-catching partner!?

For more information on this year’s Jameson Dublin International Film Festival just click here.

And don’t forget folks, you can also be in with a chance to win a Season Pass to this year’s festival or a pair of tickets to a festival highlight simply by clicking here to enter the JDIFF Facebook competition.

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