I do quite like watching the odd reality TV show. Nothing comes close to the comatose feeling you get from such brainless activity, except maybe being in an actual coma. Bull Alley Theatre Company takes a light hearted and at times outrageous look at the world of Reality Shows. The production is devised by Bull Alley’s graduating class and takes the form of a number of sketches narrating the downfall of a bunch of recognisable reality rejects. Each production is guaranteed to have an audience made up of suitably 'out there' drama students, all of whom seem to be just as up for the madness as the cast members. This adds to the craziness of what is already a lively and irreverent night. The production is camp, funny and showy. All the things there are to love about reality TV, with the boring bits removed. Go for the giggles. Win Tickets /Jonny McCully

Thirty seconds. Give me close-ups of the product, follow that with some super close-ups of the product, make the logo bigger, tell a brand story, make it 'creative'…oh yeah and do all of this in thirty seconds. Tonight, Ireland's advertising and design creatives are taking a commercial break, coming out of the quotation marks to put their talent back in the picture. Eleven short films will be shown on this one epic night. From slaves to masters of time, these filmmakers have a rare ability to deliver, in a manner of minutes, a story that will live with you long after its sell-by date. / Judy O'Broin

A reputable music publication recently published the results of their ‘Best Dance Act Of All Time’ poll. Very near the top of this illustrious pile were Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, aka The Chemical Brothers. It was in 1992 that these two created their first piece of music, Song to the Siren. Since then, they have grown into one of the very few truly arena-ready dance acts, and if you watch their new film Don’t Think, you will understand why. Filmed using 21 cameras at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan in front of 50,000 fans, it is shot specifically from a fans' perspective and seeks to bring to life what it's like to go to a Chemical Brothers concert. Expect stunning lights shows, off-the-hook visuals and of course, Block Rockin' Beats. / Alex Goddard

Hailing from Waterford, Katie Kim makes music that could nominally be described as folk but which comes cloaked in a thoroughly contemporary haze of electronic atmosphere. Gearing up for the release of her new double vinyl album  (and you don't see that too much any more), she'll be appearing alongside The Lost Brothers and Puzzle Muteson on the Dublin leg of the fast becoming an institution Certain Three tour this Friday. Current single Heavy Lighting, which you can hear on her Bandcamp page, gives you a good idea of what to expect from the new record. It's a dreamy, subaquatic waltz which finds the singer's fragile voice submerged in a tide of fuzzy tones which ebb and flow before building to a beautiful, sea swept conclusion. A great chance to see an Irish artist who'll be making waves in 2012. Win Tickets / Conor McDevitt

When I tell you Grandmaster Flash is old school, I mean he is old school. We're talking about a guy who was one of the first to take scratching and beat juggling from his bedroom to the block, creating a brand new art form in the process. Along with the (now presumably not so) Furious Five, he was the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (tragically, Vanilla Ice is still awaiting that honour) and while rap bores will tell you Flash doesn't actually appear on their seminal single The Message, for his contributions to the art of sampling alone, the man deserves his place in pop history. While rap today might be a young man's game, you don't stick around as long as Flash has without picking up a few new tricks, and he'll be showing the whipper snappers how it's done tonight. Win Tickets / Conor McDevitt

"Do you think my paisley shellsuit goes with my new ushanka?" People, the answer is yes. Follow the advice of the old Dublin tune and "Take her up to Monto, Monto, Monto".  And no I don't mean up to get your jollies - you'll get a different kind of those in this establishment. The joys of vintage. From the outside you'll be forgiven for thinking it's a costume shop, and it is of sorts, brilliant for finding items for themed outfits, better for stumbling across something you're not likely to find in Penneys. The place is heaving with leather jackets, fedoras and sequin bags, so get your riffling mitts on and your eagle eye out to unearth that to die for item. Those of a distractable nature beware and perhaps prepare for a bit of a fit as it is that crammed. Also must give a tip of the old ushanka to the brilliant proprieter, Marion. / Sarah Maguire

The Bad Ass Café is one of Temple Bar's most recognisable landmarks, so when it closed its doors a few months ago people were understandably upset. Thankfully it has since re-opened and is completely revitalised, with a new look and a new weekly comedy night. Having launched back in November, this latest addition to Dublin’s ever expanding comedy scene has already played host to the likes of Robbie Bonham, Jarleth Reagan and World Champion Street Performer Jack Wise, and this Friday sees The Savage Eye’s John Colleary headline. With your food included in your admission price, this is definitely a austerity friendly night out, and the location means that you get a good mix of tourists, laughter aficionados and passers, making for a truly eclectic audience. Funny folk and good food – sure what more could you ask for? / Frances Winston

Late January brings a musical feast as the Irish Baroque Orchestra presents Masterworks 2012, their annual Dublin-based concert series. Under the artistic direction of renowned violinist Monica Huggett, the orchestra will be performing music that’s historically informed and played on period instruments. Continuing every evening until this Saturday, each concert offers a Bach cantata, with noted soprano Susan Hamilton, and works by Telemann and Vivaldi – all neatly wrapped up in an hour. If that’s not enough, there’ll be a Telemann Coffee Concert on Sunday afternoon to round off the series. Running alongside the concerts is Boutique Baroque, an education and outreach programme taking place at the National Concert Hall. The concerts themselves will take place, fittingly for Bach, in St Finian’s Lutheran Church. / Des Fitzgerald

There's no easy way to say this, but I am Richard Fearless. At least, I was Richard Fearless. There was a spell in 1999, back-dropped by the brilliantly haunting Contino Sessions album, when I assumed the identity of one half of Death In Vegas and used it wherever possible to blag free entry, guestlist or reserve tables in certain Dublin nightclubs. It culminated in the blag of a free room in the Morrison Hotel on the night of the MTV awards in Dublin. I am not a proud man, but I was a happy 21-year-old. Tonight, Richard Fearless returns to Dublin for a DJ set, and I hope it wont set off an unhealthy metamorphosis that my now much wiser self cannot maintain. With a new DIV album out - Trans Love Energies - the first in seven years, expect a moody spectrum of spooky, sparse tunes from Fearless. Hopefully no one will approach him with any old unpaid tabs. / 'Richard Fearless'

According to studies, we wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time. Subsequently, we all have a lot of discarded items festering at the back of our wardrobes. From that too small dress that you planned to slim into to the unflattering jacket that was such a bargain in the sales you just had to have it, everyone is guilty of purchasing items that realistically we will never wear. However, one man’s tat is another man’s treasure, and this event gives you the opportunity to rid yourself of these unwanted items AND make some cash. The premise is simple - you book a rail, you turn up with your “stock” and hangers and start selling from your own little stall. You can sell absolutely anything from your closet, and the money you make can go towards some more discerning purchases – or you could just blow it on some more stuff you’ll never wear! / Frances Winston

I can only assume there isn't going to be any actual tattooing going on during this screening. I mean this is one of the most jump inducing films of all time. One badly-timed scare and a needle slip later and your expertly rendered bit of body art could turn into something that requires an extended hospital stay. Safety issues aside, there's never a bad time to watch Jaws. The effects may be showing their age, but the young Spielberg's taut direction and John Williams' supremely effective score (you know how it goes) make for a movie which has lost none of its capacity to thrill. The excellent cast is perhaps best remembered for honorary Irishman Robert Shaw's iconic turn as grizzled shark hunter Quint, delivering his famous USS Indianapolis monologue with all the gravitas of the stage-trained actor he was. Apply here/ Conor McDevitt

French director Bertrand Bonello has never shied away from the nitty-gritty of human sexuality (his prize-winning debut The Pornographer courted controversy with its use of un-simulated sex scenes), but while his new film again focuses on the baser aspects of human nature, its aim is not mere titillation. Elegantly shot, and with a clever soundtrack which mixes classic pop and soul with opera, House of Tolerance examines in minute detail the lives of the girls working in a Parisian brothel as the 19th century turns into the 20th. The film's lavish style and lovingly shot interiors make a stark contrast to the occasionally mundane, often humiliating, and sometimes horrifying nature of the women's work. A period drama which eschews the often staid tone of the genre, Merchant Ivory this is not. / Conor McDevitt

You know how easy it is to stalk someone on Facebook or gather information on your crush. Oh come on, everybody does that. Imagine what it would’ve been like if Hoover had had access to this kind of technology. The guy could have run the world. Eastwood perfectly depicts his notorious data-collecting hobby but also focuses on the man's private life. It isn't another Hollywood hagiography, as the director shows the decline of a man trapped in his own obsessions and megalomania. J. Edgar is a captivating film that perfectly intertwines the big history with the personal one. Eastwood films the supposed relationship between Hoover and Tolson with a lot of delicacy, and this is the most interesting aspect of the film. In this respect, J. Edgar can be considered as one of Eastwood’s rare love stories. / Marine Wong Kwok Chuen

When Donegal meets Senegal… even with such perfect rhyming, it probably doesn’t happen that often in the musical world. As a grand finale of the Temple Bar Trad fest, they have something very interesting up their sleeves as Irish fidil trio, aptly named ‘Fidil’ headline with seventh generation griot storyteller Solo Cissohko, playing a mean kora, in the Button Factory. The global, tribalistic elements of Irish trad music become apparent the more one listens to the traditional sounds of West Africa, the links becoming clearer with these sorts of sounds. Support is from Tarab, a great Mediterranean, Moorish jazz mash-up. Presented by jazz and world music maestros Improvised Music Company, this will be a creative closing to traditional Tradfest. Win Tickets / Marion O'Sullivan

This bizarre movie is like that Channel 4 brat-pack hit Skins, but without the hot young things. Berlin Calling has a starring role for a man who looks like Moby on crack, and supporting roles for a lady in a nurse's uniform - not the faintly smexy one, but a full fusion of scrubs with polyester awfulness, and quite a sweet looking girl who looks like she just shouldn't be there. When will the nuns come and save her?! Warning: There is a threesome scene. The baldy eggy headed Moby-esque man and two ladies with fringes. This film, for all its ridiculous posturing, is inherently sad. You'll cringe at a man in a shell suit getting down with the kids and still doing too many drugs. But can you really feel sorry for someone who's clearly enjoying what they consider to be an hedonistic existence? / Kate Frances Coleman

One of the best/worst(blurst) things about January is humblebragging about how sad it is that you can't go to the pub 'cause you're off the booze and oh did I mention I've been to the gym everyday before work after cycling into town and have zumba later before tag rugby? Omg so healthy/annoying(healthnoying). But sometimes you just have a little bit more room in yo belleh after your lunchtime salad (which you brought from home). That's the perfect sitch for a froyo, yo. And as if on cue, Yogism opens up in George's Street Arcade. I loves me their froyo almost as much as I loves me their sweet-ass graphic design and snazz looking shop. Squirt your own yoghurt and top your own toppings. Blueberry froghurt + strawberry slices for maximum smug healthnoyingness./ Karl Watson

Coming from the solid and bankable stable of Alexander Payne (Sideways) and George Clooney comes the assured, if somewhat over-hyped, The Descendants. Thrust from 'understudy' parent role to main player when his wife is rendered unconscious after an accident, Clooney becomes the unwilling bind to glue relations with his two daughters. Set in Hawaii, he's also in on a contentious deal with his cousins to redevelop a massive plot of land which will keep them in leis for life. The Descendants is well acted, paced, scripted and flecked with humourous observations. There's a revelation which forces Clooney to re-evaluate everything he thought he knew. Assured in every respect, there's just a cloying doubt about it being the third best film of the last 12 months if we are to use Oscar nominations (5) as a worthy barometer. / Zach Joyce

Sonia Shiel's exhibition The Human Race is a kaleidoscopic burst of colour, and walking around the exhibition, it's like being in a toddler's dream, with a pink, Disney style arch. Shiel's oils are vibrant daubings of slightly mis-shapen people, again, almost using the child's eye. The situations are set within fantastical, dreamy forests and people lazing about, like they're on a permanent picnic. A permanent picnic where everyone is in love. Other highlights include a girl in a very cold boat, but wearing a rather lovely beret, and some business with sticks arranged in a wonky, vertical steeplechase fashion that nearly brought on a panic attack due to school sports day flashbacks. Shiel shows the more aspirational and idealistic side of the human race. Almost depicting the human race in the way we would like to see ourselves. / Kate Frances Coleman

The mystical, marvellous, mesmerising Mr Will Oldham is back in town. It's been an age since we first fell under his spell in the Baggot Inn, when we ALL wore plaid shirts and the internet was specialist hosiery. He remained an enigma for many years, and though we now know more about him (thanks internet), he still retains that aura of otherworldliness - or maybe othertimeliness. Everything he does seems distilled with an honesty and authenticity that is rare and noble. His guileless country-inflected songs are by turns heartbreaking and hilarious, softhearted and salty but always affecting. The current album Wolfroy Goes To Town is no different. There's no knowing what mood he will be in on the 31st, but no matter, this man is always worth witnessing. / Mr & Mrs Stevens

There's another kerr-azy exhibition in the Kerlin...called Kozo, Bozo. Sorry about the inappropriate use of poetic devices there. The artist, Richard Gorman, has used Japanese methods in order to produce sharp, modernist pieces. The skill involved is incredible, although it took quite a bit of wikipedia-ing of the method for me to realise that, but of course it would be complicated, those Japanese perfectionists. It's not an exhibition you can swirl around, for fear of getting dizzy from the potent colours against the stark white. Also, one can apply the rules of cloud-watching to the abstract shapes. I saw a camcorder, two hugging Moomins and a Moomin having a nap across the San Andreas fault. So take a friend, do some class A gallery sauntering in the lovely Kerlin space, and see if you spot Mr. Blobby carrying a television. / Kate Frances Coleman

What's made The Artist such an acclaimed hit and reaped it such justifiably generous praise and awards is simple – it’s just a spell-bindingly magical cinema experience. A timeless celluloid rarity. A silent movie about the colliding paths of an actor losing his allure and a rising starlet shot in black and white with no star draws is unlikely to have fashioned a studio stampede. Yet Michel Hazanavicius's homage to the silent era of cinema glows with warmth and embraces with simplicity. Feeling nostalgic for the grandeur of something I never knew or missed in passing is the unlocking clincher. The Artist is a surefire means of falling in love with the movies again. And one always roots for the underdog even if they are French or have the unpalatable prospect of  Harvey Weinstein wedging his fat arse in at their table on Oscar night. / Michael McDermott