Monday 28 February 2011

CHARLIE CASANOVA

Good to see new Irish film Charlie Casanova getting some publicity in America. The director was complaining that in Ireland no-one wants to know. That's the way it works here: if you're 'outside' the system it's more difficult to receive recognition. His film looks good - more impressive than most IFB efforts.

Sunday 27 February 2011

ELECTION 2011!

Well that's that. As expected the smaller parties did well and the Greens got wiped out. So let's hope Fine Gael don't mess up like they did back in the '80s? We don't need another election in 2012. What's this got to do with Irish cinema? Well Fine Gael are a lot stricter and will no doubt cut the Film Board's budget and will demand less waste. So hopefully no more €90,000 shorts? Interesting few years ahead?

Saturday 26 February 2011

WHO READS THIS BLOG?

Naturally people in Ireland are the majority but after them it's predictably people based in Britain and America/Canada. Then it gets interesting: Holland, Germany, France also read the blog in numbers. After that, it gets a bit strange: China, S Korea, and finally Russia. These are the top ten countries who read Shoot the Cabbage in big enough numbers.

CORK GETS A FILM COMMISSION

According to reports this week in the newspapers Cork is setting up its own Film Commission. About time too. The weather in Dublin/Wicklow is terrible for filmmaking. Cork has much better weather and daylight. Here's hoping more films get made down there and best of luck.

Friday 25 February 2011

TIME TO VOTE!

Not for the best/worst Irish movie but for 165 new politicians in this country. Just do it!

Thursday 24 February 2011

Wednesday 23 February 2011

IRELAND'S GREATEST ACTORS: REDMOND GLEESON

Seeing smug Brenda Gleeson at the recent IFTAs brought this forgotten actor to mind. Born in Dublin he appeared in several well-known titles: Airport 75, Pipe dreams, Octagon (with Chuck Norris), Cattle Annie and little britches, Dreamscape, and The dead.

Tuesday 22 February 2011

IRELAND'S GREATEST ACTORS: LIAM REDMOND

Another Limerick actor with an impressive filmography: Captain Boycott, Gentle gunman, Cruel sea, Night of the demon, Ice-cold in Alex, Kid Galahad, Playboy of the Western World, Luck of Ginger Coffey, Till Death Us Do Part, Philadelphia, Here I Come, and Barry Lyndon.

Monday 21 February 2011

IRELAND'S GREATEST ACTORS: GAVAN O'HERLIHY

Dublin actor with an impressive filmography including A wedding, Never say never again, Death wish 3, and Willow. Son of actor Dan.

Sunday 20 February 2011

MORE HYPE FOR THE GUARD!

Good to see the latest Irish movie The Guard getting released in America. However its star Brendan Gleeson is doing the film no favours by declaring that the Yanks will have no problem with the Irish accents*. Didn't he previously state that we should be making more movies like Studs? Anyone who sat through that film would strongly disagree?
* Today's Irish Mail on Sunday

Saturday 19 February 2011

WHY WE DON'T WATCH OUR FILMS?

Good quote from last month's Sunday Business Post: 'Irish films can’t seem to perform in their home market, even with marketing funding from the Irish Film Board, and plaudits and award nominations from the most venerated and respected of international organisations, including the Academy Awards.' Ever wonder why? There are a number of reasons. The main reason is that interest in Irish cinema was killed off back in the '90s. This was because of too much rubbish getting released with too much fanfare. Some of this stuff was laughable. Now no-one really cares about Irish movies in the cinema no mattter how many pointless awards they win. Another reason is that Irish movies are too middle-of-the-road. They are neither arty enough nor commerical. That's why people won't watch. Because there are always other titles on release which either have better production values or are more arthouse in style. What most people won't admit is that outside of the festivals Irish feature films have no audience.

Friday 18 February 2011

MAUREEN O'HARA FILM SCHOOL!

Second post on this but it's in today's Irish Daily Mail newspaper. Seems the ninety-years young movie star wants to set up a film school. As if we don't have enough of these already? Only today is Mary Coughlan TD criticising the education system in this country. So why another film school? The ones here already haven't exactly produced the next Irish auteur? Probably the point? Churn out jobbing directors with good technical ability. Haven't we got enough of these already? The MOH film school will train directors in the Hollywood system. So we either export these graduates to America or keep them here to produce yet more Irish versions of Hollywood movies? Just like Perrier's Bounty! Can't anyone else see the nonsense with this MOH film school?

Thursday 17 February 2011

TV MAY PROVIDE THE WAY FORWARD!

Says producer Morgan O'Sullivan*. He's right, move all the jobbing Irish directors to television where they can work on The Tudors, Love/Hate, Raw, and all that rubbish. "Ireland is in a good place to succeed on the smaller screen" he says. Well it's certain not succeeding on the BIG screen! Let the few Irish directors remaining with a voice or a passion for cinema continue to make features. That's how Irish films will improve over the next decade?
*Irish Times 14-02-2011

Wednesday 16 February 2011

TOO SMALL A NATION TO COMPETE WITH HOLLYWOOD GLOSS?

Last Saturday's Irish Times hit the nail on the head! Not about the general election but rather the fact that Ireland is too small to compete with Hollywood. Nothing Shoot the cabbage doesn't know already: we made good shorts and sh*t features; eighteen years of the Film Board has failed to produce a new world-class Irish feature director; our two best directors emerged in the '80s when the current IFB didn't exist; our novels are far better than our features. Interesting quote from the last IFB head in the article: "whatever sort of film we make we are, as far as the outside world are concerned, making art films". Which is true and might explain the failure of Irish gangster films in America (I went down, Perrier's bounty). The points of the article were: the Irish film system is geared to making shorts and Irish versions of Hollywood genre always fail. Another good quote: "Too many bad Irish films have, for instance, got inexplicable theatrical releases while perfectly decent pictures sat on the shelf". Don't know why that is but true. Maybe the lack of risktaking in Irish culture means "same as before please"? But will anyone listen? Of course not. Because Irish cinema is all about technical filmmaking and saying nothing. It's about creating jobs and team-working. That's why young filmmakers on their first feature usually make a telefilm. Glossy images, aimed at a wide audience, and directed by a committee. Nothing will change either!

Tuesday 15 February 2011

T P MCKENNA R.I.P.

Sad that one of our best-known screen character actors has died. His films included Quare fellow, Girl with green eyes, Young Cassidy, Ulysses, Straw dogs, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Exposure, Brtiannia Hospital, Doctor and the devils, and Boys and girl from County Clare.

Monday 14 February 2011

TEN REASONS WHY THE IFTAS SUCK!

Today's newspapers are full of negative coverage of last weekend's IFTAs. So not to be left out here are Shoot the cabbage's reasons why the IFTAs suck BIG TIME!

Sunday 13 February 2011

BEST FILM

Sinead Cusack looks like her husband Jeremy Irons. Strange? Now we're a 'major force' in film according to her! Seen two titles and the other three are not out yet. Winner is As if I'm not there. Here's yer wan again. Looks like another political war movie? These films ALWAYS win awards. That's it, IFTA 8 is over for another year.

KIM CATTRALL

was in Porkys and the even better Ticket to heaven. They're the kind of films we should be making here. YES! Martin McCann wins Best Actor and rightly so. The only good thing in that rubbish Swansong.

FATHER JACK!

Apparently he holds the record for appearing on Top of the Pops and his single (Xmas countdown) FALLING down the charts the following week. Best director: certainly not of the actors! What's with all the subtitles? That Juanita Wilson shouldn't have gone to the IFTAs and then Father Jack could say 'Looks like she's not here'!

CAROLINE MORAHAN!

Time to adjust the trousers slightly as Caroline Morahan is on stage. Now that's a real Irish lady. Now she's saying stuff about the 'script being the most important' process. Of course lots of great films don't use much of a script but in Ireland it's all about putting bland direction to average and overwritten scripts. In fact Irish scripts are too 'story based' and not enough dialogue or incident driven. Juanita Wilson wins!

BEAUTIFUL SAOIRSE RONAN!

Is it not a bit pervy for chubby and middle-aged Simon 'everyone likes me' Delaney to be calling Ms Ronan 'beautiful' when she's only 16? Now Domhall Gleeson wins another awards for playing Bob Geldof. Strange, Geldof's real daughter described his performance as terrible?

DAITHI O'SHEA

Now it's getting depressing. Not the awards. The fact that most Irish women find this tosser handsome. Here's Gerry Ryan's daughter. Face for the radio!

BEST SHORT FILM!

This is the category where the Oscar-nominated The Crush failed to get a mention. Well done IFTA and Philips! Short films are a waste of time and money. Shame no-one else will say this? We should be making features for €10K not bleedin' shorts. What's the point? To win these stupid awards. But 'in fairness' the winner was a college short so can understand the reason it got made. But for the rest? Meh ...

TOMMY TIERNAN!

Funny as Swine Flu. Every time I see that fool I ask: 'where's Dave McSavage'? Still good idea having unfunny Tiernan follow unfunny O'Kane? There's Blaithnaid, thought she had to go to hospital? How come the best looking women in the audience are NOT the Irish television celebrities?

SINEAD DESMOND!

Now there's a real woman. Bit like Eliza Dushku! Sexy ladette with a husky voice. Give me her any day over Grainne, Deirdre, Amy, Miriam and those other misguided plain Janes! That guy who won the award missed his chance of giving Sinead an intimate hug!

DELECTABLE DEIRDRE O'KANE!

Delectable means 'delightful' or 'delicious'. Would not call Deirdre O'Kane 'delectable'. Has she got the best agent in the business? Is she Grandmistress of the Freemasons? Brendan Gleeson doesn't look too happy with her mocking of his family name. Hope he nutted her afterwards? Now they're showing clips of Swansong saying the main character is a 'troubled young man'. Of course he's 'troubled' - growing up in a kip like Sligo town!

PIERCE BROSNAN!

Now there's a real movie star! Couldn't they have got Dave McSavage to introduce the President (of Ireland not the IFTAs)? If the IFTAs existed back in the '80s she might have won best 'TV news reporter' award. She used to work in that area back then. Not many people know that! What a pointless speech she gave?

RISING STAR!

is Domhnall Gleeson and he's not there to collect the award. But his dad is!

AMY HUBERMAN 2!

She wins Best Irish Film/TV Actress. What a fix!

BARRY MURPHY

can write for this blog any time!

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY!

No interest in the docs but surely the winner should know it's 'Go raibh maith agaibh' and not 'Go raibh maith agat'!

AMY HUBERMAN!

How come the IFTAs won't show the scene in Assault on Darkness when Amy Huberman's character gets beheaded? Great, Stephen Rea wins again, as he did last year, and next year ...

BEST IRISH SUPPORTING ACTRESS!

Should have gone to Swansong. How many IFTA awards will Saoirse Ronan win before she's 21?

IFTAS LAST NIGHT!

Two and ½ hours to watch this! Only the world's top Irish film blog is dedicated enough to endure this backslapping smug fest!

Saturday 12 February 2011

IFTAS TONIGHT!

The Irish Film and Television Awards are on tonight so read on as Shoot the cabbage discusses the possible winners.

Friday 11 February 2011

ASSAULT OF DARKNESS

Another movie that will never get a mention when 'Irish cinema' gets discussed. This one is another terrible horror movie - but in a good way! In fact if the IFTAs had a 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' award then this film would win. It's so bad, it's good! There's even a Tor Johnson lookalike here. One hilarious scene at the end has our hero barricade himself into Vinne Jones' cabin only for the nemesis to open the door as if nothing happened in the previous scene. The script has some funny lines and the actual story behind the old bog bodies is interesting. Just a shame that no Irish filmmaker can making something truly unsettling and intelligent as Cronenberg's Shivers?

Thursday 10 February 2011

NEW FILM BOARD CEO!

James Hickey is a legal specialist and has worked on previous Irish movies in this area. So best of luck to him. Will there be more Irish legal movies made here now such as Laws of attraction?

Wednesday 9 February 2011

DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE

One of the most famous Irish movies ever! Most people snide and laugh but it's far more entertaining than the Irish Film Board's output. Bet if they made these whimsical films here again they would return profit? A groundsman gets replaced by Connery and tells many tales about a leprechaun. Directed by Robert Stevenson - one of the few underrated Hollywood filmmakers.

Tuesday 8 February 2011

Monday 7 February 2011

DIFF

Or the Dublin International Film Festival, they are screening well over a dozen new Irish films this year. The only problem is that the majority are shorts and documentaries. So here's the question: If Irish cinema is in such good shape why are only 3 or 4 new Irish feature films getting screened?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TRIAGE?

Interesting article in today's Irish Daily Mail. Seems the hyped Irish movie Triage is not getting a cinema release. This title got a lot of mentions over the last year to illustrate the 'success' of the Irish Film industry. Starring Colin Farrell as a war reporter it got screened at the various festivals. However, it's now getting an XtraVision release under a new title Shell shock. Do taxpayers know that the Film Board are now funding straight-to-DVD movies?

Sunday 6 February 2011

SPARROWS TRAP!

Good to see Brendan O'Carroll's never completed movie getting another mention in the papers.* Seems he owed a guy €150K and settled out of court. Sad that the movie never got completed but maybe now with the success of the TV series Mrs Brown's boys it could yet get completed?
* Today's Irish mail on Sunday

Saturday 5 February 2011

WATERSTONES CLOSING!

Sad to see bookshop Waterstones in Dawson Street, Dublin 2 closing this weekend. They were one of the leading stockists of books about Irish cinema.

Friday 4 February 2011

Thursday 3 February 2011

She creature


In 1905 an Irish carnival discovers a mermaid-like woman, steals it, and travels to America on a ship. However, the mermaid is really a monster and starts killing those aboard. TV-movie that rips off Alien and King Kong with nothing original to add. Pedestrian effort with only one good scene of the monster looking at everyone in the water. Little known movie but it's out on DVD.

Wednesday 2 February 2011

ANOTHER IFTA POST PART 4!

Only a week to go and the today's newspapers (Irish Examiner) is going on about the 'rising stars' nominations. I would have thought the guy who made the Oscar-nominated short The crush would win but he's not even on the list! So who is? Who cares? The article notes that previous winners of this award have gone on to do good things so best of luck to the two directors and two actors who are up for this award. Where's the IFTA award for Best online Irish Cinema blog?

Tuesday 1 February 2011

State of grace

Impressive but shallow Irish gangster movie set in New York. Like The Pope of Greenwich Village there's an Irish vs Italians storyline. However, the main theme is the relationship between Penn and his pal Oldman. Of course one of the gang is a cop and there's psycho Harris who kills off his own men. Ruined by too many self-conscious acting scenes involving Robin Wright. Impressive shootout at the end but a major problem with this movie is that it seems to be ripping off other films - in slow motion!

Master of the world

Dated movie from the 1960s with Vincent Price trying to stop wars around the world. He uses an airship to attack from the sky. A group of ...