Wednesday 30 November 2011

NEIL JORDAN GETS MORE IFB MONEY!

It's a good job we're not in recession! This world famous director has to claim money from the Irish Film Board for his next commerial project Byzantium. Hope it won't be as derivative as Ondine was. The Film Board was not set up to fund established directors? Jordan could finance this movie without state funding. But then the Film Board would miss the acclaim if Byzantium wins an Oscar. The real scandal is that the Film Board has not helped fund a new Jordan in the last twenty years.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

When Harvey met Bob



Enjoyable and fast-paced TV movie about the build up to the famous Live Aid concert. Like a two-man play it involves lots of silly arguments and tensions over who will play at the concert. Best scene involved Paul McCartney singing with the power out. The Irish angle has Geldof visiting his old school in Dublin. Nothing special but Gleeson is well cast.

Monday 28 November 2011

WHERE'S THE IRISH KEN RUSSELL?

Now that one of British cinema's finest auteurs has passed away this blog must ask the question: where's the Irish equivalent? In a country where it's all about not rocking the boat, not causing offence, and even not drawing much attention to yourself as a filmmaker it's no surprise that we don't have any filmmakers near Ken Russell's quality. Blame the film schools, the Film Board, and even the filmmakers themselves who probably have never seen The devils or Savage messiah or The boyfriend. The sad fact is that a director of Ken Russell's talent would get absolutely nowhere in the Irish Film industry today.

Sunday 27 November 2011

Juno and the paycock

Well-known but little-seen Hitchcock movie based on the Irish play. A one-armed man hides out in a building while some crazy characters (including Joxer Daly) sing songs and argue. Creaky film with wide shots and stagy acting. But it's of strong interest and has some famous actors including Arthur Shields and Sara Allgood. Good and moving final scene.

Saturday 26 November 2011

INTO THE WEST REMAKE!

Great news, one of the worst Irish movies ever is getting remade! Even better it's got the same director attached.

Friday 25 November 2011

IRISH FILM FESTIVAL FOR ROME, ITALY

On next week and the the screenings include: The guard, Rewind, One hundred mornings, Butcher boy, Parked, Runway, Jack Taylor, and a new one called The pier. Shame they're all Film Board titles but that's the way it works!

Thursday 24 November 2011

ANTON, AGAIN!

Not our fault for yet another Anton post. Seems it's gettting a DVD release in Britain soon under the title Trapped. This rubbish just won't go away!

Wednesday 23 November 2011

NEW IRISH HORROR AUTEUR!

Shoot the cabbage admits that it hates (most) horror films. But credit's due to a Northern Irish director who seems to be producing more of the stuff that is in the Film Board's entire back catalogue. George Clarke is the man and he's on zero-budget feature number four. That's Battle of the Bone, Knackery, Last Light, and Truth about Tom, Dick, and Harry. That's the kind of filmmaker we need down South instead of all those Film Board psychophants who are caught up in pre-production loans and short film schemes.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

DREAMHOUSE GETS A RELEASE!

Ireland's most overrated director is Kirsten Sheridan. Her dad is almost as bad and his new movie is finally out. Hot press magazine says about it: Stay the hell away from this film. Well this blog is going to check it out soon as it's important to watch movies from one of our most 'esteemed' of directors!

Monday 21 November 2011

WHERE'S THE MALCOLM MCARTHUR MOVIE?

With one of Ireland's most notorious killers on day release maybe it's about time we had a film called Gubu? We have stories to tell indeed. Or are we too caught up with contrived 'famine themeparks' and 'escorts in farms' nonsense?

Sunday 20 November 2011

Happy ever after

Not to be confused with the dire Happy ever afters, this one was made back in the 1950s and has no 's' in its title. David Niven plays a new landlord who alienates his tenants by cancelling the local hunt's ball and demanding rent arrears. They plan to kill him with some funny results. There is a large Irish supporting cast and some scenes resemble the later Niven film Pink panther. But the movie is let down by some silly romance scenes, limited locations, long sequences with no music on the soundtrack, and a slight story. It's strange seeing Niven wearing a tux and driving a sports car aournd the Irish roads. Impressive ending. Certainly not as good as the similar Ealing films but far better than that Happy ever afters rubbish.

Saturday 19 November 2011

THAT SEEMS TO BE IT?

Other than a feature documentary coming out next month there are no more Irish movies for this year in our cinemas?

Friday 18 November 2011

Sensation

This is just sh*t! Yet another Irish movie trying to be both edgy and downbeat. A young farmer's dad dies so he hires an escort girl and they set up an agency. Then there's a stupid court case at the end (almost as bad as the one in Evelyn) with a confusing ending. Lots of bad sex scenes, dull cinematography, crap songs on the soundtrack, and some misguided humour. One impressive scene involved Gleeson's sleazy friend and the escort (who just had a boob job). The rest of the film is bad: tries to be slow-moving but has too much plot in case the audience gets bored. I did!

Thursday 17 November 2011

Wednesday 16 November 2011

NEW IRISH CINEMA BOOK

It's called Contemporary Irish Film- New Perspectives on a National Cinema, costs €23, and is about, get this(!), Celtic Tiger cinema. Anyone who reads this blog know that 95% of Irish movies made in the Celtic Tiger years were rubbish. What will the chapters be called? Gothic symbolism in Speed dating or Communist subtext in Tiger's tail?

Tuesday 15 November 2011

NO POST TONIGHT!

Estonia need to score 3 goals or less for us to go to the Euro 2012 football competition!

Monday 14 November 2011

CORK FILM FESTIVAL

Might as well give one of our own festivals a mention. Just finished for this year the Cork one showed a couple of older Irish features: The dawn and Come on over. hope these get a DVD release soon though The dawn has been screened on television before.

Sunday 13 November 2011

BOSTON IRISH FILM FESTIVAL 2012!

Great to see there's an Irish Film Festival next year in Boston, USA. Even better, they're using a logo of a sheep!

Saturday 12 November 2011

TURKEY SCREENING IRISH FILMS!

They might be getting knocked out of the EURO 2012 football but Turkey have some kind of Irish film festival on this weekend. So what's on? Once, In the Name of the Father, Poitin and The Wind That Shakes the barley. Interesting the way the EXACT SAME films get selected for these foreign festivals but that's another post.

Thursday 10 November 2011

IRELAND'S GREATEST ACTORS: KIERON MOORE

Cork actor with dozens of appearances including Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Day of the Triffids, and the Western Custer of the
West
.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

CHEERS DENMARK!

They make better films than us and have one of the greatest directors of all time in Lars Von ... nah Carl Dreyer. Now someone from that country has accessed this blog so cheers Denmark!

Monday 7 November 2011

IRELAND'S GREATEST ACTORS: TOM DILLON

Another Irish actor with a long list of film appearances including: Little Nelly Kelly, Going my way, Woman in the window, Mildred Pierce, Scarlet Street, Kid from Brooklyn, Blue dahlia, Postman always rings twice, Duel in the sun, Dead reckoning, My favourite brunette, Forever amber, and Kansa City confidential.

Sunday 6 November 2011

IRELAND'S GREATEST ACTORS: SEAN MCCLORY

Wide-nosed Dublin actor with an impressive filmography including: Storm Warning, Quiet man, What price glory?, Niagara, Them!, Moonfleet, Mary Poppins, Cheyenne autumn, and The dead.

Friday 4 November 2011

Thursday 3 November 2011

CARNEY TO WORK WITH STEVE CARELL!

Big deal and all that! Bet the Hollywood actor hasn't sat through Zonad? Carney you've been found out, everyone knows Once was a FLUKE. So best of luck with your movie career. Straight-to-DVD is only a few years away!

Wednesday 2 November 2011

RUAIRI ROBINSON TO DIRECT FIRST FEATURE

Don't know how this guy made a name for himself BEFORE making a feature film but he's finally set to direct one. It's called Last days on Mars and no-one needs this blog to explain what genre it's in. Sounds like some big-budget Hollywood or British production so of zero interest here. However, the more internationally and commercially successful Irish directors we produce the better.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

THERE ARE MORE IRISH FILM FESTIVALS THAN IRISH FEATURE FILMS!

With the Kerry one on now it's funny that there are so many festivals here. Sensation, Rewind, and My brothers are the ones getting screened. Seems that the IFTAs would have more choice if they had a Best Irish Film Festival instead of a Best Irish Film category?

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 ...