MAEVE BINCHY R.I.P.

Some of the worst Irish films were from this writer but it's sad that she's passed away. How about you, Anner House, Tara Road, Circle of friends, and Lilac bus.

GOOD ARTICLE IN TODAY'S IRISH DAILY MAIL

About the Irish Film Board refusing funding for some documentary about the young Cork girl with a disability. No interest in these Irish documentaries as they're all crap but it was interesting to see the reason for the refusal. It's because the documentary is not cinematic. That's some laugh as most Film Board efforts are not 'cinematic'.

CARNEY'S RAFTERS?

Didn't receive much notice at the recent Galway Fleadh so that's another dud from the director of Once? Love the way these Irish directors finally get 'found out'. Don't know what use this Factory is when after this and Dollhouse it can't seem to deliver the goods? Maybe they need another 'loan' from our Film Board?

SILENCE OUT TOMORROW

Looks like some arty movie with little dialogue. Probably another Irish movie already done elsewhere?

GOOD ARCHIVE LATE LATE SHOW

Currently on the RTÉ website from 1969 featuring Bob Quinn explaining why he left the station. Also featured is film producer Lelia Doolin.

Maeve

Probably the most written about Irish film that no-one has seen! It's a multiple storyline Troubles film with a feminist theme. Shows the poor interaction with Republicans and the soldiers and lots of these scenes are impressive. A family must move out of their area, a daughter returns home from England, and a man can't live up to his father's Republican activities. Intelligent filmmaking that gets the audience to think (unlike most of the crap made here today!). Lots of uneven acting, bad lighting, impressive sound design, and derelict locations. Back in 1981 they didn't make Irish horror films as filmmakers like Pat Murphy actually had something real to say.

ANOTHER GFF POST!

Must give the €4,500 film Pilgrim Hill a mention. It was supposedly the best of dozens of Irish features at the recent Galway Fleadh. The director is only twenty four and this is some achievement. Hope it gets a cinema release soon to see what all the fuss was about.

LOTS OF NEW IRISH MOVIES OUT IN THE NEXT MONTH!

Shadow dancer, Grabbers, My brothers, and Silence.

GALWAY FILM FLEADH QUANTITY NOT QUALITY?

Apart from the two Mark O'Connor films none of the other Irish features look interesting. Nothing up to the standards of say Snap or even Charlie Casanova? They're mostly bland, genre stuff that look like they were made a decade ago. The kind of films that will no doubt find a sales agent but will be quickly forgotten. Will be checking out as many of these titles over the next year but they don't look the best. As for the FIVE Irish horror films at the festival, this is a bad sign. Surely these should be shown at Horrorthon in October?
Where are the non-funded features made by new Irish filmmakers who haven't licked arse in the IFB office? Where are the films about the recession and the effects this has had on Irish people? Where is the new style of filmmaking that only Irish people can do? It seems that we have to produce lots of muck and every so often a quality film appears?

CHECKED OUT THOSE IRISH FILMS PART 2

Hideaways - is from the director of Dorothy and is similar. Some kind of crap supernatural youth film.

Keys to the city - is some kind of graduate films and no doubt will be a one-off screening and never seen again. 

Good man - is some kind of South African film so not sure why it's listed as Irish?

Sanctuary - some kind of action movie with a crazy trailer. Looks good.

CHECKED OUT THOSE IRISH FILMS

That are getting a screening in Galway this month.

Hideaways - can't find any info?

Songs for Amy - this looks quite good in a commercial sense? Kind of like The Honeymooners and Leap year?

Keys to the city - can't find any info?

Good man - can't find any info?

Earthound - not sure about this one? It's like another Zonad with British accents yet the IFB have funded it? Looks complete sh-te anyway.

Pilgrim Hill - what's this sh-te? A farm, cows, tractors? The trailer looks like a culchie testing out his new camcorder?

Jump - Kieran Walsh's new one and it's as bad as his other stuff. Kind of like Cherrybomb, middle-class Northern youths causing trouble.

Meeting on the stairs - this looks sh-t. Like a student movie about relationships in an apartment.

Sanctuary - can't find any info?

Stalker - from the director of Between the canals. Good article in the back page of Film Ireland.

Silence - some arty movie about a sound recordist no doubt similar to The Conversation and Antonioni.

King of the travellers - also from the director of Between the canals and no doubt as lame and crude.

Good vibrations - another Northern Irish film. This one is about the punk era.

Shadow dancer - yet another IRA movie thriller along the lines of 50 dead men walking.

WHERE'S CALLBACK QUEEN?

With almost THIRTY Irish feature films getting screened at the Galway Film Fleadh 2012 one film is notable by its absence. Where is Graham Cantwell's new feature? Surely it would be ready by now for a screening at our foremost film festival? Did it get rejected or has it not been finished yet? Strange that after all the news last year about Callback queen things have gone very quiet lately?

TWENTY SEVEN IRISH FEATURE FILMS!

At the Galway Film Fleadh. That's some amount of movies from this country. So what are they screening? Well there are a few horror movies already mentioned in previous posts and no doubt they'll be crap. That's Rafters, Citadel, Portrait of a zombie, and Grabbers. Also screened are about  six feature documentaries so no interest there. Also screened are some non-Irish films from Irish-based directors. So what about the others? Hideaways, Songs for Amy, Keys to the city, Good man, Earthound, Pilgrim Hill, Jump, Meeting on the stairs, Sanctuary, Stalker, Silence, King of the travellers, Good vibrations, and Shadow dancer. That's fourteen new Irish feature films which is a very impressive number. Looking forward to seeing these titles over the next year.

YIFS FEATURED ON NATIONWIDE!

That's Young Irish Filmmakers on the RTÉ show Nationwide. They showed a clip of the awful Under the hawthorn tree. 'Movie makers of tomorrow' I don't think so! While it may be great fun in learning team building the films they make are complete sh*te! Not a nice thing to say but we need something like 'Young Irish Philosophers' and let these people make films instead.

Ulterior

Low-budget drama along the lines of Alarm but less hysterical. A woman gets stalked and starts imagining things. Set and filmed in Dublin it's another monologue movie with supporting actors briefly appearing. The piano music gets annoying though the theme tune is memorable. There's the obligatory trip to the country (beach) and the acting is uneven with mundane dialogue. Interesting effort that's well paced and allows the audience to get involved in the story.

JAILED U2 ASSISTANT PAID FOR SON TO STUDY FILM!

At the New York Film Academy! Apparently this course costs thousands and she stole the money from one of the band. Here's what I don't get: why didn't she send her son to the IRISH Film Academy where he could have learned from one of our finest directing talents, Graham Cantwell!

GRABBERS ARTICLE

In one of today's magazines free with a newspaper (can't remember which one as I tore out the pages to read later!). Getting a premiere in Galway in a few days so well done. But here's the thing: does anyone really believe an Irish horror-comedy will do well? Either critically or commercially? The filmmakers expect it to be 'warmly embraced on its release'. Sorry lads, your movie will do terrible business just like all of our other horror efforts. Even better, because it's got a British-Irish director it's expected to do the business here! Will someone please fly in Dario Argento to give a masterclass in Galway on how to make a REAL horror  movie? Disturbing stuff like Creepers with that monkey holding a razor blade? Because these horror-dash-comedies-injokes don't work apart from Bride of Frankenstein and Gremlins 2. Horror cinema should be about shocking/disturbing/upsetting the audience and making them think. But here in Ireland it's all good clean fun.

Nephew

Likeable but routine movie about a black guy who visits Ireland after his mother dies. He meets a nice girl but there's tension between the older family members on both sides. This movie has Phelem Drew rapping Whiskey in the jar and lots of nice scenery. Other than that it's quite bad but watchable. The unknown actors have the big roles while the famous faces have background roles. Can't complain much as the DVD only cost me 50c.