COMEDIES THAT MAKE YOU CRY, DRAMAS THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH PART 2!

Right, so what is Irish cinema doing wrong with 'mainstream' films? By mainstream we mean commercial and genre-driven stuff. There are a number of reason our mainstream films are so bad. They don't make money, get mixed reviews, and the director ends up working in television. The main reason (and it's been said by other people) is that there is a lack of 'personalisation' in these films. They are copies of foreign productions. We've seen these titles many times over: from Headrush to Wide open spaces to The runway. Complete sh*t films that don't make money and are quickly forgotten. So instead of this rubbish why not have mainstream films made by auteur-type directors? Why not have a horror, black comedy, or film noir made by a personal director instead of a jobbing one? More films like In Bruges perhaps? Or a new director along the lines of Abel Ferrara or John Waters? Working in the commercial sector but with a strong style of their own? The wait continues!

COMEDIES THAT MAKE YOU CRY, DRAMAS THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH!

Good but predictable article in yesterday's Sunday Times - Culture section newpaper. It slated Irish Cinema so nothing new there. Embarrassing maybe? Even Kirsten Sheridan got a mention! The problem seems to be that mainstream Irish cinema is a joke! Sure, some stuff at the edge is doing well such as documentaries, arthouse, and animation. But the rest is sh*te. The article notes that no new Irish director has replaced Neil Jordan or Jim Sheridan in terms of making an international impact. This is true. What else? The success of Once was due to the distributors (just as the Crying game was a success back in the '90s). All in all another embarrassment for the Irish FIlm 'industry' but this stuff has been discussed before. So what's the solution? All will be revealed tomorrow!