WHERE ARE THEY NOW: EMER MCCOURT?

In a country where Amy Huberman is considered a talented actress it's a shame that one of (Northern) Ireland's best screen actresses from recent years quit? Hush-a-bye baby, Riff-raff, Boston kickout, and Sunset heights all featured McCourt in fine roles that were memorable and gritty. Certainly had a lot of promise and always stood out.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: RONAN O'LEARY?

Back in the pre-Film Board (Version 2.0) days one director was going to be the next big thing. He was even interviewed on RTE television as just that. A string of interesting films including Fragments of Isabella and culminating in Driftwood back in the '90s and then nothing? Shame as he was a better talent than most of today's crop.

Wind that shakes the barley

Set in the twenties this movie is set in two parts. The first one is about the fight against the British in Cork while the last half hour is about the fight between themselves. The best bits were the attacks on the British army. The rest involved lots of talk about why they were fighting. Some scenes had the actors stumbling with their dialogue but it works. Another good scene was when the Brit said 'those men were at the Somme'. Most outdoor scenes seem to be done with a telephoto lens?

WHERE ARE THE 'REALLY BAD' IRISH MOVIES?

What's going on here? The world's best blog on Irish cinema is querying the lack of really bad Irish films when it has already slated most of our titles? Well what's a 'really bad' film? Well, they're not stuff like most Hollywood big-budget sequels where a fortune was wasted on effects and bad acting. Rather, they are films that are truly stunning in a sense of 'how did that get made?'. They are the kind of films that require a certain bravery to get produced as most people would be afraid to tackle the subject matter. Stuff like The baby (a man wears nothing but a nappy!), Irina Palm (a respectable, middle-aged woman gives hand jobs to collect money for her young grandson's operation), and Boxing Helena a woman ends up as a torso. Films that have a certain arthouse leaning but leave the audience stunned for all the wrong reasons! Where are the Irish films like this? Where are the filmmakers here with the nerve, imagination, and balls to make a truly shocking movie that misfires completely but still stands out for its sheer daring?

Dementia 13

Easily one of the better Irish horror movies. This one is from the '60s and is available everywhere on DVD! Strange it doesn't get much recognition in this country? One of many low-budget Corman productions it's set in a castle and has a great axe-murder scene! Coppola's first feature too.

UK FILM COUNCIL GIVE THEIR LAST FUNDS TO THATCHER FILM!

Good to see a bit of humour with the soon-to-be extinct UK Film Council donating one million sterling to a Margaret Thatcher film (starring Meryl Streep who probably really needs another Oscar!). Over here, what will our own Film Board be finally funding before they get abolished? Whatever they decide to do before their demise they certainly won't be funding a biopic of one of our recent beloved leaders!
* Today's Guardian

WILL THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BE GOOD FOR IRISH CINEMA?

In the most tumultous week for Ireland since well Thierry Henry last year(!) one question needs to be asked that no-one else will. How will this current economic crisis affect Irish cinema? Not talking here about job losses and Hollywood productions moving elsewhere. Rather, how will 'home-grown' Irish cinema change as a result? Will most of our directors now emigrate? Many have already. Will different stories emerge? Will our films become angrier? Or will we continue to have directors with absolutely nothing to say about this economic crisis? It's about time we had a 'New Wave' in Irish cinema. If they're rebuilding our country then why not rebuild our cinema? Will there be a new subgenre of Irish cinema - Social-Collapse Realism? Or will nothing change except the Film Board's annual budget getting reduced? Whatever happens, it will be an interesting few years ahead.

LIST OF INTERREGNUM FILMS!

What few others will say is that the best recent Irish films were from the interregnum years. This was the late '80s and early '90s when we had no Film Board. Not sure why so many 'decent' and commercial movies were made back then? Here's a list of titles and no, High spirits is not on the list!

IRISH MOVIES ARE NOT COMPLEX ENOUGH!

Wtf? The post from a few days back said that Irish movies are too complicated. Now they're not 'complex enough'? Easy! There's a difference. 'Complicated' has already been explained. But 'complex' is a different matter! Complex means using characters that are not one-dimensional. It means giving 'substance' to the story. It means avoiding 'clichés'. It means avoiding stereotypes and blueprint genres. It means actually saying something that makes the audience take note. It means giving the audience something to ponder instead of trying to entertain them for ninety minutes. It means impressing the audience even if they don't actually like the film!

COULDN'T BE BOTHERED POSTING ANYTHING TODAY!

Except to say it's a sad day for Ireland.

SHOOT THE CABBAGE CELEBRATES 300 POSTS!

The world best web log for Irish cinema now has three hundred posts. For the most honest reviews of our movies, the most interesting opinions on our 'industry', and saying what needs to get said when other sites won't - read Shoot the Cabbage!