CHEERS CHINA!

Great that someone in China was reading this blog this week! Thanks.

IRELAND'S GREATEST ACTORS: D'ARCY CORRIGAN

Another Irish actor (from Cork) with an impressive filmography. Most of his roles didn't make the films' credits though! Merry widow, Murders in the Rue Morgue, Invisible man, Bride of Frankenstein, Informer, Steamboat round the bend, Prisoner of Zenda, Stage door, Bringing up baby, and Adventures of Robin Hood.

THE PIPE

Shoot the Cabbage does not watch many Irish documentaries. However it can't but help notice the similarity between the whole Shell-to-Sea controversy and the James Stewart movie Thunder Bay. Life imitating art eh?

IRELAND'S GREATEST ACTORS: JACK MACGOWRAN

Famous Irish character actor with an impressive filmography: No resting place, Quiet man, Titfield Thunderbolt, Darby O'Gill, Tom Jones, Young Cassidy, Lord Jim,Doctor Zhivago, Cul-de-sac, Fearless vampire killers, How I won the war, A Day at the Beach, Start the Revolution Without Me, King Lear, and The Exorcist.

IFTA CLOSING DATE!

Today is the last day for the IFTA votes. These pointless awards are nice to receive but mean n.o.t.h.i.n.g. in the long run. Reckon Savage should win best film?

DOWN THE DRAIN!

Small but interesting article in yesterday's Evening Herald. Apparently our top two directors have been borrowing money from the Irish taxpayer and then 'pis*ed it down the drain'! How true. Apparently Ondine made the grand some of €1.2 millions world wide. Which is not bad compared with other Film Board efforts. Of course some fool will consider this title as art? The ones who have not seen the earlier and similar True North?

Catholics

Which movie from 1973 was about an outsider visiting an island to investigate an old-fashioned religious community? Most will say The wicker man but an Irish film from that year had a similar storyline. Martin Sheen (who's back in Ireland again making a new movie) is sent by Rome to help convince a monastry to say their mass in English. It seems to be set in the future as they also discuss abolishing private confession. They even mention clerical child abuse so it was discussed here back in the '70s. The major problem is that there are two many lengthy two-shots in the movie. Still, an interesting and forgotten made-for-TV film with some famous faces. The ending where the monks refuse to change is poignant.

SIXTEEN NEW IRISH MOVIES THIS YEAR!

According to today's Irish Mail on Sunday the Film Board is promising 16 new releases this year. Without mentioning the titles let's look at this magic number. Probably 2 will not get finished in time to get a release this year?. That leaves 14. Of those maybe 4 will be British productions funded by the Board? So that's about 10 left. Maybe 2 will be telefilms and won't get a theatrical release so that leaves 8. Of those left maybe 3 won't actually get a release because they can't find a distributor or a release slot? That leaves about 5 new Film Board releases for 2011? Of those 5 maybe 2 will be American productions partly funded by the Board without any Irish characteristics? So that leaves about 3 new Irish titles for this year which will probably get released in the IFI/Lighthouse? Cynical moi?

JIM SHERIDAN TALKS BOLL*CKS!

Finally one of our better-known directors has spoken out about the economic crash here. Problem is he thinks it would be a good idea to make a COMEDY* about it! While other countries reflect their impoverished society using a new strand of cinematic realism Sheridan think is would be a 'laugh' to make fun of the bankers and property developers? There you go folks - Irish cinema is truly fuc*ed!
* Today's Irish News of the World

THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POSTS!

Hopefully this web log is useful to some people? Putting a bit of 'balance' into the hype that is the 'Irish Film Industry'. Knocking our 'respectable' directors; bringing notice to the lesser-known movies; and asking questions that others are afraid to.

NEW YEAR, LET'S START AGAIN!

Probably a waste of time saying this but it's a new year so let's start again for Irish cinema. Let's tackle the anger in society, the failure of our leaders, and the general incompetence in the country and make films on this stuff. It's time for a change. Will it happen? Nope. Will the same sh*te keep getting made here? Yep. Will anyone really care? Nope. Will Irish cinema continue to be voiceless, lacking identity, unoriginal, TV-like, and casting the same old faces? Of course it will. Anything good made here will happen more by accident than design.