IRISH FILM GENRES PART 6: ROAD

One the more interesting of genres and Irish cinema has contributed. There was the vague Disappearance of Finbar and vaguer Molly's Way both dealing with Irish people travelling to North-Eastern Europe. Then there was the '80s recession era Hard shoulder and Joyriders. More recently there were the expensive romantic P.S. I love you and Leap year. Also, the lower-budget Crooked mile. Kids' road movies include Flight of the doves and Into the West. Should be a lot more common in Irish cinema as there's not much dialogue required and cheap to make?

CHEERS AUSTRALIA!

Can't get any further than Australia so cheers to whoever read this blog from there over the last few days!

Shine of rainbows

Absolute rubbish movie that tries to revive the dreaded heritage picture of the '90s. Set in Donegal back in the day it's about an adopted boy (appearing like the weakest link in his class!) who stays with his new parents, meets the local seals, neighbourhood kids, and learns about the 'magic' of the area. Stunning cinematography (really impressive) with amazing colours. But the story is slight and these movies were killed off for a reason. Really aimed at the American market but woeful stuff indeed. Still, the Irish Tourist Board should like it!

IRISH FILM GENRES PART 5: HORROR

A few years back this post would only be one sentence but thanks to an upsurge we now have: zombies (Boy eats girl, Dead meat), mad cows (Isolation), spooky kids (Dorothy, Daisy chain), castles (Dementia 13), monster (Rawhead Rex), mushrooms (Shrooms), ghosts (Ghostwood), and the current Wake Wood. More disappointing than impressive there is still plenty of room for a decent/classic Irish horror?

Savage

Three decades after famous urban revenge movies such as MS45 and The Exterminator comes an Irish version. A press photographer is attacked in Protestant Lane, Dublin 2 and is brutally beaten. Mentally and physically scarred he seeks revenge. Sounds great and got good reviews but what a disappointment! Lifeless, over-stylish, one-dimensional, predictable, shallow, and with self-conscious direction. What should have been raw, fresh, unsettling, and memorable ends up polished and forced. It's like the filmmakers were trying to make an arty vigilante movie instead of a tasteless one? The usual obsession with film technique and the 'look' that ruins yet another Irish movie. Good performance from Healy and an impressive music score but an overrated and disappointing movie.

CHEERS INDIA!

They may have beaten us in cricket but now someone from that country has read this top film blog! So cheers India.

IRISH FILM GENRES PART 4: SPORTS

Again, not a lot to mention here! Our national sports (hurling/gaelic football/handball) are disgracefully ignored. The only one was Clash of the ash and best of luck finding that one on DVD. Made a brief appearance in Wind that shaked the barley too. Michael Collins of course had a gaelic football game scene. Soccer featured in the terrible Studs. But the most popular sport in Irish cinema is of course boxing. Strength and honour and The boxer were both below average. But the classic Irish-Hollywood movie Gentleman Jim showed how it should be done! That's it. Plenty of room for another hurling movie, or pitch-and-putt, or golf even, or even better, an Irish rugby movie?

LEIGH ARNOLD PART 2!

Seems all the shouting she's been doing about her film award in the States has been queried. According to today's Evening Herald it's a film festival that occurs about four times a year and the previous winners are nobodies too. Great to see people leaving Ireland and still getting slated by our media!

HOW IRISH WAS MY LEFT FOOT?

Well my leg is fully Irish from being born here! But the classic 'Irish' movie My left foot may not actually be? That's according to Shoot the cabbage's extensive research! Apparently there's an article in the Evening Herald newspaper from 08 July 1992 where one hundred European movies were funded to get a video release under a certain label. However, My left foot was turned down the chance to appear in this collection as it was not considered an Irish film! That's because the criterion was that each film had to be funded by their own country. So now you know! So much for the Leaving Cert programme and the various Irish film festivals around the world screening this movie
year after year!

IRISH FILM GENRES PART 3: SCIENCE FICTION

Not much to write about here and Zonad doesn't count! The most recent one was Summer of the flying saucer which was really aimed at kids. Before that there was Sunset Heights which was a futuristic-gangster movie. Before that there was Catholics which was a futuristic religious movie. That's about it. Plenty of scope for Irish filmmakers to increase the quantity and even quality?

LEIGH ARNOLD!

Great to see someone mouthing off about the Irish Film Industry. This time it's actress Leigh 'Failed her Leaving Cert because of bullying' Arnold who is getting acclaim in America for her role in Charlie Casanova*. She has now left Ireland and complains about the fact that no-one wanted to know about her movie here. Hope she does better in the States than Caroline Morahan?
* Today's Irish Mail on Sunday