Baking can be methodical, measured and timely, an easy distraction from the doldrums of everyday life. For Jenna (Keri Russell) creating a new pie provides a sense of calm and catharsis that’s missing in her personal life. The love and sense of fun she’s never felt for her own husband is redirected into her work, the one aspect she seems to have any control over. Writer and director Adrienne Shelly creates a bittersweet screwball comedy, with equal measures of love and loneliness. It’s entirely familiar but never trite or derivative, illustrating how far Shelly could have developed were it not for her murder just before the film’s opening at Sundance. When I say that this is familiar, it’s because the roadside diner and pie shop in which Russell’s... Similar posts

Oscar night is the night that ‘tinseltown’ lives for.  People from all parts of the movie world come together to pat one another on the back and say “well done”.  This year it will be hosted by both Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin and will take place on March 7th, a date that has been in my diary for some time.  I love the Oscars.  I know it’s just a group of rich people being self-obsessed, but when you love film you just can’t help yourself.  Growing up my sister and I would make out a list, on one side was who we thought would win and on the other, who we thought should win.  We each did this and had a little competition to see who was right.  We’d go to bed really early and then get up in the middle of the night to watch it live.  It was... Similar posts

I blogged a couple of weeks ago about the RTE Storyland competition and the local interest in the Daily Strife entrant.Six teams can got through the initial sifting and been allowed to produce two episodes (costing no more than €8,000 per episode). One had to be withdrawn, leaving five productions now being screened online in a knockout competition.The Daily Strife is written and directed by Cecilia McAllister and produced by Mairin Murray. It’s the only show in the competition to be commissioned from a company operating in Northern Ireland.Two episodes can now be viewed from the RTE Storyland website. After the votes are tallied, one production will be dropped and the rest will go on to make a third episode.The Daily Strife’s protagonist Glenn “has got to the point where he can't... Similar posts

The Invention of Lying - Is that product placement?In a world where everyone tells the truth, one man learns how to lie; 'The Invention of Lying'.You can't get more high concept than that, though Ricky Gervais, writer, director and star tries to make things a little more complex. For one he attempts to explore the usefulness of fiction in maintaining a happy, and indeed sane, life. Not only does religion, his biggest lie, bring comfort to a world ill at ease with death, it also brings about some sort of justification for a morality that nevertheless didn't seem to be a problem till his lie exposed it as one. This could be a weighty theme, and indeed I'm surprised America's religious right did not pick up on the full implications of this Gervais's argument. Strangely his humanism seems... Similar posts

“On a chilly January morning 24 years ago, Corydon optometrist Jack Moss raised his new video camera to the sky over central Florida and captured one of the darkest moments in American space exploration the explosion of the shuttle Challenger. In the videotape, a stream of white smoke behind the climbing shuttle shoots into view but Moss, his wife and a neighbor noticed immediately that More..something was amiss when the channel separated into two streams. ‘Thats trouble of some kind’, Moss can be heard saying. ‘That didnt look right.’ Moments later, someone is heard telling Moss that the Challenger had blown up.” Via YouTube Related posts:The Look of the Irish Dear Mr Pepsident: On Convergence...... Similar posts

How many times have I seen 'The Godfather' now? I'm reciting the lines as they speak them. Even for a movie wedding sequence, some might say 'The Deerhunter', but for me 'The Godfather' can't be beat (the one in the 'The Deerhunter' bores me). The scene with Luca Brazzi alone, comic though it might appear, conveys so much about Don Corleone and his family. It's long, but that wedding sets up the whole movie. Exquisite!Here comes the horse's head! Oh, I love it sooooooo much!... Similar posts

Ludivine Sagnier joins Tamahori’s The Devil’s Double as shoot beginsLudivine Sagnier and Latif YahiaBy Andreas Wiseman Principal photography on Lee Tamahori’s The Devil’s Double has begun in Malta. Belgian producers Corsan have confirmed that French actress Ludivine Sagnier has joined the cast of the thriller, which tells the true story of the body double for Saddam Hussein’s son Uday. Dominic Cooper also stars. Corsan World Sales is selling international rights to the film and Paradigm Motion Picture Finance Group is representing domestic rights. Cooper will play the dual roles of Saddam Hussein’s son, Uday Hussein and Latif Yahia, his body double and Sagnier will play Sarrab, Uday’s concubine... Similar posts

Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagniersee 'Double'Belgian-backed film based on Saddam Hussein novel By Stuart Kemp LONDON -- Lee Tamahori's action drama "The Devil's Double" has enlisted Dominic Cooper and Ludivine Sagnier to star in the Belgium-backed production.Cooper will play the dual roles of Saddam Hussein's son, Uday Hussein and Latif Yahia, his body double in the movie based on Latif Yahia's biographical novel of the same name. Sagnier plays Sarrab, Uday's concubine and secret lover to Latif.Belgian production company Corsan is making the project from a screenplay penned by Michael Thomas. Produced by Paul Breuls, Michael John Fedun, Catherine Vandeleene and Emjay Rechsteiner, the project is exec produced by Harris Tulchin.Tamahori has become a go-to action director after... Similar posts

'The Devil's Double' Starts Filming in MaltaSaddam Hussein inner circle drama is directed by Lee Tamahori and stars Dominic Cooper By Wrap StaffPrincipal photography has started on location in Malta on the action drama, "The Devil's Double." Directed by "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori, the look at Saddam Hussein's inner circle is being financed by the Belgian production company Corsan.Dominic Cooper will portray the dual roles of ("Mama Mia!") Hussein’s son, Uday and Latif Yahia, his body double. Ludivine Sagnier ("Swimming Pool") will play Sarrab, Uday’s concubine and secret lover to Latif.The screenplay, written by Michael Thomas, is based on Latif Yahia’s biographical novel,... Similar posts

In case you’d forgotten, what with all the social activity about these days, tomorrow is Open Day at the Irish Film Institute which means it’s free - FREE! - in to every film all day. The open day screenings kick off with Ponyo, an animated story of a fish-girl by Hayao Miyazaki, he of Spirited Away fame. Also on offer is the much-touted Crazy Heart, which has already earned its two stars, Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Oscar nominations this year, and Tom Ford’s film debut A Single Man. The open day film finale is a screening of The Lives of Others, which topped the IFI’s online poll for the People’s Choice Awards, in which eighteen hit films - one from each year the IFI has been open - competed. Full, recession-busting schedule below, while... Similar posts

The Galway Film Centre is running a one-day screenwriting workshop called "Script Out Loud" on 1 Saturday, 27th February, which will be taught by David Keating. David wrote and directed The Last of the High Kings (Miramax), starring Jared Leto, Gabriel Byrne and Christina Ricci. His latest feature, Wake Wood (Hammer/Vertigo/IFB), will be released in 2010 and stars Aiden Gillen (The Wire), Eva Birthistle (Ae Fond Kiss) and Timothy Spall (The Damn United, Sweeney Todd).This one-day workshop will help screenwriters advance their material by exploring it 'off the page'. Participants will act out each other's work and tutor, David Keating will guide writers to improve their dialogue, action and scene descriptions. All participants will do a small amount of preparation which will be sent to you... Similar posts

The awards season is upon us and, with it, some of the best films of the year get released into cinemas. One of the films of the year so far is Precious. It’s also a film I won’t be seeing. Spoiler…. Precious (from the book, Push) is about a young American woman who has been abused sexually, emotionally and  physically by both of her parents. She is 16 and pregnant by her father for the second time. She has no life and sees no future for herself. Then she meets a teacher who changes her life and shows her that she is worth something. Spoiler over! This is a tough film by any stretch of the imagination and I just can’t do it. I can’t sit for 90 minutes and be assaulted by the violence in an emotionally gut-wrenching story. I know I’m not alone, many... Similar posts

Inspired by a line from the Bruce Weber for YSL film "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing";"If you don't wanna be nude, wear a suit." I decided to take a look at suits this week. Ask any girl and she'll tell you that nothing becomes the male stature more than the classic suit. With the suit comes a authority air of experience, of charisma and of time old favourite 'class'. When buying a suit do not scrimp, invest invest invest. One good suit can save the world; wear a good suit and the world will listen, wear a good suit and the world will follow (not even Geldof hair could stop you).From Reiss.Blau xImages from The... Similar posts

As a person thoroughly immersed in unemployment, I've decided to (attempt to) start regularly posting more on the topic of "Living on the Cheap." Basically chronicling my attempts to still continue living the life I became accustomed to before the big "R" word set in. Covering topics such as: not becoming a shut-in, using your creativity wisely, eating generously & deliciously, entertaining & more... all whilst not breaking the bank. For cuteness sake I'll call it my "Friday Freebies". So, here ya go, Friday Freebie numero uno:Joyous was I when I first heard that this Saturday is a FREE OPEN DAY AT THE IFI TO WATCH AWESOME MOVIES FOR FREE!I know right?! Its so awesome it's AHSAHM. One of the films on schedule is Bringing Up Baby, which has always been a fave, but what I'm really... Similar posts

I attended a seminar on Film Studies today, one of the things university lecturers give to interest other areas and encourage crossover. It was good to sink back into all that stuff. The Masters is so long ago now. They even showed a clip of 'Rear Window'. Of course, I couldn't resist throwing in my tuppence worth, then my trippence worth, fourpence worth,.... They couldn't shut me up! I ended up wanting to apologise to the lecturer. Still t'was fun!... Similar posts

It's my brain in a... Similar posts

Yes, it is that time of the year again. Like last year, I’m planning to entertain you with my adventures as a volunteer for the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. The Festival officially opens on February 18th; so from then on you’ll get regular updates on what it’s like to rip of tickets, collect sticky rubbish from under cinema chairs and meeting the occasional celebrity while serving in one of the many venues of the festival. Plus also try to provide some insight on this rare occasion that World Cinema and Hollywood make a stopover in Dublin. Whereas last year’s motto was “finding favourite films”, this year the festival seems even more diverse with spotlights on Korean, Russian and of course Irish cinema. And it is officially dedicated to... Similar posts

The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Calvin and Hobbes - I mean Fight... Similar posts

What do the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Chronicles of Narnia, Avatar, Granny Grim, and The Secret of Kells have in common …? The Oscars… True the last three are all nominated in the 2010 Oscars. But the answer is this..... Similar posts