Not That Happiness Is Dull. Only That It Doesn't Tell Well.

I've started reading again recently, after a bit of a drought. My plan is to pester friends and family for their favourite books and attempt to read a book a week over the summer. At the moment, I'm reading Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel García Márquez, as suggested by my sister, but if I run out of suggestions I'd like to revisit Lionel Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin at some point.

A macabre tale that centres on a woman's strained relationship with her eldest son, the book is one of my all-time favourites and I'm really excited about the imminent film adaptation starring Tilda Swinton.

It's not being released until September, but reports from its recent premiere at Cannes have been overwhelmingly positive and, after watching the teaser trailers, I'm near convinced that this is going to be the movie event of 2011.

Ready Or Not, Here I Come

Meet Blinky™, the creation of NCAD graduate and Oscar nominee Ruairi Robinson.

A young boy (played by Max Records of Where The Wild Things Are), feeling unloved and lost in the world as a result of his parents' constant fighting, decides that investing a robotic friend might be the answer to his problems.

At first, Blinky's arrival seems to have the desired effect, but the boy soon begins to have his doubts and things take a turn for the sinister.

Blinky™ from Ruairi Robinson on Vimeo.

Birds Of A Feather

I'm slightly in love with these Soviet-style posters for Darren Aronofsky's forthcoming ballet-based feature, 'Black Swan'. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, I'd suggest you get acquainted. Unfortunately the film isn't due for release her 'til February 2011.



(via Darren)

Fluffy Mc Cloud

I really love this short film by recent IADT graduate Conor Finnegan. Combining stop-motion, live action and hand drawn animation, it tells the story of a man's mixed relationship with mother nature.

Run, Rabit, Run

I really like this stop-motion film 'Out Of A Forest' by Tobias Gundorff Boesen about a tragedy that befalls an impressionable young bunny.



The film was shot in the forests surrounding Viborg in Denmark and the music featured is The National's 'Slow Song'.

[via Devin Castro]

Lilikoi Boy

Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi's forthcoming solo album is something of an exciting prospect, as the tracks that have trickled through so far have all been fantastic.

In conjunction with the release, Jónsi has teamed up with director Dean Deblois to produce a film called 'Go Quiet', which will feature Jónsi performing all the album's tracks.

Speaking about the film, Deblois says: "The concept behind 'Go Quiet' was simple: it’s New Year’s Day in Reykjavík, and Jónsi awakens to a trashed house in the wake of his party. He avoids cleaning up and instead procrastinates by playing songs that reflect the night before, the bittersweetness of new year, and the melancholy of a year gone by."

This trailer has certainly served to whet my appetite:

Un Bel Film

Working as box office staff for the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival unfortunately prevented me from going to see most of the movies being screened.

However, I was lucky enough to nab a ticket for the gala screening of the festival's closing film, 'Io Sono l’Amore' ('I Am Love'), so I wandered along to The Savoy last night to check it out.

Eleven years in the making, the movie stars Tilda Swinton as the Russian wife of a wealthy Italian businessman whose life takes a series of unexpected turns after her son befriends a lowly chef.

Swinton and the film's director Luca Guadagnino were present at the screening and said that they had set out to make a film that would reclaim words used to describe modern movies in a disparaging way, like "sensational", "operatic" and "melodramatic". They sure succeeded.

Elegantly shot, perfectly paced and laden with fine performances, I honestly can't remember the last time I was so absorbed by a movie. As the closing credits began to roll, I was left reeling from the film's dramatic final scenes and sat in stunned silence for a few moments before remembering to clap.

The film gets a proper release here next month and I strongly suggest you check it out.



[Image: Peter Fingleton]

Roles Revisited

I really love the feature in the current issue of Empire Magazine that shows Hollywood actors and actresses revisiting some of their most famous roles:

Mel Gibson - Braveheart

Keira Knightley & James McAvoy - Atonement

Ben Stiller - Zoolander

Anthony Hopkins & Jodie Foster - Silence of the Lambs

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint - Harry Potter

More here.

[Via Karen Howley]

The Whole 9 Yards?

These days, it seems every animated film released raises the bar in terms of visual effects. Classic titles like ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘The Lion King’, although fine movies, look decidedly dated when compared with the stunning CGI animation on offer in Shane Acker’s latest feature, 9.

The kind of rapid advances in technology that have paved the way for 9’s incredible graphics are, as it happens, somewhat central to the film’s premise. Set in a reality where super-intelligent machines have turned against and over-powered their human creators, the story warns against the perils of “mankind’s relentless pursuit of technology”.

When doll-like creature 9 (voiced by Elijah Wood) awakens in this post-apocalyptic world, he’s unsure of how or why he has come to be there. However, it's not long before he discovers he's not alone and finds himself caught up in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the menacing machines and restore life to the planet.

9 certainly presents some interesting ideas but its clumsy resolution leaves too many questions unanswered and it’s difficult to shake the notion that the ground-breaking visuals came at the cost of a plot almost as hollow as the barren landscapes the film depicts.

Verdict: Visually stunning but the plot is considerably less impressive. Maybe check out ‘Up’ instead, if you haven't already.

Somewhat Overcast

Almost as exciting as a new film from genius animation team Pixar is the prospect of seeing one of the 'shorts' that precedes the main feature in cinemas.

'Partly Cloudy', which accompanies latest Pixar flick 'Up', is some of their best work to date. If you haven't yet checked out 'Up', here's yet another reason why you should:



Another favourite of mine is 'Presto'.

[Via Michael]

Jennifer's Body Double

The trailer for upcoming Megan Fox vehicle 'Jennifer's Body' is nothing short of brilliant but the film's poster bears more than a passing similarity to the graphic for my current favourite TV show, 'True Blood', don't you think?

What Is The Use Of A Book, Without Pictures Or Conversations?

Sarah has kindly drawn my attention to a new batch of photographs from Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland'. These shots give a much better sense of the costumes and I love that each character is pictured with an animal.





Helena Bonham Carter's costume for The Red Queen is especially excellent. I still wish they'd done something with Anne Hathaway's eyebrows.

Eyebrows or none, this looks set to be one of the most anticipated movie releases of 2010.

[Images: MTV]

Eternal Fame?

I remember when I was much younger, Network 2 (as it was then) broadcast pretty much every episode of 80's TV programme 'Fame' over the course of a summer. I used to tune in religiously to watch the show and see what hi-jinx Leroy, Danny, Doris and co were getting up to at The New York City High School for the Performing Arts (what a mouthful).

When I finally saw the 1980 film that inspired the series, I was pretty disappointed. It was all a bit too serious and 'issue laden' for my liking and lacked the camp zaniness of the series.

When I saw the film again recently, I was able to appreciate the 'coming of age' aspect of it a lot more but I'm still fairly dubious about the re-make scheduled for release this year. Despite the involvement of Kelsey Grammer and Megan Mullalley, the trailer doesn't exactly suggest side-splitting hilarity and the whole thing seems a little 'done':



Pointless trivia: The theme tune, made famous by Irene Cara, is performed by Naturi Naughton, formerly of 3LW in the above clip.

[Image: Tim's TV Showcase]

Bruno

I was lucky enough to be able to attend an advance preview of 'Bruno' tonight courtesy of the lovely folk at Movies.ie.

I was never a huge fan of Ali G and didn't bother going to see 'Borat' so, in truth, I probably wouldn't have paid to go see this movie if I hadn't won the tickets. That said, I very much enjoyed 'Bruno' for what it was and I think Sacha Baron Cohen is nothing short of brilliant in the role of disgraced Austrian fashion-expert Bruno.

I found myself wincing with embarrassment as the character finds himself in increasingly awkward situations, whether it be making sexual advances on Republican presidential candidates or telling a chat show audience that he swapped an Ipod for an African American baby.

If you're looking for something tasteful or cerebral, look elsewhere, but if you're in the market for an hour and a half of laugh-out-loud ridiculousness, Bruno's your man.

Verdict: Ich like it very much.

Major Movie Motion Picture

Feature-length student film 'Six Semesters' has secured a spot at this year's Galway Film Fleadh, which takes place next month. Production began on the film three years ago (six semesters ago, if you will) and its development has been something of a 'labour of love' for writer/director John McKeown. 

Set over the course of a three year degree at DCU, 'Six Semesters' follows student Eddie (Dallan McCormick), who finances his student life by operating a service that helps students ditch unwanted other halves. Perhaps unsurprisingly, having a part-time job like this makes Eddie doubtful of the merits of romantic relationships, but his skepticism is challenged when Ailbhe (Marie-Claire Hoey), a girl he meets on the very first day of college, begins to feature heavily in his increasingly complicated life.

The film was shot almost entirely on DCU campus and features an all-student cast that includes MTV presenter Laura Whitmore and a number of the stars of the acclaimed production of 'Rent' that recently packed out audiences in The Olympia. The film premiered in Dublin last year but is likely to undergo some fairly drastic revisions before being screened at 'Cinemobile' in Galway on Thursday, the 9th of July.

Let's hope The Bubble Boy's scene-stealing role as 'Boy in Library #2' isn't a victim of the cutting room floor...

[Image: Sarah Cramer]

Curiouser And Curiouser...

Pictures of some of the characters from Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' have surfaced online. As much as I love these shots, it's almost too obvious to have Burton at the helm of the live-action version of Lewis Carroll's classic novel, isn't it?

Anne 'Eyebrows' Hathaway as The White Queen

Helana Bonham Carter as The Red Queen

Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter

Matt Lucas as Tweedles Dum and Dee

[via Who's That Girl?]

Future Flop?

Ever since I read it in 2007, I've regarded 'The Time Traveler's Wife' as one of my favourite books. The debut novel by Michigan-based writer Audrey Niffenegger, this unconventional love story centres on librarian Henry DeTamble, sufferer of a rare genetic disorder that causes him to involuntarily travel through time, and the unique relationship he develops with artist Clare Abshire.

Clare first meets Henry when she is six years old and a thirty-six year old Henry is transported into her back garden. Somewhat confusingly, Henry’s first encounter with Clare isn’t until fourteen years later when she is twenty and he is twenty-eight. 'The Time Traveler's Wife'  documents the evolution of their unusual relationship, skipping between Henry’s point of view and Clare’s, as readers see how Henry’s disorder, having originally thrown the pair together, repeatedly threatens to tear them apart.

A movie adaptation of the book is set to hit screens later this Summer, starring the consistently brilliant Rachel McAdams opposite Eric Bana. The trailer for the film has surfaced and, frankly, I don't know what to think. Yes, a large portion of the book is about the relationship between Clare and Henry but in the trailer they've made it look akin to Revolutionary Road, which it certainly is not. The book is quite dark and violent in places but they seem to have largely ignored these aspects in the trailer in favour of marketing it as a hybrid of 'The Notebook' and 'The Butterfly Effect' (one of my least favourite movies of all time):

[Image: Hollywood/Chicago]

The Future For Tom And Jerry?

In March of last year, a 9-year-old boy from Chicago, operating under the username RANDYPETERS1 posted a hand-drawn animated video on Youtube called 'Octocat Adventure 1'. Featuring crude MS Paint animation and a highpitched, child-like narrative voice, the clip documented octopus-cat hybrid Octocat on a quest to find his parents.

Three more episodes of Octocat subsequently materialised and the clips garnered something of a cult following. When the fifth and final instalment of Octocat's adventure was posted in September, an unexpcted twist made it clear that the work was not that of a nine-year-old boy.

Irish-born artist David O' Reilly subsequently claimed responsibility for the project, claiming it was an exercise in showing that people can "follow the worst animated, worst designed and worst dubbed film of all time, and still laugh and cry and do all the things you do watching a so-called “high end” film."

O' Reilly's latest film 'Please Say Something', although perhaps not as subversive as Octocat, is nothing short of a masterpiece. The film, depicting the troubled relationship of a cat and mouse in the distant future, was awarded the Golden Bear for 'Best Short Film' at the 2009 Berlin Festival and deservedly so.

Click here to see in better quality.

[Discovered via Why That's Delightful. Image: Dan Dare]

Who Likes Short Shorts?

This evening, I finally got around to watching 'Paris, Je T'Aime', eighteen short films by different directors under the theme 'Stories of Love, from the City of Love'. The quality inevitably varies from one short to the next but, more often than not, the directors get it right. If you haven't already seen this, I'd recommend getting your mits on a copy.

In the meantime, it's worthwhile checking out homegrown short film 'Skint', written by Brendan O' Rourke.

The screenplay was originally submitted for RTE's Storyland Competition but wasn't among the selected finalists. A group of final year Communications students from DCU decided to use the screenplay however.

Having seen the finished product, I reckon it's better than some of the screenplays that RTE plumped for:


"I'd just be pushing the foam about my face, but in a sore way." Amazing.

Full list of cast and crew on the Youtube page.

Right Here's Where You Start Paying. In Sweat...

...forward slash millions of Hollywood dollars.



Hasn't got a patch on this really, does it?



[via movies.ie]