Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts

9th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards Winners

Awards ceremony is happening right now; winners are in *BLUE. To check winners in all categories go here that eventually will be there.

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1/10

Today the Irish Academy announced the nominations and here they are for some categories.

Best Film
Albert Nobbs
Stella Days
*The Guard

Director Film
Rebecca Daly for The Other Side of Sleep
*John Michael McDonagh for The Guard
Terry McMahon for Charlie Casanova
Thaddeus O’Sullivan for Stella Days

Actress in a Lead Role in a Feature Film
Aoife Duffin in Behold The Lamb
Antonia Campbell Hughes in The Other Side of Sleep
Marcella Plunkett in Stella Days
*Saorise Ronan in Hanna

Actor in a Lead Role in a Feature Film
*Michael Fassbender in Shame
Brendan Gleeson in The Guard
Ciarán Hinds in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Martin Sheen in Stella Days

International Film
Bridesmaids
Drive
Senna
*Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

International Actress
*Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin
Kirsten Wiig in Bridesmaids

International Actor
Don Cheadle in The Guard
Leonardo DiCaprio in J Edgar
*Ryan Gosling in Drive
Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

To check nominees in all categories including TV go here. Awards ceremony will be on February 11. Have seen almost all the movies but there's one that have not and definitively will watch ASAP, The Other Side of Sleep.

Autumn Movie Bites #1

Here are some bites about lesbian interest movies. Enjoy.

Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz. France, USA, and Iran. Bit confused about film as found stays like in the middle not going in depth with something. As a genre film tells a known story –set in the Middle East too- with love scenes that are more sex scenes filmed from a male-point-of-view than with female eyes. Not the best lesbian interest film with similar theme that I have seen. Then as a political statement is not strong as there are other female centered stories that have more successfully shown how Middle Eastern cultures/traditions/religion converts women to almost non-existence within their society. Maybe if film had no lesbian interest content political message could have been developed more; likewise if had no political message then the lesbian interest story could have been developed more and more appropriately. Still, film is watchable. Enjoy.

You and I by Roland Joffé. Russia and USA. Not pleasant to watch thanks to a terrible script with absurd dialogues and lack of clear focus in a story that pretends to show youth decadence in contemporary Russia by telling the “falling in love” story of Janie (Shantel VanSanten) and Lana (Mischa Barton). If you skip movie you will be missing absolutely nothing. Sigh.

Sour Sorriso (Sister Smile) by Roger Deutsch. Italy. This 2001 film is more a fictitious account of what infamous Belgian nun surely didn’t live; but not like the more recent version, clearly presents a woman that loved women. The problem is that the director to tell a 60’s set story used a 60’s cinema style that today makes story and film not easy-to-watch plus hard to be related to. Sigh.

80 Egunean (For 80 Days) by Jon Garaño and José María Goenaga. Spain. Film tells about “Axun and Maite meeting at secondary school during a repressive that never allowed their relationship to go beyond friendship” and when they meet 50 years after they can’t really become a couple as seems is too late. Not particularly liked message as I do believe that NEVER is too late, but how writers decided to end story makes message “more politically correct” but less human as we have to end up doing what others want and not what we really want. Film has very good production values and performances that will entertain you. Enjoy!!

Die Konkurrentin by Dagmar Hirtz. Germany. This 1997 German TV movie has a very nice love story between two women as only –I believe- German television can do SO good, which makes it absolutely must be seen for those that enjoy the genre and have seen before (great) German lesbian interest TV movies. The last is because whatever else happens in story (here is Business Corporation drama) is secondary to their typical seductive way of making their protagonists fall in love and have a happy ending. Still surprises me that German audiences were able to watch lesbian interest movies in that decade, when still today -40 years after- many countries TV will never show them. Enjoy!!

Break My Fall by Kanchi Wichmann. UK. Can’t deny that film has an interesting style that makes it look and feel quite realistic. For a 40,000 UK pounds production, have to say that film is really great. Story is raw and like in all stories about a relationship last days we will not see romantic moments; if performances are good then story will be felt a lot more and this is the case with this film. It’s a lesbian story about something that hasn’t been explored too much in the genre and suggest to many to watch it with no romance expectations and maybe you will enjoy it as much as I did. Enjoy!!

Como Esquecer (So Hard to Forget) by Malu de Martino. Brazil. Nope is not about how the relationship ends, but how the one that didn’t want to break up abandons herself into depression, how she starts to overcome not being with Antonia anymore and finally meets someone that allows her to give herself another chance to care for someone. Gee, sounds kind of sad BUT honestly is NOT as this Brazilian movie has all over the Brazilian “joie de vivre” more in style than in story, plus acceptable to good performances by good-looking cast makes the ride really easier. Can be entertaining if you have no expectations and just enjoy the ride. Enjoy!!

Leading Ladies by Daniel Beahm and Erika Randal Beahm. USA. My big mistake was that I had expectations about this movie, “dancing expectations” lol! Honestly is not a good movie and there is not much dancing; but if you enjoy typical American comedy style (which I don’t) maybe you will enjoy this “zany” comedy a lot more than me. Sigh.

Tomboy by Céline Sciamma. France. An entertaining film that surely is more mainstream than Sciamma’s previous Naissance des pieuvres, which I simply loved. As you can imagine was expecting a film more in the style of Naissance des pieuvres and definitively Tomboy is different; still is an engaging story about a girl that sees her moving into a new neighborhood as the opportunity to be more what she really feels like: a boy. Okay I should explain myself so I will not confuse anyone, this film is NOT mainstream, is arty; but if you compare both Sciamma’s films then you will see that her second is more commercial than her first thanks to the story mainly. Not your regular genre film, but worth watching. Enjoy!!

Kyss Mig (With Every Heartbeat) by Alexandra-Therese Keining. Sweden. Has this film a predictable story? Yes. Indeed is true, very predictable BUT film is highly enjoyable, so it’s not about the destination is about the trip. You have no idea how good your trip into the lives of Mia and Frida will be as performances by complete cast is quite good, cinematography is super, production values are high and director is so good that I’ll watch her future films for sure. I loved this movie and if you have the patience to enjoy a great ride to a predictable destination, then this film is definitively for you. Enjoy!!!

Mein Freund Aus Faro (To Faro) by Nana Neul. Germany. This 2008 film has been labeled as the German version of Boys Don’t Cry and indeed has a similar story but fortunately fictional To Faro does not have the violence of the real story. Tells about Melanie that meets Jenny and falls in love; but Jenny think she’s met Miguel from Faro, Portugal. Film is nothing special, entertaining but not much more. If you been delaying watching because of violence (as I did) be assure that there is none here, so go ahead and watch. Enjoy.

Luan qing chun (Beatiful Crazy) by Chi Y. Lee. Taiwan. Couldn’t enjoy film even when I tried harder (lol!), yes is arty but unfortunately not really interesting. Not much lesbian interest, just what seems like a few seconds. If you skip it, won’t be missing much. Sigh.

Albert Nobbs by Rodrigo García. UK and Ireland. Honestly I had no lesbian interest expectations for this movie as I’m familiar with main character story, so finding that perhaps the most digestible/funny character the movie has is the one played by Janet McTeer (Page) who happens to be lesbian and lives with her wife was most refreshing. Glenn Close really gets lost into her male character and does a great performance but character is truly lame -and definitively not lesbian at all- as Albert Nobbs is a woman trapped in a man cover that resigned herself to live a life of loneliness, that’s it until she meets Page as sees an opportunity to change her destiny. Unfortunately she does not look for love, she looks for convenience and pursues Helen (Mia Wasikowska) that definitively doesn’t need “convenience” at that moment. Maybe if Nobbs had seduced Helen then things would have been different, but obviously that will happen later when Page starts to seduce Helen. I believe that Close does really good her character but character is so unappealing and is so well-done that some are saying that her performance made the character one-dimensional, flat, pan faced, etc; but I do believe that’s the way it was supposed to be. Anyway this is a movie to watch not because has lesbian interest moments but because is a story of women that had to dress like men to be able to earn a living when for whatever reason, there was no man to take care of them. Enjoy!!!

8th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards Winners

Recently the Irish Academy had the awards ceremony and winners are in *BLUE. To check winners in all categories go here. If you wish to watch awards show go here but be aware that viewing is NOT allowed in some countries.

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1/11/11
Today the Irish Academy announced their nominations and here they are.

Best Film
*As If I Am Not There, Juanita Wilson
Perrier’s Bounty, Ian Fitzgibbon
Sensation, Tom Hall
Swansong – Story of Occi Byrne, Conor McDermottroe
The Runway, Ian Power

Best Director
PJ Dillon for Rewind
Tom Hall for Sensation
Ian Power for The Runway
*Juanita Wilson for As If I Am Not There

Best Actress(*)
Ruth Bradley in Love/Hate (TV)
Orla Brady in Mistresses, (TV) (yay!!!)
Sarah Flood in Fair City, (TV)
*Amy Huberman in Rewind, PJ Dillon
Charlene McKenna in RAW (TV)

Best Supporting Actress
Kerry Condon in The Runway, Ian Power
Marcella Plunkett in Swansong – Story of Occi Byrne, Conor McDermottroe
*Saoirse Ronan in The Way Back, Peter Weir
Eileen Walsh in Snap, Carmel Winters

Best Actor
*Martin McCann in Swansong – Story of Occi Byrne, Conor McDermottroe
Colm Meaney in Parked, Darragh Byrne
Cillian Murphy in Perrier’s Bounty, Ian Fitzgibbon
Liam Neeson in Chloe, Atom Egoyan

Best Supporting Actor
*Pierce Brosnan in The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski
Colin Farrell in The Way Back, Peter Weir
Brendan Gleeson in Perrier’s Bounty, Ian Fitzgibbon
Cillian Murphy in Inception, Christopher Nolan

International Film
A Prophet, Jacques Audiard, France
Inception, Christopher Nolan, USA
*The Social Network, David Fincher, USA
Toy Story 3, Lee Unkrich, USA

International Actress
*Annette Benning in The Kids are All Right, Lisa Cholodenko
Helena Bonham-Carter in The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone, Debra Granik
Natasha Petrovic in As If I Am Not There, Juanita Wilson

International Actor
Russel Crowe in The Next Three Days, Paul Haggis
Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception, Christopher Nolan
*Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network, David Fincher
Rahar Rahim in A Prophet, Jacques Audiard

(*)The Academy has merged the Actress Lead Film and Actress Lead Television categories this year due to an inadequate number of Lead Actress submissions in the Film Category.

To check nominees in all film and TV categories go here. Awards ceremony will be on Saturday, February 12 and will be broadcast live on Irish television.

Seems that Irish cinema had a shortage of actresses in great roles last year, which is nothing alike to what happened in other English language cinemas. There is only one film that I was really looking forward to watch before learning about these nods, Juanita Wilson’s As If I Am Not There but know that have to find the right moment as film is a war movie about the Bosnian War and the atrocities committed.

Nothing Personal

Not an easy movie to explain but wonderful to watch in so many levels that honestly I'm wordless when trying to write about it. So I will ramble. An extremely beautiful to watch pas-de-deux between Stephen Rea and Lotte Verbeek that maybe is a non-traditional love story or maybe is a quiet, slowly, peaceful expression of human relationships told in this story by two lonely individuals that find each other. One chooses to be lonely, the other is a widow. One doesn’t want to be found, the other doesn’t want to be alone. In the end is all about irony. See, no matter what I write it really doesn’t express what you will see in this movie as I believe everything I wrote above is in this movie but doesn’t really explain the story or what you will see.

For the first time I’m going to cheat and write an excerpt of the synopsis as written in the movie official site that surely will describe better what this movie is all about, if you want to read more go here.

A young female rebel and an old sage challenge each other in a story about personal freedom and attachment. She is a young Dutch woman, who after throwing away all her possessions becomes a vagabond by choice and finds the solitude she was looking for in an austere landscape of Irish Connemara. He is an old man who lives a solitary life in a secluded house in Ireland. She is radical and uncompromising. He is wise and ironic. What connects them is solitude they both see as freedom.

Alright that’s what the filmmaker intended but I’m sure that some of you after watching will discover other meanings, story and/or interpretation. I did but I’m not speechless, I’m wordless. Since writing here is the first time it happens to me. I also suggest if you want to learn more that you read an interview with director and writer Urszula Antoniak that’s here as will give you some insights about her film.

As a movie is almost perfect. Extraordinary landscapes of Irish Connemara, great cinematography, silences, very little dialogue, more actors expressions, very-slow pace, and a very attention grabber story told in five acts via words in black screens: Loneliness, The end of a relationship, Marriage, Beginning of a Relationship, and Alone but the words tell nothing about what follows or better, tell everything in a tangential way.

As you can tell I’m absolutely perplexed by this film that’s absolutely (cacophony on purpose) a work of art with a very-intriguing story told in the most unconventional possible way.

This extraordinary film collected major awards at 2009 Locarno fest including Best First Film for Urszula Antoniak and Best Actress for Lotte Verbeek as well as more awards and nominations in festivals around the world.

I strongly recommend the film to those that appreciate Art and European cinemas, but as the film has a clearly told story maybe some of you that don’t like this type of cinema could enjoy it too. To close a photo of one scene that I need to have here.



Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

 
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