Morgen

This Romanian film won the Ecumenical jury prize at Locarno last August and took Locarno's overall Runner Up prize as well as two additional jury awards...

Set on the border between Romania and Hungary, this is a modern immigration tale as told by director Marian Crisan that was inspired by a news article on illegal Turkish immigration.

The calm humanity of the Romanian character Nelu allows us to root for him as he helps the Turkish man in his quest to cross into Hungary and make his way toward his family in Germany.

Some humor, much honesty, and a thoroughly enjoyable film too...

The director made a wise choice to subtitle the Romanian character's dialogue and provide no translation for the Turkish man. This allowed the audience to experience Nelu's point of view in trying to understand another human being when words can sometimes get in the way...

Poetry

This Korean film is the second chapter of director Chang-dong Lee's study on forgiveness.

An elderly woman takes care of her ungrateful grandson and decides, on a whim, to take a poetry class. Her pursuit of poetry forces her to slow down and truly focus and closely study the daily life surrounding her.

Her life is suddenly turned upside down when it is revealed that her grandson has committed a horrible crime along with his friends and the other parents implore the grandmother to help them raise the money needed to keep the boys in school and out of jail...

The grandmother's moral dilemma provides the main through line for this slow, steady paced story.

To help cover for a grandson who is her own flesh and blood or to allow him to pay society's price for his grievous sin.

In the end she does the right thing and this also allows her to finish the poem for her class and become the only student who does so...

The Wedding Photographer

An aspiring photographer leaves his working class family in the country and moves to the big city of Stockholm.

While photographing a wedding he meets the woman of his dreams, who just so happens to be from the upper class.

This Swedish comedy by director Ulf Malmros did very well at the box office in his home country.

A modern take on the class differences that still exist within Sweden as well as a study of contrasts between the rural and metropolitan communities...

An enjoyable film.

- Director Ulf Malmros (on left) and his producer after the screening

JDIFF Screenwriting Panel

- (left to right) Brian O'Malley (Crossing Salween), Brendan McCarthy (Wake Wood), Thomas Hefferon (The Pool), Carmel Winters (Snap), moderator Barry Dignam

- yes, that's me in the front row...

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival kicked off on Thursday and will last until next Sunday.

I attended a packed forum for screenwriters sponsored by the festival. This panel featured four Irish working screenwriters and offered them an opportunity to share their stories of how they navigated the Irish film industry to get their films produced and distributed...

The Irish film industry is quite small and is in a state of transition right now due to the economic climate and the overall desire to move away from the more traditional "Irish" stories in an effort to make more modern and compelling films that will appeal to a broader audience.

The difficult question for the Irish film industry is that by doing this will they lose their cultural uniqueness, their identity, their Irishness...?

We Were Soldiers

Many have recommended this Vietnam war movie to me over the years and I finally had an opportunity to see it.

This story is based on the critically acclaimed book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young," by Lieutenant General Hal Moore (Mel Gibson's character in the film) and reporter Joseph Galloway, both of whom were intimately involved in the first major battle between the U.S. military and the North Vietnamese army at the Battle of la Drang on November 14, 1965.

Heavily outnumbered in this ambush, the U.S. lost 300 soldiers in defending their position while the North Vietnamese lost more than 1,500 of their own.

This battle served as the U.S.'s first true test of their new air mobility tactics using helicopters to deliver battalion level forces supported by remote artillery and the air force.

This particular story centers on Moore's 7th Cavalry landing at the X-Ray landing zone (about the size of a football field), in which they were surrounded - 360 degrees - by 5 divisions of North Vietnamese hidden underground and in the bush.

The film doesn't lay blame, is not political, and indicates that a true soldier fights to defend his family, no matter how that word is defined.

It's not often that a war film can produce the wide range of emotions (in a good way) as honestly as this one did...

Gone Baby Gone

After seeing The Town recently I decided to screen Ben Affleck's directorial debut, 2007's Gone Baby Gone.

While I'm highly critical of Affleck as an actor, I must admit that he does have talent as a director. The two films that he's directed so far are very home town oriented (Boston) and genre specific (cops and robbers). Whether or not he has an interest in broadening his range as an artist is yet to be seen but both of these films are excellent.

Casey Affleck stars as the private detective in pursuit of the truth here. A major "surprise" occurs towards the end of the film regarding the circumstances of the baby in the title and I, for one, didn't see this coming though probably should have. So, well done to the storytellers involved here...

Is doing the just and honest thing actually better if we know that it will likely produce a worse life for a child? Are we in a position to judge this? Who is right and who is wrong?

These are some of the provocative questions raised with the ending of this film and makes the journey worth it.

In Bruges

After Brussels we travelled on to Bruges, which is just more than an hour away. Bruges is Belgium's answer to Venice. I had visited here perhaps 20 years ago or so and have not been back since.

This was a perfect spot to enjoy a bit of post Valentine's Day bliss...

- The Church of Our Lady

- One of very few Michaelangelo sculptures outside of Italy (Church of Our Lady)

- Basilica of the Holy Blood (a vial of Christ's blood was brought back from the Crusades and is housed here)

- No city is complete without an Irish Pub

Brussels

-Mannekin Pis

-Old Town Square

- Of course!

- the coolest pastry shop in Brussels

-More Old Town Square

My wife and I travelled to Belgium this week. I visited the headquarters of SIGNIS in Brussels for a lunch meeting and we had some extra time to visit the historical city center afterwards...

The Lovely Bones

I've always been curious about this film as the underlying story is somewhat similar to a short story that I had written years ago...

The novel that this film is based upon (written by Alice Sebold) was a huge success and I'm not so sure that this film was a worthy adaptation for those who loved and enjoyed the book.

Peter Jackson directed this film and this may have been partly to blame for what I felt was an inability to connect with, not only the characters, but the story in general. Jackson is renowned for his Lord of the Rings trilogy and he probably relied a bit too much on CGI and his representation of what the afterlife and heaven looks like rather than spending more time and focus on the characters themselves...

I never connected with this film.

Newcomer Saoirse Ronan was refreshing as the girl Susie Salmon.

Interesting bit of trivia... Mark Wahlberg played the father, Jack Salmon. However, he was not the original actor cast. This role was originally intended for Ryan Gosling. When Gosling showed up on set three days prior to the beginning of shooting (having gained 60 pounds as he saw the character of Jack Salmon as 210 lbs.), Jackson didn't like Gosling's physical interpretation, fired him, and replaced him with Wahlberg...

One of the original marketing posters is seen below.

Happy Valentine's Day...

... to my beautiful wife, Karen.

IFTA's and BAFTA's

-IFTA award

-BAFTA award

The 8th annual IFTA (Irish Film & Television Academy) awards were broadcast on Saturday night and the BAFTA (British Acadamy of Film & Television Arts) awards took place last night...

Award season is in full swing.

Finally...

The Bosnian War drama As If I Am Not There won three IFTA awards on Saturday -- for Best Film, for Best Director Juanita Wilson, and for Best Script. I have yet to see this film though I have seen her short film The Door, which was nominated for an Oscar last year in the short film category.

It would be an honor to one day win or even be nominated for an IFTA in my new adopted home.

The King's Speech cleaned up at the BAFTA's last night winning 7 awards.

Six Nations Rugby

- Aviva Stadium

-Jamie Heaslip scores one of Ireland's three tries

- Captain Brian O'Driscoll dejected after the loss

-Jonathan Sexton surrounded by two French players

This is Irish rugby at its best.

Yes, the provinces (Munster, Leinster, Connacht, Ulster) play in The Heineken Cup and Magners League, however, allegiances are often split as these teams represent different geographical regions. The Six Nations is where the best of the provincial players represent their home country and you can feel the difference as a fan in the stands...

France, England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, and Ireland are the European countries that participate in the once-a-year Six Nations Championship.

The past two winners (Ireland in 2009 and France in 2010) squared off in the brand new Aviva Stadium here in Dublin today.

Not quite the outcome you might have wished for if you're an Irish fan (they lost 22-25), however, this was very much a physical, spirited, and enjoyable game of rugby to watch.

This is the closest thing to American college football that I can find over here.

The Town

Ben Affleck directed this Boston heist film. While not a fan of Affleck as an actor, I have to admit that he did a very credible job with this film as a director (I have yet to see his directorial debut Gone Baby Gone). There's nothing shocking or unusual about this story, however, it does contain excellent acting performances all around and the story is told with taut pacing and to be honest, there's never a dull moment.

It's excellent entertainment.

Jeremy Renner received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for this role and he continues to be at the peak of his art form here after last year's The Hurt Locker.

Savage

This Irish film was featured in last February's Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, however I never had the opportunity to see it until today.

The subject matter is not really my cup of tea but I was curious as this film received many accolades here in Ireland...

A simple story -- a passive young man is accosted by two teenage punks late one night in a Dublin backstreet. They assault him and steal his belongings. But we (artfully handled) find out later that they take more than just his belongings, they cut off his manhood as well...

He transforms through many stages (fear, control, anger, revenge) from a feeble man to a man of violence, culminating in a final scene of climactic expiation.

With an obvious ode to Taxi Driver, this film is deftly handled by director Brendan Muldowney in its pacing and ultimate controlling of how we follow this young man's lonely journey towards his own personal resurrection.

A statement on violence and whether more violence is really the answer...

An interesting piece of trivia -- the lead actor in this film pleaded guilty to assaulting a young man in a Dublin pub in 2005. This man later died from a blood clot in his brain. The lead actor ultimately received a two-year suspended sentence and never had to serve any time. The Dublin court determined that there was no intent to cause serious harm...

Art imitating life?

The Kite Runner

I missed this cultural phenom both as a book back in 2004 and as a film in 2007.

This is the story of Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul and his best friend, Hassan, who is the son of his father's servant.

It's heartbreaking to see what happens to Hassan during this journey.

Set during the time of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and in present day San Francisco, this is a story of culture, friendship, courage, cowardice, pride, politics, and of confronting your past so that you can have a future.

An enjoyable story, however, I must say that I was a bit disappointed with the actor who portrayed the adult Amir (Khalid Abdalla). It wasn't a convincing performance...

However, this is only a minor point as the story prevails and life comes full circle for him in many ways...

Of Gods and Men

Based upon the true story of 7 French Trappist (Cistercian) monks who were kidnapped in 1996 from their monastery in Algeria by Muslim extremists and later beheaded...

This film won both the Grand Prize and the SIGNIS award at Cannes last year. And it was just recently awarded the SIGNIS prize for Best European film of 2010.

An appropriate pace draws us slowly into the lives of these French monks and allows us to better understand their peaceful lives and their cooperative interactions with their Algerian Muslim neighbors.

A film about worship and love of God, religious extremism, peace and violence, colonialism, politics, bravery, and friendship.

A most beautiful scene occurs towards the end of this film as the monks celebrate their own version of The Last Supper. It's a wonderful scene full of warmth and joy.

Highly recommended...

A Sobering Story

This is a photo that I took as I happened to be walking past St. John the Baptist church in Blackrock this morning. A funeral was taking place inside and as you can see, it was overflowing. There are at least 150 persons standing outside not able to fit inside this church that holds perhaps 350 or more inside...

It's a very tragic and sad story.

I will simply provide the following news item printed in The Irish Times last Friday February 4th.

_________________________

"A 45-year-old pedestrian died last night when she was hit by a tree that blew over in high winds in Dublin.

Gardaí said the mother-of-three was pronounced dead in hospital a short time after the accident at about 5pm yesterday on Waterloo Road, Dublin 4 near the junction with Upper Baggot Street.

An off-duty member of Dublin Fire Brigade who was near the scene contacted Donnybrook Fire Station and two units arrived withing minutes. She gave medical attention to the woman, who was taken to St Vincent's Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

A car was also crushed by the tree when it fell across the road. Nobody in the car was injured.

The tragedy happened as Met Éireann issued a weather warning and forecast strong to near gale force and gusty south-westerly winds across the capital.

Gusts are also expected to reach between 80 and 95 km/h in exposed areas today.

Motorists were also warned that very blustery conditions were causing problems for road users. AA Roadwatch said high sided vehicles, motorbikes and cyclists were urged to take extra care."

_________________________

It makes me think about the extreme vulnerability of life.

None of us knows when we will die. We all make plans for the future and hope to do things "one of these days." That day may not come and it certainly won't for this woman, Lynda Collins.

She would have turned 46 the very next day, on Friday.

What if she had been delayed, even by 5 seconds, at a crosswalk? Would this have been difference between life and death?

What if she was rushing to catch a bus or the DART or was delayed in leaving work for some reason? Could this have been the difference between life and death?

What if she had to park her car a block farther away than normal and had to walk down a street that she normally doesn't travel on, except for this one day, at this particular instant? Could this have been the difference between life and death?

Nobody will ever know the reason for such a freak accident as this.

She left behind a husband and three children aged 14, 13, and 7, the youngest suffering from epilepsy.

What we can do is offer a prayer for this woman and her grieving family...

The Social Network

I wasn't sure how this film could be made to be interesting but I have to say that it was.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, A Few Good Men) intertwined the creation of Facebook by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) with the two legal claims that later resulted (one by the Winklevoss twins who somewhat justifiably claimed he stole their idea and the other by his friend Eduardo Saverin after his ownership share was cut in a most Machiavellian manner)after it was created.

As they say, drama ensued...

And plenty of it.

There's a certain energy that this film has that results from a combination of having a gazillion dollars at stake, a posse of youth involved in creating possibly the last dot-com big thing, a (somewhat) sympathetic protagonist, and Sorkin's trademark snappy dialogue.

I was pleasantly surprised.

The Kids Are All Right

Very much a modern family tale as it involves the search (by two IVF-conceived teenagers) for and relationship with a sperm donor father and his subsequent inter-relationship with the children's two moms.

Annette Bening was nominated for an Academy Award for her acting role here but besides lowering her voice and standing with her hands on her hips I'm clearly not understanding how this nomination came about. I don't want to keep repeating myself but please see my earlier posts on Natalie Portman in Black Swan and Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole for further insight into my thoughts with respect to some of the Academy Award acting nominations, especially for the women, this year.

This was a PC nomination for Bening, rather than a nomination for her craft and skill. She was excellent in Valmont, The Grifters, and American Beauty but this performance falls far short when compared to of any of those...

Mark Ruffalo, as always, give a lovable performance.

Rabbit Hole

Based on a play (which won the Pulitzer and was also nominated for a Tony award) this is the film version of the story of married couple Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) and the tortured journey of their relationship after the accidental death of their son Danny.

An emotionally honest and riveting drama.

Their relationship travels the vast roller coaster of the many stages of grief that is the aftermath of their loss and yet survives.

This is a story of hope...

I do want to mention, as I mentioned previously with Black Swan, that acting accolades (in my humble opinion) seem to be too generously given out for certain performers today. Nicole Kidman is one of them as she was nominated for an Academy Award for this film and I really don't think this was her best work, by any stretch of the imagination (her liberal use of Botox isn't helping with her facial emotiveness, something an actor desperately needs). I find it difficult to believe that the Academy found this to be deemed one of the top 5 acting performances of 2010. This might also be a case in support of the often heard complaint that there is a dearth of good acting roles for women in today's films.

Aaron Eckhart, an often under appreciated actor, gave an honest and compelling performance as Howie.

Irish Short Films

-Lowland Fell

-Jellybaby