Category: Film / TV

Lawless: Movie Review

Set in prohibition era Virginia USA, Lawless is based on the true story of the Boundurant brothers, rogue moonshiners who have a good thing going until the authorities send in a new deputy to straighten out Franklin County.

As things unravel, violence flares and the brother’s relatively peaceful set up leaves them with more than one war wound thanks to a deputy who wants to get a share of the profits. Resistance only drives Charles Rake (Guy Pearce) to achieve his goal his way by any means necessary.

Tom Hardy plays the level headed ring leader brother, Forrest, a man of few words who gets things done and has a knack for not getting killed. His brother, Howard, (Jason Clarke) is fan of their own merchandise. The coming of age of youngest brother Jack is played brilliantly by Shia LeBeouf. His story charts him falling for the right girl, which is a problem when you’re the bad boy, being introduced to the family business, building it up and ultimately being a cog in its downfall.

It’s beautifully directed by John Hillcoat, who also directed ‘The Road’ and he shows fantastic attention to detail here.The screenplay for the film was written by Nick Cave, who also gets a cameo. There’s also a supporting role for Gary Oldman as gangster from the city, Floyd Banner.

Despite being on the wrong side of the law, you can’t help but root for the brothers. Their parts are played so well but also Guy Pearse has brilliantly turned his character, along with his weird haircut, into the most horrible character in the movies this year.

Lawless is bloody, it’s violent but when ladies enter the brother’s lives, it’s also quite tender. It’s a really good piece of film making. If you miss this, you will be missing one of the best movies of the year.

September 7, 2012
What Richard Did – Official Trailer Released

The trailer for Lenny Abrahamson film ‘What Richard Did’ has just been revealed. ‘What Richard Did’ gets its theatre released on October 5th and is already getting fantastic words written about it.

What’s it about? ‘What Richard Did follows Richard Karlsen, golden-boy athlete and undisputed alpha-male of his privileged set of South Dublin teenagers, through the summer between the end of school and the beginning of university. The world is bright and everything seems possible, until in one summer night Richard does something that destroys it all and shatters the lives of the people closest to him. Featuring extraordinary performances from its mainly young cast, What Richard Did is a quietly devastating study of a boy confronting the gap between who he thought he was and who he proves to be.’

It definitely looks like one not to be missed.

September 3, 2012
Darklight Film Festival: This Weekend 23-26 August 2012

This year’s Darklight Film Festival is kicking off right about now and runs until Sunday 26th August. Full details about the schedule can be found on the Darklight website. One of the things I love about Darklight is the chance to get involved in some of the talks and workshops that take place over the course of the weekend.

Here’s what’s happening this weekend:

FRIDAY AUGUST 23

Talks

HiFi v LoFi – Game On! | 14:00 | The Factory
As part of our Gaming strand, Darklight presents a discussion contrasting the experiences of working with high profile international games to the underground world of indie game development.
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My Right to Music | 14:00 | The Factory
A how to on Music Clearance for a Transmedia World with speakers from all corners of the music industry.
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Workshops

HiFi VFX Masterclass | 15:30 | The Factory
In association with Fas Screen Training Ireland, Seamus McGarvey and Jake Morrison, key members of the team behind the multi billion dollar hit, Avengers Assemble, talk through the technical and creative processes behind the third highest grossing film of all time. With thanks to Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA). Avenger Assemble will be out on DVD Sept 14th.
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SATURDAY AUGUST 24

Talks

Seamus McGarvey In Conversation with Kieron J. Walsh | 13:00 | The Factory
In association with Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) Seamus will take part in an in-depth discussion about his work on titles such as We Need To Talk About Kevin, Atonement and the soon to be released Anna Karenina.
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HiFi v LoFi – VFX | 15:00 | The Factory
Feeding into our VFX workshops, this in-depth round table discussion will host representatives from various sides of the budgetary spectrum who will discuss the techniques and tricks and how all have a part to play in today’s filmic landscape.
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In conversation with Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir and Fergal Brennan | 17:00 | The Factory
Festival programmer Nicky Gogan will host this show and tell event, where Kristín and Fergal will discuss their work and talk about their collaborations.
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Terence Davies in Conversation with Donald Clarke | 20:00 | The Factory
Following the screening of Of Time and The City we are delighted that Terence Davies will take part in an in-depth discussion about his work and life as a filmmaker.
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Workshops

Alan Lambert LoFi VFX Workshop | 12:30 | The Factory
Following on from the world premier of Alan Lambert’s film The End Of The Earth Is My Home, a sci-fi based on the traditional Asian Stories of the Monkey King and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and set in Japan, Egypt and Dublin. the director talks us through the production techniques he used for his VFX sequences in the film.
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Loitering Theatre Drone Workshop | 14:00 | The Factory
Caroline Campbell and Nina McGowan will talk about the making of their video work Loitering Theatre (made as part of Hack the City @ Science Gallery).
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Create a Character Kid’s Workshop | 15:30 | Waterways
Illustrator Mark Wickham will teach you the ins and outs of creating your own character for illustration and animation.
Ages 7-14.
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Making a Monster | 17:00 | The Factory
Director Jon Wright and VFX supervisor Paddy Eason (Nvizible) discuss the creative, technical and budgetary challenges involved in bringing writer Kevin Lehane’s brilliant script to the big screen. Grabbers in cinemas August 10th.
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SUNDAY AUGUST 26

Workshops
Stop Motion Animation Kid’s Workshop | 15:30 | Waterways
Learn the ins and outs of Stop Motion Animation with the incredibly talented Fergal Brennan.
Ages 7-12.
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Talks
Le Cool presents Full Screen | 17:00 | The Factory
We’ve seen and loved their work and now it’s your turn. Conor Finnegan, Adrien Merigeau and Kris Kelly will each have 20 minutes as we switch to full screen and let your eyes bathe in their deadliness.
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ALL WEEKEND

Game Jam | All Weekend | The Factory
Have you ever wanted to make a computer game but don’t have the time? Just said to yourself “I bet it takes forever to design and write a game.” You don’t need forever. You only need a weekend and a few friends.
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Best Of Indie Gaming 2012 | All Weekend | The Factory
Play and see the absolute best in indie gaming from IGF 2012. Plus some very special game testing from those brats that brought you The Cat That Got The Milk.
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If you’re into film and film making, make sure you check some of these out!

August 23, 2012
Stranger Than Fiction Film Festival, this weekend at IFI

Stranger than Fiction, a documentary film festival is taking place this weekend at the IFI in Dublin, everything kicked off last night. The festival is back after a one year lay off and it’s bigger than ever before.

Documentary filmmaking has really taken off in mainstream cinema since 2000 and at Stranger Than Fiction you have a chance to catch some of the best around, including Anton Corbijn: Inside Out on Saturday evening.

Tonight you can treat yourself to ‘One Mile Away’, Penny Woodlock’s look at gangs in Birmingham. It’s an interesting tale especially when she took a fictional look at this in 1 Day in 2009 and it features interviews with gang members alongside their rap performances. You can see a trailer on the official site.

As an extra special treat, Simeoin, one of the characters in the documentary will be attending the screening and treating the audience to some of his rap!

That’s just two things to look out for but you know it’s going to be good when Ross Whittaker who directed Saviours,is Festival Director.If you haven’t seen it Saviours followed St Saviours Boxing Club and gave us a look at the life of three boxers, one of whom was the late Darren Sutherland.

All in all – this is a great way to spend the weekend!

Other info you need:
Tickets: €9. Please call IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477 or visit http://www.ifi.ie/stf/ to book.
http://www.facebook.com/IrishFilmInstitute
https://twitter.com/IFI_Dub (#IFIstf)

August 17, 2012