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IRISH FILM AND television was celebrated at the Ifta awards last night.
There have been a number of recent notable films that were made by Irish people or starred Irish actors.
Saoirse Ronan, who took home the award for Actress in a Leading Role at the Iftas, is in the running for an Oscar next month for her role in Lady Bird (which was made in the US).
Meanwhile, John Connors took home the top actor gong at the Iftas for Cardboard Gangsters – the biggest Irish-made box-office success of 2017.
However, speaking to TheJournal.ie, actor Gabriel Byrne said people making films cheaply here doesn’t actually constitute an industry, and more investment is needed.
We want to know: Have you watched an Irish-produced film in the last year?
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No, because they are generally all the same – depressive, about some form of feud or crime, and contains a lot of shouting and swearing. Not my cup of tea.
@Shannon Mcg:
ya, The Young Offenders is very depressive……………
@Stephen Coveney: the young offenders falls into my 2nd category – about a feud or a crime.
@Shannon Mcg: I tend to agree, they all fall into the same genre. Nothing original.
@Shannon Mcg: can you name some movies that aren’t like that?
@Dave O Keeffe: Cool Runnings, Amelie, Napoleon Dynamite, Little Miss Sunshine, Grand Budapest Hotel, most musicals, Night at The Roxbury, Blades of Glory, Uncle Buck, Planes Trains and Automobiles, every Studio Ghibli film, The Theory of Everything, The Little Hours, almost every Pixar movie… shall I continue?
@Shannon Mcg: Cool Runnings, Planes trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck….so you like John Candy, musicals and cartoons? The young offenders is hardly a serious crime film…teenage bike thieves cycle to the beach to try and find cocaine washed up on the shore….it’s not exactly the departed or scarface.
@George Oscar Bluth: What about Brooklyn…Sing Street…Handsome Devil…The Lobster…Kissing Candice… Maudie…Drummer and Keeper…Songs of Granite… to name a few…
@Shannon Mcg: your dead right. But Irish and Brits love a drama. Sure somebody always dies for xmas or new years in the soaps.
@Shannon Mcg: yeah you know the bit in Intermission where Colin Farrell reaches in and punches the shop assistant in the face. I thought that was a bit sick and not humorous at all but it seems it was included for its comic effect.
@Shannonmc : Imagine to love Drama and suspense and to be intrigued by darmatisation of the criminal underworld . whats wrong with people. I can tell you im waiting for “song of praise” the movie. There will be prayers , songs …….. maybe some gang stuff …. the “old testaments ultras” against the Newbie testaments in turf war over jesus pushing !
@Shannon Mcg: Jayzus Shannon, you’ve just described the Journal’s comments section perfectly!
Young offenders, best Irish movie in a long time. We should be making more like this. Absolutely hilarious.
@David Craven: PJ’s ronnie is a hoot
@j4VEpUO8: it’s not a movie
@Minom Pnnomm: its a movie and a series
@Minom Pnnomm: it is a movie
@David Craven: loved young offenders!
@Veronica: it was quality
Yes I watched “Cardboard Gangster’s” a few weeks ago, funny, serious and horrifying at the same time
@Mick12: I nearly needed sub-titles :-)
@Mick12:
that was a tough watch. Knot in my stomach with tension almost the entire movie
@Mick12: seriously? That film was pure muck with appalling acting.
@Mick12: ’tis a very serious story, and likely one that plays out in some places around the country over and over.
@Mick12: it was absolute shíte….
Young offenders is so much better.
@Mick12: agree. Thought it was a very good film
@Paul Fahey: absolutely disagree with you
@John Doe: it’s much better. Young Offenders is way overrated
Spin The Bottle
Adam And Paul
Intermission
I just watch those three over and over
@Tony Dowling: Try “Man about Dog” – great laugh.
@Tony Dowling:
Intermission has one of the best opening sequences I’ve seen. Not just in an Irish movie.
Well done John Connors on his success last night.
@Mr Phil Officer: should rename it the bosscars
@darrell fahy: did he have a chip on each shoulder to balance himself out?
@Mr Phil Officer: it would be interesting to see him play a different type of role to see how he gets on ..
@Mr Phil Officer: same character every time. Hardly constitutes talent. Yet he doesn’t like how travellers are portrayed.
No but I’ve been watching Vikings on telly, produced here by a production company owned by Morgan O Sullivan
Cardboard Gangsters is superb.
I met one of the camera men at the Meath – Donegal match last year. He told me that I had to go see it as it was superb and Connors gives a masterclass performance. He told me about the scene in the bedroom – apparently it was totally unscripted – one take – the director just told Connors the mood he wanted and he let him rip. It is an incredibly moving and alarming scene. The emotional roller coaster is unbelievable. Hard hitting. Raw. Real.
I cannot praise this film enough, I couldn’t sleep after watching it, it is incredible.
@Ciarán FitzGerald: behave yourself it was absolute MUCK and the fawning over Connors playing yet another barely coherent thug is extremely patronising
@Mean Gene Okerlund: The bedroom scene where he has just come home to his mammy’s house after an unforgivable sin is a world class piece of unscripted acting. He burns a cigarette out on himself and puts his head through a dry wall. He cries uncontrollably. You cannot fake that. Show me an Irish actor right now who can do that scene in such a believable way?
@Mean Gene Okerlund: Why all the hate ?
He’s one of our own.
@Ciarán FitzGerald: ‘he burns himself with a cigarette, puts his head through a wall and cries’…….If that’s your barometer for good acting then the jackass lads all deserve oscars. It was pure MUCK
@Mean Gene Okerlund: so because he’s ‘one of our own’ (recently given ethnic status makes that debatable) I’m supposed to just blindly like it?
@Ciarán FitzGerald: it was so predictable , typical Irish tripe…
@Mean Gene Okerlund: get off the bandwagon. It is a superb film
@Mean Gene Okerlund:
It’s a bit hard to take comments about bad acting from someone with that name in fairness Mean Gene.
@Ciarán FitzGerald: Its absolute garbage. Like something a Transotion Year kid would make after watching Scarface and reading too much Paul Williams.
@Paul O Connor: that doesn’t make a lick of sense master O’Connor
@Michael Farrelly: don’t be mad at me you like pure shite
Hey, don’t no how many times I watch the snapper, there just something about that film that’s so enjoyable, also paths to freedom I no it’s not a film but it’s up there with the best
Em, there is nothing listed on the options?!
I think movie reviewers and other writers in the newspapers could give Irish-made films more encouragement. Our film industry is chronically underfunded. Indy producers rely on British and continental sources for supplementary funding. Their films are difficult to get into the cinema complexes and producers often try the film club circuit instead. The Irish film industry is most unsatisfactory.
@Garreth Byrne: its underfunded because its crap
@Charlie Melia: or is it crap because it’s underfunded?
@Charlie Melia: Hollywood and New York crap is over-funded – and clogs cinema complexes all over Europe.
@Garreth Byrne: I recently looked at the Irishtimes review list, unbelievable some the film’s they gave bad and good reviews to. I agree the reviewer are out of touch.
@Conchuir O Maolchallann: I don’t expect Irish journalists to praise every Irish-produced film. I do expect them to give prime space to analysing every new release, possibly comparing and contrasting them with other movies of a similar genre. New Irish novels generally get prime billing in the newspaper review sections, along with reviews of foreign novels. There are B novels as well as B movies. Honest criticism and continuous publicity can help the struggling Irish film industry.
John Connors is always whining about how travellers are being portrayed yet he portrays them as criminals. I guess when you’re making a few bob you can leave your beliefs at the door.
Despite the pressures Irish film stands up well internationally I think. Young Offenders, Viva, Maudie, Cardboard Gangsters etc all current and good movies. When we get people like Lenny Abrahamson and Mark O’Halloran working together on projects the results include classics like Adam & Paul.
Seige of Jadotville & Young Offenders – both class!
You should have to prove you shower regularly before you are in running for any award
@Gearoid De Burca: you should try that with your big mouth!
@Colette Kearns: Sorry Collette I didn’t realise regular showering offended you. U musht b wan a ugh missus?
@Gearoid De Burca: better than been a racist!
@Colette Kearns: not in this case. There is nothing worse.
I watched the brilliant film ‘The Farthest’. Delighted to see it won an IFTA for the best documentary.
Perrier’s bounty very good film
Run of the Country, Adam and Paul, Between the Canals, The Snapper, The king of the Travellers all good Irish Movies
At the cinema, No, I don’t think so. The last one I saw at the cinema was probably The Young Offenders. On TV, I can’t resist watching The Snapper anytime it’s on and over Christmas saw My Left Foot again.
Young Offenders, Sing Street, Handsome Devil all excellent. Industry in not too bad a state I’d say.
Fatal Deviation. Check it out on YouTube
@Tomas Lyne: God damn right! Best film ever made!
Song of the Sea!
a truly beautiful movie.
Stunning. delighted someone else mentioned it
Can’t believe no one mentioned Bad Dad for the Cut. Great flick.
@nafoits: the what?
As another commenter alluded to, the problem with Irish cinema is that it’s so morbid.
We do produce great films in this country. It would be nice to have more films that didn’t feature gangland feuds, drugs, clerical sex abuse, family breakdown etc.
I haven’t watched any film in the past year – apparently so much a minority that it isn’t even an option. #bread and circuses
Gabriel Byrne is way too far up his own arse
@PDiddy: the ex late late show guy yeah would agree. The actor guy talks sense sometimes
@PDiddy: i don’t know about you, but Gabriel Byrne (the actor) has achieved a lot more than i have or ever will.
@PDiddy: a sound man ,willing to call out Ireland’s binge drinking culture and came out pro choice this week. Fine actor too. Bonio could take a leaf out of Byrnes book,the gimp!
I watched 15 mins of cardboard gangsters, does that count?
The only one i can think of is The Guard
Watched cardboard gangsters on Netflix recently and thought john Connors gave a really decent performance. Can’t recall any other Irish film of late worth watching. As for Irish TV programmes no not worth watching. Haven’t seen anything decent since love/hate .
Anything with Brendan Gleeson- In Bruges ,The Guard etc
I wanna see Handsome Devil so i can live out my unlived rugby crush dream .
☺☺
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