Galway 2008: Irish Short Films
I may have finished all the Irish feature films I saw at the Galway Film Fleadh this year, but there's still one strand left to cover. I managed to catch one of the short film compilations (there were a few over the course of the festival) so thoughts on each of the films in the selection I saw (New Irish Shorts programme 1 if you're interested) are as follows.
UP FOR AIR (Mark Hodkinson, Richie Conroy) is a comedy in which a layabout young man has a chance encounter with his younger self. There's not much in the way of visual flair, but it's a competently made film with a witty script and a likable enough cast.
RETIREMENT (Joseph Campbell) concerns an old man who lives alone - or so he thinks. In fact, he is sharing his abode with a mouse and it appears that the house is only big enough for one of them. Comedy hijinks ensue, although the film is not without a touch of misery running through it.
REARVIEW (Jake McKone) is a witty look at a day in the life of an Irish taxi driver. As the story rolls on, the twist in the tail becomes slightly obvious before it happens but the director and cast have enough of a talent for comedy that even when it does happen you still can't help laughing out loud.
JANEY MARY (Paul Brady) is a short film that I'm going to write a separate blog entry about at a later date. Does that mean I loved it? Did I hate it? Am I just going to use it as a springboard to rant about something else entirely? It wouldn't be the first time, but I guess you'll have to come back soon to find out.
THE SILVER BOW (Robert Manson) is a touching little film showing a glimpse into the life of a Dublin street performer. If you've ever seen those guys standing in the street dressed as statues and thought they just looked like twats, this film might make you think twice!
DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE (Luke McManus) sees a brief glimpse of a lady's face trigger a flashback in a young man's memory to a fleeting encounter at an Irish music festival. I'll be honest, I didn't really take to this one at all but I don't grudge it the prize it won because whatever I didn't like about it, I have to admit it was one of the more visually striking entries in this shorts programme.
BASIN (Stevie Russell) is another short which, as with DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE, was visually impressive but otherwise left me cold. A man climbs out of a canal and, well, not much else really. Looks good though.
A SHORT FILM ABOUT CLEANING (Lorna Fitzsimons) again demonstrates that the director certainly has a firm grasp of filmmaking, but as accomplished as it is, it's still just a film of a woman cleaning a toilet. The director certainly shows promise though.
EIRIGH (Cathy Brady) looks stunning, a very brief film of the emergence of an Irish warrior, bearing some resemblance to an Irish take on Zack Snyder's film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300. I must confess however that I fear my ignorance of certain parts of Irish history probably meant this film didn't mean as much to me as it did to others.
ASBO BUMBLE BEE (Christian Johnston) is another comedy short. Following a bumble bee around for a day (or rather a man dressed as a bee) the film provokes laughs from the bee's antisocial behaviour but is enhanced no end by the weirdly memorable adaptation of a George Formby song as the film's soundtrack. Very rough around the edges, but funny.
PARALLEL THOUGHTS (David Souto) is a story of two lovers. Looks nice enough, but I really didn't get it.
WHO? (Paulina Plezia) is a look into the day-to-day existence of a woman struggling with her gradual loss of memory. It could have been fleshed out a little more but is still an honest look at a serious issue.
WALK ON BY (Tim Hanan) is a comedic look at the rivalry between two joggers. Darkly humorous, the punch line is hilarious. Another very funny film.
WINDING DOWN (Richard Parkin) is a portrait of an aging clock repairman who is struggling to continue but refuses to give up. The story is slight but delivered in style, with a good performance from the lead actor, whose name I forget, and a lovely look about the film.
THE MORSE COLLECTORS (David Cooke) takes place during wartime Ireland and centres around two Irish children. The boy is convinced that household noises are sending him messages in morse code; his sister is not convinced. Together they investigate and discover a very dark secret. This film was one of the most visually accomplished, cinematic films in this programme but it's certainly not without substance either, with the film packing an emotional punch that won't soon be forgotten.
WITHOUT WORDS (Brian Deane) is a short film that I already saw and mentioned last year in my coverage of the short films I saw at the Cork Film Festival. It was one of the best films I saw there, and it was one of the best films I saw here too. It's a touching look at a very serious problem in society and deserves a wider viewing - I'm delighted to say that it scooped a prize at the online Babelgum film festival in Cannes (and I believe if you're a Babelgum user you can download the film). Well deserved prize!
THE PERILS OF INTERNET DATING (Simon Eustace) is a lightweight but amusing glimpse into, well, exactly what it sounds like.
A LIFE (Jo Mangan) is a very short love story that might not amount to much but what it does it does with a whole lot of flair. Another visually arresting film.
THE CONFESSION (Thomas Hefferon) sees a young man attend confession and have an interesting conversation with a priest. Another great punch line.
THE PORTRAIT (Rouzie Hassanova) offers another case of a film that looks nice but doesn't connect. It certainly takes great care in addressing a controversial issue but again I just didn't connect.
THE MAN IN 301 (David Freyne) is the final film of the selection and sees a group of prison inmates tell their story, each of them blaming the titular character for their predicament. Dark and stylishly shot, the main talking point of this one is that it's a musical, with each of the inmates adopting a slightly different sound to tell their story. It's an interesting film and I must confess that some of the music was rather catchy.
UP FOR AIR (Mark Hodkinson, Richie Conroy) is a comedy in which a layabout young man has a chance encounter with his younger self. There's not much in the way of visual flair, but it's a competently made film with a witty script and a likable enough cast.
RETIREMENT (Joseph Campbell) concerns an old man who lives alone - or so he thinks. In fact, he is sharing his abode with a mouse and it appears that the house is only big enough for one of them. Comedy hijinks ensue, although the film is not without a touch of misery running through it.
REARVIEW (Jake McKone) is a witty look at a day in the life of an Irish taxi driver. As the story rolls on, the twist in the tail becomes slightly obvious before it happens but the director and cast have enough of a talent for comedy that even when it does happen you still can't help laughing out loud.
JANEY MARY (Paul Brady) is a short film that I'm going to write a separate blog entry about at a later date. Does that mean I loved it? Did I hate it? Am I just going to use it as a springboard to rant about something else entirely? It wouldn't be the first time, but I guess you'll have to come back soon to find out.
THE SILVER BOW (Robert Manson) is a touching little film showing a glimpse into the life of a Dublin street performer. If you've ever seen those guys standing in the street dressed as statues and thought they just looked like twats, this film might make you think twice!
DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE (Luke McManus) sees a brief glimpse of a lady's face trigger a flashback in a young man's memory to a fleeting encounter at an Irish music festival. I'll be honest, I didn't really take to this one at all but I don't grudge it the prize it won because whatever I didn't like about it, I have to admit it was one of the more visually striking entries in this shorts programme.
BASIN (Stevie Russell) is another short which, as with DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE, was visually impressive but otherwise left me cold. A man climbs out of a canal and, well, not much else really. Looks good though.
A SHORT FILM ABOUT CLEANING (Lorna Fitzsimons) again demonstrates that the director certainly has a firm grasp of filmmaking, but as accomplished as it is, it's still just a film of a woman cleaning a toilet. The director certainly shows promise though.
EIRIGH (Cathy Brady) looks stunning, a very brief film of the emergence of an Irish warrior, bearing some resemblance to an Irish take on Zack Snyder's film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300. I must confess however that I fear my ignorance of certain parts of Irish history probably meant this film didn't mean as much to me as it did to others.
ASBO BUMBLE BEE (Christian Johnston) is another comedy short. Following a bumble bee around for a day (or rather a man dressed as a bee) the film provokes laughs from the bee's antisocial behaviour but is enhanced no end by the weirdly memorable adaptation of a George Formby song as the film's soundtrack. Very rough around the edges, but funny.
PARALLEL THOUGHTS (David Souto) is a story of two lovers. Looks nice enough, but I really didn't get it.
WHO? (Paulina Plezia) is a look into the day-to-day existence of a woman struggling with her gradual loss of memory. It could have been fleshed out a little more but is still an honest look at a serious issue.
WALK ON BY (Tim Hanan) is a comedic look at the rivalry between two joggers. Darkly humorous, the punch line is hilarious. Another very funny film.
WINDING DOWN (Richard Parkin) is a portrait of an aging clock repairman who is struggling to continue but refuses to give up. The story is slight but delivered in style, with a good performance from the lead actor, whose name I forget, and a lovely look about the film.
THE MORSE COLLECTORS (David Cooke) takes place during wartime Ireland and centres around two Irish children. The boy is convinced that household noises are sending him messages in morse code; his sister is not convinced. Together they investigate and discover a very dark secret. This film was one of the most visually accomplished, cinematic films in this programme but it's certainly not without substance either, with the film packing an emotional punch that won't soon be forgotten.
WITHOUT WORDS (Brian Deane) is a short film that I already saw and mentioned last year in my coverage of the short films I saw at the Cork Film Festival. It was one of the best films I saw there, and it was one of the best films I saw here too. It's a touching look at a very serious problem in society and deserves a wider viewing - I'm delighted to say that it scooped a prize at the online Babelgum film festival in Cannes (and I believe if you're a Babelgum user you can download the film). Well deserved prize!
THE PERILS OF INTERNET DATING (Simon Eustace) is a lightweight but amusing glimpse into, well, exactly what it sounds like.
A LIFE (Jo Mangan) is a very short love story that might not amount to much but what it does it does with a whole lot of flair. Another visually arresting film.
THE CONFESSION (Thomas Hefferon) sees a young man attend confession and have an interesting conversation with a priest. Another great punch line.
THE PORTRAIT (Rouzie Hassanova) offers another case of a film that looks nice but doesn't connect. It certainly takes great care in addressing a controversial issue but again I just didn't connect.
THE MAN IN 301 (David Freyne) is the final film of the selection and sees a group of prison inmates tell their story, each of them blaming the titular character for their predicament. Dark and stylishly shot, the main talking point of this one is that it's a musical, with each of the inmates adopting a slightly different sound to tell their story. It's an interesting film and I must confess that some of the music was rather catchy.
Labels: Film festivals, Galway Film Fleadh, Irish film, short films
posted by Alan at 5:03 pm
2 Comments:
So what was your opinion on Janey Mary the short film?
Hello - I've not forgotten about it, honest! My opinion on Janey Mary will be appearing very, very shortly.
If your interest is because you've either seen it or are involved with it in any way, please be sure to come back and leave your comments when I publish my opinion!
Thanks for reading.
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