Not to be confused with The Wire.
Went to see The Weir at the Gate last night.
Maybe it’s not the kind of play to knock your socks off but I was left feeling underwhelmed. I know it’s a multi-award winning play but it just wasn’t as good as I expected. I’m all for silence, timing and gestures but it all feels very dated. Maybe Ireland has moved on and this script (and by extension the production itself) is best left in the era it was originally intended. Acting ranged from average to superb. Interesting set. Well staged. Functional lighting. Maybe it just hasn’t aged well and that’s why its setting was moved back a few years to just before the boom?
In terms of drama it’s not exactly The Field. In terms of tone and style it’s not exactly The Dead. In terms of comedy it’s not exactly The Barrytown Trilogy. In fact the jokes are quite twee and disposable. Maybe I expected too much?
On another note, The Gate really is a fine theatre with very friendly, efficient staff.
“Ever heard of a country called Italy?”
Interesting piece / discussion over at OutsideIn on the nature of Irish politics. Have your say.
A Wednesday afternoon short film…
One boy met one girl and ended up with a price on his head. Called A Facebook Fatwa, it tells the story of what happens when innocent pictures on a Facebook page end up in the wrong person’s hands.
Made under the Irish Film Board’s VirtualCinema scheme the short is written & produced by Eamonn Carey and directed by Colin Corrigan.
Moody Tuesday…
A bit of music for the day that’s in it…
Beirut, “Nantes”. From the streets of Paris.
I love Blogotheque. Amazing acts and performances but not flashy in any way. Substance beats style hands down.
A Monday morning movie link…
If you have a spare ten minutes you could do a lot worse than have a look at A Lonely Sky. It’s a fine Irish short film created by Nick Ryan. It’s beautifully made, the cinematography by James Mather is stunning, and the tone and feel are spot on. I’m sure there must be 6-picture-deals being penned on the back of it?
I exclaim…..
It’s just dawned on me that I use exclamation marks a lot. An awful lot. Is this a symptom of something endemic in modern society? Is it brought on by more modern, more disposable means of communication (ie., texting and emailling)? Is it terminal? Is it curable?
What do you reckon?
Who gives a fuck about an Oxford Comma?
Today Terry I’ve been mostly humming this fantastic tune from Vampire Weekend…
Great vocal, smashing guitar sound, cool lyrics, it’s all good. Plus I love one take music videos. It’s a winner all round. So Terry, do enjoy!
Update… The video is directed by Richard Ayoade. He’s the annoying, neurotic guy from the IT Crowd. Still, it’s a great video. He also does videos for the Last Shadow Puppets so new found respect for him I guess!
To Be Commended…
I’m really liking the new blog series Balkan Bikers by Irish Times managing editor Peter Murtagh. Along with his biker buddy Tony, Peter is travelling across the Balkans on a motorcycle and keeping a blog on his adventures. (I came across it via the also excellent OutsideIn) It’s very enlightening but in a readable, enjoyable way. It’s a beautiful and hugely historical part of the world and so far Peter is certainly doing it justice with his posts. It reminds me of The Long Way Round with Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor except with greater insight and more journalistic nous. I look forward to more.
On another note, The Irish Times must be commended for publishing this blog. It’s both innovative and encouraging.
The Follow Up and A New Beginning? Perhaps!
So it’s been 7 months since my first (and only post!). Andrew & Ruby have dropped by to give me a kick up the ar*e and ordered me to get my blogging finger out. So cheers guys. Hopefully I’ll take the prompt and get into this blogging lark like I promised way back in January.
To celebrate this new departure I’m going to post some musical goodness by Bon Iver. One man and his guitar; this is spine-tinglingly fantastic.
